The University of Delaware’s Center for Teaching and Assessment of Learning (CTAL)’s May 4 First Friday Roundtable will focus on developing mindfulness to improve teaching and learning.

The final roundtable event for the academic year, it will be held from 3:30-5 p.m. in Room 208 Gore Hall. Registration is available online.

Self-care is usually not on the top of one’s daily to-do list. With the multiple roles that most instructors need to fill on a daily basis, caring for themselves often gets placed at the bottom of the list, or worse, does not make it there at all. This roundtable will address how incorporating mindfulness and self-care into your daily life will benefit not only you, but your students as well.

The session will be co-facilitated by Michael Mackenzie, assistant professor of behavioral health and nutrition, director of the Mind Body Behavior Laboratory (MBBL) and program director of the Graduate Certificate in Health Coaching.

Mackenzie will discuss current research on mindfulness and the impact it has on improving attention, reducing stress and improving one’s capacity for compassion and empathy.

He will join Stacie Larkin of CTAL for an interactive workshop that will provide opportunity for attendees to explore mindful practices and discuss how these tools can affect daily life, including teaching in the classroom. Participants can expect to leave the session with concrete strategies to explore using in their lives and classrooms.

The First Friday Roundtable series is open to instructors at all ranks, as well as graduate teaching assistants. Light refreshments will be served, and advance registration is requested. In addition, upon completion of the event, participants will receive a letter of certification indicating their commitment to improving their teaching. This document may be uploaded directly into UDAcademe as proof of professional development.