Reflectivity, Creativity, and the Space for Silence

This paper examines the practice of meditation as a basis for reflecting on the importance of silence and separation from the dominant preoccupations of the ego and the social world in order to foster genuinely critical thought and creative expression. A central argument of this paper is that while educational discourse pays considerable theoretical attention to critical reflection and creativity, the working reality of everyday life in many educational settings seldom affords the kind of 'space for silence' that allows them to be nourished or extended.