In recent years, the field of ABE has been developing greater emphasis on evidence-based practice and a growing desire to align professional/staff development with indicators of program quality. Teachers, administrators, and funders demand quality professional development, often with an emphasis on technical and practical knowledge and skills. But are "techniques" or "technical skills" enough? In this article, I'd like to challenge us to consider professional/staff development not only as the teaching and learning of new skills, but also as the embracing of our humanity.

Good teachers are not successful merely because of the knowledge they hold or their ability to impart that knowledge through well-constructed lesson plans. Administrators who create successful learning environments possess more than trained organizational capabilities. Successful counselors and other support staff gain the confidence of learners not merely because they make good referrals. Educators who consistently base their practice on educational research (evidence) may still not be successful in their classrooms. Teachers, administrators, and support staff who inspire learners and colleagues and who are revered as "great," "role models," or "admirable" have developed more than their content knowledge and practical skills. In many cases, these are also the educators who have embraced their students and colleague-and themselves-as whole persons who are cognitive, social, emotional, and physical. These are often educators who understand and embrace their humanity, including their heart and spirit. In many ways, these are educators who embrace the spiritual1 dimensions of teaching and learning.

In addition to the technical or practical needs teachers bring to professional development, over the years I've heard these questions as well: How do I create a learning environment that has ethical integrity? How do I remain true to my own personal values without appearing to proselytize? How do I create a democratic environment that provides openness and safety for all learners to develop critical thinking abilities, both by expressing challenging views while also having their own views challenged? How do I create such an environment for myself and for my colleagues? How do we as a classroom (or program) navigate and encourage multiple communities with diverse assumptions and values systems? How do I create a just and respectful and multicultural community? The questions don't stop there.

Some of the questions that bring spiritual dimensions to teaching and learning include: Why am I a teacher/adult educator? How does teaching/adult education inspire me? What is my integrity as an adult educator? What is my inner landscape as a teacher and learner? How do I engage not only the minds of my students (colleagues) but also their hearts and spirits? How do I en-courage myself and others to be whole persons? And how/when do I give attention to the spiritual whole person dimensions of education when overwhelmed by testing, limited time, limited funding, and increased accountability?

These types of questions are generally not addressed in many ABE professional development opportunities. Notable exceptions might be adult learning/ human development theory; diversity training or conflict resolution; or writing exercises that might allow room for self-reflection or mind/heart connection. Profes-sional development activities that build on participatory practices or emphasize the view of "teacher as learner" may raise such questions for reflection as well. However, it's rare for professional development in ABE to explicitly challenge educators to consider the ways in which their whole person or spiritual/cultural dimensions are fundamental to their identity and work as educators.

Creating the spaces and opportunities for practitioners to explore the intellectual, emotional, and spiritual connections to their work, though, are as necessary as providing current research or practical techniques in a particular teaching area. Through self-reflection, educators have an opportunity to renew and reconnect with their own sense of identity and integrity as educators. In this way, educators understand again how they are learners as well as teachers and perhaps remember again or in a different way the whole-person life realities of their students and colleagues. Educating with heart and spirit sustains the passion and compassion needed for adult basic professionals who do so much with so little.

The questions listed previously could potentially bring additional substance and meaning to professional development. We should also recognize that bringing attention to these questions in professional development may be welcomed and desired by some educators while threatening or discomforting to others. But discussing our experiences or reflections on these questions will bring vibrancy to our professional work, and in some cases, help us to make meaning of our identities as educators.

As we look at professional/staff development (our own and that of our colleagues), we may want to consider the places where we might integrate an awareness of educating with mind, heart, and spirit. There are many ways in which this integration could occur, from subtle and casual to direct and intense. Bring-ing attention to mind, heart, and spirit could take as little as ten minutes or be as long as a whole day or weekend.

Some examples include the following:

• Reflective writing exercises, dialog journals using a problem-posing question or prompts, discussion circles, and support groups.
• Dialogic space in workshops n Intentional book discussion groups on spiritual dimensions of teaching and learning.
• Retreats, interactive art projects, interactive theater or role-play, games and play, and storytelling.
• Stretching or other breath-ing and relaxation exercises.
• Diversity training, team-building and trust-building activities
• Meditation or moments of silence.
• Exercises that focus on understanding one's identity and values systems.
• Participant-developed ground rules for discussion (fostering an ethic of care)
• Refreshment/lunch breaks

Developing and identifying key questions and issues for oneself and with one's colleagues will bring relevancy to these activities.

There is an increasing body of literature on understanding the spiritual/cultural and whole person dimensions of being an adult educator and adult learning. I encourage you to explore the list of references included here list and perhaps develop your own study/discussion circles.

Notes

1 We should be careful not to confuse spirituality and religion (the codification of spiritually into a belief system). "Attending to spirituality can simply mean creating an environment and a space where people can bring their whole selves into the learning environment and acknowledge the powerful ways they create meaning through their cultural, symbolic, and spiritual experience, as well as through the cognitive." –Elizabeth Tisdell, Exploring Spirituality and Culture in Adult and Higher Education.

References

Mev Miller, EdD, is the associate coordinator and resource coordinator at Southeast SABES. She is also the director of Women Expanding / Literacy Education Action Resource Network (WE LEARN).www.litwomen.org/welearn.html. She can be reached at: mmiller@bristol.mass.edu