June 2017

O Canada! UBC Artist-in-Residence Project Serves as Backdrop for Pierre Trudeau Elementary School’s Canada 150 Celebration

In recognition of Canada 150 and the anniversary of Confederation in 2017, Prof. Rita Irwin, EdD’88, of the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy is overseeing an artists-in-residence program and art installation at Pierre Elliott Trudeau Elementary School in Vancouver. Dr. Natalie LeBlanc, PhD’16, and Alison Shields, BEd (Elem)’04, BFA’08, PhD candidate, have been working with teachers and students from Kindergarten to Grade 7 at Trudeau Elementary for the past three months on “Postcards Canada,” an abstract art project that served as the backdrop for the school’s Canada 150 Celebration.

Contact!Unload, Theatre and Therapy of Veterans Transitioning Home, Featured at Invictus Games

Contact!Unload, a theatre production featuring veterans performing their lived realities, will be on stage at Invictus Games Toronto 2017, Sept 26 – 28. With a goal of reducing depression and suicide among veterans through the use of theatre as therapy, Contact!Unload provides veterans an expressive outlet to process their experiences in a resilience-building way. The production is a result of the research collaboration between Professor Emeritus Marvin Westwood (Counselling Psychology) and Professor George Belliveau, PhD’02 (Language and Literacy Education) and performance artist Foster Eastman.

Bringing Mental Health to BC Schools: a curriculum resource for grades 8 – 10

Mental health literacy is the foundation for mental health promotion, prevention and care and can be successfully implemented through classroom-based curriculum interventions. The Faculty of Education is excited to work with Dr. Stan Kutcher, Sun Life Financial Chair in Adolescent Mental Health and Director, World Health Organization Collaborating Center in Mental Health Policy and Training, to deliver a self-guided, fully online, classroom-ready modular mental health curriculum resource. Educators can use this curriculum resource in schools to successfully address mental health related curriculum outcomes. Launch date: October 31, 2017.

New Job Opportunities Abound in BC: West Kootenay Rural Teacher Education Program Doubling Intake for 2017/18

The recent Supreme Court decision to restore class size and composition limits means that a record number of teachers are needed throughout the province, especially in rural and remote BC school districts. This year, in response to the growing demand for rural BC educators, WKTEP expanded its program and learning centre to double the capacity of previous years. Demand exceeded expectations, meaning that the 2017/18 program is now completely full, and applications for next year’s BEd Program will begin in October.

UBC Innovation Snapshot: Social-Emotional Learning Resource Finder

Bullying is one of many behaviours, along with discrimination, intolerance, etc., that reflect the negative side of interpersonal relations. Dr. Shelley Hymel, Professor and Deputy Department Head, Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS) developed the Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Resource Finder, an online resource that serves as a “one-stop” for educators and anyone who works with children and youth to learn about how to foster social-emotional learning and mental health well-being.

Installation of Carving Honouring Indigenous Educator

“Dancing Flames,” a carving by Anishinabe artist and NITEP student Dave Robinson, commissioned by the Faculty of Education in honour of retiring Indigenous educator Dr. Jo-ann Archibald, was installed in the lobby of UBC’s Education Centre at Ponderosa Commons in June. Robinson was inspired by his experiences as a teacher candidate to create this maple wood sculpture that evokes a metaphor of Dancing Flames to honour Dr. Jo-ann Archibald’s (Q’um Q’um Xiiem) legacy in Indigenous education at UBC.

Growing Relationship, Food Security, and Sustainability

Terry Taylor, Superintendent of Schools for School District 10 and TELp 2016 graduate, describes the place-conscious learning approach in rural and remote School District 10 Arrow Lakes. A catalyst for transformation, students from pre-school to grade 12 in rural New Denver, BC work in partnership with local community organizations and volunteers to inquire and create change through their school/community garden, greenhouse and sustainability initiatives.

Investigation of Inequality and Suburban Schooling Earns Researcher Prestigious Fellowship

Dr. Jason Ellis, an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Studies, has been named a 2017 National Academy of Education (NAEd)/Spencer postdoctoral fellow. A historian of education, Ellis’ research focuses on urban and suburban schooling, educational policy, and on what the past tells us about educational problems and solutions to these problems in the present.

Q&A with Guy Faulkner: Physical Activity and Mental Health

Guy Faulkner, professor in the School of Kinesiology and head of the Population Physical Activity (Pop-PA) Lab, shares his research insights on the relationship between physical activity and mental health.

UBC Active Kids Registration Open

Active Kids is an outreach program of the School of Kinesiology that provides developmentally appropriate recreational gymnastics, sport, and physical literacy classes to participants of all ages and abilities. This summer, Active Kids is offering gymnastics camps and afternoon classes at the Osborne Center. Registration is open and spots are going fast!

Last Call for 2017 Summer Institutes

For many of our alumni, summer holidays are just around the corner. While summer is a well-earned time for teachers to relax and reap the rewards of a great year of hard work, it can also be an opportunity to gain new perspectives, collaborate with fellow teachers, and develop professional skills. If you are planning to join us for one of our specialized summer institutes but haven’t yet registered, note that registration deadlines are quickly approaching.

Leave a Message for BEd Class of 2017 Graduates

On July 19, the Teacher Education Office will be hosting an ice cream social for the 2016/17 BEd cohorts. This is the final stretch for the teacher candidates before graduation. If you’d like to give a piece of advice, leave an inspirational message, or would like to congratulate them on completing a major milestone in their program, your message will be printed on poster boards and displayed at the ice cream social.

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