Get The Arts Outdoors: Merging Arts And Nature In Outdoor Education At The Ymca, Puneet Dhaliwal

SASAH 4th Year Capstone and Other Projects: Publications

As part of my SASAH experiential learning requirement, I worked at the YMCA Cedar Glen Outdoor Centre during the Fall/Winter term of 2021/22. Although I had previously worked at the outdoor centre as an educator teaching groups, this year was a different experience due to the new responsibilities and unique learning opportunities presented by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout the year, I was responsible for the creation of lesson plans merging the arts and sciences in an outdoor setting according to the curriculum requirements of Ontario’s Ministry of Education. Moreover, I implemented inclusive learning options for each unit …

Absent And Present: The Mental Health And Wellness Of Ontario Teacher Leaders Using A Catholic Social Justice Approach, Jennifer C. Wojcik

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Abstract

The purpose of this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) is to present a Problem of Practice (PoP) at Trinity Forever Catholic School (pseudonym: TFCS). This is the limited focus on teacher-leader mental health and wellness (MhW) stemming from a lack of resource organization by school and board leadership levels. Current MhW resources are not focussed on the health and well-being of educators. It is necessary to navigate resources that minister to the common good and dignity of all teacher-leaders. This exercise is important to the work of a teacher-leader who is serving TFCS under long-standing conditions that impair MhW. Catholic …

A Values-Based, Holistic Approach Towards School Mission In A U.S. Islamic School, Salim S. Yusufali

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

U.S. Islamic schools endeavour to foster the development of moral practices and values stemming from Islamic teachings. Their efforts are demonstrated in classes (such as Islamic studies and Qur’an study), ritual practice (such as daily congregational prayer), and faith-based assemblies. Yet the schools often lack awareness, structure, and procedures for a focus on character, morality, and spirituality to permeate all aspects of schooling. They also tend to have limited resources for embarking on large-scale change initiatives. This Organizational Improvement Plan is written from the standpoint of the author, a scholar-practitioner, and Dean of Mission of a U.S. based K-12 Islamic …

Investigating The Experiences Of Faculty Members And Administrators With Quality Assurance And Accountability In Higher Education In Ontario, Melanie Lawrence

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The main objective of this qualitative case study was to explore the professional experience of six faculty members and three administrators in higher education during a time of increasing quality assurance and accountability policies so to gain a deeper understanding of how neoliberalism is changing their work experience as academics in Ontario, Canada. I have presented the research findings by employing policy sociology as both theory and methodology using the method of the qualitative case study. This form of qualitative inquiry provided an opportunity to explore how each interviewee navigated the current context of neoliberalism within their respective roles in …

Politics Versus Policies: Fourth Wave Feminist Critiques Of Higher Education’S Response To Sexual Violence, Rita A. Gardiner Ph.D, Michelle Shockness, Jennifer Almquist, Hayley Finn

Education Publications

This article uses the lens of fourth wave feminism to examine media accounts of institutional and student responses in two cases of sexual violence at institutions of higher education. Competing discourses reveal a disconnect between what institutions say they do and students’ actual experiences of the institutional handling of sexual violence cases. When policies, actions, and values are not fully aligned, institutions of higher education are unable to respond to societal and institutional injustices. Hence, recommendations for better alignment between institutional values and actions are proposed.

The Stranger In Contemporary Practice: A Critical Autoethnography, Michelle Pajot

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The Stranger in Contemporary Practice explores the perils (Şenocak, 2009; 2016) of negotiating differences in public sector organizations dominated by neoliberalism. This autoethnography draws on my lived experience as a critically-informed workplace consultant to explore the existential issues I have confronted in striving to align my practices with espoused values of justice in contemporary practice environments. I draw on a critical incident (Tripp, 1993) in which I reached a communicative impasse – and found myself critically challenged in communicating with professional associates whose clinical views I found irreconcilably different from mine. My research question is: how do I discern right …

Creative ‘Class’: Leading Innovation With Digital Pedagogy In Cultural And Creative Industry (Cci) Programs, Dana Morningstar

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Leaders of cultural and creative programs (CCIs) in Ontario community colleges are key to realizing potential in higher education related to digital pedagogy, creativity, industry partnerships, entrepreneurship and innovation. In this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP), the role of an academic leadership group is considered from Ontario-centric creative industry and innovation policies and college processes. The problem of practice is the gap of harmonized leadership strategy between higher education classroom practices and regional and provincial overarching educational strategy to increase innovation through digital pedagogy. Colleges have collective capacities in innovating with digital pedagogy in creative industry programs and providing graduates with …

Organizational Improvement Plan: Establishing A Plan For A Rural Museum To Actively Engage Its Community Youth, Jason Pankratz

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Rural museums play active roles within their communities. They provide opportunities for community members to volunteer and engage as patrons. The museum within this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) is the hub of culture and tourism for a small town in Ontario. It has a solid volunteer base made up of town citizens. These individuals participate because they have an innate interest in the culture and heritage of the town. A weakness to the volunteer base is that there is no active policy or practice to involve youth as volunteers or in leadership roles. This OIP suggests that the museum partner …

How Do Teachers Challenge Neoliberalism Through Critical Pedagogy Within And Outside Of The Classroom?, Rezvan Shahsavari-Googhari

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis uses the qualitative case study approach to investigate current strategies and skills four Ontario public secondary school teachers apply both within and outside of the classroom to enhance students’ critical consciousness. The focus is on teachers’ pedagogical work in the era of neoliberal restructuring in order to provide a rich account of how neoliberalism challenges and affects their teaching. Existing literature shows a crisis of identity and political agency among youth in many Western societies, characterized by individuals’ inability to think critically about social, political and economic issues, which is rooted in neoliberal education reforms. Adopting a critical …

Impact Of Islamophobia On Post-Secondary Muslim Students Attending Ontario Universities, Hassina Alizai

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study investigated the experiences of Muslim Canadian students attending institutions of higher education in the context of increasing Islamophobia. This study utilized qualitative case study methodology to investigate the following questions: (1) What are the experiences of Muslim Canadians attending institutions of higher education in the current context of Islamophobia? (2) How is the rising anti-Muslim sentiment impacting the academic performance of Muslim students? (3) How do Muslim students negotiate or navigate their identities subsequent to recent national and international tragic events (e.g. Paris Attacks, San Bernardino and other terrorist atrocities)? The students’ responses resulted in three major themes …