Exploring Mindful Nature Experiences as a Path to Teacher Well-Being Through the Method of Eco-Mandala

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 13
  In Roundtable Session: Divergent Methods: Interdisciplinary Arts-Based Methodologies in Educational Research (Table 9)

Abstract

In response to increasing levels of stress and anxiety present in today’s schools, this dissertation study raises consciousness about how we can promote, protect and restore teacher mental health and wellbeing in our education systems by engaging in mindful experiences with/in nature. With both interdisciplinary and transcultural research indicating that nature experiences significantly contribute to wellbeing and knowing that there are bidirectional links between teacher wellbeing, student wellbeing/learning and school culture (Gray et al., 2017; Harding et.al, 2019), this paper examines how teacher mental health is impacted positively through class nature experiences, and demonstrates that arts-based methodologies open space for understanding through diverse ways of knowing as evidenced in data collected from interviews and the visual art method of eco-mandala.

Authors

• Darlene Loland, University of British Columbia - Okanagan

• Sabre Lynn Cherkowski, University of British Columbia