The Embodied and Emotional Dimensions of Writing: Contemplative Pedagogy
“I am not a text and cannot be distanced like words read on a page. Words don’t sweat or weep, moan or bleed. I do” (Snowber, 2016). “To grow as a writer is to grow as a person” (Wenger, 2012) The acquisition and development of writing skills is often approached in higher education as an exclusively cognitive process, one that requires the apprentice to master the technical tools through disciplined constant practice, following the steps prescribed by educators. This single-dimension approach to writing is expanded by research in education and developmental psychology, which posits that in addition to cognition, any learning process entails relational, emotional, and embodied components. Writing is not the exception. To address this expanded notion of writing skills development, this workshop draws from the field of Contemplative Pedagogy, seeking to offer personal exercises, open dialogue, and resources to help us cultivate healthier relationships with writing; which can positively impact learning engagement and academic performance. In this workshop, we will focus on our own/our students’ journey and relationship to writing, we will explore questions such as: What emotions and body sensations do I (and my students) experience while writing? How should/do I respond to them (or not)?Presenter: Juan Carlos Garcia. This event is organized by the Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) Program at CSI and co-sponsored by the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Professional Development.
Zoom linkIf you have questions about this event, please contact the WAC Coordinators at: Rosanne.Carlo@csi.cuny.edu or Alyson.Bardsley@csi.cuny.edu
