Abstract

Responding to the call for the contemplative teaching of writing initiated by O’Reilley (1993) and extended by Kirsch (2008; 2009), Kroll (2013), Kroll (2008), Wenger (2015), and Harrison (2012), among others, this article explores the theoretical considerations, practical components, challenges, and adaptability involved in teaching a contemplative research writing course. This article takes up the theoretical considerations of teaching a contemplative research writing course by examining the growing need for contemplative writing as a practice of mindfulness in an increasingly de-selfed academic culture (Hurlbert, 2012). Relatedly, this article examines the challenges involved when a pedagogy makes attendant assumptions about students, knowledge creation, the role of mindfulness in higher education, and the holistic decentering of the classroom space. Concerning the practical components of a contemplative research writing course, this article describes the central roles of contemplative silence (Kirsch, 2009) and freewriting, sustained inquiry writing projects, stable writing groups, and cycles of revision and reflection. Following this, this article takes up the challenges often engendered by the deployment of contemplative pedagogies in the context of higher education. Finally, this article describes the use of this course as a model for fostering writers’ engagement with their own disciplinary knowledge that is adaptable for sustained writing courses across the disciplines.

Journal
Across the Disciplines
Published
2019-01-01
DOI
10.37514/atd-j.2019.16.1.03
CompPile
Open Access
OA PDF Gold
Topics
Export

Citation context

Cited by in this index (1)

  1. Across the Disciplines

References (23) · 3 in this index

  1. Barbezat, Daniel P., & Bush, Mirabai. (2014). Contemplative practices in higher education: Powerful methods t…
  2. Blitz, Michael, & Hurlbert, Claude M. (1998). Letters for the living: Teaching writing in a violent age. Urba…
  3. Brownstein, Ronald. (2017, September 14). America's "racial generation gap" is starting to shrink. The Atlant…
  4. Cuthbert, Denise, & Spark, Ceridwen. (2008). Getting a GRiP: Examining the outcomes of a pilot program to sup…
     ↗
  5. Dweck, Carol. (2014). The power of believing that you can improve. TED Talks. Video retrieved from https://ww…
Show all 23 →
  1. Green, Ben, Horel, Thibaut, & Papachristos, Andrew V. (2017). Modeling contagion through social networks to e…
     ↗
  2. Harrison, Marlene Elliot. (2012). The power of 'no': Buddhist mindfulness and the teaching of composition. Wr…
  3. Hurlbert, Claude. (2012). National healing: Race, state, and the teaching of composition. Boulder, CO: Utah S…
     ↗
  4. Kabat-Zinn, Jon. (2011). Some reflections on the origins, of MBSR, skillful means, and the trouble with maps.…
     ↗
  5. Kirsch, Gesa E. (2008). Creating spaces for listening, learning, and sustaining the inner lives of students. …
     ↗
  6. College Composition and Communication
  7. Kroll, Barry M. (2013). The open hand: Arguing as an art of peace. Boulder, CO: Utah State University Press.
     ↗
  8. Teaching English in the Two-Year College
  9. Macrorie, Ken. (1976). Telling writing (3rd ed.). Rochelle Park, NJ: Hayden.
  10. Nhat Hanh, Thich. (1987). Being Peace. Berkeley, CA: Parallax Press.
  11. O'Reilley, Mary Rose. (1993). The peaceable classroom. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook.
  12. O'Reilley, Mary Rose. (1998). Radical presence: Teaching as contemplative practice. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook.
  13. Owens, Derek. (2001). Composition and sustainability: Teaching for a threatened generation. Urbana, IL: Natio…
  14. Pope, Denise Clark. (2001). Doing school: How we are creating a generation of stressed out, materialistic, an…
  15. Twenge, Jean M. (2017, September). Have smartphones destroyed a generation? The Atlantic. Retrieved from http…
  16. Wegner, Christy I. (2015). Yoga minds, writing bodies: Contemplative writing pedagogy.
     ↗
  17. Williams, J. Mark G., & Kabat-Zinn, Jon. (2011). Mindfulness: Diverse perspectives on its meaning, origins, a…
     ↗
  18. Across the Disciplines