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2019 Annual Conference

October 8–11, 2019

St. Louis, MO

Cultivating Culture: Fostering a Spirit of Community and Transformation through Contemplative Readings and Reflections

Wednesday, October 9, 2019 at 2:40 PM–3:25 PM CDT
Mills 1 (27)
Select the FIRST area in which your presentation best fits.

Distance Learning (Technology and Online Learning)

Presentation Format Requested

Concurrent Session (45 minutes)

Session Abstract

Transformational learning experiences can be cultivated within an online environment where constructive feedback, contemplative readings, and reflective practices converge, crafting a safe space for inclusivity where adult learners’ voices are empowered.  Establishing community through shared learning and lived experiences contribute to the crafting of a culture with transformational results.

Target Audience

This session will be of value to individuals with a focus or interest in empowering learners, distance learning, spirituality, contemplative practices, and crafting responsive and inclusive communities for all learners.

Learning Outcomes

Participate in a contemplative experience, examining and reflecting upon transformative attributes.
Create inclusive classroom spaces (online or face-to-face) where through the cultivation of community, learners are empowered and voices are strengthened.

Session Description

Higher education and adult education are in the midst of an educational revolution where online learning is quickly becoming a preferred platform due to its many positive attributes.  Despite the manifold benefits of online learning; oftentimes, cultivating encouraging communities of learners is a challenge for online educators. Crafting shared, inclusive spaces with transformational potential is a reality, however, where learners potentially can discover and strengthen their own voices while empowering the voices of others.  Contemplative readings and reflections through the use of emancipatory texts serve as an impetus, a spiritual awakening, creating agents of change not only within the online classroom but within the communities of the students impacted by this innovative pedagogical practice. Educators must seek to create these critical opportunities, crafting experiences where learners discover their own interconnectedness with one another and their communities.  Advocates are born in responsive spaces where connecting and reflecting between content and experience immerse learners in depths of unlearning, co-constructing and breaking ground on a new development and understanding of how we must work together to see change in our communities and world. Join us as we share our research and its implications through this transformational approach.

Format & Technique

The session will begin with participating in a contemplative experience, followed by an opportunity for reflection and engagement.  Participants will be asked to co-construct through various means of expression, a shared reflective piece. Participants will co-construct attributes of spirit, transformation, community, and empowerment from the experience.  Our research and our findings will be shared, detailing critical attributes and how to foster a collaborative community through use of contemplative readings and reflections based on shared experiences. The session will culminate in a discussion in which attendees will be invited to share their experiences and suggestions for the research conclusions and implications.  

Primary Presenter

Crystal Voegele, UCA
Work Title

Clinical Instructor

Additional Presenters

Wendy Griswold, University of Memphis
Work Title
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