THESIS
My recent studies focused on teachers’ mindfulness (cognitive and contemplative) and my doctoral thesis highlights the value of the simple, poetic tuning-in device of Seminaria.
The Mindfulness of Seminaria is like an app to which teachers and leaders can turn and re-turn for solutions when stressful feelings mitigate against their calm, concentration and creativity.
This innovative research is generating widespread national and international interest as reflected in requests from educators, health professionals, therapists and others, for workshops and to speak at conferences.
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The thesis can be downloaded here: The mindfulness of seminaria: A heuristic inquiry with teachers and leaders uncovers a poetry path to wellbeing
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Its key benefits—meaningfulness and self-realisation—highlighted the versatility, vitality and potential of this mindfulness practice for attaining subjective wellbeing.
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OTHER PUBLICATIONS
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Wellness weekend at Hilma af Klimt. Review of the Alamandria workshops, City Gallery Wellington. (2022) Scope (32) 13.
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Teachers’ Experience of Artistic Wounding. A literature review. (2020).
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Creativity in early childhood settings in New Zealand. A literature review. (2020).
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Inner Practice, Outer Action: Mindfulness Meditation in Education. (2015) Sphere (2) 46.
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How the Work of our Group Supported the Class Meditative Work. (2013) Scope (4) 6.
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The Drummer (2011) Sphere 12 (1).
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Play in Steiner Kindergartens: Imagination as a basis for future problem-solving. (2004) Early Education (35) 13-22. v
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Dialogue journals: How Year-10 English students used them with studies of rebellion to engage in reflective thinking. (2003) Conference proceedings NZARE/AARE Nov. 29 – 3 Dec.
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Time for childhood: An education system that nourishes children’s right to full individuality. (1999) Children, (30) 22-24.
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Enhancing Teacher Wellbeing Socio-poetically through the Mindfulness of Seminaria. (2017)
International Journal on School Climate and Violence Prevention, 2(1) 65-93.
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Meditating mindfully: Teachers go within to ensure their students do not go without. (2017)
Chapter Six in T. Ditrich, R. Wiles, & W. Lovegrove (Eds.). Mindfulness and education: Research and practice (125–149). Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Download the pdf here
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To know its wave. (2013)
In B. Curtis and Z. Meager (Eds.). A Socio-Poetic: Poems and Some Thoughts. New Zealand Sociology 28(1), Auckland University Press.
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PRESENTATIONS
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The Good will Flourish: The use of Seminaria Poetry to Heal Student-Teachers’ Creative Wounding and Enhance Wellbeing
International Society for Quality of Life Studies (ISQOLS) Human Happiness & Wellbeing in an Uncertain World
2024 Conference, Kota Kinabalu, Borneo, Malaysia.
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Sociopoetic Wellbeing in a Covid World
International Society for Quality of Life Studies (ISQOLS) Towards a People-First Economy & Society
2023 Conference, Rotterdam.
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Weaving the Elements into Seminaria poetry for Celebrants Creative Wellbeing (pp.)
Celebrants Aotearoa (CANZ)
2023 Conference, Otago Museum.
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Embodying mindfulness through the creativity of Seminaria
Celebrants Aotearoa (CANZ) Virtual Australasian Conference Sustaining our Work & Ourselves as Celebrants
2022 Conference, Wellington.
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Sociopoetic wellbeing in a Covid-world
Sociological Association of Aotearoa New Zealand (SAANZ) Sociology in the C21st: Wellbeing, Engagement and Sustainability. Chaired presentations on the theme: Wellbeing 25 Nov.
2021 Conference, Lincoln University.
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Book Launch address for Dr Leigh Burrows' (2021) Empowering mindfulness for women. Routledge.
2021, Glenelg, South Australia.
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A measure of wellbeing: New socio-poetic findings in social work settings
Sociological Association of Aotearoa New Zealand (SAANZ) 2019 Conference, University of Auckland
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Teachers’ wellbeing transformed by poetic mindfulness—What’s the research evidence?
New Zealand Association for Research in Education (NZARE) 2019 Conference, University of Canterbury
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Seminaria streamlines teachers’ work and creates a sense of wellbeing: What’s the research evidence?
Waldorf 100 Conference From the Inside Out, 2019 Auckland.
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Seminaria: Poetry informed from ‘the future in the past’ to inspire the present
Sociological Association of Aotearoa New Zealand (SAANZ) 2018 Conference, Victoria University of Wellington
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Seminaria, socio-poetic mindfulness for teachers and leaders
New Zealand Association for Research in Education (NZARE) 2018 Conference, AUT University
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Word power: Enhancing well-being socio-poetically in the face of managerialist hegemony
Sociological Association of Aotearoa New Zealand (SAANZ) 2017 Conference, University of Otago
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A World in the Word: Enhancing well-being socio-poetically through the mindfulness of seminaria.
15th ISQOLS Annual Conference, University of Innsbruck, Austria, 2017
Abstract Booklet – Quality of Life: Towards a Better Society
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A world in the word: Enhancing teacher wellbeing socio-poetically through the mindfulness of seminaria.
Student Wellbeing and Prevention of Violence (SWAPv) Inaugural Conference, Flinders University, Adelaide, 2016
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How does mindfulness meditation build teachers’ inner knowing and wellbeing? to Doctoral Studies Board Flinders University, Faculty of Education, Humanities & Law 2015 Adelaide, S.A.
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How Seminaria poetry with the Map of Meaning makes sense of teacher wellbeing.
Map of Meaning International, First Symposium, 21-22 Nov. 2015 Auckland, New Zealand.
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A World in the Word: How teachers used a socio-poetic application of Mindfulness and discovered a creative IT-free App. Flinders Educational Futures Research Institute (FEFRI) Turnaround Pedagogies, Adelaide, 2014.
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Meditating mindfully: Teachers who go within to ensure the Students don’t go without.
International Conference on Mindfulness, Education and Transformation, Wollongong, NSW, 2014.
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Teachers’ Mindfulness-Meditation: Investigating principles of a practice-based research poster presented
At Deakin University Arts and Education Summer School Feb. 2014, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
At Mind & Life Institute International Symposium for Contemplative Studies, Oct.–Nov. 2014 Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
At Flinders Educational Futures Research Institute (FEFRI) Turnaround Pedagogies, 2014, Adelaide, S.A.
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WORKSHOPS