As academic achievement becomes narrowed into a single-minded obsession with test scores, what possibilities remain for ethical, caring teachers to hone their craft and inspire their students with the joy of learning? In The Mindful Teacher, authors MacDonald and Shirley begin by articulating the prevalent problem of “alienated teaching”—the kind of teaching that teachers perform when they must comply with external conditions that they feel do not serve their students well. As a solution, the authors propose “mindful teaching” —the kind of teaching that is informed by contemplative practices and teacher inquiry. They identify “seven synergies of mindful teaching” —strategies that teachers can use daily to integrate more reflection and attunement into their busy classroom life. Co-authored by an urban public school teacher and a professor of education, The Mindful Teacher:
- Describes a three-year teacher inquiry project exploring various contemplative approaches to educational change
- Includes vignettes from real teachers discussing educational dilemmas in their urban schools
- Provides strategies to combat the negative effects of top-down policy mandates on teaching and learning
