Community of Contemplative Education (CCE)

In our highly fragmented and environmentally endangered world, education is of central importance. There is a critical need to develop educational environments in which all of us, young and old, can develop our full cognitive, critical, creative, social and emotional potential to face the challenges of our fast-changing society, developing an ethical compass for orientation. A whole person education is the cornerstone for a healthy society.

What has to date largely been neglected, even in holistic approaches within western education, is a recognition of the central importance of the mind to all learning and human development. Contemplative Education (CE) is a holistic approach which focuses on helping students of all ages, and teachers of all kinds, develop the embodied and practice- based skills to understand and manage their own minds. These skills are transformative and foundational to all effective education and healthy human development. CE combines current knowledge from modern research, e.g. neuroscience, with the practices of traditional wisdom-based philosophies and practices.

There is growing evidence for the beneficial effects of CE, and particularly for mindfulness, which is showing clear impacts across the whole educational and wellbeing agenda, with outcomes that are beneficial for psychological, social, emotional, cognitive and physical wellbeing. As a foundational human capacity, CE can be central to help transform educational efforts to cultivate deep and authentic learning, wellbeing and flourishing, to become more ethical, compassionate and connected, and equip individuals to meet the escalating social and ecological crises facing our society and our planet.

Beyond Confines: Education Track

This webcast series is a course on education, curated by Prof. Katherine Weare, Ph.D., Principal Investigator of the Community of Contemplative Education (CCE).

Series 1: Foundations of Contemplative Education
Series 2: Making Contemplative Education Happen in Practice: The Rocky Road to Implementation
Series 3: Emerging and Challenging Areas and Next Steps for Contemplative Education

Inaugural Meeting 2018

Contemplative Science Symposium 2019

Contemplative Science Symposium 2019: Education Panel

At our Contemplative Science Symposium in 2019, experts discussed the role of education in today’s society and its development towards integration of more contemplative elements. The panel was led by Andreas Roepstorff and included the following speakers: Katherine Weare, Mary-Helen Immordino-Yang, Jamila Tressel and Dan Siegel.

We thank our partner Auditorium Netzwerk for providing free access to this video.

All One Project

Direct link	https://alloneproject.org/herramientas_educativas
Short description	To share in a simple and beautiful way the main tools of mindfulness and compassion programs, what it links all of them, making them available to everyone (for children and families and teachers).
Type of resource	Videos, audios, written exercises.
Age group	5-105 years.
Language	Spanish.
Duration of content	10-25 minutes.
Materials needed	Paper and pens.

App for Exercises by Dream for the Good

Direct link	http://app.dreamofthegood.no/
Short description	Web-based app with exercises that are easy to use in kindergarten, school and family settings or individually.Four types of exercises are available for children, youngsters and grown-ups: stillness, peaceful touch, contemplative movement and reflection
Type of resource	Audio files, written excercises, videos and a stillness diary
Age group	5-100 years.
Language	Norwegian.
Duration of content	5-20 minutes.
Materials needed	Optional for reflection exercises: a talking stick.

Audio Mindfulness Practices

Direct link	https://www.mindfulnessscotland.org.uk/audio-practices.html
Short description	Trustees and members of Mindfulness Scotland have produced audio Mindfulness practices to support you during the Covid-19 pandemic, e.g. regarding gratitude and appreciation or dealing with difficult emotions.These can be found under the link above. Further audio resources can also be found on the respective website.
Type of resource	Audio files.
Age group	16+ years.
Language	English.
Duration of content	8-12 minutes.
Materials needed	-/-

Daily Sit by Mindfulness in Schools Project (MiSP)

Direct link	https://mindfulnessinschools.org/misp-sit-together/
Short description	We have been running daily sits (Monday-Friday) at 11am, and 7.30pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays.The morning sessions are for anyone. Whether they are completely new to mindfulness or already have experience of mindfulness practice, these sits offer a chance to have a daily pause, to refocus on how we can best take care of ourselves and, in turn, of others. Children are welcome to attend but must be accompanied by an adult for the 11am slots. The 7.30pm slots are for adults and older young people who have experience of mindfulness and are comfortable with longer practices and periods of silence.Note: time zone is GMT+1.
Type of resource	Meditation practice.
Age group	5-105 years.
Language	English.
Duration of content	20-30 minutes.
Materials needed	Nothing but a quiet place to try out some practice.

Happy Minds Loving Hearts

Direct link	https://coursecraft.net/c/happymindslovinghearts/splash
Short description	This is a course to help people to practice mindfulness with children. It includes ten guided mindfulness practices.This is for adults who would like to practice with children. The mindfulness practices here are aimed at 7-12 year olds with variations offered for younger/older people.
Type of resource	Audio/video resources, activity sheets, printables.
Age group	7-12 years.
Language	English.
Duration of content	10-60 minutes. The practices vary from ten minutes to one hour (for a practice that you might do with crafts or drama).
Materials needed	Optional: paper and colouring / pens.

Jigsaw Families at Home

Direct link	https://families.jigsawpshe.com/stuck-at-home/
Short description	‘Fowley?s Wings’ and ‘The Switch Watch’ on audio files, designed for families with children aged 5+ to share and use as a stimulus for discussion and activities at home, coupled with two ?Calm Me times?, audio files taking children and their families through short mindfulness practice linked to the stories.Both aim to enable peace, calm and harmony at home and are part of the Jigsaw Families 6-session programme.
Type of resource	Audio files: two original stories and two ‘Calm Me times’.
Age group	5+ years. They are aligned to the Jigsaw PSHE (SEL) Programme for schools so enhance this learning in the home.
Language	English.
Duration of content	10-15 minutes (each story) with optional follow-up activities.4-5 minutes (each ‘Calm Me’).
Materials needed	Optional activities: paper and writing/drawing equipment.

Jigsaw Recovery Package (3-11)

Direct link	https://www.jigsawpshe.com/recovery/
Short description	The Jigsaw 3-11 ?Recovery? takes account of government guidance alongside Jigsaw?s concern for emotional and mental health. This package is free to schools (all schools not just those using Jigsaw Programmes) and is Jigsaw?s contribution to supporting teachers and children at this difficult time.The ‘Recovery’ Package comprises the following:This Introduction from Jan Lever, the Creator and CEO of Jigsaw PSHEA free PDF book for children (free to distribute to your children under a Creative Commons licence)A mapping document showing which Jigsaw 3-11 lessons could offer support for specific topics related to returning to schoolSeparate packs for KS1 and KS2, each including: an assembly acknowledging the Covid situation, drawing out the positive themes from it e.g. community spirit, helping others, Colonel Tom, NHS, etc. and supporting British Values and togetherness; lesson plans focussing on topics like belonging and feeling safe or gratitude and appreciation.
Type of resource	PDF book; ppt presentations.
Age group	5-11 years.
Language	English.
Duration of content	15+ minutes per lesson plan.
Materials needed	n/a

Jigsaw Recovery Package (11-16)

Direct link	https://www.jigsawpshe.com/recovery/11-16/
Short description	The Jigsaw 11-16 ?Recovery Package? takes account of government guidance alongside Jigsaw?s concern for emotional and mental health. The Covid 19 crisis has tuned so much upside down that Jigsaw is contributing to bringing students back to school safely by offering this Recovery Package FREE to all schools.The Recovery Package comprises:Jigsaw REST (Resilience and Engagement Scale and Toolkit) which includes: Introduction, Jigsaw Resilience Scale to measure wellbeing and resilience against 10 descriptors, Strategies to build resilience relating to each of the 10 descriptors, x6 short PowerPoints with notes and activities, Resilience Journal, Map showing which lessons in Jigsaw PSHE would best support the development of each descriptor. Jigsaw REST has been adapted to be suitable for all year groups and for home-learning, self-study. Many schools are using the REST Scale as a screening tool to assess students? wellbeing as they return to school, informing appropriate interventions and helping to monitor progress.Learning Charter, editable to enable you to add extra ?rules? and ?responsibilities? which may be necessary during the return to school e.g. social distancing.Lessons (suitable for self-study as well as in-school learning and adaptable for different ages).
Type of resource	PDF book; ppt presentations.
Age group	11-16 years.
Language	English.
Duration of content	10-15 minutes per lesson.
Materials needed	n/a

Meditation Animations and Guided Practices

Direct link	Being Alive and Knowing It: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNojLd_Jbh8Beditation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=T5ut2NYdAEQPlaying Attention: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgXZW6Xqokw
Short description	Video-based animations and guided meditations by Mindfulness in Schools Project (MiSP).
Type of resource	Videos.
Age group	9-105 years.
Language	English.
Duration of content	2 / 11 / 9 minutes.
Materials needed	Nothing but a quiet place to try out some practice.

Meditation Exercises by Hand in Hand

Direct link	https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWBXYeuyWRUwcn8xl6d_UsWnUPNEqHqeO
Short description	How to be in contact with yourself, how to regulate your feelings, emotions, thoughts, how joint attention to ourselves, others and society can influence our own well-being and well-being of others has been a research focus of the HAND IN HAND project (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRm5dtsKwBs) for the past three years.Among other activities we have also used a set of eight exercises for which positive outcomes have been evident in practice and research. We would like to invite you to try them out and see how they feel to you especially in the challenging time of the COVID-19 pandemic.To be able to see whether the exercises are helpful and if they can be used in this way, we would like to ask you to provide feedback in the form of an online questionnaire (10 minutes) before (and after) doing the exercises. Even though we would be extremely grateful for your feedback you are free to use the exercises without having to fill out the questionnaire (https://www.1ka.si/a/272522).
Type of resource	Videos.
Age group	13-14 years.
Language	English.
Duration of content	3 / 5 / 8 / 17 minutes.
Materials needed	-/-

Meditations for Children by AVE

Direct link	https://ave-institut.de/glitzermeditation-und-koenigin-der-ruhe/
Short description	Six different meditations for children as part of the knowledge database provided by AVE (Institut für Achtsamkeit, Verbundenheit und Engagement).You can also check further resources for families during Corrona times, e.g. games to play at home or meditations for parents (https://ave-institut.de/corona-unterstuetzung-fuer-familien/).
Type of resource	Written descriptions (meditations).
Age group	5-10 years.
Language	German.
Duration of content	5-15 minutes.
Materials needed	Optional for glitter meditation: empty jar and some glitter.

Meditation Practices

Direct link	https://mindfulness.swiss/achtsamkeit/achtsamkeitsuebungen/
Short description	A collection of shorter (5-10 minutes) and middle (10-20 minutes) meditation practices in form of audio files and written descriptions (PDF) for the open public, organized in 4 clearly structured sections (including one section for children).
Type of resource	Audio files and written descriptions (PDF).
Age group	5-12 years / adults.
Language	German / Swiss-German.
Duration of content	5-10 / 10-20 minutes.
Materials needed	-/-

Mindful Kids Peace Summit (excerpt)

Direct link	https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OCCvTLQNEoNvHUw0KJXfRn8HBxk723A_/view
Short description	MindWell Education: Teaching Life Coping Skills with Kevin Hawkins and Amy Burke.The interview includes short mindfulness activities for students as well as some theory about how mindfulness helps (and for teachers to teach their students!).
Type of resource	Video: interview.
Age group	12-18 years.
Language	English.
Duration of content	24 minutes.
Materials needed	-/-

Short Meditation Practices by MoMento Program

Direct link	https://www.achtsameschulen.ch/ressourcen
Short description	A resource page offered by the MoMento program containingSix short practices (5 minutes each) for primary school students.Three short practices (10 minutes each) specifically for teachers and other school staff.
Type of resource	Audio files.
Age group	5-12 years / adults.
Language	Swiss-German.
Duration of content	5 / 10 minutes.
Materials needed	-/-

The Rethink Kit (5 Activities)

Direct link	https://rethinkkit.org/pages/5-free-activities
Short description	The activities in this kit are based on social and emotional learning (SEL) and address the skills young people need to recognize and manage emotions, develop care and concern for others, make responsible decisions and handle challenging situations constructively and ethically.
Type of resource	Texts and audio files: breathing exercise / crafting / writing.
Age group	5-10 years.
Language	English.
Duration of content	1 / 10 / 15 / 30 minute/s (depending on activity).
Materials needed	Optional: laptop; pair of gloves & recycling bag.

Research, evidence base, overviews

• Dusana Dorjee (2017). Neuroscience and Psychology of Meditation in Everyday Life: Searching for the Essence of Mind. 1st Edition. Routledge.
• Oren Ergas and Linor L. Hadar (2019). Mindfulness In and As Education: A Map of Developing Academic Discourse from 2002 to 2017.
• Oren Ergas et al. (2018). Contemplative Neuroscience as a Gateway to Mindfulness: Findings from an Educationally Framed Teacher Learning Program.
• Nava Levit-Binnun & Ricardo Tarrasch (2014). Relation between contemplative exercises and an enriched psychology students’ experience in a neuroscience course.
• Helle Jensen (2019). A research proposal for a programme to cultivate empathy, relational competence, and mindfulness, using a whole school approach  (unpublished proposal, www.empathie-macht-schule.de)
• Birgitte Nielsen et al. (2019). Social, emotional and intercultural competencies: a literature review with a particular focus on the school staff
• Katherine Weare (2018). The Evidence for Mindfulness in Schools for Children and Young People
• Katherine Weare (2019). Promoting Mental Health and Well-Being – What can Schools do?
• Katherine Weare, Elsevier (2019). Mindfulness and contemplative approaches in education
• Karlheinz Valtl (2020). Mindfulness meditation strenghtens the immune system.  German language.
• Katherine Weare & Adrian Bethune (2021). Implementing Mindfulness in Schools: An Evidence-Based Guide.
• Nimrod Sheinman & Pninit Russo-Netzer (2021). Mindfulness in Education: Insights Towards an Integrative Paradigm.

Bibliography

• Katherine Weare & Felicia Huppert (2018). Bibliography on Mindfulness and CE in Education

Theory and practice

• Pilar Aguilera (2019). El despertar de tu presencia. Editorial Kairos. (English: The awakening of your presence).
• Caroline Barratt (2020). The Contemplative and Critical in Community. ResearchGate.
• Jamie Bristow (2019). Time for a New Thinking About Mindfulness and Social Change. openDemocracy.
• Jamie Bristow (2019). The Problem of Misrepresenting Mindfulness. Medium.
• Guy Claxton (2017). The Learning Power Approach. Teaching Learners to Teach Themselves. SAGE Publishing.
• Oren Ergas (2019). Education and Mindfulness Practice: Exploring a Dialog Between Two Traditions. Mindfulness, pp. 1-13.
• Kevin Hawkins (2017). Mindful Teacher, Mindful School. Improving Wellbeing in Teaching and Learning. 1st Edition. SAGE Publishing.
• Thich Nhat Hanh & Katherine Weare (2017). Happy Teachers Change the World. A Guide for Cultivating Mindfulness in Education. Parallax Press.
• Jesper Juul & Hellen Jensen (2017). Relational Competence. Towards a new Culture of Education. Edition + Plus.
• Helle Jensen, Jesper Juul, Peter Høeg, Jes Bertelsen, and others (2016). Empathy ? it´s what holds the world together. myMorawa, Morawa Lesezirkel GmbH.
• Helle Jensen (2014). Hellwach und ganz bei sich: Achtsamtkeit und Empathie in der Schule. 3rd print 2019.
• Paloma Sainz (2015). Mindfulness para niños. Zenith.
• Paloma Sainz (2018). Mindfulness en la empresa. Zenith.
• Paloma Sainz (2020). All One Project (in English; in Spanish).
• Menka Sanghavi (with Jamie Bristow and Katherine Weare; 2019). Fieldbook for Mindfulness Innovators.

• Darren L. Dunning, Kirsty Griffiths, Willem Kuyken, Catherine Crane, Lucy Foulkes, Jenna Parker, & Tim Dalgleish (2018). Research Review: The Effects of Mindfulness-Based Interventions on Cognition and Mental Health in Children and Adolescents ? A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
• The Center for Contemplative Mind in Society (2019). Contemplative Education Bibliography
• Philippa McKeering & Yoon-Suk Hwang (2018). A Systematic Review of Mindfulness-Based School Interventions with Early Adolescents
• Birgitte Lund Nielsen (2017). Evaluation of the Relational Competence Project 2012-2016.
• Jamie Bristow & Rosie Bell (2020). Developing Agency in Urgent Times.
• Andreas de Bruin (2021). Mindfulness and Meditation at University – 10 Years of the Munich Model.