Contemplative Practices for Exploring Diversity Within and Beyond Ones Experience

Jeremy F. Price, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Education, Fairmont State University, Fairmont, WV

Introduction and Purpose

Overview of
Contemplative Practices

This poster charts the journey of undergraduate teacher candidates learning to

recognize the uniqueness and diversity in themselves and others by developing
contemplative and mindful inquiry practices (Barbezat & Bush, 2014; Burggraf
& Grossenbacher, 2007) as part of a teacher education course. Most students
grew up in a predominantly rural Appalachian state where the prevailing
narrative from inside and out is that the population is homogeneous and
monolithic in terms of characteristics and outlook despite evidence to the
contrary (Barlow, 2014; Pollard, 2004; Smith et. al., 2010). Terms such as

Mindful Noticing

Contemplative pedagogy was a central feature of this course to allow the students in the course, most
of them are future teachers who will stay in the region, to recognize the narratives that are told about
others, about themselves, and about the people in their state and in the Appalachian region.
Contemplative pedagogy was also used in order to help them recognize their inner lives and their inner
strengths, and to recognize the stories, narratives, and prejudices that they may convey about others,
even if it is unintentional. A contemplative and intentional approach also helped us to recast and
reframe these narratives in a way that was consistent with our experiences and history.

The Mindful Noticing activity (Barbezat & Bush, 2014), a type of reflective reading (Burggraf &
Grossenbacher, 2007), is designed to help students recognize and reflect on the meanings portrayed by
Eisenman were selected for this activities. Adapted
from a structure developed by Zojonc (2009), the students were guided through the following:
Take in the painting as a whole, without judging or evaluating your thoughts, just noticing
Focus on one detail, big or small, without judging and evaluating your thoughts, just noticing
Start noticing the words that you associate with the detail, picture these words, arrange them
around the detail, hold on to these words
Take in the painting as a whole again, and then write down the words

The contemplative practices are listed in the table below, organized into the categories outlined by
Burggraf & Grossenbacher (2007

region, reinforcing the narrative of a backward, isolated, and intolerant people

(Lilly & Todd, 2015).

The contemplative activities were structured in order to build on one another and to encourage deeper
practice over time.

The purpose of this project is to help the teacher candidates recognize and
redefine the narratives that are applied to them. In doing so, the aim is to allow
them to recognize the narratives that they may apply to others, especially the
children they will eventually teach. By engaging in contemplative and mindful
inquiry practices, students learn to speak for and define themselves, recognize
the voices and uniqueness of others, value this interplay of diversity, and
transcend the narratives that have been spun to constrain their interactions. The
course activities are scaffolded to encourage students to bring these experiences
with them to inform their practices as future educators.

Contemplative Reading

Context
This project was undertaken in the School of Education at a public
comprehensive university in West Virginia, a predominantly rural state in the
Appalachian region of the United States. The university largely serves
individuals emerging from families with no prior college experience, the
working class, and the ranks of veterans. This range of backgrounds, experiences
and situations is mirrored in the undergraduate teacher candidates.

Educational Benefits

Activity Structure

Contemplative
Reading

Nuanced engagement with texts at

deep levels of meaning

Using Pardes ( )and Lectio

Divina
(Muriel Miller Dressler)

Reflective Reading

Open attentive engagement with

the visual/auditory arts

Mindful Noticing activity with

The
(Normal Rockwell)
Mindful Noticing activity with

Careful listening, engaging in

dialogue while recognizing
preconceptions

Yellow
Band

The Problem We All Live With (Norman Rockwell)

Mindful Dialogue activity around

Relate a time when
you witnessed someone being
treated differently because they

Students Noticed Details

and Associations

Will power
Determined
Fearless
Fear

Girl

The project was a component of a 1 credit pilot course (two one-hour sessions
per week for eight weeks) intended for teacher education students entitled

Redneck Redefinition Project

Perspective taking and learning to

value diversity

Cultivating
Compassion

Hate, Anger
Destruction
Frustration
Misunderstood
Harmful, Harassing
Idiotic
Fear

The students in this course were self-selected and motivated, as this was an
elective course. This is significant particularly for the elementary education
students, where the program, when following the model schedule, has no room
for electives (120 credit hours are required for graduation; the program consists
of 123 credit hours).

Tomato

N-Word

White
Looks nice
Braid & Bow

What was it?

Courage
Contempt

White
Dress

Photo in
Pocket

The Triumph of Poverty (Nicole Eisenman)

Students Noticed Details

and Associations

Concern
Caring
Helping
Holding

Strange
Sad
Pig-Like Nose
Patchwork

Unicorn
Odd
Bright colors which is
usually happy, but
looks sad

Baby in
Mothers Arms

Driver

Tree Head

Addams Family
Disturbing
Strange, Abnormal,
Different
Confused, Awkward
Chaos

Half-Backward
Man

Car

A panel and reflection

Old
Rusted
Valuable
Transportation
Necessity
Home

Fighting
Falling down
Driven
Little puppets

I stumbled across the teach kids, not stereotypes picture during a random [G]oogle search. I wanted to include it
because it really sums up what the entire project means to me. Its about more than just rednecks, its about all stereotypes
and the way they shape our views and our interactions with each other. As a West Virginian, redneck is a stereotype that I
can identify with so I can get a general idea of what it is like to be stereotyped against which gives me better insight to other
groups and how they are stereotyped. As a teacher, I feel it is important to put those stereotypes that we hold for our
students aside and teach the students without discrimination. I believe that if we are to stereotype the children, and treat
them accordingly, then theres really no need for us to teach. In that case, weve already given them their story, the role they
play in that story, and no way for them to write their own story.

Little People

I come from a low income, white, West Virginian family. There are many substance abuse problems within my family tree.
Im also a single mother whose child does not know his father. Furthermore, I am also a recipient of various forms of
government assistance in order to be able to buy food, see a doctor, have a place to live, afford childcare, and attend college.
Many people could read that much about my life and make judgments or stereotype me. Unless they talked to me, they
wouldnt know that I work hard, Im a good mother, Im going to college to better my chances for a good job in order to get
off of government assistance programs, or that I speak out strongly against drug use, child abuse, and taking advantage of
government assistance programs. I feel that the stereotype(s) I fall into mean that I have to fight harder than some others in
order to prove myself. I dont want to be the person putting that kind of pressure on my students when I am a teacher. I
believe that encouraging children to know and love who they are is an important part of teaching.

The Mindful Dialogue activity was intended as an opportunity for students to learn to suspend their
assumptions and judgment (Burggraf & Grossenbacher, 2007). Based on the mindful listening activity
outlined by Barbezat & Bush (2014, pp. 144-5), students were assigned to pairs and were given three
minutes each to respond to the following prompt:

I saw the design, development, and enactment of this course as not only a teaching experience for me,
but also as a learning experience of self-study as I grappled with the ideas of the affective in relation to
the cognitive in teaching and learning. As such, following Murray (2012), this teaching-learning
experience allowed me to engage in an exploration of my own sense of spirituality and meaning. As an
engaged member of the Jewish community, I incorporated a number of ideas and practices from this
tradition and heritage.

Burggraf &
Grossenbacher, 2007). The Privilege Walk is a concrete exercise in which participants learn to
recognize their own positions of privilege (or lack of privilege) in an intentional and thoughtful
manner. They also learn to recognize the challenges that others encounter in negotiating everyday
situations and events through a form of perspective taking by being able to see explicitly how certain

The writings of the Jewish thinker Martin Buber has been a strong influence on my academic, career,
and teaching trajectory. Encapsulated in his work I and Thou (2004), I leaned strongly on the idea of
building relationships, not only in terms of the culture of the course, but also in terms of the intents of
-instrumental relationship also
influenced my perspective on treating relationships with sources and texts as voices that contribute to a
dialogue rather than bits of information to be used for particular ends.

The structure of the activity was based on a standard protocol for privilege walks (e.g.,
http://www.buzzfeed.com/dayshavedewi/what-is-privilege). We lined up in a line side-by-side
holding hands. As each prompt was read aloud
to support your family, take one step
in public without fear of ridicule or violence, take one step
step forward. By the end of the exercise, although there was not a great deal of variation, we were in a
staggered line.

Sequence of Contemplative Practices

Panoramic Awareness

This exercise was not only an opportunity for students to learn to relate their experiences and to listen
deeply and mindfully. It was also an opportunity to identify specific events in which they witnessed a
prejudicial action in which they may have felt powerless to act or in which they did not necessarily
recognize the significance of the event.

circumstance. Those students who were towards the back of the line indicated that they were surprised
by their position. In the exercise debrief, we discussed the ways we can be mindful of the different

Mindful Noticing:
The Problem We
All Live With

Contemplative Practices Tree

that is, cultivate a
panoramic awareness of contemplative practices students were asked to complete a Contemplative
Practices Tree based on the template found on the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society website
(http://www.contemplativemind.org/practices/tree). The students were encouraged to think about
the routines and rituals in which they currently engage that are contemplative and intentional in
nature, as well as to seek out and research new practices that they would like to learn and incorporate
into their lives. In addition to completing the template, they were also asked to write a short reflection.
In class, one day was set aside to share and discuss these representations of practice. Students were
paired up and took turns describing and explaining their current practices and the new practices that
they intend to incorporate into their lives. Although the intent was to have more than one round of
pairings, students actually preferred to spend an extended period of time with their partner to discuss
their Contemplative Practices Tree. They were deeply engaged in learning about each other and how
their intentions shaped the way they interacted with the world. An adaptation of the Mindful
Dialogue protocol was used to structure the discussion as each partner took turns explaining their
Contemplative Practices Tree.
After the paired dialogue, students were encouraged to write short reflections on what they learned
about themselves, others, and contemplative practices. Written on sticky notes, these reflections were
then posted on a piece of newsprint paper, examined, and discussed.

It was clear from the dialogue and both sets of written reflections that the students became more
aware and mindful of the routines and rituals of their daily lives through this exercise. They learned to
recognize the importance of this awareness and the practice of this awareness on their own health and
stress levels, and also recognized the connections between their own sense of self and the impact this
sense can have on their relations with others, particularly their future students.

Lectio Divina and

Pardes: Appalachia
Mindful Noticing:
The Triumph of
Poverty
Table adapted from Burggraf & Grossenbacher, 2007

Suspending Assumptions
and judgment
Cultivating Compassion

Following the structure developed by Barbezat & Bush, one student related their experience while the
other student listened carefully without speaking. The listener then retold what they heard as
accurately as they could; the speaker was encouraged to offer suggestions to the retelling. The students
then switched roles, and then shared some of the insights we learned as a class. Many students related
events dealing with race and class in their high schools; one student who works in a childcare setting
related her experiences of seeing a black boy being referred for discipline more frequently than his
white classmates.

Students indicated in discussion that it was an eye-opening experience for them. Those students who

Contemplative Reading

Reflective Reading

Mindful Dialogue

Privilege Walk

Mindful Dialogue
Mindful Listening:
Lesley McSpadden
Interview

.
Muriel Miller Dressler

Original associations
with the term redneck

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8Lsn8xVc5U,
by way of http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/562/the-problem-we-all-live-with

To tranquilize the sorrow and joy of living.

I am Appalachia: and, stranger,

Students were also asked to provide written reflections of the process on what they learned and how they see things differently. One example panel and reflection is provided below.

You took my son away from me. You know how hard it was for
me to get him to stay in school and graduate? You know how
many black men graduate? Not many! Because you bring them
down to this type of level when, I feel like I aint got nothing to
live for anyway. Theyre going to try to take me out anyway.

You, who never saw from the valley that graves on a hill
Bring easement of pain to those below?
I tell you, stranger, hill folk know

As part of this experience, students were asked to create a design for a panel in which they: (1) provided what they understood as the stereotypical definition of redneck, through words, images, or other representations;
(2) provided a redefinition of redneck, how they would like to see the term defined based on their experiences and history through words, images, or other representations; (3) expressed in some way why this
redefinition is an important process. These panels were then transferred onto red material squares to mirror the red bandana origin of the term. These squares were then sewn into a quilt to bring all of the designs
together.

other. Once we were able to recognize this as one of our natural inclinations, we were able to hear the
frustration and fear being expressed by Ms. McSpadden.

Sequence

Our Steps:
1. Peshat Read and Reflect:
author literally conveying?
2. Remez Read and Reflect: What are some of the symbols the poet is using? What is
the poet hoping you will understand or feel?
3. Derash Read and Reflect: In what ways does this poem relate to your own
read?
4. Sod Read and Reflect: What new insights has this poem revealed to you? In what
ways are you being inspired?

You, who never once carried a coffin

To a family plot high up on a ridge

The Redneck Redefinition Project was a capstone experience, intended as an opportunity for students to learn to suspend their assumptions and judgment and to cultivate compassion (Burggraf & Grossenbacher,
2007). Many of the students are aware of sensitive to the way that Appalachia is cast in the popular imagination; the relatively high poverty rate in the region, when looking to justify a myth, seems to represent a self-

Contemplative Practices Tree

A short excerpt from an interview with Lesley McSpadden, the mother of Michael Brown (shot by
police in Ferguson, MO) was selected as the listening passage. This was a difficult experience for

As a way to encourage this perspective, I also incorporated an activity that was structured around Pardes
(), Jewish exegesis. Divina Lectio, often incorporated in contemplative pedagogies, is based on the
Pardes structure; yet Pardes has a different sensibility that is still based on contemplation and intention.
Because this is not a class on religion, these perspective were recast for a secular frame.

Source: https://www.wikipedia.org/en/Pardes_(Jewish_exegesis)

Chewing and whittling; or hearing in pastime

The deep-throated bay of chasing hounds

Through this experience, students learned that one potential origin of the term did come from West Virginia, but not in the way the term is often used today. Historically, it was actually a badge of solidarity among
organized coal mine workers from around the world who wore red bandanas around their neck working in the Blair Mountain mines who rose up against the coal companies to demand better and less dangerous
working conditions, better pay, and freedom from company scrip. The confrontation turned violent, and the workers were defeated and their demands remained unmet. As a form of publicity damage control, the
es of progress.

In order to help students start to recognize their own reactions and the reactions of others in
charged encounters, the teacher candidates engaged in a mindful listening exercise. The exercise was
designed as a way to first hear their reactions to a situation and bring these reactions to the surface.
After the reactions have surfaced and discussed, the students listened again with the explicit purpose of
hearing what the speaker was saying and understanding the complexity and depth of what she was
saying. This exercise was designed to help students both to suspend judgment and to cultivate
compassion and recognize the depth and complexity of speech and dialogue.

Personal Inflections

the literal sense.

Derash ( )from Hebrew darash:
the comparative (midrashic)
meaning, as given through similar occurrences.
Sod (
esoteric/mystical meaning, as given through inspiration or revelation.

Redneck Redefinition Project

Mindful Listening

The map for the course as a whole can be found in the table below.

meaning.

- you still
Go away shaking your head. I remain
Enigmatic. How can you find rapport with me
You, who never stood in the bowels of hell,
Never felt a mountain shake and open its jaws
To partake of human sacrifice?
You, who never stood on a high mountain
Watching the sun unwind its spiral rays:
Who never searched the glens for wild flowers,
Never picked mayapples or black walnuts; never ran
Wildly through the woods in pure delight,
Nor dangled your feet in a lazy creek?
You, who never danced to wild sweet notes,
Outpouring of nimble-fingered fiddlers;

Source: http://bombmagazine.org/article/2548612/nicole-eisenman-and-david-humphrey

Mindful Listening of Lesley

McSpadden interview

Seeing the big picture and

cultivating open-mindedness

Panoramic
Awareness

Pardes ()

Appalachia
I am Appalachia. In my veins
Runs fierce mountain pride; the hill-fed streams

Racism
Inequality
Hate
Painful
judgment
Worst word in the world,
never say it

Privilege Walk activity

enrolled in the course were in various stages of their educational pathway, and
also included one psychology student.

Peshat ()
Remez ()

The combination of the two approaches allowed for two different types of meaning-making, both
of which can be seen as contemplative and intentional in nature, and provided a fuller and more
nuanced perspective of and experience with the text. As an educator, I found the two approaches to
be complimentary and necessary for a meaningful exploration of the poem with my students. This
two-part process
speed boating over the
(Barbezat & Bush, 2014, p. 115).

Sit quietly and relax our minds and bodies for one minute.
Read aloud, slowly, the entire poem, each of us reading one line,
reading to the left to the next reader.
3. One minute of silence and reflection.
4. Repeat the reading of the entire poem, each of us reading one line.
5. Another minute of silence and reflection.
6. We share a word or short phrase in response to the reading just give voice to the
word without explanation or discussion.
7. Repeat the reading of the entire poem, each of us reading one line.
8. One minute of silence and reflection.
9. We share longer responses to the text a sentence or two. We listen attentively to
one another without correcting or disputing.
10. Repeat the reading of the entire poem, each of us reading one line, followed by
another minute of silence.

Adapted from Barbezat & Bush, 2014, p. 115

discussions. A student from New England asked her classmates for help in interpreting some of the
terms. Those students who had limited experience in interpreting the symbols of poetry were able
to gain a deeper insight into how ideas are expressed symbolically.

(Nicole Eisenman)

Suspending
Assumption and
Judgment

Despite its origin in Christian exegesis, the structure for Lectio Divina was secular in nature,
Pardes is also
based in religious exegesis, specifically Jewish rabbinic interpretations of religious and legal texts, but
the structure for the exercise was similarly focused on a secular approach. Because of the relative

While sharing, many of the students remarked how this depiction of Appalachian life matched the

Change
Making a difference
Protection

Lectio Divina

1.
2.

provided a useful framework for experiencing the text and for exploring the intended meanings of
the author and the meanings that students brought to the text.

Source: https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/07/15/president-obama-meets-civil-rights-icon-ruby-bridges

In addition to the specific practices outlined on this poster, each class session was structured in a way
to promote a sense of ritualized learning. Each class session began with a warm-up, such as a short
meditation, thought exercise, or one of the contemplative practices. For sessions that involved difficult
http://www.faculty.umb.edu/pjt/dialogue.html) as the
warm-up. We then engaged in the core discussion or activity of the session. Lastly, we shared brief
reflections on what we learned. Each class session followed this basic format, and the ritualized nature
helped students feel comfortable to engage in the ideas and be involved in the discussions.

Contemplative Mode

We engaged in two related types of contemplative reading practices Lectio Divina and Pardes
( )to delve deeply into the meanings of a text in a nuanced manner (Burggraf &
Grossenbacher, 2007)
exercise as a way for the students to engage in identity work and to recognize that their experiences
and cultural references have been chronicled in art such as art.

Redneck Redefinition
Project

Acknowledgements
This project would not have been possible without the students of EDUC1199, Social and Emotional Approaches to Teaching and
Learning. I thank them for their willingness to learn with me and for their hard work and effort to grow as educators.

Privilege Walk

I also would like to express a great deal of gratitude to Dr. Janie Leary of the Community Health Education program in the School of
Education, Health and Human Performance at Fairmont State University for her invaluable work on her own time in taking the panels
and creating a beautiful and coherent quilt.

Contemplative
Practices Tree

Lastly, I thank Dr. Carolyn Crislip-Tacy, Interim Dean of the School of Education, Health and Human Performance and Fairmont State
University for encouraging me to teach the EDUC1199 pilot course and for the financial backing of the School to attend the ACMHE
conference.

Lessons Learned
Overall, the contemplative approaches to curriculum and pedagogy in this course, in order to help
students be mindful of the narratives spun around them and unintentionally spun by them, were
successful. Students became more aware and mindful of these narratives and had a beneficial side
effect of keeping them focused and engaging them on deep and meaningful exploration of materials.
In addition, some students not only recognized these narratives but also took explicit steps to make
sure that they do not continue these harmful and denigrating moves, even if they are unintentional.
Lastly, some of these students also recognized the diversity of their region and history despite the
monolithic narrative spun around them. The fact that even a small number of students uncovered this
insight, which requires deep introspection and exploration of materials, is a testament to the potential
power of contemplative pedagogical practices.
In addition, the combination of Lectio Divina and Pardes was a particularly useful combination of
practices and contemplative traditions. When cast in a secular frame, these practices provided for an
experience in which explored the text deeply and fully in a manner that would not be possible without
both practices working together.
There were two main areas for future consideration: allocating sufficient time and space for practice
the course was only a 1 credit course and therefore only met for a total of 16 hours. Although the
structure of the course was intentional and followed a ritualized contemplative approach, it would
have been beneficial for the students to be able to engage in some of the contemplative pedagogical
practices from the first day and have the opportunity to engage in them more than once, as they did
with the Mindful Noticing activity (and it should be noted that even though the second painting was
a symbolically more difficult one, their associations were more numerous and more directed).
In terms of the second area, many of the students were able to recognize, through contemplative
practices, the power of finding their voice. This can be recognized in terms of many of the panels of
the Redneck Redefinition Project. The intent, however, was to turn that finding of voice and power
into an engagement with the unjust tendencies to spin narratives for others. This was accomplish only
by a small number of students, and I am still working to better understand why this was evidenced in