2019 FNESC Annual Indigenous Education Conference Opportunity

Vancouver, BC       November 29 – 30

The Opportunity

Two Okanagan School of Education Bachelor of Education (BEd) Interns will be selected to attend an-all expenses* paid trip to the 2019 First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC) Annual Indigenous Education Conference in Vancouver. The conference takes place November 29 to 30; however, the selected interns are expected to leave Kelowna Thursday late afternoon or evening.

*All expense paid trip includes:

• Two-day conference registration fees
• Flights to and from Vancouver
• Transportation to and from the hotel in Vancouver
• Shared two-nights accommodation at the Bayshore Inn, Vancouver
• Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be provided by the conference on Friday, Nov. 29
• Breakfast and lunch will be provided by the conference on Saturday, Nov. 30
• A per diem rate of $30 will be provided for dinner on Saturday, November 30

 Please note:

• Transportation to and from the Kelowna Airport to your home is not included
• Meals on Thursday, Nov. 28 is not included
• You must be willing to share a hotel room with an intern colleague or arrange and pay for your own accommodation in Vancouver for November 28 – 30
• The flight from Kelowna to Vancouver will be on Thursday, Nov. 28 between the late afternoon and evening. On Nov. 28 there is an Opening Social Evening and Auction. You may or not be able to attend this depending on flight times.
• You will be required to leave TOC plans for Friday, Nov. 29 as required by your Mentor Teacher

How to apply
Deadline: October 21

• Complete the information section in the application form
• Answer the two questions in this application. Please note the due date of January 31, 2020 for question 2.
• Submit the signed approvals with support statements from your Mentor Teacher; and your Faculty Advisor
• Submit the application and support statements to education.ubco@ubc.ca by Oct. 21

Selection

Two interns will be selected based on the quality of their responses and the statements of support from their Mentor Teacher and Faculty Advisor.

The Undergraduate Program Committee is responsible for reviewing all applications and selecting the interns.

Submissions must be received by October 21. Selected interns will be notified by October 28.

About the First Nations Education Steering Committee Annual Indigenous Education Conference

Complete information about the conference can be found on their website, http://www.fnesc.ca/conference/. Below is an excerpt:

 The First Nations Education Steering Committee’s 25th Annual Indigenous Education Conference brings people together to share their knowledge and enthusiasm for helping First Nations learners reach their full potential, and transform relationships for the advancement of quality First Nations education.

Held at The Westin Bayshore Hotel in downtown Vancouver, BC, the conference features concurrent workshops, exhibitors, plenary presentations and networking opportunities.

Each year, approximately 800 educators attend this exciting event.

• November 28, 2019 Opening Social Evening and Auction
• November 29-30, 2019 Main Conference Day

With this year’s theme, Meeting Diverse Student Needs, we will focus on the following topics:

• meeting the needs of current and former children and youth in care
• creating effective Local Education Agreements and other accountability tools
• creating learning environments and curricula that are inclusive and responsive
• developing quality First Nations language and culture programming

In particular we will consider each of those topics in the context of the landmark BC Tripartite Education Agreement, signed by Canada, BC and FNESC in July 2018.

In recognition of World Mental Health Day on October 10, Karen Ragoonaden, Professor of Teaching & Director of the Centre for Mindful Engagement at the Okanagan School of Education has a reminder for educators, candidates, interns and students.

“Take a pause,” says Ragoonaden. “It’s easy to overlook taking care, and thinking, of yourself; but self-care is very important – and that includes checking in with yourself physically, mentally and emotionally.”

Professor Ragoonaden has been researching mindfulness and specifically its impact on educators for more than five years.

“I became interested in teaching and in researching mindfulness when the Okanagan School of Education was gifted with the smartEducation (stress management and resiliency techniques in Education) curriculum in 2012,” says Professor Ragoonaden. “We re-conceptualized and operationalized the curriculum so that the teachings would be accessible to post-secondary and Kindergarten to grade 12 contexts. The smartEducation has found its home in Teacher Education, Nursing (smartNursing) and within the school system.”

In one of her more recent studies, Professor Ragoonaden conducted a pilot study with teacher education students who voluntarily attended eight mindfulness focused sessions on campus and also followed guided practices at home over nine weeks. At the end of the pilot, the students reported improvement in being less judgmental and less reactive towards thoughts, feelings and emotions of others, and in particularly of oneself.

“We’ve found that when individuals are practicing mindfulness consistently it positively influences their mindset,” says Professor Ragoonaden. “It really demonstrates to people that you are more than your thoughts, and you have the ability to make changes.”

To help you “take a pause” on October 10, OSE has three guided practices used during the study available on education.ok.ubc.ca under smartEducation: Pause Practice, Body Scan and Sitting Practice.

“In addition to smartEducation practices, there is an easy to remember acronym developed by Tara Brach to help you practice mindfulness and compassion: RAIN,” says Professor Ragoonaden.

“‘R – Recognize what is happening
A – Allow the experience to be there
I – Investigate with gentle attention
N – Nurture’.”

You can learn more about Tara Brach and view her resources for meditation at tarabrach.com.

Stress Management and Resiliency Techniques (SMART) was developed in the United States, and is now managed by smartUBC, a not-for-profit group at the University of British Columbia coordinated by the Okanagan School of Education.

Learn more by visiting smartubc.ca.

Congratulations to Andrew Pulvermacher, Master of Arts student, for receiving a Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) – Canada Graduate Scholarships-Master’s Program grant!

Andrew received his Bachelor of Arts in English from the University in Calgary, and his Bachelor of Education from the University of New Brunswick. He has experience teaching middle school, high school and post-secondary. For nearly ten years, he has been teaching adult education courses at Okanagan College in Penticton and more recently Kelowna.

Question and Answer with Andrew

What is your research project?

My proposed research explores how Canadian public post-secondary institutions can respond to the growing demographic of adults returning to school. Currently, these institutions face increasing social, economic, and political pressures to serve as de facto extensions of high school, where youth go for employment training and preparation for well-paying careers.

I will examine sociological and philosophical research on the role and place of adult learners in post-secondary institutions, and the particular barriers they face. With my findings, I will develop a new philosophical framework for post-secondary programming that can better serve adults’ needs. I will then apply this framework to British Columbia, which offers an ideal circumstance on which to focus in light of recent changes to policy that reinforce the importance of adult education and herald opportunity for further changes that extend beyond adult students.

I intend to determine to what extent adult students are served by current teaching practices, and how they might be better served by programming that puts adult education at its centre.

Why did you choose that topic, and what difference do you hope your research will make?

In teaching adult education at a post-secondary institution, I see the value mature students bring to the classroom, institution, community, and society. I also recognize that the particular circumstances of mature students—the real-world experiences they bring and the additional outside commitments they carry—make them indicators of educational worth, both real and perceived, in programs and institutions, and in society. I see potential for post-secondary institutions to better welcome, support, integrate, and serve these students, to the benefit and success of all students.

I expect that this research will contribute to the greater debate surrounding post-secondary reform, demanding that those involved in the funding, organization, and delivery of education at all levels revisit the aims, roles, and objectives of colleges and universities in liberal democracies.

What advice do you have for future graduate students?

As a new graduate student, I cannot speak from specific experience, but I can say that for me, entering graduate studies as a practicing professional gave me an opportunity to shape my research interests and work from insights I could not otherwise possess. I have the fortune of returning to my studies with new direction and fresh drive. I cannot help but recognize the overlap in my own experience and my research, and so while I don’t necessarily see the former as motivating the latter, I may as well own what I now also represent, so here’s my advice: if you’re thinking about returning to school—at any level of study—know that you bring more value than you think and go for it.

Graduate Supervisor

Dr. Christopher Martin

You’re invited to take part in the search for an Associate or Assistant Professor of Indigenous Education on Oct. 7, 8 and 9. We have three candidates selected for interviews. Presentations are open to all Okanagan School of Education (OSE) students, staff and faculty and will take place starting at 9:30 a.m. in EME 3112. Following a brief break, there is an opportunity for students to have a conversation with each candidate.

Your involvement and feedback is valuable – download the feedback forms for each candidate below. Forms are due to Lindsay Cox at Lindsay.Cox@ubc.ca by 9 a.m. on Thursday, October 10.

Interview Schedule

October 7: Lois Edge – Download feedback form, view presentation (begins at approximately the 7 minute mark)
October 8: Jennifer Markides – Download feedback form, view presentation (begins at approximately the 4:30 minute mark)
October 9: William (Bill) Cohen – Download feedback form, view presentation (begins at approximately the 5:30 minute mark)

Detailed Agenda

9:30–10:45
Presentation (45 min) & Questions (30 min) in EME 3112
10:45-11:00
Break
11:00-11:30
Conversation with students in EME 3112

Search Committee Members
Dr. Margaret Macintyre Latta, Professor & Director, OSE, & Committee Chair
Dr. Jeannette Armstrong, Associate Professor & Canada Research Chair in Okanagan Indigenous Knowledge and Philosophy, Community, Culture, & Global Studies, UBC Okanagan
Terry-Lee Beaudry, Adjunct Professor, OSE, & Deputy Superindendent, Central Okanagan School District
Dr. Robert Campbell, Associate Professor, OSE
Dr. Scott Roy Douglas, Associate Professor, OSE
Dr. Jan Hare, Professor & Associate Dean, Indigenous Education, UBC
Dr. Karen Ragoonaden, Professeure titulaire/Professor of Teaching, OSE
Camille X. Rousseau, Graduate Student, OSE
Kristin Schuppener, Faculty Administrator, OSE

PINTS Speaker Series and Centre for Mindful Engagement presents Beyond the Classroom Walls: Teaching in Challenging Social Contexts

The Okanagan School of Education is pleased to welcome Dr. Jerome Cranston, Professor and Dean, Faculty of Education, University of Regina to UBCO on Thursday, October 3 for two presentations. The presentations will focus on his recent book, Beyond the Classroom Walls: Teaching in Challenging Social Contexts, which provides a richly descriptive, research-based inside-look at informal education in some challenging international socio-political and ethnocultural settings.

“We live in an increasingly globalized world, yet teachers in the majority of North American contexts know relatively little about what teaching looks or sounds like in non-traditional settings,” says Cranston.

His presentation will highlight that by developing a deeper sense of critical, intercultural awareness of teaching and learning at a global-level, teachers will be better able to develop relationships with students and families who come from quite different life experiences than many of us have.

“I have two hopes from the research work reflected in ‘Beyond the Classroom Walls: Teaching in challenging social contexts,’” says Cranston. “I would like to believe that it offers a level of critical awareness and, perhaps, some level of understanding of the very real challenges that many teachers encounter across the globe as they try to create better futures for children and youth. And, I want to believe that the ethnographic narratives contained in it offer us all a sense that we collectively can make a difference in the face of some unimaginable challenges.”

Both events are open to the public, UBCO staff, faculty and students. While attendance is free, you still need to register as limited seating is available.

• October 3 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at beyondtheclassroomwallsam.eventbrite.com
• October 3 from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. at beyondtheclassroomwallspm.eventbrite.com
• Current Bachelor of Education candidates do not need to register as the presentation takes place during class time

“As an educator who is committed to anti-racist, anti-oppressive and decolonizing approaches to education, I have been fortunate to find myself invited to work with some marginalized communities who want to be represented in the literature developed around the lives of teachers and their commitment to teach,” says Cranston. “It is my privilege to be invited to work with them and I see myself as related to them and the stories they share with me.”

About the speaker

Cranston holds a Ph.D. (Manitoba), M. Ed. (Lethbridge), B.Ed After-Degree and B.Sc. (Alberta). Prior to becoming an academic he spent 16 years in the K-12 education system as a teacher, principal and superintendent in a career that spanned Canada’s “prairie” provinces. He researches and teaches as part of an interdisciplinary, international “community of inquiry” on topics that explore formal and non-formal teacher preparation and the ethical dimensions of school leadership with a particular focus on how capacity building in the education system can transform a set of seemingly random acts – like teacher hiring – into a just enterprise.

His maternal grandparents originated from tribal communities in what are now Nepal and Burma/Myanmar and who were anglicized and evangelized as part of the colonial contagion. His paternal grandfather, a travelling book-keeper with the East Indian Rail Company was killed in 1941 during a Japanese bombing of a railway station. His then widowed grandmother, a mother of five, died in 1942 of malnutrition; an outcome of the British manufactured famine in West Bengal. He accepts a distant yet unvarying connection to the trauma that echoes through their colonized histories.

Congratulations to Dr. Jennifer Kelly who graduated with her PhD in June 2019!

Jennifer is a district literacy specialist in the North Okanagan-Shuswap School District (School District 83) in Salmon Arm. For more than 20 years, she has been teaching in a number of different capacities; including courses in early reading behaviour at Thompson Rivers University and at the Okanagan School of Education.

Her passion for teaching students to read created a belief that literacy can change a student’s life trajectory.

Question and Answer Session with Jennifer

What was your research project?

My case study examined the professional learning experiences of ten teachers engaged in a provincially-developed professional learning community (PLC) over a period of two years, that was formed as part of the Changing Results for Young Readers (CR4YR) British Columbia provincial initiative.

I found that teachers can engage in wholistic professional learning, which involves experiences connecting the mind and heart while learning in relation to others. I suggest that teacher professional learning ought to focus on providing time for professional to develop learning relationships, encourage teachers to theorize, and allow on-going learning experiences for teachers.

What difference do you hope your research will make?

I’ve noticed in my teaching practice and witnessed in my colleagues, professional learning is an area of attention that can add sustenance to teaching. It can be one of the things that develops excitement and engagement in teaching. It can reinvigorate or simply be one of the areas of teaching that allows teachers to survive a complex role.

I know that professional learning can be all those things, but there is no recipe to follow to ensure teachers are motivated to participate and that the learning experiences are relevant, valuable, and meaningful. In my role (in the district), it is very important to me to create conditions for teachers’ learning that are impactful to each teacher personally and professionally.

This urgent need to work with teachers in ways that not only increased their knowledge, but their professionalism led me to this research to further understand how teachers are experiencing learning.

My fondest hope is that my research will contribute to the elevation of the role of a teacher to one of deep admiration and value.

What advice do you have for future graduate students?

1. Be open to other perspectives and alternate ways of thinking about research.
2. Read, read, read, and then read some more.
3. Set a schedule for writing and talk about your research as much as possible with anyone who will listen.
4. Enjoy the process and celebrate every little accomplishment along your journey.

Learn more about her research by reading her thesis: Teaching professional learning: focusing on a wholistic experience linking the mind and the heart through relational learning.

Our 2019 Doctoral Studies Outstanding Dissertation Award recipient is Donna Kozak with her dissertation on Parents with teachers re-authoring the home-school interface: a critical participatory action research study.

A familiar face around UBCO, Donna Kozak (or Dr. Donna Kozak we can officially say!) has been an adjunct professor co-teaching a literacy course for our Bachelor of Education students for seven years – and prior to that had been teaching a language and literacy course for our year one Elementary Teacher Education Program  (ETEP) students from 2008-2011.

In 2012, Donna was approached to develop a Central Okanagan School District/UBCO partnership to create a Learning Centre focused on language arts and literacy for the then ETEP – and now Bachelor of Education students. It may have been hard to believe back then that that partnership would lead her to inspiring change in parent-teacher partnerships. Her journey to pursuing her PhD through Interdisciplinary Studies at the Okanagan School of Education is one that she calls a “gift.”

When Donna began her PhD, her initial research sought to answer a question she had reflected on for nearly her entire three decade career.

“In all my years as a teacher, I wondered about how we position ourselves with parents as partners, because there’s the assumption that we’re partners in children’s education. So my wonder led to let’s figure out historically why parents and teachers, home and school, are positioned the way they are.”

Following the completion of her initial research, Donna asked herself, “Now that I understand why this relationship exists the way it does, could my research disrupt that? Could it suggest to the profession that there is another way for parents and teachers to interact and what it might take for that to happen.”

Thinking outside of the traditional research box, Donna engaged in critical participatory action research for her dissertation.

She approached teachers from Kindergarten to grade four and asked them to invite one or two parents per classroom during that academic year to join a committee. A total of twenty-five teachers and parents then co-created a learning community that met on five occasions over four months. Through guiding questions, they shared their stories, experiences, and knowledge which led them to better understand each other’s perspectives. Ultimately this transformative research experience had them disrupt how parent-teacher relationships have been historically and unquestioningly defined.

While reflecting on her experience, Donna remarked that her highlight was being true to participatory research by taking a step into the unknown and trusting the process.

“The unpredictability of it and how well it turned out. That was a highlight,” she says with a laugh and further explains that her theoretical framework was the concept of third space, where combined diverse voices resulted in a new hybrid form of knowledge. “Everyone brings a different perspective and out of that diversity, something new is born.”

She has two pieces of advice for prospective graduate students:

One, find a supervisor that really believes in you and supports you, and is on the same page as you.

“Know your people that are surrounding you. If your people aren’t aligned with you it can cause some heartache and problems. So surround yourself with people that really understand and support you and that you connect with. “

Two, have patience and be kind to your self.

“I really chunked the journey. There are definable steps that you take within the PhD program so I always took it one step a time and that was more manageable because to think of the overall big picture was really scary,” says Donna. “Find what works for you – a study schedule, setting short term goals and celebrating the goals when you’ve achieved them. It’s on your mind 24/7 so I found I worked best in chunks of time and gave myself a rest – or tried to give myself a rest.”

Donna crossed her last milestone off her list after she crossed the stage in June, 2019.

You can read her thesis on Parents with teachers re-authoring the home-school interface: a critical participatory action research study online.

Our 2019 Outstanding Master-Level Graduate Student Award recipient is Master of Arts student, Leslie Shayer. An award that’s not often bestowed, Leslie has gone above and beyond since joining us at the Okanagan School of Education (OSE). She is a Grad Student Representative, the Secretary for the Stress, Coping, and Resilience Special Interest Group in the American Educational Research Association, and is always a cheerful presence at events – helping out whenever she can.

In addition to her course-work, Leslie has worked on two funded projects with Dr. Karen Ragoonaden: one on Mindfulness and Indigenous Knowledges: Shared Narratives about Identity and Well-Being; and another on a research cluster studying Culture, Creativity, Health and Well-Being.

On top of all her recent work at the OSE, Leslie has been a Professor of Mathematics and Statistics at Okanagan College, Kelowna Campus since 2006.

Question and Answer Session with Leslie

What is your research project, and what stage are you at?

My thesis research considers the impact of contemplative (e.g., mindfulness) practices on math anxiety. We all know people who are made uncomfortable or anxious by math. I would like to support them to feel less uncomfortable, using different breathing, visualization and meditation techniques. If I can help anyone feel better about math to make learning easier, then that would be a great success.

I am hoping to begin my research in the fall, ethics pending. I have submitted my ethics applications to both UBC Okanagan and Okanagan College. My committee has been formed and my proposal is complete. I will be working on the first few chapters of my thesis this summer.

Why did you choose that topic and what difference do you hope your research will make?

I’ve been teaching math, primarily at the post-secondary level, for almost twenty years. During that time, I have seen a lot of struggling students. I am hoping that this pilot project will offer ways to support students to achieve greater math success and no longer limit their career choices.

What did your research work with Karen Ragoonaden entail, and how has it influenced you?

During Mindfulness and Indigenous Knowledges: Shared Narratives about Identity and Well-Being, I had the opportunity to learn more about contemplative practices as well as Indigenous ways of knowing and being. To support Karen’s work, I performed qualitative analysis on four different surveys for her, something that I had never done before. Because of this work, I learned of the insights gained by considering written responses and searching for connecting themes. This is a concept that I previously overlooked by simply considering quantitative data, yet will use going forward.

The other project was also with Dr. Virginie Magnat and it related to a cluster studying Culture, Creativity, Health and Well-Being. Working as research assistant on this project was truly eye-opening. First of all, I was treated by all as a member of the team, despite only being a grad student. I had no expectation of such and felt truly flattered and included. I was exposed to numerous deep and informative discussions that still haunt my sleep. Though I continue to digest many thoughts, there is one that I may share. True wellness is not an individual thing, it is a community affair – something that we all need to work toward.

What advice do you have for future graduate students?

Dive in and participate as much as you can.  Try not to get frustrated when you think your readings are in a foreign language — you aren’t alone feeling this way. Take advantage of the supportive and engaging learning environment. Enjoy the journey!

Our 2019 Stephen Daniel Pope Graduate Award recipient is PhD candidate, Kelly Hanson.

Kelly Hanson is well-known around the Okanagan School of Education. She completed her Master of Arts in Education in 2014, and was a much loved Faculty Advisor for the last two years.

Question and Answer Session with Kelly

What is your research project and what stage are you in?

I am currently in the final drafting and rewriting stage of my dissertation — a self-study situated within the context of a current provincial curricular change. Supporting the curriculum plan is the First Peoples Principles of Learning (FNESC), a learning philosophy that offers nine descriptions of what learning is, what it supports, involves, recognizes, and embeds from a First Nation perspective.

My research shares how the principles were an opportunity for me to learn about First Peoples pedagogies and perspectives as central to the flourishing of all teachers and students, and to deepen my understanding of teacher education towards such an aim.

Why did you choose that topic and what difference do you hope your research will make?

As an educator, I hope my engagement with the First Peoples Principles of Learning will facilitate conversations about the B.C. curriculum that influence an unlearning of limiting ideologies and practices in schools. I hope it will support teachers to sit with the discomfort of that process in order to cultivate more inclusive and loving ways of being with one another.

What advice do you have for future graduate students?

I am a big advocate that teaching is a lifelong pursuit of meaning and learning. For me the trick is to:

• Pay attention and be mindful.
• Follow the small moments of curiosity, the moments that make you feel most alive, and the communities that make you feel supported. It doesn’t always take a massive effort.
• Pause for an instant- breathe. Respond to what has caught your attention. Listen to your heart.
• Share your insights with your community and be open to what comes back to you in return.

Learn more about Kelly and her research by reading her profile piece on Our Stories.

Stephen Daniel Pope Graduate Award

This award is offered by family in memory of Dr. Stephen Daniel Pope to a graduate student in the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan campus. The student shows great promise in the field of education. Dr. Stephen Daniel Pope is remembered for his passion for education and his significant contributions to the public education system of British Columbia in the 1800s.

Margaret Macintyre Latta, Director of the Okanagan School of Education

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Margaret Macintyre Latta has been appointed Director of the Okanagan School of Education.

Macintyre Latta has served as the Interim Director since 2018 with the Okanagan School of Education and was formally the Director of Graduate Programs for more than four years.

She received her Bachelor of Education from the University of Lethbridge and her graduate degrees from the University of Calgary. She is a former classroom teacher at the elementary, junior high and high school levels. She began her post-secondary academic career as a Practicum Advisor and Professional Seminar Instructor at the University of Calgary in 1994, but spent most of her academic career at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, starting in 2000 as an Assistant Professor in the College of Education & Human Sciences and as a Faculty Affiliate with Women and Gender Studies.  Over the course of her education career, Macintyre Latta has published and presented extensively– demonstrating her scholarly commitment to teacher education, foregrounding the primacy of educators in the lives of students.

As Director of the Okanagan School of Education, Macintyre Latta envisions the development of a vibrant community of educators, across all phases of career growth, and from  multiple disciplines, interests, and contexts, invested in learning together. At the heart of the OSE programs is the notion of a Scholar-Practitioner—cultivating educator identities as students of learning.

We look forward to continuing to work with Macintyre Latta as she brings her leadership approach of “pedagogically leading from within” – strengthening a learning culture that is learner and learning-orientated, responsive to place, research informed, organizationally dynamic, and inherently relational.