Learning to Breathe, Breathing to Learn: The Role of Mindfulness in Curriculum and Learning

Abstract

Teachers are not technicians but self-reflective individuals who work in a holistic manner to connect curriculum to cognitive, emotional and social contexts. Living up to this holistic vision requires teachers to “take seriously the idea that a child’s personal signature, his or her distinctive way of learning and creating, is something to be preserved and developed” (Eisner, 2002, p. 581). Inspiring Education (Alberta Learning, 2010) states that the goal of education is to create engaged, ethical and entrepreneurial citizens who have been “enabled to do well in life” (Eisner, 2002, p. 581). Actualizing this vision requires mindfulness with regards to curriculum and learning.