It’s been one of those weeks.

I worked with our two Belgian exchange students to create ‘adjustable’ lesson plans for their sessions on group work. Uptake so far has been minimal, so being able to plan for 1 or several participants is going to be key. It’s a good skill to learn early in one’s teaching career. Marketing came and took photos and are doing more promotion, so hopefully, there will be greater uptake.

This week’s Truth and Reconciliation Dialogue was canceled as the key facilitator was sick – I didn’t know until the session had started. It was a real shame as we had over 15 people already present, which at the moment is a good level of engagement. And everyone understood and we’ll reschedule, hoping our facilitator feels better soon. This cancellation allowed me time to ‘hop over’ to a webinar on micro-credentials. It seems we’ve still not reached a consensus on many key issues – funding (which is key), accreditation, etc. There is a lot to figure out and I see it as a bonus that these discussions are ongoing. I didn’t realize Canada does not have a national minister of Education – unlike other OECD countries. I wonder how that impacts the ability to have a national framework for education and in particular, to support existing and new challenges in education. According to the discussion, this is important to support increases in immigration and ensure newcomers have the skills and support they need to fully engage in the workforce.

There were a few unavoidable changes to the Program Review agenda for next week and our organizer is working hard to provide us with all we need for the visit. It was good to meet the other team members. We have a meeting next week to figure out questions to ask ahead of time. The Self-Study is an interesting read and I have a number of questions in my mind. I’m curious to see what comes to mind for the others.