Biography

I am delighted to be supporting the Curriculum Indigenization and Decolonization initiative at SFU. To answer the first obvious question – no, I am not Indigenous. I have, however, spent the last 20+ years supporting people through the process of culture change, identifying the ways that cultural beliefs and messages arise in educational practice, and understanding the challenges when trying to step into a new way of seeing and being in the world.

My focus in educational development is to start with faculty members' understanding of themselves as teachers and their passion for their subject matter to help create courses and programs that are authentic for the instructor and engaging for the students.

Here’s a bit about my background and other ways that I can help you:

• Background in community (non-formal) and adult education;
• Passion for alternative approaches to educating such as experiential, transformative, holistic and authentic learning;
• ~30 years experience in course and program development with a love for combining the creative and pragmatic to support faculty’s vision for their course;
• Influenced by Parker Palmer’s work on “bringing one’s whole self to work” and provide support for faculty to take this approach for themselves and their students;
• PhD in Philosophy of Education (University of Calgary, 2001); MS in Environmental Communication (Antioch University, 1990); BSc in Environmental Science (University of Toronto, 1985). Currently taking coursework towards a Masters of Divinity.