Project Summary My project investigated pedagogical approaches that contribute to students' deep engagement with their courses, in particular, with my course, "Religion Gone Wild: Spirituality and the Environment." I slowed down the pace of the course (literally and metaphorically speaking) in order to create a gracious sense of time and space that was conducive to deep engagement. By "deep engagement," I mean a thoughtful, thorough, reflective engagement with the course which, ultimately, leads to integrative and transformative education.

Slowing Down I avoided creating a cluttered, hectic syllabus--that is, a syllabus with a vast number of topics matched by massive reading assignments (and so in this sense I literally slowed things down). Mainly, however, by slowing down I refer to a variety of approaches that afforded opportunities for deep engagement and therefore integrative and transformative education. Slowing Down had a dramatic, positive impact on student learning. I had taught an earlier version of this course in the fast mode. Outcomes were satisfactory. By applying to the course the principles of the Slow Learning Movement, however, the students' work and classroom conversations - their exams, journals, and class discussions, for example - exceeded my already high expectations. The Slow Learning Movement, then, had beneficial consequences for my students. It also benefited me, the professor. When I provided my students with opportunities for deep, reflective engagement, I provided myself with the same opportunities. I read more carefully, thought about the material more thoroughly, and I was more present and attentive in class.

Evidence and Inquiry: Quantitative and Qualitative "Religion Gone Wild" qualifies under the criteria of the "Slow Learning movement" insofar as it offers the students and me personally, a transformative experience in which the student can't help but relate the material to their own lives. We were encouraged to fully absorb the material and contemplate the implications the material has on our lives resulting in a thoroughly transformative process." --George I employed a variety of assessment techniques, both qualitative and quantitative, to evaluate learning outcomes pertaining to the Slow Learning Movement. I developed specific questions about deep engagement and gracious time and space. I administered pre-course and post-course questionnaires--their contents including response scales as well as open-ended questions--to determine changes in beliefs, attitudes, and practices with respect to deep engagement and gracious time and space, and other educational objectives specific to the course.

Quantitative Evidence Below is a portion of the questionnaire that was administered to students at the beginning of the course and at the end of the course. Students responded to the items using a 5-point Likert scale, with "1" representing "Strongly Disagree and "5" representing Strongly Agree. Only the items below were used to conduct the quantitative analysis for the current project. Please click the link at the bottom to view the questionnaire in its entirety. Student Survey for Religion Gone Wild, Spring 2006 1. I am pleased with my courses at Brown 2. Courses at Brown deeply engage me. 3. I deeply engage with course material. 4. Course material should deeply engage me. 5. Course material should often connect to my everyday life. 6. Some courses should not only provide expert knowledge, but should help students develop skills, capacities, and perspectives that help them in their everyday lives. 7. Courses with too much course material - too much reading, too many assignments -tend not to promote intellectual growth. 8. Most courses at Brown have too much course material. 9. Most courses at Brown have too little course material. 10. Most courses at Brown have just the right amount of course material. 11. I wish fewer pages were assigned so that I could read with greater attention. 12. I wish fewer pages were assigned so that I could spend less time reading. 13. I would learn more if fewer pages were assigned. 14. I would learn less if fewer pages were assigned. 15. I would learn more in a course if the pace of the class were faster. 16. I would learn more in a course if the pace of the class were slower. 17. I think the capacity to be attentive - to be mindful of the social and natural world around me - is a highly valuable capacity. 18. I think the capacity to be attentive - to be mindful of the social and natural world around me - should be a classroom topic and should be developed in class. 19. I think the classroom - its shape, size, furniture, lighting, temperature, and so on - has an impact on the learning that takes place in it. 20. I think more attention should be given to the space in which education takes place. 21. If more attention were given to the appropriate space and pace of a course, I could engage with the course material more deeply. 22. A course can contribute to transformative education, that is, it can contribute to my own transformation. In general, the change in mean ratings from the pre-test to the post-test was in the expected direction. For example, the items pertaining to the importance of course material being relevant to their everyday lives (Pre-Test Mean = 4.16; Post-Test Mean = 4.79) or helping them develop skills and perspectives that would help them in their everyday lives (Pre-Test Mean = 4.47; Post-Test Mean = 4.95) showed substantial increase in mean scores, indicating that at the end of the course, they agreed more strongly to these items than at the beginning of the course. In addition, by the end of the course, students felt more strongly that (1) courses with too much material hindered intellectual growth (Pre-Test Mean = 3.79; Post-Test Mean = 4.37) and that (2) if fewer pages were assigned, they could read with greater attention (Pre-Test Mean = 4.32; Post-Test Mean = 4.63). For the full interpretation, analysis, and presentation of the quantitative data, please see the following links: Questionnaire Quantitative, Method and Analysis Table 1 Table 2 Table 3

Visioning "What Is" Background to the Slow Learning Movement "The Slow Learning Movement develops among students a sense of purpose and connectedness by integrating the learning process with the social and natural world, both near and far. Similar to gracious time, the movement involves gracious space, meaning that the class environment is conducive to learning and forming connections with other aspects of life." --Sabina My project ended up being both a "what is project" ("What is deep engagement"?"What is gracious time and space?") as well as a "vision project" ("How to pursue integrative and transformative education?"). This surprised me. Initially, when I first designed my project, it was the vision project. I wanted to pursue integrative and transformative education. By that I mean I wanted to investigate how to promote the kind of learning in which students relate course material to many aspects of their everyday lives (integrative learning); and how their lives can thereby be enhanced by such holistic learning (transformative education). Later in the project, however, I decided to shift to the what is project. That is to say, I decided to focus on the Slow Learning Movement with its principles of gracious time and space. Now here is the surprise: when I read through the student's written work, especially their journals, I discovered that the Slow Learning Movement--the cultivation of gracious time and space--powerfully contributed to integrative learning and transformative education. The students made implicit and explicit connections between Slow Learning pedagogical approaches, on the one hand, and their being educated as multifaceted persons, not as disembodied minds, on the other hand. They also grasped a connection between the Slow Learning Movement and "the strategic learner," that is, the learner who is engaged not only in course material but in the very process of reflecting on how we learn what we learn. In sum, I discovered that there is a natural, inherent connection between the principles and approaches in the Slow Learning Movement, on the one hand, and integrative and transformative education, on the other.

Qualitative Evidence The most significant and helpful evidence for my project came from student reports on their learning. Each student kept a semester long journal, and within this journal was embedded their exams and a variety of responses to questions and issues that emerged during the course of the semester. Below I have provided some quotations by students and I have organized them under the salient project themes. When evaluating this evidence, it should be kept in mind that the course was offered "pass/fail" only, and by the mid-term it was clear to all that none would fail. See the link, "student statements," for the entire transcript of student statements The Slow Learning Movement "The Slow Learning Movement cultivates among students a respectful attitude toward the learning process through its emphasis on thoughtful, thorough, reflective engagement. The movement emphasizes gracious time, meaning that the content and structure of the course allow each student to engage with the ideas at their own pace." --Sabina "In Religion Gone Wild"...I was able to read slowly and with careful attention. Sometimes, I would literally copy down entire long passages from the readings into my notes, as I found that this was an effective way of engaging with and internalizing the material. In fact, the core, fundamental nature of learning changed when I slowed down and took the time to engage deeply with the material." --James "[The Slow Learning Movement] stresses life learning rather than the absorb-and-regurgitate expectations embodied by so many classes. Due to this, slow learning is ultimately a far more effective and efficient method of learning." --Deborah Gracious Time and Space "I think the forming of community is an important aspect of courses that embrace the Slow Learning Movement. When you slow down the pace of a course and create a sense of gracious time and space, you allow the people within that space to connect with each other on both academic and non-academic levels." --Martha "The themes of the course, including interconnectedness, deep engagement, and the inner landscape, along with the experience of gracious time and space have contributed to my growth as a student and a human." --Sabina "Often in university courses we are not given ample time to digest the material we read or engage in extensive discourse over it...In Religion Gone Wild, I was given the chance to ponder my entire academic experience and knowledge in relation to the course material, and therefore gain a better perspective on the material I delved into, as well as my academic experience as a whole. And the ability to move slowly, essentially allowed me to find a connection between my academic experience and my life." --Christopher Integrative Learning "The slow learning movement integrates a student's personal and academic life, entrenching class lessons in a far more profound and comprehensive way." --Deborah "The slow learning movement brings the world to life. When in a University environment, we are shielded from the rest of the world...The slow learning movement allows the outside world to creep back into our consciousness because we have time to slow down and reflect on what we are learning and how it applies to the outside world." --Dan Deep Engagement "Through Religion Gone Wild, I have begun to deeply engage in my other courses, in my relationship with other humans, and in my relationship with the natural world." --Sabina "Another way Religion Gone Wild embraces the Slow Learning Movement is through its creation of a joyous atmosphere. I was able to engage more deeply with the material because I loved coming to class, I loved the readings, I loved the people in the class, I loved the field trips...when you love something you commit yourself more deeply to it. When a student loves a course, every minute he/she devotes to it will be more meaningful." --Martha "This class, more than any other class has changed my life the way I approach everyday life, and my relationship with the world around me has drastically changed because of my deep involvement in the course." --Dan Transformative Education "Overall I think this course is the paradigm for effective slow learning, and I will carry all that I learned about religion, spirituality, nature, responsible stewardship, and self-discovery with me for the rest of my life." --James "After looking at the journal entries I recorded this past semester, I realize I have been trying to recover something that I lost during the last few years of my life. What it is exactly cannot be described by a single word, but it does embody some distinguishable characteristics: mindfulness, acceptance of life, and remembering what it is to be human." --George "We were encouraged to fully absorb the material and contemplate the implications the material has on our lives resulting in a thoroughly transformative process." --George More Student Statements

Photography Credit The photography of Innisfree Garden, located in Millbrook, New York, are by Neil Soderstrom. The poet Paul Kane (of Vassar College) and I used to take our students to Innisfree for a team-taught course, "It's Only Natural: Contemplation in the American Landscape." Innisfree is designed to be experienced as one might explore an art gallery: room by room and in no particular order. The intricate rooms of rock, plant, water, and sky have been described as cup gardens. Innisfree inspires contemplation. Walk its paths and you enter a quiet, thoughtful meditative disposition. It's almost certain. In this place, the connection between outer and inner, between sense and sensibility, is natural and effortless. I am grateful to Oliver Collins of Innisfree Garden for permission to use Innisfree Garden once again for the sake of education. For information about Innisfree, see www.innisfreegarden.org/.

Implications for Teaching and Learning "I believe that being human, like education, is a process defined by growth...To become more fully human, it is necessary to be transformed and so education should be transformative... I believe this is, or should be the goal of education and for this reason the Slow Learning Movement, as exemplified by "Religion Gone Wild", is beneficial to students." --Molly Here is what I take to be the main lesson of my project. If you as an educator are interested in adopting the principles of the Slow Learning Movement in your classroom, the most significant pedagogical act is this: Simply raise the issue of gracious time and space with your students. Just ask the question; just pose the challenge. You and your students will not create perfect space nor will you always achieve gracious time. But by simply posing the challenge of gracious time and space, your students will come to the course --to the material, to the topics, to each other--altered. They will read differently, talk differently, and listen differently. They will learn differently. They will engage deeply. This is what my evidence suggests. Posing the possibility of gracious time and space creates new time and space.

SLM Pedagogy Here is a short list of some pedagogical approaches that belong to the Slow Learning Movement: Pay attention to space, to where you meet with students. Field trips bring a new sense of space and time to the course experience. Slow down the pace of the course, the number of topics and reading assignments on the syllabus, for example. This is not easy. Allow more time for discussion (probably double the time). Model deep listening for your students. Don't fear spontaneity (be willing, for example, to allow the students to re-write much of the syllabus and even the exams). Trust the students (they have much to offer; they are often courageous, risk takers; for the most part, they already know how to listen and engage thoughtfully and deeply; and they can lead, they can take the professor to new places. Don't be afraid to offer a course pass/fail. The level of work and commitment to the course may increase, not decrease. Have your students keep a dynamic journal; allow them to express themselves in a variety of ways in it (for example, with drawings, maps, musings, letters from parents and friends, emails between the students during the semester). Use the journals to integrate both planned and spontaneous questions and issues, such as: What question does this material/course pose to you? Which piece of art at the museum grabbed your attention and why? How do you learn best? Midterms and exams can also be embedded in the journal, and hence an exam can last a couple of weeks. Allow reflective moments in the class. This can mean permitting a pause between student comments, incorporating contemplative practices, or being willing to linger on a topic of special concern.

Challenges and Looking Ahead "As a member of the Slow Learning Movement, I have two objectives for the rest of my university career. First, I will choose courses that seem to fit, or have potential to fit, within the movement. Second, I will exercise my agency as a student to achieve gracious time and space in my classes. As for the rest of my life, I will apply the principles of the movement, including gracious time and space and deep engagement, to all other aspects of my life, including career, family life, and spirituality." --Sabina I wanted commitment to the course to increase as the pace of the course slowed down. This is exactly what happened. I had wondered if "slowing down" the pace of the course (for example, pursuing such non-standard techniques as assigning fewer pages of reading and giving no letter grades) would permit students to "blow off" the course, that is, to do the bare minimum work for a pass, essentially taking advantage (in the bad sense) of the Slow Learning Movement. This worry turned out to be unfounded. On most days, course attendance was 100 percent. There were other indications of heightened, not diminished, class commitment: class discussions were lively, and the quantity and quality of written work greatly exceeded my expectations. Indeed, I would say that the quality and quantity of work for the course was higher than any course I have ever taught. I am tempted to take credit for this outcome, but I cannot. I did slow down the course; but the students were the ones who figured out what that meant, how to proceed, how to take advantage (now, in the good sense) of this educational opportunity to deeply engage. They understood, almost immediately, that the Slow Learning Movement would make great claims on their lives and they were eager for that. At this point, I do not see closure for this project. My current questions, hunches, and assessment tools are still crude. I do see the likelihood of refinement. Yet I suspect that future refinement will reveal still more unfinished work. But I am not in a hurry. Links for this snapshot: Syllabus Final Exam Pre-/Post-Questionnaire Quantitative, Method and Analysis Table 1 Table 2 Table 3 Student Statements