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

2020/21 MINDFUL TEACHER/EDUCATOR LUNCH & LEARN SERIES

These sessions provide current and future educators with the opportunity to strengthen a 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.

Download the flyers: Fall 2020** | Winter 2021**

2020/21 SESSIONS

Jack Miller: Curious about Mindfulness? | Tuesday, September 22, 2020 | Downlad Session Handout | Watch the session**

Shelley Murphy: Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness for Classrooms | Thursday, October 15, 2020 | Watch the session**

Rose Mina Munjee: How Can We Transform Racism And Create Inclusion And Belonging With Mindfulness And Compassion? | Thursday, October 29, 2020 | Watch the session**

Elli Weisbaum: Building & Broadening Resiliency: Integrating Mindfulness into Education – An Introduction | Thursday, December 3, 2020 | Watch the session**

Rose Mina Munjee: Self-Compassion for Teachers | Thursday, February 11, 2021 | Watch the Session

Elizabeth Pasternak: Mindfulness & the Environment | Thursday, March 25, 2021 | This session was not recorded

Dana Chapman: Practical and Inclusive Considerations for Bringing Mindfulness into the Elementary Classroom | Thursday, April 1, 2021 | Watch the Session

SESSION DESCRIPTIONS

Jack Miller: Curious about Mindfulness? | Tuesday, September 22, 2020 | Downlad Session Handout | Watch the session**

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.

Shelley Murphy: Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness for Classrooms | Thursday, October 15, 2020 | Watch the session**

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 has extensive training in the science and practice of trauma-sensitive mindfulness and has been a mindfulness practitioner 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.

Rose Mina Munjee: How Can We Transform Racism And Create Inclusion And Belonging With Mindfulness And Compassion? | Thursday, October 29, 2020 | Watch the session**

Recently, in addition to a global pandemic, we have faced increasing racial tensions in our social systems across Canada and the rest of the world. Recent events have further exposed what has been long known to many in BIPOC communities about the dangers of racism, oppression, and marginalization of Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour. These events have also affected our education systems as well as the stakeholders or our educational institutions: teachers, students, support staff, and administrators. In this session, participants will have an opportunity to hear about a lived experience and to engage in mindfulness and compassion practices to support dialogue about how racism can be transformed, and how inclusion and belonging can be cultivated in the spaces where we learn and teach. Resources will also be shared for further reading and exploration.

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.

Elli Weisbaum: Building & Broadening Resiliency: Integrating Mindfulness into Education – An Introduction | Thursday, December 3, 2020 | Watch the session**

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

During this session, Jennifer will share her experiences and knowledge as a yoga and iRest practitioner and teacher as well as an educator currently working with TDSB and TCDSB. Participants have opportunities for mindfulness and meditation, discussion, and sharing. Participants are asked to dress comfortably and arrive ready to relax.

iRest ® (Integrative Restoration) Yoga Nidra is a research based transformative practice of guided meditation and deep relaxation.

Research continues to show that iRest Yoga Nidra effectively reduces: PTSD, depression, anxiety, insomnia, chronic pain, and chemical dependency.

Jen Baradi, MAET, M.Ed, OCT, Level 2 iRest Teacher, 400 RYT Yoga Teacher, is an educator who works with the TDSB and TCDSB. For over 20 years, she has practiced yoga, and is currently completing her certification in Integrative Restoration Yoga Nidra (iRest ®) 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.

Rose Mina Munjee: Self-Compassion for Teachers | Thursday, February 11, 2021 | Watch the Session

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.

Elizabeth Pasternak: Mindfulness & the Environment | Thursday, March 25, 2021 | This session was not recorded

Getting outside is one of the simplest ways to clear and refresh the mind. Schoolyards offer a great tool for our students to connect with the natural world. This workshop will focus on practical ideas for incorporating outdoor time into your curriculum. We will explore making friends with a tree, observing the sky, introducing a “sit-spot”, and nature journaling.

Elizabeth Pasternak is a grade 4 teacher in the Toronto DSB. She is an Outdoor Education Specialist and a graduate of the two year Wild Deer naturalist training program through the PINE project. In her classroom she integrates arts, oral storytelling and outdoor education into the curriculum. She is currently working on an action research project with OISE that focuses on using loose parts to help students develop their environmental awareness and connection.

Dana Chapman: Practical and Inclusive Considerations for Bringing Mindfulness into the Elementary Classroom | Thursday, April 1, 2021 | Watch the Session

During this session, Dana will discuss her experiences sharing mindfulness with her JK to Grade Four students. Participants will enjoy learning both age appropriate practices for the children they teach as well as practical tips and tricks to assist in a smooth delivery of these simple but profound practices.

Dana brings her unique background in both Education and Yoga to her work with children. She was a classroom teacher with the Toronto District School Board for more than twelve years and she completed her Masters of Education at UBC. It was through managing this work and some personal challenges that landed Dana in her first Yoga class almost 20 years ago. Since then, a disciplined daily practice has inspired and supported her work with children and adults, leading naturally into the study of Holistic Nutrition, Reiki, Yoga, and Yoga Therapy. She is a Yoga teacher, a certified member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists, and a mom to baby Nate. She has created and facilitates a Kids’ Yoga Teacher Training and leads an annual programme called A Year of Mindfulness for teachers and parents. To learn more, visit her website: www.beebirch.com

**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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