Mindfulness as a tool for place-based educators

Recent theoretical research suggests that socio-cognitive mindfulness and place-based education, when used together, may have a synergistic benefit. The purpose of the study was to examine how mindfulness influences the experience of educators engaged in place-based teaching. A qualitative, constructivist grounded theory approach was used to guide data collection and analysis related to teachers at a school that has placed-based education (PBE) as a central theme. The study design included a workshop about mindfulness with follow-up instructional emails sent throughout the semester, via which data were collected. Multiple interviews with each of the three teachers explored how they constructed meaning around their experiences using socio-cognitive mindfulness and PBE together. Results indicated that practiced together, mindfulness and PBE created a synergy that benefited the learning environment by enhancing PBE planning and allowing teachers to experience place more deeply all the while providing a richer problem-posing format for content delivery. Educators may find mindful place-based education to be a tool that deepens the learning experience for instructors and students.