An online retreat with Cora O’Farrell
Friday, May 28th, 2021
1 – 4 pm ET/ 10 am – 1 pm PT

This retreat has been postponed!
New details TBD

Sliding scale fees: $100/$75/$50 (self-selected)
Access grants available to cover $25
ACMHE members receive a $25 discount. (Not a member? Join here)

Deep Talk (Valkonnen, 2015) is a contemplative practice rooted in Montessori principles which incorporates story and play as a means of accessing inner language.

Participants in this retreat will be guided through the process of Deep Talk and will experience some stories being told with the aid of simple props and a sand bag. Individual reflection and communal expression will be interwoven with silence and playfulness throughout our time together. You are invited to step into the calmness which Deep Talk engenders; listen to its powerful narratives; and wonder and reflect about the stories together with others in the group.

The chance to debrief the experience will also be offered to participants so that you can learn of its use in other contexts, as well as sharing the possibilities you perceive it to offer.

Takeaways: 

1. Become familiar with the practice of Deep Talk
2. Experience the process of Deep Talk by engaging in a session
3. Hear about one context in higher education where Deep Talk is being used
4. Discuss possibilities in their own context
5. Make connections with one another.

This retreat is live via Zoom. Connection information will be shared once registered. Registration closes an hour before the event.

Cora O’Farrell is an Assistant Professor in the School of Human Development at Dublin City University. Her main discipline is Religious Education and she has been lecturing in that area for approx. twenty years. She has a keen interest in pedagogies rooted in the Montessori tradition and she has lately become immersed in contemplative approaches to education which she offers to students and has presented at educational conferences.