Spirituality Action Pedagogy

Spirituality, Action, & Pedagogy: Teaching from the Heart invites the reader to participate in a personal exploration of what it means to consciously seek the heart of education. The authors in this collection - practitioners in higher education and teaching in such diverse areas as educational foundations, communication, theater, sociology, reading and literacy, and performance studies - respond to this challenge by striking the most personal chords of their lived experience. As they relate their tales of spirituality and teaching, the reader will be coaxed into confronting the question of what it means to teach. Spirituality, Action, & Pedagogy addresses the integration of spirituality into pedagogical practice by providing cutting-edge examples of applications in classroom settings.

The contemporary study of spirituality encompasses a wide range of interests, often founded on inter- and multidisciplinary approaches.

In the era of globalization debate has turned to the vital need for a thorough understanding of its impact on the spirituality and health of the youth of today. Spiritual Education in a Divided World recognises the urgent need for effective research in this area. This exceptional volume takes an interdisciplinary approach to tackle the key question

In Holistic Learning and Spirituality in Education, scholars from around the globe address the theory, practice, and poetics of holistic education. Some of the topics explored include educating the soul; partnership education; nourishing adolescents' spirituality; education and the modern assault on being human; the Eros of teaching; personal creativity as soul work; pedagogies of compassion; and meditation, masculinity, and meaningful life.

Teaching with the Wind tackles the question, "Can education for a Canadian civic spirituality bridge the sometimes incommensurable worldviews of faith-based schools and secular public schools?" An affirmative answer is offered based on two foundations. First, that a national soul can be identified and thus serve as the content of spiritual education in Canada schools. Second, that a reconstructed approach to the contemplation-in-action method found in world religions and philosophy can provide an appropriate pedagogy for Canadian spiritual education. This book argues that education for civic spirituality is of paramount importance as Canada continues its transition from a Judeo-Christian and bicultural nation to a multi-faith and multicultural nation within a secular democracy. It offers a direction that would enrich religious and secular education systems as well as Canada as a whole.

This book sets out to explore the intersections between matters not frequently yoked in academic discussions: spirituality, social justice, and the learning of world languages. The contributing authors contend not only that these intersections exist, but that they are the site of issues and realities that require the attention of language educators and point to avenues of growth for the language teaching profession. The essays included seek to indicate the possibilities of a neglected area of inquiry, not only in terms of theory but also in terms of the practices of language education. Given this aim of opening up fresh questions, the book is arranged so as to show the relevance of the nexus of spirituality and social justice to teacher education (chapters 3 and 4), language classroom practices (chapters 5 and 6), and the theoretical sources that inform scholarly discussion of language education (chapters 7 and 8). The opening chapters place these explorations in a larger context by showing how they fit into existing social contexts and academic discussions.

How can a teacher remain whole and happy, able to teach well for an entire semester, an entire year, and an entire career? Teach from the Heart is about finding, rediscovering, or holding on to the heart of the teaching life, which is, quite literally, the teacher's heart. It is an encouragement to take up teaching as more than a service to provide, a profession to master, or a job to perform. It is an invitation to artisanry, teaching as a craft that we master by working with our hands over long periods of time, producing results that bear the mark of their maker. Whether you're just beginning, or in it for the long haul, sit down with Teach from the Heart and deepen your heart for the teaching life. We need not bring to class the wisdom and knowledge we gained elsewhere; we can take up teaching as a spiritual practice, with the classroom as a sacred space for our own formation as persons. With nearly forty years' experience as both student and teacher, Jenell Paris's perspective is hard-won, but still lighthearted and enthusiastic. Teachers from any context will benefit: stories and examples include preschool, K-12, community education, and college teaching.