Neural and Classroom Learning Assessments of Cognitive Improvements Following Training in Contemplative Practices

The goals of this research project were two-fold. First, this project expanded secondary education teachers’ understanding and experience with contemplative practices, including reflective writing and mindfulness meditation, in order to improve their own teaching and learning experiences, develop emotional intelligence, and develop the skills needed for lifelong learning. Second, this project will attempt to elucidate some of the mechanisms driving these improvements using measures of cognitive neuroscience and individual differences. This Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) research project identifies the problem inherent in teaching practices that neglect the integration of mind, body and spirit. An eight-week training regime was selected as this time frame has been shown to change both behavioral and neural outcomes in human participants. This study seeks to contribute to the cognitive neuroscience literature exploring the mechanisms supporting cognitive and emotional regulation improvements following mindfulness meditation practice by using pre- and post- meditation training measures and EEG. These measures include behavioral and neural measures of attention and emotion regulation, which are both cognitive processes that are crucial to the act of learning, as well as qualitative measures of participant experience and conceptual understanding of contemplative practice impacts in the classroom