Boundless: Transformative Education Practices and Research, hosted on Zoom, April 8, 2022, from 4 – 9 p.m. PST.

Boundless is intended to serve as a gathering space for Okanagan School of Education graduate students and alumni to present their scholarly work with our scholar-practitioner community. This symposium is an opportunity to learn together and connect socially through presentations and conversations.

Graduate students and alumni are invited to share completed projects or works in progress. Presentations may be individual or in groups. Different formats are welcome, such as panel or roundtable discussions, posters, papers, and arts-based presentations.

The deadline for presentation proposals is March 18, 2022.

Learn more about the event and find the guidelines for proposals at education.ok.ubc.ca/boundless.

While the event is open to all to attend, individuals must register online by April 7, 2022.

The event is organized by a committee of graduate students, Karin Wiebe, Camille Rousseau, Fabiam Lim and Yuki Ueda.

B.A.R.K. researchers Camille Rousseau, PhD candidate, and Dr. John-Tyler Binfet, associate professor, are conducting a study on canine-assisted public speaking and need grade 6 and 7 B.C. student participants for interviews. The study seeks to understand how public school grade 6 and 7 students feel about giving presentations. Student participants will be asked how presentations make them feel and what they do to prepare for them.

The interviews will take place over Zoom and will be approximately 30 minutes in length, scheduled during a weekday evening or weekend starting in February. These calls are confidential. Participants will receive a $35 gift card to Chapters.

Parent permission is required.

If interested, please contact Camille Rousseau at c.rousseau@ubc.ca with student name, school name and grade.

Grade 6 and 7 teachers are encouraged to share this information with their classes.

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The Okanagan School of Education is launching a newly revised Teaching English and Additional Languages (TEAL) Post-Baccalaureate Certificate. The certificate is designed to prepare students who are new to teaching, or offer professional development for current teachers or those who have previous experience working with English as an additional language (EAL) or other additional language learners in Canada or abroad and are seeking opportunities to upgrade their skills.

“We were excited to re-envision this certificate as part of our program offerings related to additional language teaching and learning,” says Dr. Scott Douglas, EAL programs director. “With the addition of the practicum component and its connection to the EAL programs we offer on UBC’s Okanagan campus, certificate students can now further deepen their understanding of teaching and learning and develop their instructional skills to better support additional language learners.”

The certificate is open to current undergraduate students with a minimum of third-year standing as well as those who have obtained an undergraduate degree. It is comprised of four courses, including a supervised practicum with 10 hours of observation and 10 hours of teaching:

• LLED 494 (3) Introduction to Additional Language Teaching and Learning
• LLED 495 (3) Curriculum and Materials Design in Additional Language Teaching and Learning
• LLED 496 (3) Theory and Practice in Additional Language Teaching and Learning
• LLED 497 (3) Practicum in Additional Language Teaching and Learning

The courses will take place online and on-campus. Generally, one course will be offered each term, and students will be able to complete all four courses in a 12-month period.

Students interested in pursuing their TEAL Post-Baccalaureate Certificate can learn more or apply at education.ok.ubc.ca/teal.

The first course, LLED 496: Theory and Practice in Additional Language Teaching and Learning, will be offered in Summer Term 2, 2022.

When Bréanne Brunel (B.A. ’20, B.Ed. ’21) was finishing high school and contemplating her next steps in life, it came down to three things: teaching youth, French and snowboarding.

Teaching was a natural fit for Brunel. In fact, you might say that teaching runs in the family, as both of Brunel’s parents are educators. Growing up, she spent a lot of time at the school past regular hours and enjoyed the school environment.

“I always had a love for kids and working with kids, and through my parents I could see the powerful impact that they had on their students,” says Brunel. “And it was that lasting impact teachers can have that ultimately drew me to the profession.”

Originally from a small French-speaking town in Manitoba (population 1,500), Brunel was drawn to UBCO’s small campus and class sizes. The university also offered the programs she needed to achieve her goal of becoming a French teacher. In addition, her family often visited Kelowna for vacations and so she was familiar with the area, and all of the outdoor activities she enjoyed – like snowboarding.

After completing her Bachelor of Arts, majoring in French and Spanish, Brunel began her Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) program in September 2019.  The Okanagan School of Education’s candidate are split into advisory groups based on location of practicum, with the exception of the French cohort.

“We were a lot smaller than some of the other groups and developed a strong bond,” says Brunel. “The cohort felt like a family. We were all different levels of French speakers, some of us were francophone and some hadn’t used their French since their high-school French immersion; but everyone including our Field Advisor, Erika van Oyen was very supportive and encouraging.”

In March 2020, the B.Ed. program transitioned to online courses. Despite the change in delivery, Brunel found joy in her zoom classes.

“I didn’t have a lot of opportunities to talk or hang out in French, so even the zoom check-ins offering the French aspect was a highlight for me,” says Brunel with a laugh.

Brunel completed her B.E.d in December 2020, and is now a full-time French teacher at H.S. Grenda Middle School in Lake Country, B.C., co-teaching grades 6 and 7.

“The students bring so much energy to everything they do,” says Brunel. “I like when my classroom is loud and lively because to me that means they’re talking, sharing their ideas and they’re engaged in the task.”

For some students, learning a new language can seem like a daunting feat or an uninteresting (and maybe boring) task, but Brunel brings in a level of enthusiasm for the language her students can’t resist.

“I’m so proud of being French that when I can share it with other people, it makes me really happy,” says Brunel with a smile. “I want to instill a love for French in my students so we always try to make the language learning aspect fun – like teaching through songs.”

Brunel is currently working on creating unit that the entire school can work on together using French cultural songs. The idea is that then the French immersion and the French as a core subject students can bond through the cultural aspect of music.

“For some of our students, the only time they will practice their French is at school so we want it to be an enjoyable experience,” says Brunel. “I think the more that you can talk and be immersed in the French language, the easier it gets.”

For those interested in pursuing a career in teaching, Brunel encourages new educators to let students be the drivers of their owning learning.

“When I was new to teaching, I felt like I needed to have a plan, follow it and have that structure, whereas now I’m a bit more relaxed, and it’s taken me some time, but I’ve found it to be so much more powerful to let the students guide their own learning. They have all these wonders, and having more flexibility in my teaching allows us to dive deeper in those wonderings, and what actually interests them.”

Today Lindsay Cox, Graduate and Post-Baccalaureate Programs Assistant, is celebrating 15 years of working at UBC Okanagan. Many graduate and post-baccalaureate students will be familiar with Lindsay. She is often the first point of contact for prospective and current students – and one of the many people that help make the School a unique experience.

“I assist grad and post-bac students from the time before they even start their application until the time they graduate,” says Lindsay. “As a smaller campus, we are able to really connect with each individual student, and I think students are quite surprised by the level of support they receive and the timely responses to their questions.  They typically wait no longer than a day to hear from me.”

***

Lindsay grew up in a small rural town in northern Alberta. She spent a lot of time in the outdoors, hiking and enjoying nature; but when she had an opportunity to leave Alberta to pursue her post-secondary education – she took it! Family vacations in British Columbia led her to believe from a very young age, that she belonged in B.C.  She chose the ocean and rain over flat plains and cold winters. Lindsay attended the University of Victoria, Victoria, B.C., and received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. A degree likely inspired by her dad, Geoff Peruniak, who was a Professor of Psychology at Athabasca University.

After university, Lindsay followed her partner back to the Okanagan where he grew up.  Neither of them had jobs at the time of the move, but a few months later her partner soon obtained a teaching position at his old elementary school. She started a position at a real estate appraisal company, but found that the fit wasn’t quite for her as it lacked human interaction. Luckily, UBCO was having a huge hiring boom and she decided to apply. She started her first job on campus in the Student Recruitment and Advising Office.

“Initially when I was pursuing my BA, I had thought about becoming a counsellor as I wanted to help people and so I thought the Recruitment and Advising Office would be a great opportunity to gain familiarity with the campus and its community,” says Lindsay.

After nearly two years of working in the Student Recruitment and Advising Office, Lindsay transitioned into several different positions within the Faculty of Education before settling into her current role as Graduate and Post-Baccalaureate Programs Assistant in the Okanagan School of Education (formally the Faculty of Education).  Since starting at the School, Lindsay has worked with six Graduate Program Directors and five Post-Baccalaureate Directors.

“Aside from starting to think maybe it’s me that’s causing the shift in directors,” she says jokingly. “I think the changes in leadership are part of the reason why my position never feels stagnant. Each new director brings different insights and agendas, and as a result, new programs and courses are developed to help improve the student experience.  It’s exciting.  I’m never bored!”

In addition to changes in program directors, Lindsay has witnessed the Okanagan School of Education evolve. She began her career at the School back when Dr. Robert Campbell was Dean in 2009. She was part of the original team that saw the Faculties of Education at UBC Vancouver and UBC Okanagan join to become a single Faculty in 2018. She has also assisted with the creation of many new programs offered by the School such as the Interdisciplinary Studies in Contemporary Education Certificate/Diploma program and most recently, the new Master of Education with coursework only pathway.

“As much as I’ve seen the School change and grow, many of the faculty members here would say the same about me. Since starting at the School, I have gotten married, adopted a Mexican rescue dog with the help of Dr. Binfet, and have had two children,” says Lindsay. “A really special memory I’ll always have is when my Dad taught a course for our Summer Institute in Education back in 2011. As he is no longer with us, I will remember it fondly – carpooling together and working alongside him in a different capacity.”

If anyone is looking for a way to congratulate her on 15 years, Lindsay enjoys wine, Skittles and Big Turk chocolate bars.

The Okanagan School of Education will be closed for winter break starting on Monday, Dec. 27, 2021, and will re-open on Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022.

Application Dates and Deadlines

Bachelor of Education

If you are applying for September 2022 admission, the UBC Okanagan application deadline is Jan. 15, 2022. Your supplemental application and references are due January 31. If you are applying to both UBC Vancouver and Okanagan, you must submit your supplemental application and references to each program. Visit the program page for more information.

We also have tips to help guide your application process.

Master of Arts in Education or Master of Education

If you are applying for September 2022 admission, the application deadline is January 31, 2022. For required documents and additional information, visit the program page. To view upcoming courses, visit the Graduate Student Resources page.

The Okanagan School of Education is pleased to share that Meredith Rusk has received a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) doctoral award.

Rusk was awarded $20,000 for her doctoral research in Indigenous Education. Specifically, her research focused on how breaking down racism, power and privilege through sharing circles and conversations can help to engage and validate Indigenous knowledge systems. Her research was conducted in collaboration with Sewépemc Knowledge Keepers, and local school district teachers.

“The research conversations took place last year, and we’ve already begun having post research discussions on next steps to create a model within our own school system that would continue to work towards validating Indigenous knowledge and also Indigenous voice,” says Rusk. “My hope is that in the future as we continue to learn and grow, we can share that information with others to help guide them through the process.”

She is pursuing her PhD under the supervision of Dr. Leyton Schnellert and Dr. Karen Ragoonaden. She is in the final phase of the program, currently writing her dissertation with the goal of summer 2022 as her completion date.

“This SSHRC award is an acknowledgment of the quality and potential contribution of Meredith’s scholarship,” says Dr. Schnellert. “As an Indigenous scholar, her research contributes to an emergent body of research examining how breaking down barriers caused by systemic racism and focusing on building relationships with local Elders from place-based First Nation communities can respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action.”

Rusk is Dene from the Fort Nelson First Nation. She has been a K-12 educator for nearly 40 years, within Alberta and British Columbia. She has facilitated and helped plan Aboriginal workshops for the British Columbia Teachers Federation (BCTF). She was a member of the BCTF Aboriginal Advisory for five years and the president of the BCTF Aboriginal Specialist Association for two years. Rusk presently works as the District Indigenous Resource Helping Teacher for the North Okanagan – Shuswap School District.

Congratulations Meredith Rusk!

B.A.R.K. researchers Camille Rousseau, PhD candidate, and Dr. John-Tyler Binfet, associate professor, are conducting a study on canine-assisted public speaking and need participants for a focus group. This study aims to: 1) understand how teachers encourage and support students’ public speaking; and 2) identify strategies to reduce anxiety and bolster speaking competence.

Participants must teach grade 6 and/or 7 students. You will be asked about how you implement and support public speaking in the classroom, including strategies you use to reduce anxiety related to public speaking. Focus groups will take approximately 1 hour in January 2022. Participants will receive a $50 coffeehouse or bookstore gift card as a token of appreciation.

If interested, please contact Camille Rousseau at c.rousseau@ubc.ca with your name, school name and grade you are currently teaching.

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World Kindness Day (Nov. 13) often inspires individuals to ask themselves “how am I kind?” and “what can I do to express kindness or be more kind?”

Dr. John-Tyler Binfet, associate professor, has spent nearly a decade researching how children and adolescents perceive and experience kindness. Since 2012, Dr. Binfet and his research team have interviewed more than 3,000 public school students in the Okanagan Valley between kindergarten and Grade 9 about kindness. Additionally in 2019, Dr. Binfet and Dr. Sally Stewart, associate professor of teaching in the School of Health and Exercise Sciences assessed university aged students self-perceptions of kindness.

These interviews and self-reports have found that the majority of students express kindness by helping others emotionally and physically. Additionally, the acts of kindness could be grouped into three themes:

• Intentional, where you make a plan; for example, building a care package for a friend that is ill.
• Random, where the act is spontaneously performed or reactionary, like holding the door open for someone
• Quiet, where the thoughtful act doesn’t draw attention to the initiator, like leaving positive notes along a street

The research has revealed an alignment in how university and school-aged students define kindness. Across the ages, kindness means performing actions that improve the lives of others, help others, and demonstrate politeness.

His research highlights the importance of nurturing pro-social behaviours in children and adolescents as being kind doesn’t necessarily come easily to all students. There are some who need extra support to understand the concept. To assist in helping children and adolescents cultivate kindness, Dr. Binfet suggests starting by asking yourself, ‘How am I kind? How do I show that I’m thoughtful, courteous or compassionate?’

“Parents, educators and community members can help children and adolescents develop strong social and emotional skills by modeling pro-social behaviour—basically, the type of behaviour they wish to see exhibited by others,” says Dr. Binfet.

Thanks to recent funding from the Central Okanagan Foundation grant, Dr. Binfet and his team will research high-school students’ views of kindness in the Central Okanagan School District. This study will provide the missing piece in understanding how kindness is evident from Kindergarten to university students.

Here are 24 ways to celebrate World Kindness Day that are inspired by responses from K to 9 and university student participants:

1. Greet a neighbour
2. Bake a treat for a friend
3. Pick up litter
4. Help a friend with homework
5. Give a compliment
6. Teach someone a new skill
7. Call a friend
8. Leave change in the vending machine
9. Hold the door open for someone
10. Help out with the household chores
11. Give a pet a belly rub
12. Donate gently used items that you no longer need
13. Write someone a kind note or send a letter
14. Give someone a gift (homemade or purchased)
15. Volunteer with a local organization
16. Run an errand for someone
17. Place positives notes around your community or use sidewalk chalk to leave positive messages
18. Pay for the person in line behind you
19. Cook a meal for someone
20. Donate money to a cause you’re passionate about
21. Show someone appreciation by thanking them
22. Let someone go ahead of you in line
23. Help a neighbour or friend with their yard work
24. Offer a hug to a friend or family member

BC TEAL has a variety of upcoming events as part of their English Additional Language (EAL) Week. These events take place online and are free for all to attend. We would like to highlight two events that have an OSE connection.

Using Indigenous Storytelling to Re-Story Your Classroom

Nov. 23 |   6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Desiree Marshall-Peer, Lecturer

Indigenous Storytelling is a pedagogical stance that has been used for millennia. Each story is layered and contextual. Learning is embedded in memory, history and story. Using story as a basis to approach cross curricular learning allows students to relax into the learning while leaning into the topic at hand. This allows teachers to re-tell the story of their classroom and the learning that is occurring. Together we will use traditional stories to explore learning opportunities across subjects and how they in turn create storied opportunities for our student’s understanding.

Register

Free and Fun Academic Open Education Resources

Nov. 25 |   6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Ronan Scott, MA alumni

Ronan is an English language instructor and materials writer. Ronan recently worked on an OER project where he and others created language learning materials for students on the cusp of attending full-time post-secondary education in Canada. Learn more about this collection of materials:

• Listening and Speaking
• CLB 8
• Technology, Business, and Geography units.

Register