Meditation in Education

Paper Summary:

In this present day lifestyle of violence, modern industry, and 'reality-shows' on television, many feel that something is missing in the curriculum of our educational institutions. That something, according to a great many thinkers from various traditions and roles in society, might well be meditation. This paper explains that meditation has been used by both Eastern and Western religions, although it is not a religion, but rather a psychological means for contacting one's inner self or spirituality, and making peace. The paper questions whether meditation has a place in schools and whether it can it change things for the better for both students and teachers. It also questions how resistant teachers and students are to trying this method of achieving a more peaceful, workable learning environment. The paper includes a literature review on the subject, showing that many researchers have concluded a number of positive effects are possible with meditation. It shows that some have approached it from a psychological standpoint and others from a more spiritual one. Others have investigated where it fits into the paradigms teachers use to convey information and teach cognitive skills, and still others have investigated its effect on various populations of students.

From the Paper:

"Murgatroyd notes that both Buddhism and counseling begin with knowing the nature of one's own mind before helping others; just so, teachers should understand the value of a quiet mind for learning before asking their students to meditate and to "live in the present", which is, after all, the only time one has. In short, meditation if it does nothing else for a student can temporarily give respite from the "chatter" about tests and achievement and athletics and interpersonal relationships, etc. Murgatroyd points out that it can be as simple as being "mindful", or the age-old prescription to think before you act. It can also be more in-depth, developing insight and getting rid of "attachment.""

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