scholarly journals Coming Into Mindfulness: A Practice of Relational Presence to Cultivate Compassion in One Rural School

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 189-202
Author(s):  
Sonal Kavia ◽  
M. Shaun Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Narrative Inquiry ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
Teacher Identity ◽  
School Setting ◽  
Rural School ◽  
Children And Youth ◽  
Mindfulness Practice ◽  
Loving Kindness ◽  
Educational Spaces

This narrative inquiry explores personal and professional stories of two educators, nurtured and supported by their school leadership, in a rural school setting, who have had diverse experiences with the contemplative practice of mindfulness. Our research primarily focused on the following wonders: How does the experience of mindfulness practice shift teacher identity and awareness, and the quality of time educators spend with children and youth? As educators, how can the practice of mindfulness expand our experience of listening, loving kindness, and compassion within educational spaces? We explore how their unique experiences of mindfulness are woven into the fabric of their school and a mindful pedagogy.

School leadership and local learning contexts in South Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 459-477 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tia Linda Zuze ◽  
Andrea Juan
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
South African ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
School Setting ◽  
Leadership And Management ◽  
The Relationship

International research has shown that the quality of school leadership and management (SLM) is important for teaching and learning, particularly in schools where there is acute resource deprivation. This article explores the relationship between leadership and academic achievement in South African secondary schools with varying socio-economic conditions. The study is based on data from 12,154 South African Grade 9 learners, 334 mathematics teachers and 292 principals who participated in the 2015 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Using indicators that represent different aspects of school leadership, this article examines whether the type of leadership and management practices depend on the school setting and whether better school leadership and management supports academic achievement. The analysis revealed distinct relationships between school leadership and management and academic achievement based on the socio-economic status of learner bodies. Potential policy responses are discussed.

scholarly journals A Narrative Inquiry into Rural School Leadership in South Africa

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brigitte Smit
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Narrative Inquiry ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
Teen Pregnancy ◽  
Rural School ◽  
School Principal ◽  
Relational Leadership ◽  
Emotional Labour ◽  
Educational Challenges ◽  
Rural School Leadership

This article attends to rural school leadership in two South African schools through the lens of the concepts of relational leadership and emotional labour. The inquiry draws on five years of guided conversations and observations that speak to leadership experiences of hope and anticipation as well as despair and disillusionment. I worked with one black male principal and one black female school principal from two rural schools in South Africa. Over time, the tone of their narratives changed from hope to hopelessness and resignation. The findings spoke to how commitment and care were overcome by the educational challenges, which involved hunger and poverty, orphaned learners, teen pregnancy, rape, departmental criticism and lack of support. Theoretically, this inquiry draws on the theories of relational leadership and emotional labour in rural education and empirical evidence was drawn from narrative inquiry.

scholarly journals Supporting Caregivers of Older Adults Through Education in Mindful Gratitude Practice

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 16-16
Author(s):  
Sungsim Lee
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Mindfulness Practice ◽  
Practice Research ◽  
Relevant Research ◽  
Won Buddhism ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract This presentation describes a supportive mindfulness practice for caregivers of older adults based on the principles of Won Buddhism (an integrative, a modernized Buddhism). As the aging population grows, there is a significant increase in recognition of the negative impact of caregiver stress on older adults’ quality of life. The ability for caregivers to deal compassionately with stress is essential, as caring for older adults can awaken feelings about one’s own vulnerability and mortality. The ‘Mindful Gratitude Practice’ offers a way to cope with stress, cultivate self-care, and improve the care of others. Relevant research will be summarized, which shows mindfulness and gratitude practice respectively benefit positive influence in both physical and emotional well-being. Mindful Gratitude Practice as a spiritual approach that fosters caregivers' emotional stability, reduces their stress and improves the relationship between older adults and their caregivers. In this presentation, three processes of Mindful Gratitude Practice will be described: 1. Understanding a mindfulness practice by establishing intention, attention, and attitude, 2. Learning the principles of a gratitude practice and implementation, and 3. Incorporating mindfulness into a gratitude practice. Research results have demonstrated that through this learning process, caregivers have acquired the concept of interconnectedness, experience grateful moments, and a deep feeling of appreciation in their caregiving relationships. The presenter will guide participants in a short experience of Mindfulness Gratitude Practice. Further readings and resources will be provided for those who are interested.

scholarly journals Mindfulness Research Update: 2008

2009 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey M. Greeson
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Mindfulness Meditation ◽  
Stress Hormones ◽  
Theoretical Work ◽  
The Body ◽  
Mindfulness Practice ◽  
Optimal Health ◽  
The Brain

Objective: To briefly review the effects of mindfulness on the mind, the brain, the body, and behavior. Methods: Selective review of MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar databases (2003—2008) using the terms ``mindfulness,'' ``meditation,'' ``mental health,'' ``physical health,'' ``quality of life,'' and ``stress reduction.'' A total of 52 exemplars of empirical and theoretical work were selected for review. Results: Both basic and clinical research indicate that cultivating a more mindful way of being is associated with less emotional distress, more positive states of mind, and better quality of life. In addition, mindfulness practice can influence the brain, the autonomic nervous system, stress hormones, the immune system, and health behaviors, including eating, sleeping, and substance use, in salutary ways. Conclusion: The application of cutting-edge technology toward understanding mindfulness— an ``inner technology''—is elucidating new ways in which attention, awareness, acceptance, and compassion may promote optimal health—in mind, body, relationships, and spirit.

scholarly journals CONCEITO DE IDENTIDADES E A IDENTIDADE PROFISSIONAL DOCENTE

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 42-53
Author(s):  
Alberto Albuquerque Gomes
Keyword(s):  
Identity Construction ◽  
Teacher Identity ◽  
Social Representations ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
State Control ◽  
Social Agents ◽  
Ways Of Being ◽  
Teaching Professional

The interest in this subject comes from my post-doctoral internship held in 2003-2004 at the Lusófona University of Humanities and Technology in Lisbon. My focus was directed towards which mechanisms or factors were determinant/decisive/influential for the of the teaching professional identity construction. What does identity mean? From the etymological point of view, identity, from the Latin identitate, means: 1. Quality of what is identical; 2. A set of the person's own characteristics, such as name, profession, sex, fingerprints, physical defects, etc., which is considered exclusive of it and consequently taken into account when it needs to be recognized; consciousness that a person has of himself. Based on this assumption, by professional teacher identity I understand the positions of subject that are attributed, through different discourses and social agents, to teachers in the exercise of their functions in concrete working contexts. It also refers to all the representations put into circulation by the discourses related to the ways of being and acting of teachers in the exercise of their functions in educational institutions, more or less complex and bureaucratic. When we deal with social subjects that share spaces, times and social representations in/about school, we can not fail to consider that the larger context in which each of the subjects is inserted deeply interferes with their expectations and perceptions. Thus, I think that he teacher identity construction, that is, the conception of profession, is permeated by the forms of control over the teaching work carried out by the policies of standardization (state control) and the practices of protest and resistance unleashed by teachers (unions and associations).

scholarly journals School Leadership in Improving the Quality of Education at Integrated Islamic SMP Nurul Fadillah Deli Serdang

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 431-437
Author(s):  
Adlin Damainik ◽  
Ika Muntazah
Keyword(s):  
School Leadership ◽  
School Principals ◽  
Quality Of Education ◽  
Teacher Competence ◽  
Educational Facilities ◽  
Data Presentation ◽  
Analysis Techniques ◽  
Working Together ◽  
Descriptive Approach

This study aims to determine the principal's leadership in improving the quality of SMP IT Nurul Fadhillah, the constraints of the principal's leadership in improving the quality of schools at SMP IT Nurul Fadhilah, and the principal's efforts to improve the quality of schools at SMP IT Nurul Fadhilah. The method used in this research is qualitative research with a descriptive approach and the techniques used are observation, interviews and documentation. The subjects of this study were the principal and teachers. Data analysis techniques use data reduction, data presentation and conclusions. Ensuring the validity of research data uses credibility, transfibility, dependability and conformability. The results of this research are the principal's leadership in improving the quality of education by caring for subordinates, assertiveness, democracy, and supervision. The obstacles faced by school principals in improving the quality of schools are the lack of educational facilities and infrastructure. As for the efforts made by the principal in improving the quality of education, namely developing teacher competence, meeting the needs of school stakeholders and getting used to working together in overcoming problems.

scholarly journals Directions of improving the quality of in-service teacher training in Serbia: the perspective of primary school teachers

2013 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 86-107
Author(s):  
Dejan Stankovic ◽  
Ivana Djeric ◽  
Vladeta Milin
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Training ◽  
Education System ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
School Setting ◽  
Training System ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Primary School Teachers ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Service Training

This paper presents one part of the findings of a research that deals with teachers? perceptions of educational reforms in Serbia. More specifically, the paper focuses on the segment of the research that was aimed at exploring teachers? views on the ways of improving the system and practice of in-service teacher training. Pursuing this topic is very important since the findings of recent studies have shown that this aspect of education system needs considerable improvement, while the authors who deal with educational change point to the importance of consulting the teachers in the development of the new system solutions. The questionnaire was used to collect the data from 326 teachers from 125 Serbian primary schools. The teachers provided answers to open-ended questions on what needs to be done in order to improve the quality of their in-service training. Content analysis was used to process the data - response categories were created inductively on the basis of teachers? answers, and then their frequency was established. The results indicate that, according to teachers, in-service teacher training has to be improved, primarily through increased funding, higher quality of programmes/seminars, diversification of types of training, as well as through creating a more encouraging system and school setting for in-service teacher training. These results are significant from the aspect of the in-service training system since they point to developmental priorities, as well as to the necessity of a more complex and comprehensive approach to the reform of this segment of education system.

scholarly journals Pengaruh Kepemimpinan Kepala Sekolah pada Sekolah Bertaraf Internasional

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 169-180
Author(s):  
Fandi Akhmad ◽  
Oktanadhiya Defa Rosana ◽  
Al A'raaf Wira Adli ◽  
Nuraini Karim Damanik ◽  
Khonsa Dhiya Ulhaq
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
Research Method ◽  
School Quality ◽  
Teacher Performance ◽  
International School ◽  
Data Source ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
Research Type

This study aims to increase the quality of leadership according to the context in the field, especially in the standard of international school leadership. The research method uses a qualitative research type, with the data source used is literature both in books and journals. The results showed that there was a weak but influential relationship between the School Principal's leadership on school quality its self. There is a weak but significant and influential relationship between teacher performance and school quality. Simultaneously, School Principal's leadership and teacher performance have a weak but significant relationship, and both have a positive effect on school quality.Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk meningkatkan kualitas kepemimpinan sesuai dengan konteks di lapangan khususnya dalam kepemimpinan pada sekolah bertaraf Internasional. Metode penelitian menggunakan jenis penelitian kualitatif dengan sumber data yang digunakan adalah berupa literatur baik dalam buku maupun jurnal. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa terdapat hubungan yang lemah namun berpengaruh antara kepemimpinan kepala sekolah terhadap mutu sekolah. Terdapat hubungan yang lemah namun signifikan dan berpengaruh antara kinerja guru terhadap mutu sekolah. Secara simultan, kepemimpinan kepala sekolah dan kinerja guru memiliki hubungan yang lemah namun signifikan, dan berpengaruh positif terhadap mutu sekolah. 

The Problem Student in a Rural School Setting

1974 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 315-319
Author(s):  
John J. McNamara ◽  
Dale Thorsted
Keyword(s):  
School Setting ◽  
Rural School
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