A Mindful Teaching Community: Possibilities for Teacher Professional Learning(Mindfulness in Education)

A Mindful Teaching Community: Possibilities for Teacher Professional Learning describes a grassroots professional learning journey wherein a group of practicing classroom teachers researches their teaching practices and the role of mindfulness in their learning. Using a mix of methods, this book illustrates how the stories of an educator can be uncovered, investigated, and transformed through practicing mindfulness within a community. Through the stories told in this collection the teachers learn to see greater connections between their individual ways of thinking, their actions, and the greater system they live and work in. The storied inquiry of the educators offers unique possibilities for teachers’ professional learning.

Table of Contents:
Contents Foreword Karen Ragoonaden and Sabre Cherkowski Acknowledgments Note from the Editor Chapter One: A Mindful Teaching Community Kelly Hanson Chapter Two: Foundations of Our Mindfulness Kelly Hanson, Clay McLeod, andMelissa Johnson Chapter Three: Gathering, Being, and Moving Together Kelly Hanson, Melissa Johnson, and Shawna Denman Chapter Four: Mindfulness and Creativity Kelly Hanson, Jeanne Parker, and Deanne Collinson Chapter Five: Mindfulness and Social Justice Kelly Hanson, Doryan Elliott, and Ryan Scorgie Chapter Six: Mindfulness and Nature Kelly Hanson, Clay McLeod, and Michael Ross Final thoughts: The Ecology of Our Stories Kelly Hanson, Clay McLeod, and Lori Hazel About the Editor and Contributors

About the Author :
Kelly Hanson is doctoral student at the University of British Columbia.

Review :
A Mindful Teaching Community is an accessible and inspiring contribution to the literature on mindful and relational teaching. Kelly Hanson and her colleagues introduce educators to mindfulness practices and guide them in inquiry through the self-study of teaching practices. Through their stories of experience, they offer teachers practical approaches to being authentically present in classrooms and in professional learning communities. Anyone who is interested in how mindfulness is applied in real-life classrooms will find this book a great introduction. For interested researchers as well as practitioners, this book provides specific examples of how teachers have applied mindfulness to their personal growth and teaching interests, such as art and ecology. Hansen links these practices to relevant research literature, which provides a useful introduction for teachers and administrators who may be interested in implementing a mindfulness program in their school.