Trauma-informed practices are not new in education, yet it appears we still have work to do when it comes to creating a compassionate community for all. The impacts of trauma on our students and on the university community as a whole are longstanding issues, but the events surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic really served to highlight…
Introduction In any given classroom, students range from “here for the credit” to “here to learn as much as I can” with the majority lying somewhere in the middle. While there will always be students who are unable to engage, there are many who can be enticed towards deeper participation when given the opportunity. Open…
I first stood in-front of a class in the early 90’s. This was back when we still had chalkboards, and “no smoking” signs in the classrooms. Having a handful of papers (remember paper?) shoved in my face accompanied by the imperative, “here, teach that!” represented the totality of my training. So, I did what we…
Now that we are in the endemics, I am certain that most educators have at least created one video either through a conferencing tool like Zoom or Big Blue Button, a talking-head video with a webcam, or a voiceover of a PowerPoint presentation. But have you ever thought how your learner engages with this content?…
One of my most enduring memories from my undergraduate years is a reading break project I participated in during my first year. I was assigned to a team of science students who would be volunteering in an elementary school in Vancouver’s Strathcona neighbourhood, close to the Downtown Eastside. I remember feeling surprised when I saw…
What do we understand about the Canadian justice system? In the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), 12out of the 94 Calls to Action directly address the criminal justice system in Canada and how it fails Indigenous people in Canada. As of 2021, Indigenous adults make up about 30 per cent of the prison population, despite…
Nishan Perera is a regular faculty member of the KPU Marketing department, the Educational Consultant for Course Design and Assessment with the Teaching and Learning Common, and the former Chair of Marketing. For this edition of our Faculty Spotlight, Nishan shares his story with us. Also known as “the Pearl of the Indian Ocean,” Sri…
Amanda Bickell is the Program Chair of the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Entrepreneurial Leadership program at KPU. For this edition of our Faculty Spotlight, Amanda joins us in a conversation about her entrepreneurial spirit, her role as a learning coach in the classroom, and creating spaces for failure. “The one thing I show…
You can listen to this blog! Audio version of Open Pedagogy and the Inclusion of Marginalized Students Introduction In 1976, for my high school capstone project, my teacher supported my chosen topic: the dispute over Indigenous rights and the proposed Mackenzie Valley gas pipeline through the Yukon and Northwest Territories. I heard Dr. Thomas Berger…
I first stepped into the world of trauma-informed teaching unknowingly. Living and working in Cambodia from 2006-2009, I had read of the population-wide trauma of the Khmer Rouge genocide and saw its clear effects in the older generation. After moving to Preah Vihear City, a rural provincial capital in the north of the country, I…