A passage that I don’t necessarily agree with is, “that the main obstacle to our offering help to distant strangers is that they don’t seem like part of a valued “we.” (pg. 51). I disagree with this sentiment because so often we turn a blind eye to the homelessness problems within our own city, but when a disaster happens thousands of kilometers away, we are quick to provide support and aid. For example, food banks within Canada have been struggling with obtaining the necessities for families in need in recent years, but when the war in Syria erupted Canadian’s were very quick to provide any support necessary. 

Kahane, D. (2009). Learning about obligation, compassion, and global justice: The place of contemplative pedagogy. New Directions for Teaching & Learning, 118, 49–60.

A part of the text that confused me was “meditation techniques have their roots in rich Buddhist and Muslim and Jewish and Christian traditions, and there might be a loss in stripping away these spiritual contexts to popularize contemplation, including as a pedagogy.” (p. 58) While yes, to an extent there is a connection between meditation and some secular beliefs, including some not mentioned by the author, the purpose of the practice does not need to be narrowed. Studies have shown (potential) benefits to everyone from surgeons to the boardroom and not strictly an adherence to spirituality. The purposes of meditation are many, there are benefits that have been investigated including many non-spiritual, but ultimately, adding a conversation about the strict spirituality of meditation was odd.  

Kahane, D. (2009). Learning about obligation, compassion, and global justice: The place of contemplative pedagogy. New Directions for Teaching & Learning, 118, 49–60.

The passage that was confusing was Kahane’s (2009) mention of Pedagogies of sentiment, the “resilience of our privileged modes of behavior seem adequately explained by hypocrisy or weakness of the will” (p. 51).  Perhaps I am incorrect, but I am summing it up as -our moral obligations are not a driving force to change behaviors, the driving forces of our will is shadowed by desires, obligations, and goals.  Privileged individuals with morals are not as ‘convincing or strong enough’  as our perceived needs/obligations to change.  If this is meant to be a generalization, I do not agree as we are all different with different situations.  

Kahanes, D. (2009). Learning about obligation, compassion, and global justice: The place of contemplative pedagogy. New Directions for Teaching & Learning, 118, 49-60

Something that I didn’t exactly agree with in the reading was Kahane’s explanation of the pedagogies of sentiment. Specifically, his reference to Richard Rorty (1993) and the idea that “the main obstacle to our offering help to distant strangers is that they don’t seem like part of a valued “we” (p. 51-52). While some may agree with this statement, I disagree as I believe most people (well, Canadians, at least) are aware of, want to learn, or are genuinely interested in learning about other cultures. Furthermore, I feel that many Canadians have an appreciation for other cultures and viewpoints. This is especially true in our higher-ed institutions. I can confidentially say that events/workshops etc. hosted by international students at Georgian College are very well attended because people want to learn. Both domestic and international students are valued and respected members of the Student Association, varsity teams, clubs, and on-campus stores. I want to think this is standard practice across all institutions and would love to hear what others think.

Reference:  

Kahane, D. (2009). Learning about obligation, compassion, and global justice: The place of contemplative pedagogy. New Directions for Teaching & Learning, 2009(118), 49–60. https://doi-org.proxy.library.brocku.ca/10.1002/tl.352 

I could not agree with the end of that statement more. I feel like much of why I put in effort in school is to earn grades that I deem acceptable. Failing a course, for me, would be a complete humiliation and I would have a very difficult time accepting that. I complete the work to the best of my ability but sometimes feel like I didn’t really learn all that much by the end of the course. The idea that with contemplative pedagogy, the teacher and students learn and develop together is exciting and completely different from my educational experience.

Do my fellow group members feel that they are also treating their education as a treadmill, or are you able to be vulnerable in your learning?

Kahane, D. (2009). Learning about obligation, compassion, and global justice: The place of contemplative pedagogy. New Directions for Teaching & Learning, 118, 49–60.