Total Credits: .3 Workshop CEU(s)
This workshop presents Mindfulness Meditation Training (MMT) as an initiative for college personnel and faculty. Through guided mindfulness meditation, led by a trained and certified yoga and meditation teacher, participants practice strategies that lead to self-awareness and presence. Through the practical experience of mindfulness meditation, the workshop facilitator sets the stage for participants to learn simple steps helpful in creating a mindfulness meditation practice of their own. Additionally, the facilitator introduces participants to ways they can bring MMT to their workplace.
By the end of this workshop, participants know or will be able to:
Plans for Audience Participation and Interaction:
Participate in two guided mindfulness meditation sessions, the first as an introduction to the session; discuss meditation experiences and reflect on the concepts of present moment awareness, presence, and how to increase coping skills; examine literature and research related to practical applications of mindfulness and meditation; explore the student development theory and why MMT is a means to seamlessly integrate existing theoretical perspectives to support students and those who work with them through the challenges we have encountered during the pandemic; demonstrate an introductory understanding of how to create a daily practice for themselves and others.
All workshop participants can obtain, at no additional cost:
Dr. Melissa Krieger is an associate professor of education at Bergen Community College in Paramus, New Jersey. She has 15 years of college-level teaching experience. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Dr. Krieger is involved in program review development and assessment planning. Dr. Krieger has presented at numerous local, regional, and national conferences on topics related to best practices for community colleges, curriculum development, experiential learning, social justice in education, and institution-wide assessment planning. In her early career, she worked as an elementary and early childhood classroom teacher in a New York City public school. Dr. Krieger holds multiple teaching licenses in New York and New Jersey. Teaching certificates include kindergarten through fifth grade, preschool through third grade, language arts and literacy instructor for fifth through eighth grade, and instructing students with disabilities. Dr. Krieger has earned a Yoga Alliance registered, 200-hour yoga and meditation teacher certification. She has led yoga and meditation classes since 2020. Dr. Krieger is grateful for her professional role, which puts her into contact with students who are often unfamiliar with college culture, as they remind her of herself in the early years of her academic journey. As a first-generation college student, Dr. Krieger recognizes that the development of a sense of belonging goes a long way in supporting students’ persistence.
