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Classrooms as Sacred Space : Structures for Holistic Teaching and Learning Practices in Higher Education Muñoz, Joaquin

Abstract

This article explores the notion of the classroom as a sacred space, through the lenses of Indigeneity and Waldorf-inspired practices to examine the ways pedagogical practices create spaces for learning and holistic well-being. Using a series of qualitative ethnographic studies highlighting courses at higher education institutions in Arizona and Minnesota, this article examines student reflections on experiences within the courses and curricula. Student responses point to conceptions of the course “rituals” that fostered emotional and mental wellness and contrasted these to courses in the “real world” that did the opposite. The article concludes with reflections on structures within the classroom and implications for teaching and learning.

Item Metadata

Title
Classrooms as Sacred Space : Structures for Holistic Teaching and Learning Practices in Higher Education
Creator
Muñoz, Joaquin
Publisher
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
Date Issued
2023-01-31
Description
This article explores the notion of the classroom as a sacred space, through the lenses of Indigeneity and Waldorf-inspired practices to examine the ways pedagogical practices create spaces for learning and holistic well-being. Using a series of qualitative ethnographic studies highlighting courses at higher education institutions in Arizona and Minnesota, this article examines student reflections on experiences within the courses and curricula. Student responses point to conceptions of the course “rituals” that fostered emotional and mental wellness and contrasted these to courses in the “real world” that did the opposite. The article concludes with reflections on structures within the classroom and implications for teaching and learning.
Subject
indigeneity; Waldorf-inspired; teaching; learning; higher education
Genre
Article
Type
Text
Language
eng
Date Available
2025-06-23
Provider
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
Rights
CC BY 4.0
DOI
10.14288/1.0449167
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/2429/91402
Affiliation
Education, Faculty of; Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of
Citation
Religions 14 (2): 190 (2023)
Publisher DOI
10.3390/rel14020190
Peer Review Status
Reviewed
Scholarly Level
Faculty; Researcher
Rights URI
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Aggregated Source Repository
DSpace

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Rights

CC BY 4.0