ERIC Number: EJ1427549
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 39
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1059-7069
EISSN: EISSN-1943-5924
Bridging the Distance: Relational Mindfulness Practices for Connection and Compassion in Online Education
Natalie Gruber; Danah Henriksen
Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, v32 n1 p59-97 2024
Given rising levels of social isolation, disconnection, and concerns about mental health, the learning needs of many students today must also address their minds and hearts. Online learning environments particularly need to use technology to skillfully bridge gaps in connection. Mindfulness practices that involve focusing awareness on oneself in connection with others, known as relational mindfulness, can be a conduit for students to better understand themselves and each other in creative and productive ways that have the potential to powerfully enhance any learning spaces, especially online learning. Here, we introduce relational mindfulness as a set of wellbeing practices for educators to bring into their classrooms in a variety of ways to promote embodied learning, connection, and compassion for oneself and others in virtual and in person settings. To ground these practices, we draw on the first author's autoethnographic, firsthand experience as a mindfulness student and teacher trainee in the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center (MARC), and later, as a mindfulness teacher. We also use data from interviews conducted with experts who teach relational mindfulness online at UCLA's MARC. Synthesizing this data, we conceptualize and explore the dynamics, applications, and mechanisms connected to relational mindfulness to promote wellbeing in educational settings, for students individually and within online learning communities, collectively. We provide practical takeaways for educators to effectively build these practices into their online classrooms and technological instructions to do so, at a variety of skill levels and developmental stages. Thus, sharing a vision for educational spaces, whether virtual or in person, to become spaces of compassion and connection. Teaching students to not just feel and think for themselves but for and with others too. Ultimately, educating generations of learners and leaders who are prepared for life and ready to rise to the challenges of our time.
Descriptors: Metacognition, Online Courses, Electronic Learning, Well Being, Educational Practices, Elementary Secondary Education, Higher Education, Sense of Community
Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education. P.O. Box 719, Waynesville, NC 28786. Tel: 828-246-9558; Fax: 828-246-9557; e-mail: info@aace.org; Web site: http://www.aace.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: California (Los Angeles)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A