Special guest speaker Michelle Chatman will lead two events exploring different facets of the 2019 University-Wide Teaching & Learning Symposium’s theme, Contemplative Teaching: Connecting Meaning, Purpose, and Values. The first is a special 90-minute morning workshop. The second is a luncheon discussion followed by a “continuing the conversation” session. Registration is required.
Advancing Youth of Color: Thriving through Mindfulness and Critical Contemplative Approaches
8 a.m. – Redbird A
Enduring constructs of oppression seem to perpetually devalue Black and Brown youth, casting them as insignificant and disposable. Critical contemplative pedagogy can help us disrupt the damaging narratives and systems that impede youth thriving, while also awakening us to a deeper knowing. In this workshop, we will use jazz and spoken word, as we re-imagine our work with students of color.
Being and Belonging: Renewing Our Commitment to Contemplative Pedagogy
Noon – Redbird C & D
With music and memory, we will recapture our personal contemplative journeys to explore their healing and restorative value. We will consider how these journeys have unfolded within higher education to advance compassion, connection, and authentic belonging.
About Michelle Chatman
Michelle Chatman is an assistant professor in the Crime, Justice, and Security Studies program at the University of the District of Columbia. Through her efforts, Chatman has increased the University of the District of Columbia’s utilization of mindfulness and contemplative approaches to enhance campus well-being, to support student learning, and to build stronger connections within and across the university. Her campus accomplishments include organizing a contemplative speakers series, hosting one-day faculty retreats, establishing the contemplative faculty learning community and Mindful Mondays, and bringing a national mindfulness conference to the UDC campus in the spring semester of 2018.
Chatman serves on the board of directors for the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society and the Mindfulness in Education Network.
In her inspiring TEDx talk, “How Africa Changed My Life,” she links her contemplative journey to her volunteerism in The Gambia, West Africa.
Register by December 14
Attendance to the annual Symposium is open to all faculty, staff, and graduate students at Illinois State. Registration is free and includes both the luncheon and tickets for the afternoon closing reception with cash bar.
Registration is available through the My.IllinoisState portal.
About the Symposium
The 2019 University-Wide Teaching & Learning Symposium will be held Wednesday, January 9, at the Marriott Hotel and Conference Center in Uptown Normal. It is organized by the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology, with financial support from the Office of the Provost and Fell Trust.
A mobile-friendly version of the complete schedule is now available through the Illinois State App. To access the guide:
- Go to IllinoisState.edu/App and download the app from the Google Play or Apple App Store
- Launch the app on your mobile device
- Tap “Explore”
- Look for the 2019 University-Wide Teaching & Learning Symposium guide
- Tap to download
You can also preview the schedule in your web browser.
If you need a special accommodation to fully participate in this event, please contact the CTLT main desk at (309) 438-2542.
