In this session we will explore the contemplative practices we integrated in a joint workshop series on “Fostering Belonging” as well as in a collaboratively conceived inquiry group on “Intercultural Pedagogy,” both of which sought to support inclusive learning communities on our campus. Open to faculty, staff, and graduate students, these programs aimed to help participants examine factors that can affect an environment of mutual respect, interrogate biases and their impact on learning, and develop skills and interculturally informed strategies for creating an inclusive learning environment. During this session, we will share the ways in which we sought to meaningfully engage diverse participants in reflection and critical dialogue around issues of social identity, positionality, and culture through the incorporation of mindfulness, contemplative, and dialogical practices as means for developing and modeling educators’ self-awareness and capacity for valuing differences among learners and ways of learning.
