In both my research and teaching I seek to elevate compassion and wisdom into all sectors of education. This work is underscored by equity and openness to learn from and with diverse peoples. I explore spirituality from religion perspectives and the hybrid space offered by Buddhist, and Indigenous knowledge systems. I also explore meditation, as a broader and richer construct where mindfulness is but one aspect. This work seeks to promote the wellbeing of individuals and communities.
The school playground is recognised broadly in the literature as a crucial setting for children t... more The school playground is recognised broadly in the literature as a crucial setting for children to develop social behaviours by engaging in a diverse range of physical and social activities. In this study, we examined children’s social interactions in two distinctly different primary school playgrounds – a school playground with fixed equipment, and a school playground with moveable play equipment. The aim of this research was to explore how primary school children’s social behaviours in schoolyard activities vary in two different playground contexts. Through field notes and observation scheduling, descriptions of the range of children’s social behaviours in the two school playgrounds emerged. This study provides some insights into how the development of schoolchildren’s social and emotional well-being can be supported, or hindered, by the physical design of playgrounds made available to children.
The project aimed to create an online education resource, mapped to the new Australian Curriculum... more The project aimed to create an online education resource, mapped to the new Australian Curriculum based on permanent exhibitions and distributed heritage sites of the newly opened Defence of Darwin Experience museum. The museum is exploratory, technologically and socially interactive and provides ready linkages to the inquiry-based ethos and directives of the Australian Curriculum. Teacher consultations and media discussion raised troubled tensions — time-poor teachers, a changing and overly-full curriculum in a climate of unease in public discourse that seeks knowledge transfer and bids to defi ne national identity. On both scores inquiry-based learning stands the loser. The resulting resource spans lower and upper primary and middle years, across History, Art, English, Mathematics, Civics and Science. All of these considered students in any Australian classroom inevitably asking, ‘So what?’ In this century strong economic links between northern Australia and Asia highlight a need ...
Four guest joined a dinner party conversation to discuss youth. Each guest was interested in and ... more Four guest joined a dinner party conversation to discuss youth. Each guest was interested in and had some formal affiliation with spiritual practices, whether through the lens of the Indigenous, Mormon, Buddhist, Christian or “spiritual” beliefs in their orientation. The performance is a form of critical pedagogy, as the event was one in which the four presenters were actively considering dissenting and disaffected voices, querying the regulatory processes of many empirical and analytical approaches in advancing our understanding of the educational and social phenomena of youth. The performance setting of a dinner party was aspirational. An expanded view of spirituality and love provided common ground.
ABSTRACT The school playground is recognised broadly in the literature as a crucial setting for c... more ABSTRACT The school playground is recognised broadly in the literature as a crucial setting for children to develop social behaviours by engaging in a diverse range of physical and social activities. In this study, we examined children’s social interactions in two distinctly different primary school playgrounds – a school playground with fixed equipment, and a school playground with moveable play equipment. The aim of this research was to explore how primary school children’s social behaviours in schoolyard activities vary in two different playground contexts. Through field notes and observation scheduling, descriptions of the range of children’s social behaviours in the two school playgrounds emerged. This study provides some insights into how the development of schoolchildren’s social and emotional well-being can be supported, or hindered, by the physical design of playgrounds made available to children.
In this article, teacher professional practice is conceptualised within a regenerative framing as... more In this article, teacher professional practice is conceptualised within a regenerative framing as a synthesis of intercultural perspectives drawn from wisdom traditions, placing ethics-in-action alongside reflection-in-action. Regenerative practice foregrounds the need for renewal connecting professional learning with lifelong learning. Global sustainability agendas also inform this endeavour, reminding us of our connectedness within living ecosystems while ‘local wisdom’ is considered a primary source to inspire regeneration. Ecological models of education are therefore explored to determine the nature and scope of regenerative practices. Isolation imposed by the global pandemic provided opportunity to reflect upon our own practices and how these inter-relational constructs, often at odds with competency-based requirements, might nevertheless be integrated into teacher professional development. Three layers of regenerative practice, ‘being with ourselves’, ‘being with nature’ and ‘...
Fibromyalgia is a chronic illness characterized by musculoskeletal pain, pain Mindfulness meditat... more Fibromyalgia is a chronic illness characterized by musculoskeletal pain, pain Mindfulness meditation has been an integral part of Buddhist practice for over 2600 years (Shapiro & Carlson, 2009, Germer, 2005). It is deeply rooted in the spiritual and cultural fabric of Bhutan. Recently, it has become a significant aspect of Counselling education in Bhutan. Counsellors trained there are well-informed about the synergy between western counselling and eastern contemplative psychology. Mindfulness is integral to contemplative psychology offered by the Royal University of Bhutan in collaboration with Naropa University, Colorado in USA. Once in the field, counsellors are expected to practice mindfulness meditation and offer mindfulness-based counselling interventions to their clients. The proposed study will explore how six counsellors in Bhutan make sense of their lived phenomena of mindfulness meditation in general, and how this experience influences the dynamics of their counselling ses...
The school playground is recognised broadly in the literature as a crucial setting for children t... more The school playground is recognised broadly in the literature as a crucial setting for children to develop social behaviours by engaging in a diverse range of physical and social activities. In this study, we examined children’s social interactions in two distinctly different primary school playgrounds – a school playground with fixed equipment, and a school playground with moveable play equipment. The aim of this research was to explore how primary school children’s social behaviours in schoolyard activities vary in two different playground contexts. Through field notes and observation scheduling, descriptions of the range of children’s social behaviours in the two school playgrounds emerged. This study provides some insights into how the development of schoolchildren’s social and emotional well-being can be supported, or hindered, by the physical design of playgrounds made available to children.
The project aimed to create an online education resource, mapped to the new Australian Curriculum... more The project aimed to create an online education resource, mapped to the new Australian Curriculum based on permanent exhibitions and distributed heritage sites of the newly opened Defence of Darwin Experience museum. The museum is exploratory, technologically and socially interactive and provides ready linkages to the inquiry-based ethos and directives of the Australian Curriculum. Teacher consultations and media discussion raised troubled tensions — time-poor teachers, a changing and overly-full curriculum in a climate of unease in public discourse that seeks knowledge transfer and bids to defi ne national identity. On both scores inquiry-based learning stands the loser. The resulting resource spans lower and upper primary and middle years, across History, Art, English, Mathematics, Civics and Science. All of these considered students in any Australian classroom inevitably asking, ‘So what?’ In this century strong economic links between northern Australia and Asia highlight a need ...
Four guest joined a dinner party conversation to discuss youth. Each guest was interested in and ... more Four guest joined a dinner party conversation to discuss youth. Each guest was interested in and had some formal affiliation with spiritual practices, whether through the lens of the Indigenous, Mormon, Buddhist, Christian or “spiritual” beliefs in their orientation. The performance is a form of critical pedagogy, as the event was one in which the four presenters were actively considering dissenting and disaffected voices, querying the regulatory processes of many empirical and analytical approaches in advancing our understanding of the educational and social phenomena of youth. The performance setting of a dinner party was aspirational. An expanded view of spirituality and love provided common ground.
ABSTRACT The school playground is recognised broadly in the literature as a crucial setting for c... more ABSTRACT The school playground is recognised broadly in the literature as a crucial setting for children to develop social behaviours by engaging in a diverse range of physical and social activities. In this study, we examined children’s social interactions in two distinctly different primary school playgrounds – a school playground with fixed equipment, and a school playground with moveable play equipment. The aim of this research was to explore how primary school children’s social behaviours in schoolyard activities vary in two different playground contexts. Through field notes and observation scheduling, descriptions of the range of children’s social behaviours in the two school playgrounds emerged. This study provides some insights into how the development of schoolchildren’s social and emotional well-being can be supported, or hindered, by the physical design of playgrounds made available to children.
In this article, teacher professional practice is conceptualised within a regenerative framing as... more In this article, teacher professional practice is conceptualised within a regenerative framing as a synthesis of intercultural perspectives drawn from wisdom traditions, placing ethics-in-action alongside reflection-in-action. Regenerative practice foregrounds the need for renewal connecting professional learning with lifelong learning. Global sustainability agendas also inform this endeavour, reminding us of our connectedness within living ecosystems while ‘local wisdom’ is considered a primary source to inspire regeneration. Ecological models of education are therefore explored to determine the nature and scope of regenerative practices. Isolation imposed by the global pandemic provided opportunity to reflect upon our own practices and how these inter-relational constructs, often at odds with competency-based requirements, might nevertheless be integrated into teacher professional development. Three layers of regenerative practice, ‘being with ourselves’, ‘being with nature’ and ‘...
Fibromyalgia is a chronic illness characterized by musculoskeletal pain, pain Mindfulness meditat... more Fibromyalgia is a chronic illness characterized by musculoskeletal pain, pain Mindfulness meditation has been an integral part of Buddhist practice for over 2600 years (Shapiro & Carlson, 2009, Germer, 2005). It is deeply rooted in the spiritual and cultural fabric of Bhutan. Recently, it has become a significant aspect of Counselling education in Bhutan. Counsellors trained there are well-informed about the synergy between western counselling and eastern contemplative psychology. Mindfulness is integral to contemplative psychology offered by the Royal University of Bhutan in collaboration with Naropa University, Colorado in USA. Once in the field, counsellors are expected to practice mindfulness meditation and offer mindfulness-based counselling interventions to their clients. The proposed study will explore how six counsellors in Bhutan make sense of their lived phenomena of mindfulness meditation in general, and how this experience influences the dynamics of their counselling ses...
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Peer Reviewed Journal Articles (& Proceedings) by Sue E Smith
Papers by Sue E Smith