Contemplative Pedagogy (CP) is an approach to education that uses contemplative practices, attention to the full student experience, and an interest in transformative learning to create more meaningful course environments. According to Daniel Barbezat and Mirabai Bush in Contemplative Practices in Higher Education: Powerful Methods to Transform Teaching and Learning, contemplative pedagogy “can help develop empathy and communication skills, improve focus and attention, reduce stress and enhance creativity, supporting a loving and compassionate approach to life.” CTL supports the integration of contemplative pedagogy into course design and teaching through:
- Regular contemplative pedagogy meetings
- Individual consultations
- Online resources
Contemplative Pedagogy Group
CTL supports UMass’ strategic interest in deep engagement with course concepts, student resiliency, stress management, inclusive teaching, and sense of belonging through regular contemplative pedagogy meetings during the academic year. Our group attracts educators and administrators from across the disciplines, including over 200 non-unique participants per year. All are welcome to attend. Meetings typically involve sharing teaching experiences and resources related to contemplative pedagogy and mindful education. To join the mailing list, contact Brian Baldi.
In Spring 2025, the Contemplative Pedagogy Group gathers on the following dates:
- February, 2/21, 10 - 11:30 am - Contemplative Practice Share. In this gathering, we will share contemplative practices we use in our work and explore how to be more present in our teaching, work, and campus communities. And of course, we will discuss how we are striving to meet this moment with connection, contemplation, and community. Facilitated by Brian Baldi (CTL) and Lena Fletcher (Environmental Conservation).
- March, 3/14, 10 - 11:30 am - Mindfulness and the Self: How Contemplative Practice Can Help Self-Understanding. In this gathering, Richard Liu (Psychological and Brain Sciences) will share his experience designing and teaching a course on the psychology of the self, which explored how we construct our sense of self and how that construction evolves. Mindfulness meditation was integrated into the course from the beginning. Join us to hear how Dr. Liu used mindfulness meditation to aid students in their journey of self-observation, self-understanding, and self-improvement. Together, we will discuss how it feels to start using contemplative pedagogy in our classes and share ideas for introducing meditative practices in the classroom. Facilitated by Brian Baldi (CTL).
- April, 4/11, 10 - 11:30 am - Pedagogies of Healing and Reciprocity. In this gathering, Noah Romero (Assistant Prof. of Native American and Indigenous Studies, Hampshire College) will join us and share perspectives on relational pedagogies that cultivate healing, balance, reciprocity, connectedness, and autonomy. Join us to learn, connect, and consider different ways to see and understand what teaching is and can look like. Together, we will contemplate how teaching, in form and practice, is ceremony. Facilitated by Noah Romero (Assistant Prof. of Native American and Indigenous Studies, Hampshire College) and Lena Fletcher (Environmental Conservation). Co-hosted by the U.S. National Science Foundation Center for Braiding Indigenous Knowledges and Science.
- May, 5/23, 10 - 11:30 am - Title TBD. Facilitated by Brian Baldi (CTL) and Lena Fletcher (Environmental Conservation).
All gatherings will be offered in a hybrid modality, with in person attendance in the CTL conference room in W. E. B. Dubois Library, 7th floor. For an event link, email bbaldi@umass.edu.
Past Programming and History
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.
UMass Courses & Contemplative Pedagogy
UMass faculty from disciplines as varied as anthropology, education, service learning, natural resources conservation, biochemistry, and history use contemplative pedagogy in their teaching. To learn which of your colleagues use these techniques, please see our list of UMass Courses Taught with Contemplative Pedagogy. And be sure to check out Lena Fletcher's (Environmental Conservation) Faculty Success profile on how she uses contemplative pedagogy in her classes!
Contemplative Pedagogy Resources
Contemplative pedagogy is a growing field supported by an ever-expanding list of resources and perspectives. CTL has compiled a resource page containing links to classroom exercises, articles, books, webinars, journals, research centers, and other resources that can support your interest in using contemplative techniques in the classroom.
Contemplative Campus
Faculty, librarians, students, and staff at UMass Amherst have access to a variety of contemplative and mindful resources and activities, including the UMass Student Meditation Group, UMass Meditates, contemplative resources, and various mindfulness opportunities.
