Deborah J. Haynes
Professor
Department of Art and Art History
Director, Libby Residential Acaddemic Program
University of Colorado at Boulder
175 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309-0175
303-735-4206
deborah.haynes@colorado.edu
1. The central issue I plan to explore in my proposed work: I believe that teaching students techniques of awareness, concentration, and means of disciplining their attention is absolutely essential in our era of fragmentation, ever-increasing speed, multi-tasking, and continuously interrupted attention. Rooted in the world’s religious traditions, contemplative practices can enhance the educational experience in unique ways. The word mindfulness is often used to describe contemplative practice. In its most basic form, it means moment-by-moment present awareness, which is available to everyone, regardless of religious orientation.
In "The Dialogue of Art and Religion," the course I will teach in Spring 2009, students will study about Russian Orthodox icons and Himalayan Buddhist thangkas, two distinct traditions where artistic creativity thoroughly intersects religious belief and ritual. Students will experiment with a range of mindfulness techniques, and they will also have opportunities to undertake creative projects based on what they learn about these two traditions.
Over the past few years of incorporating mindfulness practices into classes I teach, I have collected a fair amount of anecdotal evidence from students about their experiences. However, I have not conducted a systematic assessment of their short- and long-term effects. This spring I would like to study the efficacy of contemplative practices more systematically.
2. Why this issue is important, to me and to others who might benefit from or build on my findings: Over the past few years my students have talked about the way these mindfulness exercises help to foster an atmosphere of respect. They often note how these practices have effectively brought the class together as a whole. Some students have also reported closer connections to me as their professor and less anxiety about their classroom presence. When courses actively create a respectful environment, students learn to listen, write, and argue persuasively from a position of civility, which helps them to become principled citizens.
Perhaps most significantly, contemplative practice fosters development of what Martin Buber called “I-Thou” relationships, where other people, events, and things are treated as subjects and not merely as objects for use or enjoyment. As Jon Kabat-Zinn remarked during a lecture at the 2005 Columbia University conference on Contemplative Practices and Education, most of us live, most of the time, in a narrow band of being where we are surrounded by “I,” “me,” and “mine.” We suffer from this narrow focus. How can we get more real? As teachers, how can we ignite passion in our students for this kind of presence, this “be-ing” in their own lives? This is precisely the work of contemplative pedagogy: it is about waking up and being present to our lives – here and now.
Recent experiences in the classroom, participation in programs of the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society, and in the UCB Faculty Teaching Excellence Program: all of these have shown me that the issues I want to explore have great potential to contribute to the profession.
3. How I plan to conduct my investigation, including sources of evidence that I will examine, methods I might employ to gather and make sense of this evidence, and possible ways to make my work available to others: I have not conducted systematic assessment activities in my previous teaching, and would need some assistance in figuring out how to best do this. However, I would at least conduct both pre- and post-tests, such as a questionnaire that solicits information on their previous experience with contemplative practices, as well as assumptions about these practices. In addition, I would like to interview previous students from Fall 2005 and Fall 2007 courses on a self-selected basis to see what longer-term effects they might have experienced from the contemplative practices I introduced.
4. A literature review of the theory and practice of the subject of my inquiry: There are extensive resources on the science of meditation, as well as on introducing contemplative practices into the classroom setting across the curriculum. Due to my ongoing work with the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society, and with the Boulder Faculty Teaching Excellence Program, I have bibliographies about this work.
Scientific research about contemplative practices has evolved since the late 1960s, when Herbert Benson of the Harvard Medical School first published his studies about the causes and alleviation of stress (1975). In the late 1970s Jon Kabat-Zinn began work with patients at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center using mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques. From the 1990s researchers at institutions such as the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Wisconsin began to use new imaging technologies to study brain activity, as well as the effects of meditation on heart disease and cancer. More recent ongoing research by the Mind and Life Institute and other institutions uses advanced imaging technology to study the experience and effects of meditation. In this larger context it seems fitting that the academy would also be a site for studying and evolving the uses of contemplative practice. Two useful articles were published by Piper Murray on discipline-based approaches to contemplative practices (2006 and 2008, Center for Contemplative Mind in Society). A recently released report by Shauna Shapiro et al (September 2008) details recent research about meditation in education and identifies areas for further examination.
5. My record of innovation in teaching and pedagogy: Since 2002-2003, when I received a fellowship from the American Council of Learned Societies and the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society, I have taught five courses that incorporate mindfulness practices. In each of these courses I regularly conducted midterm and final course evaluations with students, as well as short "inksheddings" several times each semester. I have used this feedback to revise my courses. Since 2005, I have published three articles on pedagogy and contemplative practices in higher education. Two new articles were accepted in 2008 and publication is pending.
6. Are you able to attend the required meetings? Yes
7. Provide the name and contact information for someone who can serve as a mentor to you within the PTLC program. Suzanne MacAulay, UCCS, SMACAULA@UCCS.EDU, 719-262-3865
8. Can you suggest an appropriate coach for your project? Clayton Lewis, UCB
9. If your project is selected, are you willing to serve as a coach in PTLC in a future year? Yes, and I have already served as a mentor during 2008.
