WELLNESS :: The Mindful Teacher Educator Series :: Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto

2021/22 MINDFUL TEACHER/EDUCATOR LUNCH & LEARN SERIES

These sessions provide current and future educators with the opportunity to strengthen their personal practice and explore various ways of integrating mindfulness-based strategies in education settings. You will have the opportunity to learn about the latest research and the benefits of mindfulness in education settings.

All sessions will be held at 12:10pm-12:50pm on Zoom. Please register for each session and the Zoom details will be sent to you.

2021/22 SESSIONS

Jack Miller: Curious about Mindfulness? | Tuesday, September 21, 2021 | Watch the session | Read session Transcript

Elli Weisbaum: Building & Broadening Resiliency: Integrating Mindfulness into Education – An Introduction | Thursday, October 7, 2021 | Watch the session | Read session Transcript

Rose Mina Munjee: Self-Compassion for Teachers | Thursday, October 28, 2021 | Watch the session | Read session Transcript

Jennifer Baradi: The Mindful Teacher | Thursday, November 4, 2021 | Watch the session | Read session Transcript

Shelley Murphy: Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness for Classrooms | Thursday, January 13, 2022 | Watch the session | Read session Transcript

James Ty: Engaging Learners in Nature-Based Mindfulness | Thursday, January 27, 2022 | Watch the session | Read session Transcript | Download James' Resource Kit

SESSION DESCRIPTIONS

Jack Miller: Curious about Mindfulness? | Tuesday, September 21, 2021 | Watch the session | Read session Transcript

Jack will share beginner-friendly mindfulness meditation practices along with his experience in teaching this practice. Jack teaches courses in holistic education and contemplative education at OISE. He is author/editor of 20 books including, The Holistic Curriculum, The Contemplative Practitioner, and Love and Compassion: Exploring their Role in Education. His writing has been translated into 9 languages.

Congratulations to Dr. Miller as he just published his memoir! Find out more at https://www.infoagepub.com/products/A-Holistic-Educators-Journey

This memoir describes the journey of John (Jack) Miller. The book explores how his personal journey is related to the work he has done in holistic education, contemplative education, and spirituality in education. In holistic education the personal and professional are connected. Professor Miller’s journey includes events, books, teachers, and the many factors in his life that have contributed to his work, which includes more than 20 books and extensive travel around the world. An example of the relationship between the personal and the professional is that Jack began meditating in 1974 and this practice has provided the foundation for much of his teaching and writing.

Elli Weisbaum: Building & Broadening Resiliency: Integrating Mindfulness into Education – An Introduction | Thursday, October 7, 2021 | Watch the session | Read session Transcript

In this session, learn how to increase well-being and combat burn-out, anxiety and stress. You’ll also explore the scientific evidence base for Mindfulness, the foundations for how to develop your own personal practice, along with building a tool-kit of practical activities you can apply in the classroom and workplace.

Learning goals for this session:

Experience foundational mindfulness practices that can be applied in personal and professional settings (including before exams, presentations, job interviews and with students/colleagues)
Understand the connection between neuroscience and mindfulness
Build resiliency and self-regulation
Identify practices to combat burn-out and stress

Elli Weisbaum is a Toronto based mindfulness practitioner and teacher, who attended her first retreat at the age of ten. Since then she has been passionate about the translation of mindfulness practice into daily life.

She holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Studies, focused on bringing mindfulness into education. In 2016 she began pursuing a PhD at the Institute of Medical Science in the Faculty of medicine at the University of Toronto focused on integrating mindfulness into healthcare. She is an instructor at the University of Toronto's Applied Mindfulness Meditation certificate program. She is also a Search Inside Yourself certified teacher, a program based in mindfulness, emotional intelligence and neuroscience developed at Google headquarters.

Elli has worked internationally to integrate mindfulness into key sectors, including education, healthcare and business. Organizing retreats and workshops in Bhutan, India, Germany, Canada, the UK and the USA. She spent a year as the international program coordinator for Wake Up Schools, a global initiative to cultivate mindfulness in education, established by Nobel Peace Prize nominee, scholar and Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. Her ongoing work with his community, Plum Village, focuses on a holistic approach to education, working simultaneously with teachers, students, parents and administrators to build sustainable inclusive communities.

To read more about how Elli integrates mindfulness into her experience as a graduate student visit her blog: Mindfulness for Life http://www.elliweisbaum.com/blog

Rose Mina Munjee: Self-Compassion for Teachers | Thursday, October 28, 2021 | Watch the session | Read session Transcript

Self-compassion involves responding in the same supportive and understanding way you would with a good friend when you have a difficult time, fail, or notice something you don’t like about yourself. Teachers are known to be their own worst critics. This session will provide an overview of techniques, reflections, and theory behind mindful self compassion for educators.

Rose Mina Munjee, RP, MBCT, MBSR, MSC, MBA, BMath, CYT, CST, AMM-Mind, is a Registered Psychotherapist, certified mindfulness facilitator and mentor, corporate mindfulness trainer, and therapeutic yoga teacher. She teaches at The Center for Mindfulness Studies, Center for Mindful Self Compassion - UCSD, University of Toronto, Mindful Gateway Consulting, Mindful Wellness, Royal Victoria Hospital, CAMH, and several organizations including MasterCard Foundation, Aga Khan Agency for Microfinance, IBM, Union Yoga, and several Yoga Studios. Rose Mina facilitates evidence-based mindfulness interventions including MBSR, MBCT, and MSC. She also has a private practice and does clinical work in Health Care for staff and patients in trauma informed care and psychotherapy. Her focus is on trauma informed care, somatic practices including craniosacral techniques, race-based trauma, anti-oppression, and cultivating greater equity, diversity, inclusivity, and belonging for marginalized populations.

Jennifer Baradi: The Mindful Teacher | Thursday, November 4, 2021 | Watch the session | Read session Transcript

During this session, participants will have opportunities to practice mindfulness, meditation, and movement, and have some time for discussion and sharing. Jen will share her experiences and knowledge as a yoga and iRest practitioner as well as a teacher and educator working with the TDSB and TCDSB.

Jen first developed an interest in combining education and yoga while completing a research project on the effects of yoga on academic achievement. Decades later, after being introduced to the healing benefits of iRest® yoga nidra and completing an additional qualification in physical education, she is inspired to integrate learning, teaching, and well-being. Participants are asked to dress comfortably for this session.

Jen Baradi, MAET, M.Ed, OCT, Certified iRest Teacher, 400 RYT Yoga Teacher, is an educator who works with the TDSB and TCDSB. She teaches yoga and meditation in schools, non-profit organizations, public, and private settings. Jen aspires to promote greater well-being and be of service in schools and their communities.

Shelley Murphy: Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness for Classrooms | Thursday, January 13, 2022 | Watch the session | Read session Transcript

Interest in mindfulness practice within school settings has grown rapidly in the last decade. This is likely because there is a growing depth and breadth of research showing the powerful benefits of mindfulness for both teachers and students. In this session, you learn about the fundamentals of trauma-sensitive, mindfulness-based approaches for strengthening teacher and student resilience, social-emotional development, learning, and overall well-being.

Shelley Murphy, PhD, is a former classroom teacher and a lecturer and researcher at OISE, University of Toronto. She is certified as a trauma-sensitive mindfulness practitioner and has been a mindfulness teacher and educator for over 20 years. Shelley developed and teaches the Mindfulness in Education course at OISE and is the recipient of A Mindful Society’s 2019 Michele Chaban Spirit of Leadership Award for her work and research in the field. Her book on mindfulness for children in classroom settings and beyond, Fostering Mindfulness, was published by Pembroke in 2019.

James Ty: Engaging Learners in Nature-Based Mindfulness | Thursday, January 27, 2022| Watch the session | Read session Transcript | Download James' Resource Kit

In this session, James will be sharing a nature-based mindfulness resource kit that he has created for K-12 educators. Nature-based mindfulness will be explored as a way to cultivate a mindful way of being, develop one's ecological self, and cope with climate change anxiety. Practical resources such as videos and scripts will be shared. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in a water meditation and visualization that they will be able to use in the classroom.

James Ty is a teacher candidate in the MA-CSE program at OISE. He is passionate about environmental and sustainability education that is student-centered and place-based.

**From the Government of Canada, https://wet-boew.github.io/wet-boew-legacy/v3.0/demos/archived/archived-en.html. Information identified as archived is provided for reference, research or record keeping purposes. It is not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please contact us at oise.wellness@utoronto.ca to request a format other than those available.

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