Cultivating A Change Towards A Culture Of Compassion And Critical Consciousness In An Elementary School, Leslie A. Goodwin

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Abstract

Promoting an adoption of an educational approach that combines compassion, critical pedagogy, and problem-posing learning encourages the re-connection and re-engagement of students to learning. Shifting the power relationship in the classroom and humanizing the school culture while supporting the acquisition of 21^st century skills in students promotes critical citizens who focus on creating a more socially just world. As Freire (2000) articulated, postcolonial pedagogy should be connected ethically, conceptually, and politically to a greater pedagogy of liberation. This organizational improvement plan aims to create a strong culture of learning that promotes compassion and critical consciousness in a small, …

Better Together: From Siloed To Relational Organizational Design, Brooke Moore

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

The impacts of historical inequities continue to limit access to quality outcomes for all learners in British Columbia. Organizational structures that separate and isolate efforts to create equity persist in BC school districts. Riverstone School District has attempted to disrupt the norm of siloed and discoordinated efforts by merging several central office support departments to offer increasingly wholistic and effective support to schools and the families they serve. However, despite the best intentions and despite now sharing physical space with one another, the departments have not yet merged effectively; isolated, conflicting efforts persist. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) offers a …

The Missing Link: Applying Embodied Cognition To Professional Learning, Jon William

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Post-secondaries have been implementing a hyflex delivery model, which is a far more complex pedagogical setting than more traditional modes of face to face or online delivery. This has fundamentally changed the way faculty experience the learning environment, with some faculty noting an increase in stress and a decrease in performance. Drawing on Organization A’s implementation of hyflex, this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) observes professional learning (PL) for the hyflex environment focuses solely on technology and cognitive knowledge, with consideration to wellness and performance scantly discussed. This OIP proposes the missing link to address wellness and performance is the inclusion …

Engaging Health Professionals Toward The Redevelopment Of A Continuing Competence Program, Salima Thawer

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Continuing competence is the combination of knowledge, skills, abilities, and judgment of a professional, applied safely and ethically to their practice of the profession. Under the Health Professions Act in Alberta, health regulatory colleges must oversee the continuing competence of their registrants, ensuring they act in the public’s best interest. At Health Professionals Regulatory College (HPRC), over 3500 registrants are accountable to its continuing competence program (CCP). The current CCP, in place for over 15 years, has not integrated collection and analysis of diversity data that may influence individual competence, nor has it evolved with trends toward right-touch regulation that …

Counter-Narratives And Revisionism: A Transformative Journey To Closing The Achievement Gap For Indigenous Learners Through Culturally Responsive School Leadership, Equity Transformation, And Nurturing Collective Teacher Efficacy, Elise Saraceni Mrs.

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Professional learning in the areas of Indigenous education, reconciliation, and antiracism is as much a personal journey as a professional one for educators today. At New Beginnings Middle School (NBMS, a pseudonym), Indigenous learners experience a significant academic achievement gap. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) explores how to cultivate teaching practices that create a more inclusive school environment and improve academic achievement for all Indigenous students. It proposes to guide educators through bias mitigation with integrated professional learning to develop culturally responsive pedagogy. Given the compelling correlation between inclusiveness and academic success, NBMS educators must work collectively to build confidence …

Toward Mitho-Pimatisowin: A Framework For Fnmi Engagement Through Relationality, Sean Anthony Molloy Mr.

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Abstract

Indigenous Peoples have experienced harm from colonial beliefs and practices, and one does not need to look beyond the current systems of public education to see evidence of this. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) provides a challenge to the conservative, neoliberal, and Eurocentric orthodoxy that is pervasive in one northern Saskatchewan context, and advocates for a need and a framework to reorient our learning community so that First Nation, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) students and partners see relevance and feel engaged with our organization, thereby producing more positive educational outcomes. With 80% of students identifying as FNMI, and the …

The Role Of Supervisory Officers In Building School Administrator Leadership Capacity, Drew Mcnaughton

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) is based on a problem of practice (PoP) in Red Maple District School Board (RMDSB), a mid-sized Ontario school board that identifies cultivating leadership in staff as a priority. The limited leadership development opportunities for school administrators has become a challenge for RMDSB and many Ontario school districts. Limited opportunities are provided for RMDSB school administrators to authentically collaborate and engage in professional learning. Supervisory officers, who are responsible for establishing supportive system practices and providing district-level leadership, play a critical role in building school administrator leadership capacity. As a result, the OIP explores the …

Building Global Skills: Broader Concepts Of Internationalization In An Ontario College, Mariam Raza

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

The Canadian federal government, national associations, and internationalization scholars have identified the need and demand for Canadian students to acquire global skills and competencies during their post-secondary education. Opportunities to acquire global skills can be offered through a wide variety of global engagement programs, such as study-abroad exchange programs, faculty-led excursions abroad, and other programs that allow students to interact with the global world. However, these programs are costly and do not consider the significant financial resources students require to participate in such activities. Most at-home students are left out of global engagement programming and therefore do not have the …

From Epistemic Bubbles To Generative Possibilities: Knowledge Leadership And Knowledge Mobilization For Child And Youth Care Practicum Education, Carys Cragg

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Child and Youth Care (CYC) Practicum Education (CYCPE) operates in more than 40 public postsecondary institutions (PSI) across Canada. CYC educators instruct and assess, while supervisors mentor thousands of students at child, youth, and family-serving organizations. As an emerging profession, CYC does not yet experience well-established governance, widespread postsecondary research infrastructure, nor public recognition, leaving CYCPE with threats to its credibility and existence. Despite individual CYC educators’ and programs’ extensive professional knowledge, we lack CYC-specific CYCPE organizational knowledge. This problem of practice (PoP) limits CYC educators’ ability to inform, improve, and innovate upon CYCPE’s design and delivery. This organizational improvement …

Bridging Cultures: Preparing Non-Indigenous Teachers To Teach Indigenous Epistemology In A Rural Public School, Simonjay Moreton

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan looks to lay the framework to help non-Indigenous teachers challenge negative Indigenous stereotypes, overcome their fear of unintentionally culturally appropriating an Indigenous culture, and be able to effectively integrate Indigenous content into course curriculum to fulfill the First Nations, Metis and Inuit requirement of the Alberta Teacher Quality Standards. This framework leverages the Anishinaabe Medicine Wheel in conjunction with the ADKAR change model to facilitate a cultural change at Ranchlands Public School, a small rural school situated in Southern Alberta. As the Principal, I intend to implement a transformational change that will institute a shift in …

Hidden In Plain Sight: Finding A Balance Between Assessment And Learning In Competency-Based Education In Canadian Health Care, Scott Murray

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Due to its emphasis on skill development and alignment with workforce demands, competency-based education (CBE) has garnered considerable attention in recent years. My organizational improvement plan (OIP) focuses on the potential benefits of incorporating learners’ voices into CBE in Canadian medical education and proposes a corresponding implementation framework. The traditional CBE model often lacks a critical component: the learner’s voice. My OIP reviews the literature and outlines its theoretical underpinnings (e.g., systems theory, adult education theory) within the scope of authentic leadership. The findings suggest incorporating learners’ voices into CBE to boost engagement, motivation, and agency. In response to such …

Doing More With Less: The Realities Of Academic Chairs, Josée Bonneau

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

The role of Chair at the School of Nursing has been a challenge for many of its past and current occupants. Difficulties observed include a lack of departmental preparation and time allotted for a role that, spanning academia and leadership, is critical to the School’s operation. It is, therefore, also one that is ambiguous and problematic to define, a role that the Chairs themselves have difficulties understanding and fulfilling. Given the struggles observed with accomplishment of the Chairs’ mandate, and its relevance to my educational leadership duties as Associate Director, I have chosen, as my Problem of Practice, the insufficient …

Valuating All Parts Of The System: Addressing Administrator Health And Well-Being To Support Optimal Wellness And Effective School Leadership, Melissa L. Hunte

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan addresses key aspects of the overarching complexities of school administrators’ workload that has compromised and adversely affected their overall health, wellness, and well-being. Deep consideration of research on principal and vice principal well-being is explored, as their leadership affects and influences effective teacher instruction and optimal student learning and achievement. The Wheel of Wellness details the interconnectedness of various aspects of life and health, permitting this organizational improvement plan to utilize a holistic approach to physical, emotional, and mental wellness and well-being. Using an interpretivist lens, through the change path model, applied with a balanced scorecard …

Equity, Diversity, And Inclusion In New Student Enrolment: Transforming Undergraduate University Admissions, Kathryn M. Verkerk

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) explores the process of aligning a university’s internal admission policies, practices, and processes with its public commitments to equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). Current admission practices reinforce the myth of meritocracy and existing alternative admission pathways are framed in discourses of deficiency. Using an EDI lens will align the university with provincial and federal strategic priorities that see an increase of new Canadians and students educated in social justice focused curricula. Critical whiteness theory and the cultural perspective underpin the change plan in order to understand the systemic barriers and legacies that contribute to the …

Kotter's Model For Change And Distributed Leadership: A Multifaceted Approach For Canadian Colleges To Become Less Reliant On Operating Grant Funding, Jatinder Notay

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

The emergence of performance-based frameworks for funding and declining government operating grant funding are contemporary challenges for Canadian public higher education institutions. Operating grants are a sizable portion of the funding institutions receive from the provincial government, and continued conditions on and declines in these grants pose significant risks to the sustainability and viability of these public institutions. Higher education institutions today need to become less reliant on government funds while remaining aligned with mandates to provide the programs and services necessary to meet the needs of the regions and communities they serve. Frontier College (a pseudonym) has revenue diversification …

Learning: What Counts And Who Decides?, Reginald Jjw Lavergne

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Educators, educational leaders, and policymakers continue to develop academic interventions for secondary school students who experience ongoing struggles. This approach is understandable given the neoliberal educational goal to support students’ becoming contributing members of society. However, time spent responding to symptoms (i.e., students failing courses) merely maintains the status quo. It negates the exploration of a deeper cause of these struggles. This organizational improvement plan (OIP) explores and initiates a change to respond to a cause of these challenges: lack of student voice in learning environments resulting in diminished student achievement and limited awareness of postsecondary pathway possibilities. Although mentioned …

How To Drink From A Firehose: Systemic Supports For Polytechnic Chairs, Jocelyn R. Crocker

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) is centred on the Problem of Practice of the inadequate institutional supports for academic Chairs at Prairie Polytechnic (a pseudonym), a large public higher education institution in Western Canada. Chairs are pivotal for higher education institutions because they impact student, departmental, and institutional outcomes; however, the leadership development needs of Chairs are overlooked, and the limited training available for Chairs is primarily ad hoc, episodic, short-term, and self-guided. The objective of this OIP is to determine how Prairie Polytechnic can provide more effective systemic supports for Chairs. Postmodernism is used to explore the relationships between …

Increasing Support And Collective Teacher Efficacy Of Part-Time English-Language Instructors In A Japanese University, Philip J. Gurney

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This organizational improvement plan (OIP) seeks to enhance the support and collective teacher efficacy of part-time English-language instructors in the Department of English Language and Culture (DELC) at Kei University (KU) (pseudonyms), a private university in the Kansai region of Japan. Currently, part-time and foreign part-time English-language instructors teach most of the compulsory English courses in the DELC at KU, but they receive limited institutional support and guidance, which negatively affects their ability to teach effectively and their students' learning outcomes. This OIP examines the lack of support and collective teacher efficacy of part-time instructors as a problem of practice …

Building Dynamic Capabilities Towards Innovation And Flexibility, Marianne Iaboni Marando

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

In March 2020 most Higher Education Institutions around the world quickly moved to online learning and work with only one week to prepare. While the pandemic forced us to do this quickly and without a well thought out plan, most of us met this challenge. The World Health Organization declared that COVID-19 was no longer a global health emergency on May 5, 2023, but many institutions had started the return to “normal” before then. This Organizational Improvement Plan starts with the vision that rather than retrenching back to “normal”, Ontario Polytechnic, a large polytechnic institution in Ontario, Canada, should be …

Renewing The Conversation: Monetary Award Governance, Jennifer Chin

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

In Canada, providing access to post-secondary education to everyone who wants it, is both a noble and multifaceted notion. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) addresses one facet of accessibility to Lynnwood University (LYNU; a pseudonym), with a focus on monetary awards (e.g. scholarships). Like many institutions, LYNU has made public commitments in support of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), and has increased efforts to recruit equity-deserving students using monetary awards which will help offset concerns of student affordability. Access to financial resources is a key factor for many students and without it, they may be unable to pursue their education …

Reaching New Heights: A Pathway To Pedagogical Equity For English Language Learners, Helen Emeny

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Abstract

During the past decade, classrooms in the province of Alberta, Canada, have become more culturally and linguistically diverse. Despite having a strong desire to meet the academic needs of their students, most teachers do not have a well-developed understanding of pedagogy specific to teaching English as an additional language. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) presents educators in the Central School District of Alberta (a pseudonym) with a pedagogical framework that promotes the development of more equitable and democratic classrooms for English language learners (ELLs). Sociotransformative constructivism (STC)—a union of social constructivism and critical cross-cultural education—lays the theoretical groundwork for …

Addressing The Need For An Appropriate Adult Learning Environment To Increase Student Retention And Success, Karen L. Morgan-Bowyer

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) aims to transform a learning environment for adult learners who have faced trauma and have had negative educational experiences. The OIP seeks to identify barriers to learning and well-being for this group and develop effective strategies to create a supportive and inclusive environment that promotes learner retention, engagement, and empowerment. Through the lens of transformational and servant leadership, the OIP incorporates actionable steps, including the development of trauma-informed andragogy into daily practices and interactions with adult learners, the provision of training and support for faculty and staff to understand the needs of this group of …

Systemic, Institutional, And Teaching Factors In The Delivery Of Interprofessional Education Curriculum In Canada, Mohammad B. Azzam

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The Canadian federal and several provincial governments are currently collaborating to establish ‘team-based’ primary healthcare—or interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP), which can be effectively accomplished when interprofessional education (IPE) is sustainably delivered by health and social care (HASC) professional education programs. Indeed, achieving the intended patient/client-oriented outcomes of IPE and subsequent IPCP requires deliberate and purposeful considerations of several systemic, institutional, and teaching factors. Regrettably, the analyses of the extent to which these factors have influenced effective IPCP is currently under-researched. In this integrated-article dissertation, we took a purposeful and systematic approach to explore the extent to which these multi-tiered factors …

Nurturing A Culture Of Responsible Conduct Of Research To Support Safe Disclosure, Grace Kelly

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Pressures to publish, which are prevalent in higher education, can lead to research misconduct and, in the absence of clear, safe disclosure policies—and mechanisms and structures to support them—individuals affected by research misconduct may fear retaliation when speaking up. This Organizational Improvement Plan examines how to foster a climate where individuals feel supported and are encouraged to speak up if they witness research misconduct at Forest University (a pseudonym), a research-intensive university in Ontario, Canada. In alignment with my values, the change process is guided by authentic and ethical leadership perspectives. The Change-Path Model, supported by Beckhard and Harris’ Change-Management …

Cultivating Compassion: School Discipline Through A Lens Of Equity, Wellbeing, And Decolonization, Kristi L. Blakeway

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Punitive and exclusionary discipline practices cause harm to elementary aged students weakening their connection to school. Such practices are reactive in nature and fail to understand the needs of students who demonstrate challenging behaviour. This organizational improvement plan provides a framework to reimagine school discipline through a lens of equity, wellbeing, and decolonization. It is an invitation to look under the surface to better understand students who struggle with behaviour in elementary classrooms. The school discussed is a large, suburban public school in British Columbia serving students in kindergarten through to grade seven. A conceptual change model, the transformative wheel, …

Building Collaborative Systems To Support Elementary School Principals In Ensuring All Students Flourish, Kristen Brach Ms.

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This organizational improvement plan addresses the problem of practice of how a district leader can support elementary school leaders in a small, rural school district to work towards improving their schools to become more culturally responsive and meet the needs of all students. Historically, there have been many students, particularly those who have been underserved, who have not had a positive school experience that considers their identity and learning needs. Schools have been unsuccessful at being places that accept all learners and strive to ensure that they are able to grow and flourish. Although there are some classrooms that are …

Strengthening Advising Knowledge To Improve Consistency And Coordination In Academic Advising, Rella Ng

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) aims to improve consistent and coordinated academic advising at a medium, multi-campus higher education institution (HEI). It recognizes the vital role of academic advising in supporting a student’s academic journey. The OIP delves deeper into the responsibilities of HEI leaders with regard to facilitating the capacity of academic advisors to support students in their academic and personal growth and development. The present state of affairs suggests that academic advisors are not positioned to support and facilitate a student’s growth and development. The OIP seeks to gain a comprehensive understanding of the underlying factors contributing to …

Inviting A Hospital Healthcare Team To Change : A Framework For Building Capacity To Provide Intersectional, Trauma-Informed Care, Yasser Ismail

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan is designed for Open Doors (a pseudonym), a Canadian hospital invested in providing stigma-free, social, and structural determinants-based care to patients who are marginalized from healthcare vis-à-vis previous experiences of exclusion and institutional trauma at healthcare settings. In the context of deepening scrutiny on healthcare institutions for their role in perpetuating systemic oppression and for failure to mitigate inequitable health outcomes for marginalized populations, Open Doors’ commitment to justice-centered care offers a compelling case study in hospital-based strategies for addressing health inequity. The specific Problem of Practice (PoP) addressed is the hospital’s care team’s limited capacity …

Exploring Hybrid Learning: Enhancing Access To Health And Safety Education At Worksafehealth, Tiana M. Larocque

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

WorkSafeHealth, a not-for-profit health and safety association in the province of Ontario, is mandated by the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development to provide training and consultation services to client firm trainees across the province. Despite the efforts of WorkSafeHealth personnel to provide timely access to health and safety education, the vast regional expanse in which WorkSafeHealth provides these services hinders consultant-trainers’ abilities to furnish training to Ontario workers who must be equipped with this critical information to work safely in their respective industries. Therefore, current operational service delivery methods must change to support WorkSafeHealth personnel’s fulfillment of …

Transforming School-Based Mental Health To Heal The Collective Soul Wound, Andrea L. Holowka

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Pervasive well-being concerns of youth in Alberta are steadily contributing to society’s collective soul wound. In response to this growing need, K-12 systems are faced with increased demands for school-based mental health services. Public Prairie School Division (PPSD) provides student mental health intervention needs through onsite access to school-based teacher counsellors and referrals to centralized psychologists. However, decisions regarding mental health practitioner allocations or practice standards are often left to individuals and generally follow historical practice. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) problematizes PPSD’s lack of system-wide approaches to mental health interventions that can provide assurance of improved efficacy and equity …