Dr. Stephen Berg is an assistant professor at UBC Okanagan. His research focus is children’s physical activity
Stephen Berg is an assistant professor in the Faculty of Education. His focus is physical education, health education, action research and children’s physical activity. We sat down with him on World Health Day to discuss ways to introduce children to healthy lifestyles in a generation of tech-focused youth.
1. How can we promote healthy lifestyles with kids in the 21st century when they are constantly engaged with technology?
We have to teach kids that it’s all about balance. Yes, tech is a huge part of our lives but you can’t rely on tech for everything. Living a healthy lifestyle is about taking a break to go play and be a kid again. It doesn’t necessarily have to be an organized sport. I’ve seen kids who often struggle with the balance of being involved in too many organized sports.
When kids take the time to take a break and do something active their mindset changes. Going outside and playing in their neighbourhood builds childhood social interactions. It helps develop social and emotional wellbeing and it gives kids the opportunity to use their imagination.
2. What lessons are you instilling in Elementary teacher candidates to promote healthy lifestyles in the classroom?
A lot of people think health is just physical education and nutrition –well it’s about a lot more than just that. It includes relationship building and the promotion of positive relationships with peers and teachers in the schools. I try to instill the notion that healthy lifestyles goes beyond what’s taught in P.E. class. It’s learning how to teach students about healthy life choices, and recognizing those choices. We’ve learned that positive promotion is a lot more effective than the old scare tactics that used to be taught in schools.
3. What is one thing you wish to impart on teachers and students about promoting positive health?
You really don’t have to stick to the rigidity of a checklist to teach children about physical education or nutrition – you can teach a huge variety of activities to help children develop skills, creativity, and the promotion of healthy living – while still teaching them the skills and competencies that they need in order to live a healthy lifestyle.
I’m a big believer in the promotion and encouragement of students teaching other students about activities they’re interested in. My daughters, Brooke and Ashley, taught dance to the Elementary Teacher candidates at UBC Okanagan, and the students absolutely loved it. Get kids to showcase their skills and they’ll be more engaged and more excited about living healthy lives.
Job Title: Teacher
Company or Institution: Lertlah Schools Division
City: Bangkok Country: [111]
Classification: Full-Time
Start Date: 01-06-2016 End Date: 01-06-2017
Description:
Lertlah hires approximately 120 English speaking teachers/year to teach English at the Kindergarten, primary and middle school levels. Teachers work 5 days a week, with weekends and a variety of holidays off. Teachers may be asked to teach at any level, dependent on individual preference and educational background.
In the Immersion program, teachers have a homeroom class of between 15 and 20 students. They are responsible for teaching English language arts, science, math, and social studies.
Lertlah is currently hiring for the 2016/17 school year and beyond. Teachers will be hired for a one year contract, with the opportunity to stay longer if interested, following a brief probation period. Airfare will be reimbursed to a maximum upon successful completion of the contract. Qualifications for teachers vary by program, however a Bachelors of Education is preferred for most grade levels. A Bachelor’s degree is required for all teaching positions.
All teachers should have an interest in teaching at the primary level, the ability to adapt to new cultures and ways of life, and a sense of adventure. Experience teaching or working with children is an asset. Lertlah welcomes couple and those with children.
Applicants may apply at www.lertlahrecruiter.ca. For more information contact Emma Smith, Recruitment Coordinator, at lerlahrecruiter@gmail.com. Applications are considered on a rolling basis. Please apply as soon as possible.
Contact Information:
Name: Emma Smith
Phone: Email: lertlahrecruiter@gmail.com
Website: www.lertlahrecruiter.ca
Leyton Schnellert recently published “Developing Self-Regulating Learners”
According to a study by the MacArthur Foundation, 65% of students will end up doing work that hasn’t been invented yet. How then, do we teach students the skills needed for jobs that don’t exist?
Leyton Schnellert, a professor in the Faculty of Education at UBC Okanagan says we need to teach students how to be life-long learners.
“The jobs that exist now will not be the same when students leave school,” he says, “so we’ve moved away from a factory model of teaching and towards a process-based model of teaching and learning.”
In his new book, Developing Self-Regulating Learners, Leyton Schnellert discusses a model that teaches students not what to think, but how to think.
“The key to a student’s success is engaging them as self-regulating learners,” says Schnellert
According to Schnellert, teachers must recognize that learning comes from within the individual. Self-regulated learning comes from a student’s ability to interpret tasks, make plans, enact them, reflect on their actions, and make adjustments.
Student Teacher Candidates in the Faculty of Education
Attention to self regulation is growing trend in Canadian schools.
“In the past, parents and teachers have been in charge of students’ learning,” he says, “However, successful life-long learners take ownership of and control over their learning.”
Schnellert says that students will be more successful if there is a focus on self-regulated learning at a young age.
“We’ve found that when you foster self-regulated learning within teaching, students are more successful in school,” says Schnellert. “Self-regulating learners leave school with better academic success and a higher level of personal and social awareness as well.”
“In British Columbia we are revising our K-12 curriculum to empower students to be life-long learners who develop adaptive expertise. In the 21st century, we need self-regulating learners who believe in themselves and have the ability to solve problems.”
Lynn Bosetti
Lynn Bosetti has accepted a position at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia.
Bosetti joined The University of British Columbia in 2010 as the Dean of the Faculty of Education. Prior to her position, she was tenured faculty at the University of Calgary in Educational Policy and Leadership Studies.
During her time at UBC Okanagan, Bosetti established the Centre for Mindful Engagement and the Innovative Learning Centre. She is responsible for the 1.2 million donor gift of intellectual property of SMART to the Faculty of Education.
Bosetti’s research focuses on school choice and university leadership in the new economy. She has a forthcoming book Understanding School Choice in Canada with University of Toronto Press, and was co-author of A Primer on Charter schools report of the Barbara Mitchell Centre for Improvement in Education.
As Head of School at La Trobe, Bosetti will be responsible for the leadership and management of the School of Education.
“Lynn Bosetti has been an integral part of the Faculty of Education team,” says Susan Crichton, director of the Faculty of Education.
“We wish her the best of luck in her new and exciting endeavour, and know she will flourish in her new role as Head of School at La Trobe University.”
La Trobe University is an internationally recognized leader in tertiary education, with strong research and teaching programs and student exchange networks across more than 40 countries.
Bosetti will begin her role at Head of School on August 1st, 2016.