Educating for Wisdom and Compassion: Creating Conditions for Timeless Learning

"A clearly written, concise, and inspired book..." -Lourdes Arguelles Professor of Education and Cultural Studies Claremont Graduate University Blending philosophy, research, and three decades of practice, the author offers an engaging discussion of essential principles of timeless learning, including attention, contemplation, connection, participation, responsibility, wholeness, and joy. Educators in today's schools can apply these principles, models, and methods to inform instruction in their own classrooms and teaching practices. Some of the benefits timeless learning can bring include: Helping students develop deep joy, wholeness, awe and wonder, and a sense of purpose Improving attention, alertness, perception, and memory Using meditation and contemplation to help reduce stress, anxiety, heart rate, and blood pressure

Table of Contents:
Part I Timeless Learning: Definitions and Fundamentals 1. Timeless Learning What Is Timeless Learning? What Are the Characteristics of Timeless Learning? Holistic/Integrative Embodied Connected Soulful Transformative Flow Participatory Non-dualistic Mysterious and unexplainable Immeasurable What Does Timeless Learning Bring to Today′s Classrooms? Conclusion References 2. The Perennial Philosophy: A Relaxed Universalism Foundations of the Perennial Philosophy The interconnected nature of reality and the mysterious unity of the universe The intimate connection between the individual′s inner self, or soul, and the mysterious unity Wisdom or knowledge of the mysterious unity can be developed through various contemplative practices Values are derived from seeing and realizing the interconnectedness of reality Awareness of the mysterious unity of existence leads to social action to counter injustice and human suffering References Part II Timeless Learning: Processes and Practices 3. Letting Go and Becoming Empty Psychosynthesis and Dis-identification David Hunt Krishnamurti The Bhagavad Gita and Non-Attachment Spiritual Knowing Just Let Go References 4. Attention and Meditation Meditation Forms of Meditation Intellectual Meditation Emotional Meditation Physical Meditation Action Meditation Meditation Practices Insight Body Scan Mantra Visualization Movement meditation Getting Started Meditation With Children Just One Minute by Naomi Baer References 5. Compassion, Caring, and Lovingkindness Kindness, Empathy, Compassion, and Love Lovingkindness Practice Caring in Schools School with Forest and Meadow (Ojiya School) Service Learning Engaged Service Community-Based Work To Be and to Have References 6. Contemplation, Mindfulness, and Presence Mindfulness Presence Contemplation and Mindfulness in Classrooms Contemplation and Action References Part III Timeless Learning: Perspectives, Examples, and Outcomes 7. Educational Perspectives on Timeless Learning Transcendental Education Emerson Thoreau Bronson Alcott Holistic Education Linear Thinking and Intuition Relationship Between Mind and Body Subject Connections Community Connections Earth Connections Self Connections Slow Education Conclusion References 8. Examples of Timeless Learning Krishnamurti Schools Principles of Learning The School The Teacher Waldorf Education Steiner′s View of Development Rhythm Montessori Education Conclusion References 9. Creating Conditions for Timeless Learning in Public Schools Work on Yourself Be Fully Present Recognize the Importance of the Nonverbal Honor Silence Develop a Rhythm Integrate Timeless Learning with other Forms of Learning Balancing Spontenaity and Planning Don′t Forget the Body Live Your Own Truth Acknowledge the Mystery Let Your Humanity Come Through References 10. The Fruits of Timeless Learning The Present Educational Context The Results of Timeless Learning Research on Contemplative Practices My Own Research Nature of Mediation Practice Personal Effects of Meditation Practice Professional Effects of Meditation Practice Profiles Ultimate Outcomes of Timeless Learning Wisdom and Compassion Joy: The Singing Soul Awe and Wonder Wholeness Sense of Purpose References Bibliography Index

About the Author :
John P. (Jack) Miller, Ph.D., is Professor in the Department of Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto and Head of OISE’s Centre for Teacher Development. He has also been Visiting Professor at Shinwa Women’s University in Kobe, Japan, and at Rietsumeiken University in Kyoto, Japan. Professor Miller teaches courses in holistic education and spirituality in education. He has also led workshops and given keynote addresses on those topics at conferences around the world.  Notable among his many books, chapters, and journal articles are Holistic Learning and Spirituality in Education: Breaking New Ground (2005), Education and the Soul: Toward a Spiritual Curriculum (2000), The Contemplative Practitioner (1994), Holistic Learning: The Teacher’s Guide to Integrated Studies (1990), The Holistic Curriculum (1988), The Compassionate Teacher (1981), and Humanizing the Classroom (1976). His writing has been translated into seven languages.  

Review :
"In Educating for Wisdom and Compassion: Creating Conditions for Timeless Learning, John Miller creates the category of timeless learning and describes its qualities and aspects. For someone new to this perspective, the book provides an enormously rich introduction to these insights and offers ready access to a set of detailed and wide ranging resources, including many activities the reader can experience at once. For those who are more knowledgeable, the book offers an opportunity for significant deepening of their understanding about the value and enactment of timeless learning. Educating for Wisdom and Compassion: Creating Conditions for Timeless Learning is clear and direct. It’s a book that provokes reflection, engagement, and a deeper vision." "Fills a vacuum in the education literature, a vacuum for an approach to teaching and learning anchored in the insights of various wisdom traditions and spiritually-oriented educational innovators. . . .It is a clearly written, concise, and inspired book which will be of great value to many of us in the education field." "...the vignettes and stories, the suggested practices, the invocation of a fundamentally better way of being and of being in school, the focus on wisdom and compassion as outcomes of education.  Much of the material is wonderful, as is the message." "This is a timely, thoughtful, and very important book. In emphasizing the contemplative mind, it elaborates a key dimension of a new vision of education that is grounded in the wisdom traditions and essential in today’s classrooms. In a sensible, mature, and down-to-earth fashion, this work offers a philosophical context, an intimate understanding of the processes of consciousness, and a wide range of tested practical means to integrate the contemplative mind in the classroom." "This is a timely and valuable resource for educators concerned with integrating a spiritual perspective in their work...The book is written in a very reader friendly manner, using no or very little terminology unfamiliar to most readers." "What this book offers that this country and others could benefit from is a different version of what our children need...The book’s major strength is the stimulation of a different point of view in a climate that may need some remediation. The quotes and anecdotes are very good." "In this engaging book, John Miller has effectively distilled the essence of holistic education, providing parents, teachers and researchers with a solid foundation for understanding its key ideals and characteristic practices. Miller explains how a pedagogy rooted in caring, compassion, mindfulness and meaning truly makes a difference in in our lives. I will recommend this book to my students as a core reading on holistic education." "At a time of high-stakes testing and increasing emphasis on standards, Education for Wisdom and Compassion presents the value of a more holistic education. Author John P. Miller argues that a holistic approach allows students to gain a greater sense of purpose; reduce stress; and improve memory, alertness, and attention. Through meditation, contemplation, and reflection, Miller shows how students can find joy in learning and develop true wisdom." "Like a precious opal, examination from multiple angles and perspectives reveals the beauty of this magnificent work." "Well-conceived and brilliantly brought to life, this valuable introduction will be useful to teachers, parents, administrators, and researchers interested in holistic education for diverse students of all ages."