Skip to main content

Using Mindfulness Meditation Techniques to Support Peer-to-Peer Dialogue in Seminars

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Enhancing Student-Centred Teaching in Higher Education

Abstract

This chapter reports on a small-scale investigation into the relationship between mindfulness meditation techniques and peer-to-peer dialogue in the context of undergraduate English Literature seminars. Over the course of the project, a group of second-year undergraduate Literature students spent a total of six hours learning non-therapeutic mindfulness meditation in extracurricular workshops which focused on techniques that can be used both in preparation for and during seminars. The chapter both indicates techniques for integrating mindful practices into teaching and aims to situate the role of mindfulness more broadly within the current state of higher education in the humanities. The research was conducted by a member of staff and a student at the University of Surrey and this chapter is co-authored by both student and staff researcher.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 119.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 159.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 159.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Adams, A. (2010). Integral education for a conscious evolution. ReVision, 32, 2–6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alexander, R. (2008). Towards dialogic teaching: Rethinking classroom talk. Thirsk: Dialogos.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, K. W., & Ryan, R. M. (2003). The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(4), 822–848.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, K. W., Ryan, R. M., & Creswell, J. D. (2007). Mindfulness: Theoretical foundations and evidence for salutary effects. Psychological Inquiry, 18(4), 211–237.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cahn, B. R., & Polich, J. (2006). Meditation states and traits: EEG, ERP, and neuroimaging studies. Psychological Bulletin, 132(2), 180–211.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cardaciotto, L., Herbert, J., Forman, E., Moitra, E., & Farrow, V. (2008). The assessment of present-moment awareness and acceptance: The Philadelphia mindfulness scale. Assessment, 15(2), 204–223.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carmody, J., & Baer, R. A. (2008). Relationships between mindfulness practice and levels of mindfulness, medical and psychological symptoms and well-being in a mindfulness-based stress reduction program. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 31(1), 23–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Connolly, B., & Smith, M. W. (2002). Teachers and students talk about talk: Class discussion and the way it should be. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 46(1), 16–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davidson, R. J., Kabat-Zinn, J., Schumacher, J., Rosenkranz, M., Muller, D., Santorelli, S. F., … Sheridan, J. F. (2003). Alterations in brain and immune function produced by mindfulness meditation. Psychosomatic Medicine, 65(4), 564–570.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Engin, M. (2017). Contributions and silence in academic talk: Exploring learner experiences of dialogic interaction. Learning, Culture and Social Interaction, 12, 78–86.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Esbjörn-Hargens, S. (2006). Integral education by design: How integral theory informs teaching, learning, and curriculum in a graduate program. ReVision, 28, 21–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Evans, R., & Jones, D. (2007). Perspectives on oracy—Towards a theory of practice. Early Child Development and Care, 177(6–7), 557–567.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feldman, G., Hayes, A., Kumar, S., Greeson, J., & Laurenceau, J. P. (2007). Mindfulness and emotion regulation: The development and initial validation of the Cognitive and Affective Mindfulness Scale-Revised (CAMS-R). Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 29, 177–190.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gibson, J. (2010). Small group teaching in English Literature: A good practice guide. Royal Holloway University of London, Egham: The Higher Education Academy English Subject Centre.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goffman, E. (1967). Interaction ritual: Essays on face-to-face ritual. New York: Doubleday.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodman, S. B., Murphy, K. B., & D’Andrea, M. L. (2014). Discussion dilemmas: An analysis of beliefs and ideals in the undergraduate seminar. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 27(1), 1–21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greeson, J., & Brantley, J. (2008). Mindfulness and anxiety disorders: Developing a wise relationship with the inner experience of fear. In F. Didonna (Ed.), Clinical handbook of mindfulness (pp. 171–188). New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grossman, P., Niemann, L., Schmidt, S., & Walach, H. (2004). Mindfulness-based stress reduction and health benefits: A meta-analysis. Journal of Pyschosomatic Research, 57(1), 35–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hardman, J. (2016). Tutor student interaction in seminar teaching: Implications for professional development. Active Learning in Higher Education, 17(1), 63–76.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hölzel, B. K., Ott, U., Gard, T., Hempel, H., Weygandt, M., Morgen, K., & Vaitl, D. (2007). Investigation of mindfulness meditation practitioners with voxel-based morphometry. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 3(1), 55–61.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hutcherson, C. A., Seppala, E. M., & Gross, J. J. (2008). I don’t know you but I like you: Loving kindness meditation increases positivity toward others. 6th Annual Conference Integrating Mindfulness-Based Interventions into Mediation, Health Care & Society.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jha, A. P., Krompinger, J., & Baime, M. J. (2007). Mindfulness training modifies subsystems of attention. Cognitive, Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience, 7(2), 109–119.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, A. (2015). Thresholds of interpretation: Identifying, producing, and supporting with The Turn of the Screw. CEA Critic (Journal of the College English Association), 77(2), 196–210.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, A. (2016). Designing “authenticity” in digital learning environments. Journal of Interactive Technology and Pedagogy, 9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kabat-Zinn, J. (1990). Full catastrophe living: Using the wisdom of your body and mind to face stress, pain, and illness. New York, NY: Delacorte Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lefstein, A. (2010). More helpful as problem than solution: Some implications of situating dialogue in classrooms. In K. Littleton & C. Howe (Eds.), Educational dialogues: Understanding and promoting productive interaction (pp. 170–191). Abingdon: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lutz, A. S., Slagter, H. A., Dunne, J., & Davidson, R. J. (2008). Attention regulation and monitoring in meditation. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 12(4), 163–169.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martin, P. W. (1999). Key aspects of teaching and learning in arts, humanities and social sciences. In H. Fry, S. Ketteridge, & S. Marshall (Eds.), A handbook for teaching and learning in higher education (pp. 300–322). Abingdon: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Michaels, S., O’Connor, C., & Resnick, L. B. (2008). Deliberative discourse idealized and realized: Accountable talk in the classroom and in civil life. Studies in Philosophy and Education, 24(4), 283–297.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Murray, T. (2009). What is the integral in integral education? From progressive pedagogy to integral pedagogy. Integral Review, 5(1), 96–134.

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Dwyer, S. (2017). Deflating the “Confucian Heritage Culture” thesis in intercultural and academic English education. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 30(2), 198–211.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Skidmore, D. (2000). From pedagogic dialogue to dialogic pedagogy. Language and Education, 14(4), 283–296.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Skidmore, D. (2006). Pedagogy and dialogue. Cambridge Journal of Education, 36(4), 503–514.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tang, Y. Y., Ma, Y., Wang, J., Fan, Y., Feng, S., Lu, Q., … Posner, M. I. (2007). Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 104(43), 17152–17156.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tran, T. T. (2013). Is the learning approach of students from the Confucian heritage culture problematic? Educational Research for Policy and Practice, 12(1), 57–65.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walach, H., Buchheld, N., Buttenmuller, V., Kleinknecht, N., & Schmidt, S. (2006). Measuring mindfulness—The Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory. Personality and Individual Differences, 40(8), 1543–1555.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wexler, J. (2005). Toward a model of integral education. ReVision, 28, 29–35.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Allan Kilner-Johnson .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Kilner-Johnson, A., Udofia, E. (2020). Using Mindfulness Meditation Techniques to Support Peer-to-Peer Dialogue in Seminars. In: Gravett, K., Yakovchuk, N., Kinchin, I. (eds) Enhancing Student-Centred Teaching in Higher Education. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35396-4_19

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35396-4_19

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-35395-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-35396-4

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics