Contemplative education is a philosophy of higher education that integrates introspection and experiential learning into academic study in order to support academic and social engagement, develop self-understanding as well as analytical and critical capacities, and cultivate skills for engaging constructively with others.
The inclusion of contemplative and introspective practices in academia addresses an increasingly recognized imbalance in higher education: a lack of support for developing purpose and meaning, or for helping students "learn who they are, search for a larger purpose for their lives, and leave college as better human beings".[1] Especially in the current context that the value of Liberal Art Education is being challenged,[2] the urgency in reviewing and innovating its pedagogy becomes prominent. Since "the liberal arts are meant to instruct and inspire", its education pedagogy should then entail "both formal study and self-discovery, shared inquiry and self-understanding" for the whole person.[3]