Teaching Matters! sessions are faculty-driven conversations on a wide range of topics on college teaching, learning, pedagogy, and curriculum. A variety of formats are used including workshops, demonstrations, roundtable discussions, and guest speakers. Teaching Matters! meetings are held each month and are open to all faculty and professional staff. The Teaching Matters! facilitators include Dan Blim (Music) and Tom Schultz (Biology), and the sessions are sponsored by the Center for Learning and Teaching.

Through a mini-workshop format, this session aims to facilitate participants’ exploration of such questions as: In what ways can mindfulness or other forms of contemplative practices foster or support teaching, learning, and community engagement? What kind of support do we need to cultivate a mindful campus at Denison? Participants can expect to learn about the scope of activities that constitute contemplative pedagogies, be introduced to what the research says about mindfulness and learning, practice a mindfulness activity, and receive a resource packet listing mindfulness activities to use or adapt to one’s own praxis. Facilitated by Jill Gillespie, Toni King, Marci McCaulay, Gill Miller, and Karen Powell Sears.