Contemplative pedagogy and practices spotlight: Theodore Klein

By integrating reflective exercises into his courses, Theodore Klein, Senior Instructor in Business Administration at Concordia Continuing Education, supports his students’ abilities to stay focused amid the pressures and distractions in their lives, and ultimately supports their academic success, personal growth and well-being.

What motivated you to use contemplative and mindful practices in your teaching? 

Theodore found a passion and appreciation for contemplative and mindful practices as an undergraduate at Vassar College studying Eastern Religions in the late nineties, and has been a Zen practitioner ever since. Before completing his MBA, Theodore trained students of all ages in Montreal and observed the increasing levels of anxiety among them, along with challenges in maintaining focus and attention during class. Recognizing the significance of addressing these issues, Theodore incorporated various practices—with research in the science of happiness collated by UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center—into his courses to enhance student performance and focus, aiming to impart skills that extend beyond the confines of the classroom and positively impact students as whole persons.

Practices 

Theodore uses different contemplative and mindful exercises depending on the course, including reflective writing, body awareness exercises, and loving-kindness practices. For example, in his leadership courses, he has students engage in an exercise he calls “savouring visualizations” and involves students spending a minute reflecting on and enjoying a past achievement. He encourages them to pay attention to how that reflection affects their bodies. Then, students spend a minute savouring a current achievement and another minute savouring a future one. This practice aims to help students appreciate the present moment, avoid worrying about the past or future, and prime the mind toward successful outcomes. After these exercises, Theodore organizes breakout rooms for the students to share and discuss their experiences. Another practice to increase awareness has students sit briefly and think about different components of their lives, including their nutrition, sleep and exercise habits. This experience prompts student to reflect on their autonomy and self-efficacy, helping them foster agency in their lives.

Benefits 

Theodore firmly believes in the benefits of contemplative practices and is actively developing research methods to better grasp their effects. Using surveys and other forms of feedback, he has discovered that these practices enhance students’ efficiency in coursework by teaching them to find meaning and purpose in their assignments. The skills acquired through these practices have not only improved students’ cognitive abilities in the classroom but have also enhanced their relationships with themselves and others, including their families and friends. By cultivating a capacity to stay focused on the present moment, students gain tools to alleviate anxieties.

Challenges and limitations 

Theodore faced difficulties in adapting these exercises to an online format when the pandemic started. Being online made it difficult for him to assess how well they were participating in the practices. Guiding students through reflective exercises via a computer screen turned out to be challenging, especially considering Theodore’s growing awareness of students suffering from attention deficits. As a result, Theodore shortened the duration of meditation exercises to generally less than 5 minutes which resulted in greater student engagement.

Advice on implementing these practices in your teaching 

Theodore advises providing clear instructions tailored to the assumed epistemologies of the course you are teaching. For instance, in his “Intro to Business” course, where students might be new to contemplative practices and express skepticism, he finds it helpful to present peer-reviewed scientific data on the benefits. On the other hand, in his “Emotional Intelligence” course, where students enroll with the goal of enhancing self-awareness, they tend to be more open to these practices from the start. 

Theodore also emphasizes the importance of developing your own practice before teaching it to others. He suggests that instructors should research different exercises and select the ones best suited to their interests. Maintaining a secular approach also facilitates the accessibility of these practices for students. Theodore recommends rehearsing guided meditation practices to build comfort and overcome any potential awkwardness. It is not important to be perfect, but rather focus on exercises that you identify as important to yourself and to the benefit of your students. Finally, inviting student feedback is essential for refining your practices and increasing engagement.

Spotlighting Contemplative Practices at Concordia 

This is part of a blog series celebrating Concordia’s teaching excellence and pedagogical innovation. This series highlights how educators from various disciplines are integrating contemplative pedagogy and practices into their courses to enhance student learning, foster compassionate classroom environments, and support the well-being of both students and educators.

By intentionally using the learner-centered approaches that characterize contemplative pedagogy, these educators encourage students to cultivate inner stillness, focused attention, self-reflection and self-acceptance while nurturing peer connections and cultivating lifelong skills that are beneficial within and beyond the classroom.

Curious to learn more? Join us at the Contemplative Pedagogy Faculty Interest Group to connect with colleagues from across disciplines, explore the work of contemplative pedagogy scholars, and re-energize your relationship to teaching and learning.