Designed For

This Graduate Diploma in Advanced Professional Studies in Education (GDE) is for K-12 educators seeking to weave place and nature-based experiential learning opportunities into their practice. The focus will be on deepening ecological knowledge, weaving together holistic and Indigenous pedagogies and fostering social-emotional well-being.

Program Format

• Two-year, 30 unit program
• Combination of coursework and field studies (practitioner inquiry)
• In-person learning, (five Friday evenings, 4:30-8:30pm; and Saturdays 9:00am-3:00pm) per semester
• Includes a one-week Summer Institute each August
• No classes in July, during the winter break or ministry-designated spring break

Themes of Study

• Examine teacher values, beliefs and experiences relating to place and nature-based learning and how these may influence educational decisions and interactions
• Explore theories and principles of place and nature-based experiential learning and its place within educational change
• Learn from Indigenous worldviews and perspectives (including First Peoples Principles of Learning) and how these can inform relationship with place and practice
• Critically examine current directions in BC Education through the perspective of place and nature-based experiential learning and explore implications for practice
• Integrate place and nature-based experiential learning across subject areas in the context of individual and collective practice guided by the BC Curriculum
• Explore diverse land and place-based teaching and learning environments, including garden-based learning
• Engage in teacher inquiry and reflective practice stemming from encounters with place and relationships with the natural world

PROGRAM CAPACITIES

Program capacities provide a reflective focus for documenting and self-assessing learning.  At frequent intervals throughout the program, participants and their mentors refer to the capacities to assess progress, to set new goals and to create direction for further learning in field studies.  At the end of the program, each participant’s comprehensive portfolio includes a synthesis of learning and self-assessment of growth in these capacities, supported by evidence of learning.  This program provides opportunities to develop these capacities:

• Develop a disposition of inquiry and critical reflection to understand and develop your practice
• Create a repertoire of hands-on, experiential practices to foster relationships with nature, place and community.  This includes integrating and applying Indigenous teachings, which are foundational to this type of learning
• Explore, Generate and Implement teaching and assessment practices to support the learning of diverse students in the context of the natural world
• Engage in practices rooted in nature and place and encourage risk-taking both for yourself and your students
• Promote and Sustain ethical relationships with the natural world and integrate them into your practice and across professional communities
• Lead amidst the opportunities and challenges brought about by the current ecological crisis and develop the skills to be active in community change

Faculty Members

• Mark Fettes
• Sean Blenkinsop

District Partners

• Vivian Collyer, Director of Instruction of SD71