Lynne Tomlinson is the New Assistant Dean, pro tem, Office of Professional Development and Community Engagement

May 7, 2018

We are very pleased to announce that Lynne Tomlinson will take up the position as Assistant Dean, pro tem, Office of Professional Development and Community Engagement, in the Faculty of Education, effective May 7^th, 2018.

Lynne Tomlinson is Director of Instruction, Learning & Innovation for the West Vancouver School District with responsibility for School Operations, Professional Development, Teacher and Administrator Professional Growth and Mentorship, K-12 Curriculum Implementation and Assessment, Innovation Research, Indigenous Education, Student Achievement and Ministry Liaison. She has worked in BC as an Elementary Teacher, Vice Principal and Principal before taking on the role of Director of Instruction.

As a Regional Leader for the Networks of Inquiry and Innovation, Lynne works with educational leadership teams both provincially and internationally to develop networks focussed on the Spiral of Inquiry. She is a presenter on innovative teaching and learning and educational networking to improve student achievement.

Lynne is an Adjunct Professor at UBC and teaches Aboriginal Education in Canada as part of UBC’s Teacher Education Program. She has worked closely with local Skwxwú7mesh cultural advisors to develop school programs and build relationships with First Nations, Metis and Inuit families connected to local school districts.

Lynne is passionate about improving the life chances of all students. You can follow Lynne on Twitter @ltnpbs.

Please join us in welcoming Lynne Tomlinson to her new role as Assistant Dean, pro tem, Office of Professional Development and Community Engagement.

Faculty of Education Staff & Faculty Receive 50% Off Active Kids Gymnastics and Camp Programs!

By Ayla Collins

May 7, 2018

Faculty of Education Staff & Faculty receive 50% off Active Kids gymnastics and camp programs!

Active Kids, run by the School of Kinesiology, delivers recreational gymnastics classes, summer camps, and gymnastics drop-in times for children, youth, and adults, as well as a variety of multisport/physical literacy, soccer, and basketball classes. Spring term for gymnastics is still open for registration and classes have started, but there is still space! Summer Gymnastics camps and classes will open for registration on Mon May 14. To review the schedule or enroll, visit: http://outreach.kin.educ.ubc.ca/active-kids/

More Supports Needed to Keep Indigenous Youth Active, Say Health Advocates

By Ayla Collins

CBC News

May 5, 2018

CBC featured an article discussing accessibility of sports to Indigenous youth. According to Rosalin Miles, a UBC research associate in Indigenous Studies in Kinesiology, there are hurdles that prevent Indigenous youth from participating in organized sports, particularly in remote communities. These hurdles include parental support, and transportation to practices.

Read more about this important issue: link to full text.

Story via UBC News.

Dr. Wendy Carr – 2018 Recipient of the Association of BC Deans of Education Teacher Educator of the Year Award

By Julie Oya

Congratulations to Associate Dean Wendy Carr on being named the 2018 Association of BC Deans of Education (ABCDE) Teacher Educator of the Year for outstanding service in teacher education in BC. The announcement was made at the 2018 Roundtable conference held at SFU on Friday, May 4.

See the complete list of previous ABCDE award winners for teacher educator and education advocate awards on the ABCDE website.

Graduate Defence – Claudius Soodeen

By domansky

Claudius Soodeen, Doctor of Education (Educational Leadership and Policy)

Educational Leaders’ Understandings of Internationalization: A Case Study
Supervisor(s): Prof. Tom Sork, Research Supervisor (Educational Leadership and Policy); Prof. Shauna Butterwick (Educational Leadership and Policy); Prof. Gerald Fallon (Educational Leadership and Policy)
Friday, May 18, 2018 | 9:00 am | Room 200, Graduate Student Centre, 6371 Crescent Road

Abstract
Internationalization has become an important focus and activity of and in higher education and as such, merits an answer to the questions of how it is understood by educational leaders making decisions about its implementation and for what purposes it is being undertaken. This qualitative case study utilized semi-structured interviews to explore educational leaders’ understandings of internationalization and how those understandings impacted their decisions about internationalization.

The College’s longstanding and complex context of international engagement has set the stage for current ways of ‘doing’ and understanding internationalization. Their own life experiences with diversity, difference, and discomfort have helped to shape their views of internationalization as a comprehensive phenomenon that impacts all areas of the College. However, they are also influenced by the pragmatic realities of running and sustaining a college, the mandate to contribute to the local and national economies and workforces and a responsibility to help make the world a better place. In reality, international student recruitment seems to be not only the focus but the most visible implementation of internationalization.

Implementing comprehensive internationalization (CI) requires leaders to expand their understanding of internationalization from being just an end in itself. It also requires clearer communication of their goals and meaningful engagement of the internal community in decision-making processes. There are also the challenges of faculty development and support, collective accountability for achieving clearly defined goals, acting ethically and allocating sufficient resources across competing initiatives. CI is possible if leaders begin to act on stated values, and pursue financial and non-financial goals with equal vigour, perhaps relying on Social Innovation programming to provide an appropriate environment.

Pending BoG Approval, UBC Vancouver and Okanagan Faculties of Education Set to Merge

By Ayla Collins

Ubyssey

By: Kai Yang
May 4, 2018

At the April 18 Senate meeting, UBC’s two faculties of education voted to merge into one cross-campus faculty of education in order to optimize infrastructure and increase connections between the Vancouver and Okanagan campuses.

Pending approval from the Board of Governors, the merger will create a School of Education, with its own budget and organizational structure on the Okanagan campus. The school will be part of the faculty of education, similar to how UBC Vancouver’s School of Kinesiology is part of the faculty of education.

Dr. Blye Frank, UBC Vancouver’s dean of education, said the merger aims to “establish a closer relationship between UBC’s two campuses.” He hopes “the merger will offer teachers a wider range of professional development opportunities to increase their knowledge and skill sets.”

Link to full text.

Story via UBC News.

PDCE Responds to Curriculum Changes with Fresh New Courses

By Ayla Collins

May 4, 2018

The educational landscape is undergoing exciting changes, and PDCE has created some helpful courses during their Summer Institutes to help you with the transition.

One example is “Teaching and Learning through First Peoples Principles,” wherein educators will engage with Indigenous perspectives, pedagogies, and worldviews.

The First Nations Education Steering Committee has led the way to drive this curriculum change in partnership with BC Ministry of Education. Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the BC Auditor General Report on Indigenous Education, and BC’s new curriculum create opportunities for educators to enhance success for Indigenous learners and ensure all students learn from Aboriginal knowledge in the classroom.

To find this and other PDCE Summer Institutes courses, visit their website.

Open Invitation for Learning Technology Support

By eric lee

May 3, 2018

The first Summer semester is right around the corner, and Educational Technology Support would love to get you ready to begin teaching your course! We are offering an open invite to all faculty to contact us for learning technology support. This includes support on any of our supported learning technologies, including Canvas. We are available for meetings online, over the phone, face-to-face at the ETS office (Scarfe 1008) and even in your campus office (our tech rover can come to you!) If you would like to book an appointment with an ETS staff member, please contact us by email at ets.educ@ubc.ca or by phone at 604-822-6333.

Note that ETS also holds a no-appointment weekly drop in time every Tuesday from 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. in the ETS office (Scarfe 1008.)

Congratulations to Dr. Annette Henry for winning the 2018 Equity Award from CAUT

By domansky

Congratulations to Dr. Annette Henry for winning the 2018 Equity Award from the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT). The Award was established “to recognize post-secondary academic staff who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to challenging exclusionary behaviours and practices such as racism and homophobia and by so doing have made post-secondary education in Canada more inclusive.”

The award will be presented to Dr. Henry in the Fall. Brava, Annette!

Graduate Defence – Claire Ahn

By domansky

Claire Ahn, PhD in Language and Literacy Education

The Iconic Polar Bear: Visual Rhetoric in Environmental Documentaries
Supervisor(s): Dr. Teresa Dobson, Dr. Kedrick James
Thursday, May 17, 2018 | 9:00 AM | Graduate Student Centre, 6371 Crescent Road, Room 203

Claire Ahn will have her dissertation defence at 9:00 AM on Thursday, May 17, 2018 in Room 203 of the Graduate Student Centre (6371 Crescent Road).

All are welcome to attend.

Date:	Thursday, May 17
Time:	9:00 AM
Location:	Graduate Student Centre (6371 Crescent Road), Room 203

Committee Members:
Dr. Teresa Dobson (LLED)
Dr. Kedrick James (LLED)
Dr. Carl Leggo (LLED)

University Examiners:
External examiner: Dr. James Nahachewsky (University of Victoria)
University examiners: Dr. Margaret Early (LLED) and Dr. Michael Marker (EDST)

Title:

“The Iconic Polar Bear: Visual Rhetoric in Environmental Documentaries”

Abstract:

Environmental issues are a growing, global concern. UNESCO (1997) notes the significant role media has in appealing to audiences to act in sustainable ways. Cox (2013) specifically remarks upon the powerful role images play in how viewers can perceive the environment. As we contemplate how best to engage people in reflecting on what it means to live in a sustainable fashion, it is important that we consider the merits of particular rhetorical modes in environmental communication and how those approaches may engender concern or hopelessness, engagement or disengagement. One form of environmental communication that relies heavily on images, and that is growing in popularity, is documentary film.

My study examines visual rhetorical modes in environmental documentaries and the types of impact they have on viewers. This study first identifies some dominant visual rhetorical modes through an extensive literature review and discussion of a variety of environmental documentary films. The resulting taxonomy of dominant visual rhetorical modes include: apocalyptic, jeremiad, hopeful, environmental nostalgia, sublime, and environmental melodrama. To explore how viewers react to visual rhetoric, eleven research participants were asked to view a sixty-minute compilation of video clips from various environmental documentaries that employed, to varying degrees, each of the dominant visual rhetorical modes. Using video annotation software, participants were asked to comment at points they felt to be particular striking or evocative. Follow-up interviews were conducted for clarification of participants’ annotations. The data collected and analyzed from participants’ annotations and transcribed interviews revealed that viewers were disengaged with messages of ecological doom. The most powerful rhetorical effect was observed when participants drew personal connections to content of particular video clips, which raised their awareness about certain environmental issues.