This has been a week of inviting others to reflect and also engaging in my own ruminations. As I support our two exchange students through their teaching internship here at NIC, I’m heartened to see that teacher education is and has changed from when I began my journey as an educator. It’s also interesting to hear the tension the students express between wanting to adopt more learn-centred approaches in their own practice, while knowing students in their own context (at the post-secondary level) may not necessarily welcome this way of teaching – based on their own experiences with their peers. We had a conversation about the importance of understanding one’s own cultural context as we learn and explore new pedagogies in other places. Potential challenges are not reasons to avoid inviting new approaches; rather they are opportunities to invite in new ways of being, while keeping one’s ‘eyes open’ to the reality of a situation. Night time starry sky and tree

Our planning group took time this week to reflect on the Living Library Event. We agreed it was a rich event and needs to continue. We also realize that in an ideal world, the richness of building connections and understanding across difference is much more easily facilitated face-to-face. There is a human-ness that right now, does not translate through the virtual world quite so well. We have ideas of how to take this event further (our plan is that it will be annual), and hope that in the future, we will be able to move beyond offering this in a digital space.

Attending educational conferences is always inspiring and the EDU Conference has to be one of the best I’ve ever attended. I appreciated the content, format and platform. There were so many rich take-aways which include (and are definitely not limited to):

  • the possibility of adapting the idea of OER online modules for Teaching Dossiers (which would be a great idea for few faculty), to creating a ‘choose your own adventure’ OER interactive book for developing intercultural fluency
  • the value and need for a foundational support program for ‘on-boarding’ new (and existing) faculty in teaching and learning
  • a ‘brave space’ is not always a safe space – I have wondered about this and found it hard to articulate what I found problematic –  I realize now it was the accountability piece that was missing – Safe and Brave Spaces Don’t Work (and What You Can Do Instead)
  • the idea of ‘woven practice’ – thinking of building threads of shared experience rather than bricks that keep some people ‘out’
  • the importance of guiding principles and structured support for anyone engaging in Hyflex teaching (or whatever permutation being used)
  • how interesting it would be, and valuable, to encourage faculty to create visual course outlines (I plan to try this myself) to promote accessibility and inclusion
  • Perusall is a great tool and I want to find out more about its uses and whether it would be appropriate to use at NIC (e.g., in terms of integration with Brightspace, any privacy concerns in terms of data capture/use/storage etc.)

There were several sessions that provided opportunities to learn, explore and critically reflect on Indigenous ways of knowing and being, implications for Educational Developers, Faculty and more broadly, entire institutions. The keynote at the end of Day 1 was incredibly thought provoking. In considering the six values outlined (Hospitality/Kindness, Relationship, Stewardship, Teaching and Learning, Self-determination/Leadership, and Intellectual Curiosity). I love the fact that in Maori, ‘teaching and learning’ is one word – Akoranga. I realize I need to have a more concrete understanding of the key values of the Indigenous communities on which the NIC campuses sit – and the differences between communities, given the wide geographical area the College serves. Having completed a first draft of an intercultural mission and vision for the College, I can already see possible revisions based on considering the Pedagogies of Peace Indigenous Curriculum Model, which is explored in this video with Lindsay Brant at Queen’s University. And, with the feedback from OGE on the first draft,  I see possible next steps emerging. It’s not an easy path to navigate, and yet an essential one.