Professor Graeme Nixon

Biography

Professional Biography

Professor Graeme Nixon works at the School of Education at the University of Aberdeen. For the last thirteen years he has been the programme director of the University’s MSc Studies in Mindfulness programme. He practices, publishes on and supervises research projects on mindfulness. In this field he is particularly interested in debates about the possibility of secular mindfulness, Buddhist origins and criticisms of mindfulness. Formerly a secondary teacher of Religious, Moral and Philosophical Studies, Graeme retains an interest in the manifestations of meditation across multiple wisdom traditions (religious or otherwise). As a teacher educator he is particularly interested in the development of thinking skills in schools and he has written on this as well as delivered training for professionals on how to weave a suite of thinking skills approaches (including mindfulness) into their life and work.

His teaching, research supervision, and publications in the area of Religious Education focuses on changes to this subject area linked to secularisation, child-centred pedagogy and the challenges and opportunities concomitant with information glut and personal sovereignty. He has published on the dangers of sanitised and essentialising approaches to religions and he advocates reform of Religious Education policy to reflect the needs and information spaces of young people, so that they can more easily learn about and from wisdom traditions (religious or otherwise).

Qualifications 

MA Philosophy (University of Edinburgh) 1987-1990

BD Ecclesiastical History (University of Glasgow) 1991-1994

PGCE Religious Education (University of Strathclyde) 1994-1995

Teacher and Principal teacher of RMPS 1995-2005

PHd (University of Aberdeen) 2012

Prizes and Awards

Clelland Rae Medal for Ecclesiastical History, University of Glasgow (1994)

Principal's Awards Nominations 2021 - Best Postgraduate Teacher, Best Undergraduate Teacher, Most Inspiring Teacher and Contribution to Blended Learning. Shortlisted for best Postgraduate Teacher

Winner of Principal's Excellence Award 2021

Excellence Nomination 2022 - Best Postgraduate Teacher

Research Overview

• The Emergence of Philosophy in Religious Education
• Secularisation and education
• The impact of faculty management structures on secondary schools
• Faith education
• Comparative studies in Religious Education
• Thinking skills approaches in schools
• Mindfulness in education
• Religious Observance in Scottish education
• Mindfulness; secular and/or spiritual?
• The sanitisation of religion in education
• Using e-portfolios in initial teacher education

Current Research

PhD (completion Sept 2011); what factors have influenced the emergence of philosophy in Scottish secondary school Religious Education?

Mindfulness in Schools

The student and probationer experience of faculty style management structures in Scottish secondary schools

Mindfulness and reflective teaching

Mindfulness as secular analogue for religious experience in the Religious Education classroom

The conscience clause and Religious Education. How often are children withdrawn and why?

Mindfulness in Contexts(s); the perfect storm for mindfulness?

Religious Education in an age of Diversity (READY): European project looking at preparation for teachers of Religious Education in multiuple jurisdictions and how facilitate safe dialogic space in the RE classroom

Schools and the santising of religion

Past Research

See list of publications

Knowledge Exchange

Various CPD events for academics, businesses and teachers on thinking skills, Religious Education and Mindfulness

Media engagement - BBC Scotland and BBC Radio 4 appearances discussing mindfulness (2018, 2019)

Part of consortium presenting at the Scottish Parliament (2019) to launch the Mindful Nation Scotland initiative

Collaborations

Erasmus Plus project Religious Education and Diversity (READY) is a three year European Union project involving universities of Aberdeen, UCL, Karlstadt, Vienna and Tuebingen, as well as the Comenius Institute. This project aims to develop approaches to teaching about and training for dealing diversity in classrooms.

http://www.readyproject.eu/

Currently collaborating with Dr Jo Pearce at University College London on a series of papers about the sanitising of religion in schools; qualifications for Religious Education teaching, and purpose of Religious Education.

Funding and Grants

Teaching Responsibilities

Supervision

Currently supervising 8 PhD and 16 Masters students

Teaching

Programme Director for MSc Programme Studies in Mindfulness (teaching and co-ordinating courses ED505A Mindfulness, ED555B Compassion and ED505L Insight)

Lecturer on ME33MM Medical Humanities (Mindfulness) for Medical Students