Challenging STEM Learning Spaces: The Paradigm of Contemplative Traditions as the Bedrock of Creativity and Healing

Abstract

As the post-pandemic classroom and pedagogy evolve to remedy oppressive norms, young people’s mental health and alienation has taken front stage (Rahmani & Zitouni, 2022). Traditional STEM learning spaces often teach inquiry as a linear, non-deviated approach to problems about self and nature (Hrisa & Psillos, 2022). Furthermore, because our classrooms often strip students and educators of their inherent creative abilities through constant assessments, improvement scales, and market-driven expectations, classrooms cease to become places of healing (Pandya, 2021). Eastern wisdom traditions and their associated philosophies provide a unique pedagogical lens that emphasizes a deep inquiry into self, empathy, and creativity (Pandya, 2023). This creative expression, an inherent feature of philosophies like Yoga, consequently provides the framework for classrooms as spaces of healing and coexistence with community and nature (Malaviya, 2021). Our study examined how this void of creativity is filled with a paradigm of healing, as inspired by the pedagogy and wisdom in traditions like Yoga, Vedanta, and Buddhist Mindfulness. At our STEAM IdeaLab makerspace, we introduced these practices and curricular approaches to K-12 educators through a workshop. The objective was not only to introduce practices, but also include a lens of wisdom when teaching inquiry, as it provides the foundation for creativity and thus healing (Ergas, 2018). Beyond the inclusion of meditation, journaling, nature exercises in the Skidmore North Woods, and creative making, our study sought to offer a novel pedagogical foundation to traditional K-12 STEM learning through an emphasis on creative artifacts as mediums of healing.