12

VALUES AND SKILLS

Gained Through
Contemplative Practices
in Higher Education
Each year, faculty across
disciplines look for new
ways to incorporate
contemplative practices
into their teaching.
Contemplative practices can include
yoga, meditation, deep listening,
reading and writing, and field trips.

These practices encourage

students to be more
compassionate and engaged
by integrating their personal
experiences into the material.
As students and faculty
members develop and
deepen their use of
contemplative practices,
certain values and
skills emerge.
 Patience and
sustainability
View problems as challenges
to be solved. This strengthens
vigor and commitment and
helps students approach situations
with a fresh perspective.
 Wisdom
Decisions come from a more
expansive place of understanding,
and students can respond
appropriately to any situation.
 Passion
Helps students transform
tendencies toward anger and
self-righteousness into energy to
create solutions.
 Honest
self-reflection
Fosters honesty in experiences
and relationships. It allows
students to see what they
uniquely bring to a discussion.
 Calmness
Encourages stability. Students
and faculty can better know and
address emotional responses and
become better leaders.
 A sensitive
and realistic
sense of ethics
Become aware of the discomfort that
comes when deviating from values.
Committing to this ethical approach
brings courage and strength.
 Clarity of purpose;
integrity in the midst
of complex situations
Helps to hold and maintain
a clear vision of values.
 Compassion
Helps students appreciate the
interconnections among people
through empathy. Students can
manage difficult situations with a
greater sense of ease.
 Focus
More moment-to-moment focus
in any situation, whether
talking on the phone or
meeting with adversaries.
 Awareness
Provides greater insight into
students’ own conditions and
motivations and those of others.
 Skillful listening
and communicating
Promotes empathy and clearer,
more effective communication.
 Creativity
Promotes flexibility of mind and
heart and the ability to let go
of habitual patterns, including
self-doubt. It encourages new
approaches and novel strategies.
 Explore the meaningful
ties between teaching,
learning, and the power of
contemplative practices.
http://bit.ly/ContemplativePractices