How Mindfulness Is Taught To K-12 Teachers Within A Community Of Practice: A Descriptive Case Study Of The Teaching Of An Experienced Mindfulness Instructor From A Sociocultural Perspective
Open Access
Author:
Hulburt, Kevin
Graduate Program:
Curriculum and Instruction
Degree:
Doctor of Philosophy
Document Type:
Dissertation
Date of Defense:
February 22, 2021
Committee Members:
Bernard Joel Badiali, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor Bernard Joel Badiali, Committee Chair/Co-Chair Robert William Roeser, Committee Member Deborah Lynn Schussler, Committee Member Rachel Marie Wolkenhauer, Outside Member Kimberly Anne Powell, Program Head/Chair
This descriptive case study focuses on the teaching of an experienced mindfulness instructor over the course of an implementation of the Mindfulness-Based Emotional Balance program (MBEB) designed for K-12 educators. The intent of this study is to contribute to an understanding of the curriculum and pedagogy within a mindfulness program generally and, more specifically, one designed for K-12 educators. From a sociocultural perspective, this study describes the practices and guided assistance offered by the mindfulness instructor. The research questions are: 1) What are the curricular activities of the program and how is the time spent? 2) What are the practices that come to constitute mindfulness as introduced and developed within a mindfulness-based program for teachers? 3) What are the ways that a mindfulness instructor scaffolds learning experiences and offers guided assistance as a more capable other to the teacher participants? 4) How is transfer of mindfulness practices to the teachers’ teaching practices designed and scaffolded by the instructor throughout an implicit approach to mindfulness training for educators? Using a case study approach to analyze video recordings of an implementation of the MBEB program led by the program’s developer, this study identifies the practices and methods of assistance within the program as well as offers a sociocultural model for how these practices may be taught and learned.
