Steven Oliver ’90 presented “Contemplative Pedagogy & the Journey of Becoming” at TEDx Salem State University on September 22, 2019.

We are living in a time when technology is fragmenting our attention and the ability to engage deeply with new and important ideas both in and out of the classroom. Contemplative pedagogy is a tool that can be used to cultivate critical awareness, clarity, and presence, and enhance our capacity to show up for ourselves and others. Steven Thurston Oliver is an associate professor of secondary and higher education at Salem State University. Steven is sociologist of education whose research is focused on the ways in which contemplative pedagogy can be used as a catalyst in K-12 teacher preparation and higher education programs for cultivating greater capacity among educators to engage across human differences. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.

Watch the talk below.

Steven Thurston Oliver graduated in 1990 from Antioch College with a Bachelors of Arts in International Studies and is an associate professor of secondary and higher education at Salem State University. Steven is sociologist of education whose research is focused on the ways in which contemplative pedagogy can be used as a catalyst in K-12 teacher preparation and higher education programs for cultivating greater capacity among educators to engage across human differences. Steven earned a Ph.D. in Sociology of Education from New York University and a M.Ed. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Washington.