Mindfulness and Compassion in Teacher Education

Abstract

In this chapter, the authors explore lessons learned from 2020 and discuss why these lessons resonate beyond current circumstances to inform the ways teacher educators teach, learn, and interact with pre-service, in-service, and teachers in training. The authors illustrate how centering mindfulness in teaching and learning invites teacher educators to expand social and community learning to build compassionate relationships with pre-service teachers, in-service teach- ers, and teachers-in-training. By connecting research and practice, the authors illustrate ways that teacher educators can implement instructional practices that nurture resilience, adaptability, and flexibility. These educational practices in turn have the potential to deepen human connections and transform attitudes about learning and impact lives of future students. The research and practical ideas in this chapter are not an exhaustive list but instead serve as examples that teacher educators can adapt and customize to develop their own approaches for incorporating mindfulness and compassion. In face of unprecedented challenges in 2020, teacher educators should foreground three mindful and compassionate practices in their teaching: (1) communication, (2) community building, and (3) creativity (3 Cs). These practices can be useful for guiding instruction whether instruction is delivered through distance learning or face-to-face. Lessons learned from 2020 extend beyond 2020 and will help the teacher education field evolve in response to the needs of changing educational contexts well into the future.