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.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Adams, A. (2010). Integral education for a conscious evolution. ReVision, 32, 2–6.
Alexander, R. (2008). Towards dialogic teaching: Rethinking classroom talk. Thirsk: Dialogos.
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.
Brown, K. W., Ryan, R. M., & Creswell, J. D. (2007). Mindfulness: Theoretical foundations and evidence for salutary effects. Psychological Inquiry, 18(4), 211–237.
Cahn, B. R., & Polich, J. (2006). Meditation states and traits: EEG, ERP, and neuroimaging studies. Psychological Bulletin, 132(2), 180–211.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Engin, M. (2017). Contributions and silence in academic talk: Exploring learner experiences of dialogic interaction. Learning, Culture and Social Interaction, 12, 78–86.
Esbjörn-Hargens, S. (2006). Integral education by design: How integral theory informs teaching, learning, and curriculum in a graduate program. ReVision, 28, 21–30.
Evans, R., & Jones, D. (2007). Perspectives on oracy—Towards a theory of practice. Early Child Development and Care, 177(6–7), 557–567.
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.
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.
Goffman, E. (1967). Interaction ritual: Essays on face-to-face ritual. New York: Doubleday.
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.
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.
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.
Hardman, J. (2016). Tutor student interaction in seminar teaching: Implications for professional development. Active Learning in Higher Education, 17(1), 63–76.
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.
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.
Jha, A. P., Krompinger, J., & Baime, M. J. (2007). Mindfulness training modifies subsystems of attention. Cognitive, Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience, 7(2), 109–119.
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.
Johnson, A. (2016). Designing “authenticity” in digital learning environments. Journal of Interactive Technology and Pedagogy, 9.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Murray, T. (2009). What is the integral in integral education? From progressive pedagogy to integral pedagogy. Integral Review, 5(1), 96–134.
O’Dwyer, S. (2017). Deflating the “Confucian Heritage Culture” thesis in intercultural and academic English education. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 30(2), 198–211.
Skidmore, D. (2000). From pedagogic dialogue to dialogic pedagogy. Language and Education, 14(4), 283–296.
Skidmore, D. (2006). Pedagogy and dialogue. Cambridge Journal of Education, 36(4), 503–514.
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.
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.
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.
Wexler, J. (2005). Toward a model of integral education. ReVision, 28, 29–35.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 The Author(s)
About this chapter
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)