Mindfulness Practices in Mentoring and Teaching

Mentoring, including peer mentoring, is a key element of teacher education programs and subsequent teaching practice. In order to share the benefits of mindfulness practices, a faculty member in a state university in the Midwestern United States promoted the practice of mindfulness by teacher candidates enrolled in her courses. As members of a learning community, teacher candidates are encouraged to engage in and reflect upon mindfulness practices during their junior- and senior-level courses, and in feedback-reflection sessions for clinical-field experiences and professional internships. The intention is to promote the transformation of teacher candidates in prekindergarten through grade 3 (P-3) programs, through peer mentoring and mindful engagement. Examples of activities are presented, and findings from a peer-mentoring study promoting mindfulness are shared.