The UMass CTL's Contemplative Pedagogy Group was founded in 2015 with support from a Teaching and Learning Center Grant from the Center for the Contemplative Mind in Society, and building on prior campus contemplative efforts by leaders such as Chancellor David Scott, Katja Hahn D'Errico, and Albey Reiner.    

2023-2024

• Being Present for Our Students and Ourselves, with Lena Fletcher (Environmental Conservation) and Brian Baldi (CTL), September
• The Moment Is Ripe for Incorporating Mindfulness into Our Teaching, with Olga Gershenson (Judaic & Middle Eastern Studies and Film Studies) and Lena Fletcher (Environmental Conservation), October
• Crafting Classroom Community through Contemplative Practices, with Kelsey Whipple (Journalism) and Brian Baldi (CTL), November
• Reflections on the Semester, with Brian Baldi (CTL) and Lena Fletcher (Environmental Conservation), December

2022-2023

• Setting Intentions, with Brian Baldi (CTL) and Lena Fletcher (Environmental Conservation), September
• Teaching with Kindness, with Brian Baldi (CTL) and Lena Fletcher (Environmental Conservation), October
• Contemplating Our Biases, with Kirsten Helmer and Brian Baldi (CTL), November
• Reflecting and Reconnecting, with Brian Baldi (CTL) and Lena Fletcher (Environmental Conservation), December
• Setting Intentions, with Lena Fletcher (Environmental Conservation) and Kirsten Helmer (CTL)
• Contemplating Our Grading Methods, with Lena Fletcher (Environmental Conservation), March
• Bringing Awareness into Thought and Teaching, with Katja Hahn D'Errico (Civic Engagement and Service Learning) and Kirsten Helmer (CTL), April
• Ending the Semester on a Contemplative Note, Lena Fletcher (Environmental Conservation) and Kirsten Helmer (CTL), May

2021-2022

• Re-Entering Our Classes: Establishing Intentional Learning Environments, with Brian Baldi (CTL) and Lena Fletcher (Environmental Conservation), September.
• Pedagogy of Love, with Lena Fletcher (Environmental Conservation) and Stephen Fernandez (College of Engineering) October.
• Racial Reckoning, Intergenerational Trauma, and Mindfulness, with K.C. Nat Turner (Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies) and Kavitha Rao (Center for Whole Communities), November.
• Reflecting on the Semester, with Brian Baldi (CTL) and Lena Fletcher (Environmental Conservation), December.
• Grounding Ourselves for Teaching, with Brian Baldi (CTL) and Lena Fletcher (Environmental Conservation), and Katja Hahn D'Errico (CESL), February.
• Contemplative Teaching Practice Share, with Brian Baldi (CTL) and Lena Fletcher (Environmental Conservation), March.
• "bell hooks Taught Me: Love, Education, and Social Justice, with Terrell James (Anthropology), April.
• Guided Contemplative Nature Tour, with Madeleine Charney (Libraries), May.

2020-2021

• Setting Intentions, with Brian Baldi (CTL) and Lena Fletcher (Environmental Conservation), September.  
• Remote and Large Class Contemplative Work, with Lena Fletcher (Environmental Conservation) and Sarah Berquist (Stockbridge School of Agriculture), September.  
• Equanimity as Grounding with Katja Hahn D'Errico (CESL) and Brian Baldi (CTL), October.  
• Racial Justice and Contemplative Practice, with Jennifer Cannon (College of Education), November. 
• Here We Are, with Brian Baldi (CTL) and Lena Fletcher (Environmental Conservation), December. 
• Contemplative Pedagogy Skills Share, with Brian Baldi (CTL) and Terrell James, (Anthropology), February. 
• Liberatory Mindfulness, with Jennifer Cannon (College of Education), February. 
• Leadership for Contemplative Education, with Dean Mari Castañeda (Honors College), Asst. Vice Chancellor for Campus Life Elizabeth Cracco, and Associate Provost for Student Success Carolyn Bassett, March. 
• Positionality, Strong Objectivity, and Mindfulness, with Theodore Eisenman (Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning), April.  
• Reflection and Retreat, with Lena Fletcher (Environmental Conservation) and Brian Baldi (CTL), May. 

2019-2020

• Welcome and Contemplative Survey Analysis with Brian Baldi (CTL) and Jen Cannon (CTL), October.  
• Relational Teaching, Contemplative Practice, and Identities: Bridging Social Identities and Spiritual Practice When Racism Becomes a Force in the Classroom with Katja Hahn D’Errico (Civic Engagement and Service Learning) and Terrell James (Anthropology), October.  
• Music Learning as Contemplative Practice with Jonathan Hulting-Cohen (Music & Dance) November.  
• Librarians & Labyrinths: Take a Walk on the Winding Side with Madeleine Charney (UMass Libraries), December.  
• From Theory to Practice: Sharing Our Contemplative Teaching Practices Across Disciplines with Brian Baldi (CTL), February.  
• Open Meeting: Being in the Pandemic with Brian Baldi (CTL), March.   
• Open Meeting: Being in the Pandemic with Brian Baldi (CTL), April.   
• Half-Day Silent Mindfulness Retreat, co-organized by Madeleine Charney (UMass Libraries) and Jennifer Cannon (CTL), May.

2018-2019

• Welcome to the CPWG; Intro to Contemplative Pedagogy; Setting Intentions—Open Dialogue, September. 
• From the Griot to Hip Hop: Oral Tradition as Critical Liberatory Praxis in Islamic Black America with Amer Ahmed (TEFD), September.
• ‘Culture Keepers': Dynamic Mindfulness & Social Justice Practices in K-12 Public Schools and Higher Education with Kofi-Charu Nat Turner (Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies), October. 
• Relationality, Respect, Reverence, Reciprocity, Relevance: Bringing the 5 Indigenous Rs into a Contemplative Classroom (even in Large Lecture Courses) with Sonya Atalay (Anthropology), November. 
• Contemplative Reflections—Open Dialogue, December. 
• Open Dialogue, January.
• Silencing the Inner Expert: A Contemplative Approach to Helping Students with Disabilities with Associate Director of Operations Benjamin J. Ostiguy (Disability Services), February.  
• Diverse Contemplative Practices for Engaging Self and Community with Terrell James (Educational Policy, Research, and Administration and Civic Engagement and Service Learning), March. 
• Teaching Ethnographically: Qualitative Inquiry as Contemplative Pedagogy in Higher Education with Maria José Botelho (Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies) and Ellen Pader (Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning), April.

2017-2018

• Bringing Contemplation into Classes and Advising—Open Dialogue. 
• Spotlight on the Association for the Contemplative Mind in Higher Education Conference—Open Dialogue. 
• Contemplative Pedagogy & Mindfulness in Academic Libraries with Madeleine Charney (UMass Libraries) and Sara Smith (Amherst College Library). 
• Book Discussion of The Slow Professor with Maria José Botelho (Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies) and Raeann LeBlanc (Nursing).  
• Savoring Thought: Using Contemplation to Amplify Active Learning in a Writing Class with Brian Baldi (TEFD). 
• Blackness and Mindfulness: The Intersection of Culture, Justice, and Healing with Michelle Chatman (Justice Studies, University of the District of Columbia). 
• Meditation and the Brain with Sara Lazar and Gunes Sevinc (Harvard Medical School). 
• Reflections from a First Year Seminar: Cultivating Attention Through Nature Writing with David Glassberg (History). 
• Contemplative Mentorship in the Academy—Open Dialogue. 

2016-2017

• Integrating Contemplative Practices into Supervising Models, Professional Development, Staff Training, and Student Advising with Timothy Beaucage, Graduate Academic Advisor (CSBS). 
• Talking Truth: Finding Your Voice Around the Climate Crisis with Lena Fletcher (Environmental Conservation), Kris Nelson (Civic Engagement and Service-Learning) and Madeleine Charney (UMass Libraries). 
• Student-Led Meditation and Holding Space for Students Experiencing Turmoil Post-Election with James Frank (Bachelor’s Degree with Individual Concentration). 
• Conversation with Program Manager of the Center for the Contemplative Mind in Society with John Baugher (CMind).  
• Contemplation and Criticality: Re/Contextualizing the Self and Society with Maria José Botelho (Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies) and Cheryl Harned (History). 
• Feminist and Contemplative Pedagogy: A Dialogue with Miliann Kang (Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies) and Lezlie Frye (Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies). 

2015-2016

• Considerations for Integrating CP into the Academic Setting with Katja Hahn D’Errico, (Social Justice Education, Civic Engagement & Service Learning). 
• CP for Establishing Presence and Healing Stress with Richard S. Ellis (Physics). 
• Using Mindfulness in the Classroom with Raeann LeBlanc (Nursing). 
• The (Slow) Incorporation of Contemplative Practices into My Courses with Lena Fletcher (Environmental Conservation). 
• Contemplative Practice in Sustainable Food and Farming with Sarah Berquist (Stockbridge School of Agriculture).