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EDUC 562J/EDST 498J: Teaching and Learning Nsyilxcn
July 25 – August 11 (Tuesday to friday) 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Format: Hybrid (in-person and online. Online schedule to be decided)
This course is about learning and teaching Nsyilxcn (Okanagan language) and is for Syilx and non-Syilx educators and family members who wish to learn and/or support Nsyilxcn language use and revitalization. There will be a focus on developing collective strategies and individual Nsyilxcn learning toolkits, and much of the course will be conducted in Nsyilxcn. Fluent Syilx elders, and proficient learner/teachers will assist with Nsyilxcn learning activities throughout this course. Students can expect to acquire a basic vocabulary of greetings, kinship, introductory storytelling, understanding of the importance of Nsyilxcn and First Nations languages in BC, and awareness of Nsyilxcn resources, projects and networks.
Students will acquire understanding and agency about the following topics:
- Historic and current contexts of Nsyilxcn in terms of usage, speakers of Nsyilxcn as first language, and learning Nsyilxcn as a second language.
- Nsyilxcn, Interior Salish, Coast Salish, and First Nations linguistic and cultural diversity in BC, and Canadian and global contexts.
- Current Nsyilxcn programs and courses in public and band schools, language nests, public access courses, and post-secondary courses and programs.
- Language revitalization projects, strategies, and language acquisition methods with a focus on natural language acquisition methods such as Total Physical Response Storytelling.
- Working with elders/community members who are speakers and not trained educators.
- Accessing and using online resources and interactive media such as Zoom rooms for language courses, connecting with fluent speakers, storytelling, and collaboration.
Dr. Bill Cohen
Bill Cohen is from the Okanagan Nation with extensive kinship ties throughout BC and Washington. He specializes in the areas of Indigenous knowledge, research, education, and transforming pedagogy. For over twenty-five years, he has engaged in community-driven, transforming projects, as parent, volunteer, advisor, facilitator, and director. He is an educator, artist, story-teller and author. The focus of Bill’s continuing research is to identify, understand and theorize the transforming potential of Indigenous and Okanagan knowledge and pedagogy through organic language and cultural knowledge revitalization. As an educator, he has organized numerous community, school, arts, language, literacy and numeracy projects involving elders, fluent speakers, parents and children.
How to register
This course is restricted to Okanagan School of Education students and practicing educators.
To register for courses, please visit the Student Information Service Centre (SISC).
Register for Term two (July/August) courses via the Student Information Service Centre (SISC).
If you are looking to transfer a course into UBC Vancouver, or another institution, please confirm transfer credit will be approved prior to registering for a UBC Okanagan course.
*It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that the course is accepted towards the completion of a program.
Register for Term two (July/August) courses via the Student Information Service Centre (SISC). You must have 2021 Summer registration eligibility. If not, please email sie.education@ubc.ca.
If you are looking to transfer a course into UBC Vancouver, or another institution, please confirm approval of transfer credit prior to registration.
*It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that the course is accepted towards the completion of a program.
To register for a course, you will first need to submit an online application via Education Planner BC portal.
- Sign up for your EducationPlannerBC Account and follow the instructions to complete your applicant profile.
- Select University of British Columbia as the institution you want to apply to
- Select the upcoming Winter Session: September – December
- Select “Access Studies”
- Under “Access Studies” section, indicate that your program of interest is the Okanagan School of Education’s Summer Institute in Education Summer Session May – August.
- Once all necessary fields are filled in, click the “Save” button at the bottom of the page.
- You will be prompted to review your EPBC application and pay an application fee.
Once you have paid the application fee, email nondegree.ok@ubc.ca if you want UBC to process it quicker. If not, it will take three to five business days for UBC to admit you.
Please contact sie.education@ubc.ca with your UBC student number and courses of interest.