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Doctoral Student Profile Social Studies Education
For me, availing an opportunity to learn research techniques at a globally distinguished higher seat of learning such as UBC is nothing short of a dream coming true. Having graduated from Pakistan's supposedly best seat of higher education i.e Quaid-e-Azam University in Islamabad, I attained a stage where I saw the realization of my dream: studying/researching an institution of global repute and becoming expert in social scientific research. My graduate education has taught me to introspect myself as an early career researcher and teacher whose research and pedagogical practices are influenced by the powerful currents of nationalism, colonialism and neo-liberalism. My training in theory and research predominantly centers on the interdisciplinary terrain of Politics, Education and Social theory.
My PhD research project is primarily focused on understanding the nexus of education, religion and national identity formation in Pakistan.
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For me, availing an opportunity to learn research techniques at a globally distinguished higher seat of learning such as UBC is nothing short of a dream coming true. Having graduated from Pakistan's supposedly best seat of higher education i.e Quaid-e-Azam University in Islamabad, I attained a stage where I saw the realization of my dream: studying/researching an institution of global repute and becoming expert in social scientific research. My graduate education has taught me to introspect myself as an early career researcher and teacher whose research and pedagogical practices are influenced by the powerful currents of nationalism, colonialism and neo-liberalism. My training in theory and research predominantly centers on the interdisciplinary terrain of Politics, Education and Social theory.
My PhD research project is primarily focused on understanding the nexus of education, religion and national identity formation in Pakistan.
Doctoral Student Profile Curriculum Studies
I am a first-year PhD student in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy.
I am originally from Nova Scotia and first studied History at Mount Allison University and eventually Education at Brock University. With an interest in exploration, I first went to South Korea to teach English and then to China where I mostly taught Social Studies and English Language Arts in two BC curriculum offshore schools. I also coached ultimate frisbee and helped build a youth league with other schools in Shanghai. When I returned to Canada, I completed an MA at the University of Victoria researching the perspectives and experiences of BC offshore school graduates and internationalization of education. Now at UBC, I plan to research how Canadian teachers depict and Chinese students perceive social studies and humanities courses taught in British Columbia offshore schools.
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I am a first-year PhD student in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy.
I am originally from Nova Scotia and first studied History at Mount Allison University and eventually Education at Brock University. With an interest in exploration, I first went to South Korea to teach English and then to China where I mostly taught Social Studies and English Language Arts in two BC curriculum offshore schools. I also coached ultimate frisbee and helped build a youth league with other schools in Shanghai. When I returned to Canada, I completed an MA at the University of Victoria researching the perspectives and experiences of BC offshore school graduates and internationalization of education. Now at UBC, I plan to research how Canadian teachers depict and Chinese students perceive social studies and humanities courses taught in British Columbia offshore schools.
Doctoral Student Profile Curriculum Studies
My name is Jennifer Anaquod and I am from Muscowpetung Saulteaux First Nation in Saskatchewan and grew up as a grateful guest on Musqueam territory. I completed my B.Ed in NITEP (Indigenous teaching education program) at UBC in 2007. From there I went on to become an instructor at Native Education College in Vancouver. I completed a Early Years Diploma at UBC in 2013 and an M.Ed in Curriculum in Leadership in 2015. I began my PhD studies in 2015. The research I am engaging looks at what Indigenous students attending Indigenous post-secondary institutes consider success. More specifically, I am interested in how this knowledge will help improve the educational journeys of Indigenous institutes. Other interests include how story, place-based education and Indigenous ways of knowing and pedagogy inform our practice as instructors.
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My name is Jennifer Anaquod and I am from Muscowpetung Saulteaux First Nation in Saskatchewan and grew up as a grateful guest on Musqueam territory. I completed my B.Ed in NITEP (Indigenous teaching education program) at UBC in 2007. From there I went on to become an instructor at Native Education College in Vancouver. I completed a Early Years Diploma at UBC in 2013 and an M.Ed in Curriculum in Leadership in 2015. I began my PhD studies in 2015. The research I am engaging looks at what Indigenous students attending Indigenous post-secondary institutes consider success. More specifically, I am interested in how this knowledge will help improve the educational journeys of Indigenous institutes. Other interests include how story, place-based education and Indigenous ways of knowing and pedagogy inform our practice as instructors.
Doctoral Student Profile Curriculum Studies
I, Maria Jose, am an educator who has had the opportunity to walk alongside Indigenous people on educational projects defined by their own terms. I have identified myself as two-Spirit Mestiza, with Indigenous heritage. I feel honoured to have worked collaboratively and to have learned how to recreate a curriculum in order to make it culturally responsive. After working on culturally relevant curriculum development, I always wonder what have others felt and learned from the experience and what we all can learn from that process. This is the reason why I wanted to explore the experience of the stakeholders involved in developing lessons based on the tipi story for my Master’s thesis. I was born in Mexico City and raised since I was two years old in the Cancun area. I have the blessing to speak the Mayan language, of the territory I grew up in, and my Mayan name is X-Jose. But also, I have worked with and understand Ayuujk Jay, Pur’epecha, Ñöñho, Yaqui, among others. I have been a visitor in Musqueam territory where I have had the blessing of studying my MA and now my PhD at UBC. For my PhD I want to compare how teachers feel to be prepared or not to work in minority Indigenous groups in Mexico, Colombia and Argentina. I love the outdoors, love to share life, food and stories. I am happy to be part of the EDCP graduate community again!
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I, Maria Jose, am an educator who has had the opportunity to walk alongside Indigenous people on educational projects defined by their own terms. I have identified myself as two-Spirit Mestiza, with Indigenous heritage. I feel honoured to have worked collaboratively and to have learned how to recreate a curriculum in order to make it culturally responsive. After working on culturally relevant curriculum development, I always wonder what have others felt and learned from the experience and what we all can learn from that process. This is the reason why I wanted to explore the experience of the stakeholders involved in developing lessons based on the tipi story for my Master’s thesis. I was born in Mexico City and raised since I was two years old in the Cancun area. I have the blessing to speak the Mayan language, of the territory I grew up in, and my Mayan name is X-Jose. But also, I have worked with and understand Ayuujk Jay, Pur’epecha, Ñöñho, Yaqui, among others. I have been a visitor in Musqueam territory where I have had the blessing of studying my MA and now my PhD at UBC. For my PhD I want to compare how teachers feel to be prepared or not to work in minority Indigenous groups in Mexico, Colombia and Argentina. I love the outdoors, love to share life, food and stories. I am happy to be part of the EDCP graduate community again!
Doctoral Student Profile Art Education
Kimberly Baker is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, Art Education, a Liu Institute for Global Issues Scholar, and a contemporary artist. Her doctoral research entitled, Wayfinding Peace: Museums in Conflict Zones illustrates the lessons that can be learnt from museums that provide a forum for active participation and dialogue about peace practices among indigenous cultures of Kenya and Canada. She holds a MA in Art Education from the University of British Columbia, and a BA from Emily Carr University of Art + Design. Her MA research focused on culturally responsive museum education practices at the Museums of Malawi in Africa, which included researching HIV/Aids, malaria prevention and expressive arts community outreach programs. Her professional experience includes ten years as a museum educator. Locally, Kimberly leads the education and public programs at Britannia Shipyards National Historic Site, located in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. Internationally, she collaborates with arts, heritage and culture organizations to create innovative education and public programs, delivers lectures, conducts research and facilities workshops. Her aim is to encourage cultural understanding and peace through arts, heritage and culture education.
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Kimberly Baker is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, Art Education, a Liu Institute for Global Issues Scholar, and a contemporary artist. Her doctoral research entitled, Wayfinding Peace: Museums in Conflict Zones illustrates the lessons that can be learnt from museums that provide a forum for active participation and dialogue about peace practices among indigenous cultures of Kenya and Canada. She holds a MA in Art Education from the University of British Columbia, and a BA from Emily Carr University of Art + Design. Her MA research focused on culturally responsive museum education practices at the Museums of Malawi in Africa, which included researching HIV/Aids, malaria prevention and expressive arts community outreach programs. Her professional experience includes ten years as a museum educator. Locally, Kimberly leads the education and public programs at Britannia Shipyards National Historic Site, located in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. Internationally, she collaborates with arts, heritage and culture organizations to create innovative education and public programs, delivers lectures, conducts research and facilities workshops. Her aim is to encourage cultural understanding and peace through arts, heritage and culture education.
Doctoral Student Profile Art Education
Angela Inez Baldus is a second year PhD student at the University of British Columbia in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy studying Art Education. Her scholarship follows and attends to different forms of art education as they pertain to the speculation of its future, what it is, and what it might become. This process engages creation, scholarship, and research pertaining to and influenced by contemporary art practices, such as conceptual and relational art practices, which offer new ways of thinking about and teaching art. Her research values relational practices for what they offer to the field of art education as they may foster community and help maintain inclusive educational spaces. In addition to serving as a 2020-2021 peer advisor she is the 2020-2021 communications liaison for the National Art Education Association Community Art Caucus and one of the lead organizers behind Teach Anything British Columbia (a community of graduate students dedicated to understanding and provoking the materiality of our teaching practices).
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Angela Inez Baldus is a second year PhD student at the University of British Columbia in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy studying Art Education. Her scholarship follows and attends to different forms of art education as they pertain to the speculation of its future, what it is, and what it might become. This process engages creation, scholarship, and research pertaining to and influenced by contemporary art practices, such as conceptual and relational art practices, which offer new ways of thinking about and teaching art. Her research values relational practices for what they offer to the field of art education as they may foster community and help maintain inclusive educational spaces. In addition to serving as a 2020-2021 peer advisor she is the 2020-2021 communications liaison for the National Art Education Association Community Art Caucus and one of the lead organizers behind Teach Anything British Columbia (a community of graduate students dedicated to understanding and provoking the materiality of our teaching practices).
Doctoral Student Profile Science Education
Elizabeth Beattie is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, Faculty of Education, University of British Columbia. Her research focuses on how students create meaningful outdoor environmental and science learning experiences, with an emphasis on early childhood education. She hopes to work with teachers and curriculum planners to incorporate outdoor learning into the standard curriculum, to promote meaningful, active, relevant, student-driven learning, teaching, and assessment. Elizabeth grew up in Toronto, but fell in love with the West Coast when she moved there to do her undergrad. She likes paddling, baseball, red wine, cats, and mystery novels.
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Elizabeth Beattie is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, Faculty of Education, University of British Columbia. Her research focuses on how students create meaningful outdoor environmental and science learning experiences, with an emphasis on early childhood education. She hopes to work with teachers and curriculum planners to incorporate outdoor learning into the standard curriculum, to promote meaningful, active, relevant, student-driven learning, teaching, and assessment. Elizabeth grew up in Toronto, but fell in love with the West Coast when she moved there to do her undergrad. She likes paddling, baseball, red wine, cats, and mystery novels.
Doctoral Student Profile Curriculum Studies
Being through many events in my personal history, I identify myself as a complex being—a mixed character of many things—a collage. I may have arrived at a place in understanding of others residing within or without, but that is only in part. My educational interests lay in the areas that link philosophy, theory and history together. As for the research interests, I am hoping to have a more or maybe a different understanding of the self and of the others. Meanwhile, I am wandering around, which leaves the subject moving between the binaries of being happy and content, and lost and vulnerable in the world.
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Being through many events in my personal history, I identify myself as a complex being—a mixed character of many things—a collage. I may have arrived at a place in understanding of others residing within or without, but that is only in part. My educational interests lay in the areas that link philosophy, theory and history together. As for the research interests, I am hoping to have a more or maybe a different understanding of the self and of the others. Meanwhile, I am wandering around, which leaves the subject moving between the binaries of being happy and content, and lost and vulnerable in the world.
Doctoral Student Profile Curriculum Studies
Kiera Brant-Birioukov is Haudenosaunee from Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, Ontario. She is a doctoral student in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy at the University of British Columbia, under the supervision of Dr. William Pinar. She holds an MA in Education from the University of Ottawa, as well as a Bachelor of Education (Primary/Junior) and Bachelor of Arts (Aboriginal Studies). Her MA thesis entitled "‘But how does this help me?’:(Re)thinking (re)conciliation in teacher education" sought to identify how a praxis of reconciliation transpires within initial teacher education in Canada and New Zealand. Outside of academia, she dedicates her time to pursuing Vancouver’s best craft beer and beating her husband in badminton.
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Kiera Brant-Birioukov is Haudenosaunee from Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, Ontario. She is a doctoral student in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy at the University of British Columbia, under the supervision of Dr. William Pinar. She holds an MA in Education from the University of Ottawa, as well as a Bachelor of Education (Primary/Junior) and Bachelor of Arts (Aboriginal Studies). Her MA thesis entitled "‘But how does this help me?’:(Re)thinking (re)conciliation in teacher education" sought to identify how a praxis of reconciliation transpires within initial teacher education in Canada and New Zealand. Outside of academia, she dedicates her time to pursuing Vancouver’s best craft beer and beating her husband in badminton.
Doctoral Student Profile Curriculum Studies
Rafael is a PhD student at the University of British Columbia’s Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy. He is from San Juan, Puerto Rico where he worked as a public-school History teacher for over 6 years and completed an M.A. in History at the Centre for Advanced Studies of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. His research interests include history education, critical pedagogy, coloniality, decolonizing pedagogy, textbooks, and participatory action research. Rafael is also an activist who has worked with various organizations throughout the years with the aim of promoting Puerto Rico’s political independence. His doctoral work is focused on decolonizing the curriculum from its Eurocentric framework and searching for endemicity amidst the chaos of Caribbean identities.
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Rafael is a PhD student at the University of British Columbia’s Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy. He is from San Juan, Puerto Rico where he worked as a public-school History teacher for over 6 years and completed an M.A. in History at the Centre for Advanced Studies of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. His research interests include history education, critical pedagogy, coloniality, decolonizing pedagogy, textbooks, and participatory action research. Rafael is also an activist who has worked with various organizations throughout the years with the aim of promoting Puerto Rico’s political independence. His doctoral work is focused on decolonizing the curriculum from its Eurocentric framework and searching for endemicity amidst the chaos of Caribbean identities.
Doctoral Student Profile Curriculum Studies
Peisen Ding is pursuing a Ph.D. in Curriculum Studies with a specialization in Art Education. His research focuses on the conceptual art practices intertwined with everyday life and their educational potentials. He has successfully completed his Master’s degree in Experimental Archaeology from the University of Sheffield in the UK, exploring the reconstructions of ancient artworks and crafts in relation to contemporary society. He also holds a B.A. in Fine Arts (Fine Arts Education) from Nanjing Normal University in China, and has worked as a fine arts teacher, curriculum designer and chief consultant of curriculum development at different art schools and institutions since his undergraduate studies. He loves to travel and explore various lifestyles by staying with local families and volunteering in local communities. For example, he volunteered in hospitality in Spain and childcare and art education in Mexico.
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Peisen Ding is pursuing a Ph.D. in Curriculum Studies with a specialization in Art Education. His research focuses on the conceptual art practices intertwined with everyday life and their educational potentials. He has successfully completed his Master’s degree in Experimental Archaeology from the University of Sheffield in the UK, exploring the reconstructions of ancient artworks and crafts in relation to contemporary society. He also holds a B.A. in Fine Arts (Fine Arts Education) from Nanjing Normal University in China, and has worked as a fine arts teacher, curriculum designer and chief consultant of curriculum development at different art schools and institutions since his undergraduate studies. He loves to travel and explore various lifestyles by staying with local families and volunteering in local communities. For example, he volunteered in hospitality in Spain and childcare and art education in Mexico.
Doctoral Student Profile Curriculum Studies
I am a Ph.D. student at the University of British Columbia Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy.
My research interests include curriculum implementation and teaching practices to improve learning opportunities for students with different backgrounds. I am particularly interested to understand how to better connect both micro (classroom/schools) and macro (policymakers) actors to design and implement more equitable curriculum policies. During my Ph.D. program, I intend to study the role of classroom assessment both in supporting student learning and teacher knowledge about their students' needs, but also, in the implementation of the new British Columbia Curriculum.
Previous to coming to Canada, I have analyzed classroom teaching practices to improve student learning opportunities in Latin America and worked with universities and policymakers to design better curricula and more equitable educational policies. I am also a former philosophy public high school teacher and a math educator in an NGO in Brazil. My background includes a Master's in International Education Policy Analysis from Stanford University (USA) and another in Education from the University of Sao Paulo (Brazil). I also have a Bachelor and Teacher Credential in Philosophy from the University of Sao Paulo (Brazil).
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I am a Ph.D. student at the University of British Columbia Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy.
My research interests include curriculum implementation and teaching practices to improve learning opportunities for students with different backgrounds. I am particularly interested to understand how to better connect both micro (classroom/schools) and macro (policymakers) actors to design and implement more equitable curriculum policies. During my Ph.D. program, I intend to study the role of classroom assessment both in supporting student learning and teacher knowledge about their students' needs, but also, in the implementation of the new British Columbia Curriculum.
Previous to coming to Canada, I have analyzed classroom teaching practices to improve student learning opportunities in Latin America and worked with universities and policymakers to design better curricula and more equitable educational policies. I am also a former philosophy public high school teacher and a math educator in an NGO in Brazil. My background includes a Master's in International Education Policy Analysis from Stanford University (USA) and another in Education from the University of Sao Paulo (Brazil). I also have a Bachelor and Teacher Credential in Philosophy from the University of Sao Paulo (Brazil).
Doctoral Student Profile Curriculum Studies
Gabrielle (she/her) is a PhD candidate in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy Studies. Her research interests revolve around whole school approaches to school food education, food literacy and food citizenship. Gabrielle has a background in agriculture and food security holding a B.Sc. in Agriculture from the University of Saskatchewan and a M.A. in Human Development and Food Security from Roma Tre University in Italy. Gabrielle also has a background working in the non-profit sector through her work as a Program Coordinator with Agriculture in the Classroom – Saskatchewan. She is passionate about food security advocacy work and has been actively involved with the Canadian Food Grains Bank since 2016. In her free time Gabrielle likes to be outside cycling, hiking, camping, running and skiing as well as spending time with her partner (Mitch) and their cat (Desi).
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Gabrielle (she/her) is a PhD candidate in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy Studies. Her research interests revolve around whole school approaches to school food education, food literacy and food citizenship. Gabrielle has a background in agriculture and food security holding a B.Sc. in Agriculture from the University of Saskatchewan and a M.A. in Human Development and Food Security from Roma Tre University in Italy. Gabrielle also has a background working in the non-profit sector through her work as a Program Coordinator with Agriculture in the Classroom – Saskatchewan. She is passionate about food security advocacy work and has been actively involved with the Canadian Food Grains Bank since 2016. In her free time Gabrielle likes to be outside cycling, hiking, camping, running and skiing as well as spending time with her partner (Mitch) and their cat (Desi).
Doctoral Student Profile Social Studies Education
Alim Fakirani is a PhD student and 4YF fellow in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy in the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia. A graduate of McGill University (BA, 2007) and the Institute of Education – University College of London (MA Ed Hon. and MTeach Hon., 2010), Alim has taught a variety of young learners in Vancouver, Montreal, Kinshasa, and various regions in Madagascar. His experience working with refugee, immigrant, and (visible) minority students coupled with his experience of schooling in Canada as a first-generation Canadian inspired his desire to examine the representation of these students’ histories in Canadian curriculum. Alim is convinced that such inclusion could lead to a more robust Canadian democracy. He is excited to put this theory to the test as he pursues his doctorate. Alim’s previous published scholarship focused on religious literacy as a way of increasing understanding across lines of socio-religious differences. He also holds subject-specific certifications in social studies education from UBC and Harvard University. Alim is a father of two young girls who motivate him to think about their place, history, and narratives in the education they will receive.
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Alim Fakirani is a PhD student and 4YF fellow in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy in the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia. A graduate of McGill University (BA, 2007) and the Institute of Education – University College of London (MA Ed Hon. and MTeach Hon., 2010), Alim has taught a variety of young learners in Vancouver, Montreal, Kinshasa, and various regions in Madagascar. His experience working with refugee, immigrant, and (visible) minority students coupled with his experience of schooling in Canada as a first-generation Canadian inspired his desire to examine the representation of these students’ histories in Canadian curriculum. Alim is convinced that such inclusion could lead to a more robust Canadian democracy. He is excited to put this theory to the test as he pursues his doctorate. Alim’s previous published scholarship focused on religious literacy as a way of increasing understanding across lines of socio-religious differences. He also holds subject-specific certifications in social studies education from UBC and Harvard University. Alim is a father of two young girls who motivate him to think about their place, history, and narratives in the education they will receive.
Doctoral Student Profile Curriculum Studies
I have been teaching grade 7 in North Vancouver for the past ten years. During this time, I completed an MEd in Curriculum Leadership and Instructional Strategies at UBC. My focus was teaching Aboriginal art as a non-Aboriginal person. Prior to becoming a teacher, I worked for many years in health sciences. My current research interests lie in alternate approaches to science education that include philosophies of care, visual culture, Indigeneity, and critical pedagogies of place.
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I have been teaching grade 7 in North Vancouver for the past ten years. During this time, I completed an MEd in Curriculum Leadership and Instructional Strategies at UBC. My focus was teaching Aboriginal art as a non-Aboriginal person. Prior to becoming a teacher, I worked for many years in health sciences. My current research interests lie in alternate approaches to science education that include philosophies of care, visual culture, Indigeneity, and critical pedagogies of place.
Doctoral Student Profile Science Education
Travis Fuchs is Action Research Specialist at Crofton House School and a Ph.D. Candidate at the University of British Columbia. His research is supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Canada Graduate Scholarships Doctoral, UBC's Killam Doctoral Scholarship, and The Vancouver Poppy Fund. Travis does research in teacher professional development and science education. Prior to his current roles, he was a high school and middle school science, mathematics, and learning support teacher.
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Travis Fuchs is Action Research Specialist at Crofton House School and a Ph.D. Candidate at the University of British Columbia. His research is supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Canada Graduate Scholarships Doctoral, UBC's Killam Doctoral Scholarship, and The Vancouver Poppy Fund. Travis does research in teacher professional development and science education. Prior to his current roles, he was a high school and middle school science, mathematics, and learning support teacher.
Doctoral Student Profile Curriculum Studies
Héctor Gómez is a PhD Student in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, in the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia. In 2005, he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Education from Universidad de Santiago de Chile and an MA in Education from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in 2013. Since 2006, he has been working in education as a teacher in schools in Chile; as a professor in different universities in Chile; and as researcher focused on curriculum, gender, and queer theory. In his most recent work on curriculum policy, he was the National Coordinator of Social Studies in the Curriculum Unit of the Ministry of Education in Chile. His doctoral research analyzes discourses of quality in teacher education curriculum from a Performativity Theory perspective.
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Héctor Gómez is a PhD Student in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, in the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia. In 2005, he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Education from Universidad de Santiago de Chile and an MA in Education from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in 2013. Since 2006, he has been working in education as a teacher in schools in Chile; as a professor in different universities in Chile; and as researcher focused on curriculum, gender, and queer theory. In his most recent work on curriculum policy, he was the National Coordinator of Social Studies in the Curriculum Unit of the Ministry of Education in Chile. His doctoral research analyzes discourses of quality in teacher education curriculum from a Performativity Theory perspective.
Doctoral Student Profile Curriculum Studies
Kshamta Hunter is pursuing her PhD in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy. She is also a Manager of Sustainability Student Engagement with the UBC Sustainability Initiative. Kshamta’s PhD research aims to investigate operationalization of innovative leadership capacity and the necessary knowledge, skills, values, attitudes and competencies for innovation toward sustainability. Using culturally responsive pedagogical models, her study will explore urban youths’ adoption and conceptualization of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals that encourage social innovation.
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Kshamta Hunter is pursuing her PhD in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy. She is also a Manager of Sustainability Student Engagement with the UBC Sustainability Initiative. Kshamta’s PhD research aims to investigate operationalization of innovative leadership capacity and the necessary knowledge, skills, values, attitudes and competencies for innovation toward sustainability. Using culturally responsive pedagogical models, her study will explore urban youths’ adoption and conceptualization of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals that encourage social innovation.
Doctoral Student Profile Curriculum Studies
I am a PhD student in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy at UBC. Prior to beginning my doctoral studies, I completed my BA (history), B Ed (secondary education), and M Ed, all at York University in Toronto. My research has explored young people’s activism about education, the experiences of gender non-conforming K-12 teachers, and gender in teachers’ work more broadly. My writing has been published in the Journal of LGBT Youth and Teaching Education.
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I am a PhD student in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy at UBC. Prior to beginning my doctoral studies, I completed my BA (history), B Ed (secondary education), and M Ed, all at York University in Toronto. My research has explored young people’s activism about education, the experiences of gender non-conforming K-12 teachers, and gender in teachers’ work more broadly. My writing has been published in the Journal of LGBT Youth and Teaching Education.
Doctoral Student Profile Social Studies Education
Originally from California, Naomi Ostwald Kawamura is a Nisei educator and arts administrator who has held leadership positions with numerous arts & cultural organizations in the United States. Prior to moving to Canada, she served in director-level positions at the San Diego History Center, the Bay Area Video Coalition, the Museum of Children's Art, and others. Naomi currently works with the Nikkei Place Foundation and is a Board Member with the Powell Street Festival Society and the Museum Education Roundtable, which publishes the Journal of Museum Education. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Washington and her Master’s degree in Arts-in-Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
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Originally from California, Naomi Ostwald Kawamura is a Nisei educator and arts administrator who has held leadership positions with numerous arts & cultural organizations in the United States. Prior to moving to Canada, she served in director-level positions at the San Diego History Center, the Bay Area Video Coalition, the Museum of Children's Art, and others. Naomi currently works with the Nikkei Place Foundation and is a Board Member with the Powell Street Festival Society and the Museum Education Roundtable, which publishes the Journal of Museum Education. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Washington and her Master’s degree in Arts-in-Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Doctoral Student Profile Curriculum Studies
I am a second-year Ph.D. student in Curriculum Studies, with an M.Sc. in Pharmacy and M.A. in International & Comparative Education. My undergraduate degree is in pharmacy, and then I shifted to education with my growing passion for personal development and social change. Before moving to Canada for my graduate studies, my work involved curriculum design and teaching in non-formal educational programs of science, character and citizenship education in Egypt. I also worked as a curriculum designer and teacher educator in various settings such as rural and community schools, international schools, as well as Science and Education for Sustainable Development programs. I recently co-edited a book entitled ‘The Struggle for Citizenship Education in Egypt’, published by Routledge. My research interests include culturally-relevant pedagogy, critical pedagogy and citizenship education. I am particularly interested in exploring teacher’s personal theorizing of critical pedagogy, and teacher agency within the context of neoliberal reforms. I am currently serving as one of the peer advisors in the Curriculum and Pedagogy Department for the academic year 2020/21. I love the outdoors and enjoy hiking and biking.
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I am a second-year Ph.D. student in Curriculum Studies, with an M.Sc. in Pharmacy and M.A. in International & Comparative Education. My undergraduate degree is in pharmacy, and then I shifted to education with my growing passion for personal development and social change. Before moving to Canada for my graduate studies, my work involved curriculum design and teaching in non-formal educational programs of science, character and citizenship education in Egypt. I also worked as a curriculum designer and teacher educator in various settings such as rural and community schools, international schools, as well as Science and Education for Sustainable Development programs. I recently co-edited a book entitled ‘The Struggle for Citizenship Education in Egypt’, published by Routledge. My research interests include culturally-relevant pedagogy, critical pedagogy and citizenship education. I am particularly interested in exploring teacher’s personal theorizing of critical pedagogy, and teacher agency within the context of neoliberal reforms. I am currently serving as one of the peer advisors in the Curriculum and Pedagogy Department for the academic year 2020/21. I love the outdoors and enjoy hiking and biking.
Doctoral Student Profile Art Education
After completing a BFA in Visual Arts (studio), BEd (Intermediate/Senior Division in Visual Arts and English), and MEd at York University, I have come to UBC in 2016 to pursue a PhD program in Curriculum and Pedagogy, specializing in Art Education. As a Chinese Canadian artist, researcher, and teacher, my research interests lie at the intersections of education, visual arts, race, ethnicity, history, culture, and community. Working with Professor Rita Irwin, my doctoral research examines the work and experiences of Chinese Canadian artists through arts-based methodologies. I seek to understand what constitutes Chinese Canadian art, how the artists come to understand their hybrid identities, and how contemporary art practices can be conceptualized in relationship to the past in the development of art curriculum. Outside of my academic adventures, I enjoy exploring new places, learning to cook, knitting and making art, and spending time with people.
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After completing a BFA in Visual Arts (studio), BEd (Intermediate/Senior Division in Visual Arts and English), and MEd at York University, I have come to UBC in 2016 to pursue a PhD program in Curriculum and Pedagogy, specializing in Art Education. As a Chinese Canadian artist, researcher, and teacher, my research interests lie at the intersections of education, visual arts, race, ethnicity, history, culture, and community. Working with Professor Rita Irwin, my doctoral research examines the work and experiences of Chinese Canadian artists through arts-based methodologies. I seek to understand what constitutes Chinese Canadian art, how the artists come to understand their hybrid identities, and how contemporary art practices can be conceptualized in relationship to the past in the development of art curriculum. Outside of my academic adventures, I enjoy exploring new places, learning to cook, knitting and making art, and spending time with people.
Doctoral Student Profile Curriculum Studies
I am excited to be entering into my first year as a PhD. student in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy under the supervision of Dr LeAnne Petherick and Dr Anthony Clarke. I completed my MEd. in Physical Education at UBC under the supervision of the late Dr Joy Butler and looked at “Enacting successful change in a secondary physical education department.” I am a husband, father and a full time Lecturer in the Health Outdoor and Physical Education (HOPE) program area also in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, Faculty of Education at UBC. I am a trained K-12 Physical Education (PE) teacher, consultant and have extensive experience in secondary schools as a PE teacher, PE department head, and an assistant athletic director. My current research and passions lie in the promotion and advocacy for Quality Physical and Health Education and the Physical Literacy movement. In my spare time I enjoy being outdoors, camping, out on the water, mountain biking, playing ice hockey, being active and coaching a plethora of youth sports in the community.
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I am excited to be entering into my first year as a PhD. student in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy under the supervision of Dr LeAnne Petherick and Dr Anthony Clarke. I completed my MEd. in Physical Education at UBC under the supervision of the late Dr Joy Butler and looked at “Enacting successful change in a secondary physical education department.” I am a husband, father and a full time Lecturer in the Health Outdoor and Physical Education (HOPE) program area also in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, Faculty of Education at UBC. I am a trained K-12 Physical Education (PE) teacher, consultant and have extensive experience in secondary schools as a PE teacher, PE department head, and an assistant athletic director. My current research and passions lie in the promotion and advocacy for Quality Physical and Health Education and the Physical Literacy movement. In my spare time I enjoy being outdoors, camping, out on the water, mountain biking, playing ice hockey, being active and coaching a plethora of youth sports in the community.
Doctoral Student Profile Art Education
Marzieh Mosavarzadeh is a PhD student in art education at the University of British Columbia. Her arts-based educational research explores the emergent process of Making-Place through following and attending to the practice of propositional thinking and making while walking in a place. Marzieh is fascinated with the entanglement of the practices of writing and image making on-site while walking and how together they can work as an “oxidizing” method to enable the walker to follow things on the move while holding space for the meaning-making process to happen organically. In her research, Marzieh explores the kind of sorcery, complexity, and tension that pausing with and contemplating in spaces in-between brings to her a/r/tographic research. Marzieh holds her MFA and BFA degrees in visual arts.
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Marzieh Mosavarzadeh is a PhD student in art education at the University of British Columbia. Her arts-based educational research explores the emergent process of Making-Place through following and attending to the practice of propositional thinking and making while walking in a place. Marzieh is fascinated with the entanglement of the practices of writing and image making on-site while walking and how together they can work as an “oxidizing” method to enable the walker to follow things on the move while holding space for the meaning-making process to happen organically. In her research, Marzieh explores the kind of sorcery, complexity, and tension that pausing with and contemplating in spaces in-between brings to her a/r/tographic research. Marzieh holds her MFA and BFA degrees in visual arts.
Doctoral Student Profile Art Education
Nicole Rallis is a second-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy working with Dr. Rita Irwin. She is grateful for the opportunity to learn and live on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nation. Her research interests include a/r/tography, ecological and environmental education, land-based pedagogies, and poetic inquiry. She is passionate about exploring how the arts can help us align with environmental scientists' calls for developing more holistic understandings and feelings about our relationship with nature (i.e. the aesthetic, spiritual, and non-utilitarian standpoints that increase the sense of awe with which we regard the natural world) (Prugh & Assadourian, 2003).
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Nicole Rallis is a second-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy working with Dr. Rita Irwin. She is grateful for the opportunity to learn and live on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nation. Her research interests include a/r/tography, ecological and environmental education, land-based pedagogies, and poetic inquiry. She is passionate about exploring how the arts can help us align with environmental scientists' calls for developing more holistic understandings and feelings about our relationship with nature (i.e. the aesthetic, spiritual, and non-utilitarian standpoints that increase the sense of awe with which we regard the natural world) (Prugh & Assadourian, 2003).
Doctoral Student Profile Curriculum Studies
I am from Vancouver and taught secondary English at a local independent school for 16 years. Before returning as a doctoral student under the supervision of Dr Anthony Clarke in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, I studied at UBC (BHK, BEd, MA) and completed a thesis entitled, "Coach-to-coach mentoring in a youth soccer academy: Applying theoretical knowledge within relevant contexts of practical sport coaching." During this time, I was able to work closely alongside Dr Harry Hubball, whose guidance and mentorship were instrumental to my professional and academic development. My current research interests include teacher autonomy, teacher education, and curriculum theory. In my spare time, I enjoy playing soccer and golf, working in the garden, and being Daddy to my beautiful daughter.
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I am from Vancouver and taught secondary English at a local independent school for 16 years. Before returning as a doctoral student under the supervision of Dr Anthony Clarke in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, I studied at UBC (BHK, BEd, MA) and completed a thesis entitled, "Coach-to-coach mentoring in a youth soccer academy: Applying theoretical knowledge within relevant contexts of practical sport coaching." During this time, I was able to work closely alongside Dr Harry Hubball, whose guidance and mentorship were instrumental to my professional and academic development. My current research interests include teacher autonomy, teacher education, and curriculum theory. In my spare time, I enjoy playing soccer and golf, working in the garden, and being Daddy to my beautiful daughter.
Doctoral Student Profile Mathematics Education
Originally from Quebec, I attended both Concordia and McGill University in Montreal. With a background in both psychology and education, I moved to Vancouver to attend UBC and pursue a PhD in Curriculum Studies after obtaining an M.A. in Child Study. My research interests revolve around elementary school mathematics and preservice elementary school teacher preparation. I also keep busy outside of my academic pursuits by playing rugby, enjoying the outdoors, and spending time with my husband and our rescued bull terrier.
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Originally from Quebec, I attended both Concordia and McGill University in Montreal. With a background in both psychology and education, I moved to Vancouver to attend UBC and pursue a PhD in Curriculum Studies after obtaining an M.A. in Child Study. My research interests revolve around elementary school mathematics and preservice elementary school teacher preparation. I also keep busy outside of my academic pursuits by playing rugby, enjoying the outdoors, and spending time with my husband and our rescued bull terrier.
Doctoral Student Profile Science Education
My parents always encouraged us (their children - seven boys and three girls) to value education, which they considered to be wealth in life. Often they referred to science! This is what inspired me into science education culminating into graduating as a high school physics teacher. I also served as a curriculum expert until coming to UBC. In all these roles, offering quality science education especially to female students has always been my passion. Currently, as a PhD candidate in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), I am focusing my study on how technology based instructional strategies might impact female students’ motivation and engagement in physics learning. This is with a view to making great contributions to the on-going curriculum reforms in my home country of Tanzania. In this endeavour, I am happy to be under the guidance of my supervisory committee that includes Dr. Nashon, Dr. Scott, and Dr. Petrina.
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My parents always encouraged us (their children - seven boys and three girls) to value education, which they considered to be wealth in life. Often they referred to science! This is what inspired me into science education culminating into graduating as a high school physics teacher. I also served as a curriculum expert until coming to UBC. In all these roles, offering quality science education especially to female students has always been my passion. Currently, as a PhD candidate in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), I am focusing my study on how technology based instructional strategies might impact female students’ motivation and engagement in physics learning. This is with a view to making great contributions to the on-going curriculum reforms in my home country of Tanzania. In this endeavour, I am happy to be under the guidance of my supervisory committee that includes Dr. Nashon, Dr. Scott, and Dr. Petrina.
Doctoral Student Profile Mathematics Education
My name is Tsubasa Saito. I come from Tokyo, Japan, where I completed my Bachelor's degree in Engineering at Hosei University as well as a Master's degree in Education at Waseda University. My master's research focussed on the mathematics education of immigrant children in Japanese schools. I worked as an IT engineer in Tokyo for approximately seven years before returning to graduate study. Currently, I am a Ph.D. student in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, in the Faculty of Education at UBC. My research will explore immigrant families' expectations as they relate to mathematics education in Canadian schools.
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My name is Tsubasa Saito. I come from Tokyo, Japan, where I completed my Bachelor's degree in Engineering at Hosei University as well as a Master's degree in Education at Waseda University. My master's research focussed on the mathematics education of immigrant children in Japanese schools. I worked as an IT engineer in Tokyo for approximately seven years before returning to graduate study. Currently, I am a Ph.D. student in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, in the Faculty of Education at UBC. My research will explore immigrant families' expectations as they relate to mathematics education in Canadian schools.
Doctoral Student Profile Curriculum Studies
I am a PhD student in Curriculum Studies at the University of British Columbia, in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), specializing in Curriculum. I am from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where I worked as a public-school science teacher and completed an MA in Education at Fluminense Federal University. My research interests include critical pedagogy and theory, narrative research, and teacher professionalism. My research focuses on how teachers resist neoliberal educational reforms and imposed notions of teacher professionalism. I am especially interested in the role of narrative in the conceptualization of teachers’ professional identity.
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I am a PhD student in Curriculum Studies at the University of British Columbia, in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), specializing in Curriculum. I am from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where I worked as a public-school science teacher and completed an MA in Education at Fluminense Federal University. My research interests include critical pedagogy and theory, narrative research, and teacher professionalism. My research focuses on how teachers resist neoliberal educational reforms and imposed notions of teacher professionalism. I am especially interested in the role of narrative in the conceptualization of teachers’ professional identity.
Doctoral Student Profile Curriculum Studies
I landed in Curriculum and Pedagogy after pursuing degrees in both Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Sociology. I have previously worked as a sexual health educator and harm reduction youth worker. My research focuses on trans and gender non-conforming young people in educative spaces. I am also active in the queer sports community in East Vancouver, a bicycle enthusiast, and a vegan truffle maker.
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I landed in Curriculum and Pedagogy after pursuing degrees in both Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Sociology. I have previously worked as a sexual health educator and harm reduction youth worker. My research focuses on trans and gender non-conforming young people in educative spaces. I am also active in the queer sports community in East Vancouver, a bicycle enthusiast, and a vegan truffle maker.
Doctoral Student Profile Curriculum Studies
David joins the EDCP community to pursue a PhD in Curriculum Studies with a passion to explore how (young) people develop what Aldo Leopold coined as a "Land Ethic." He very much wants to see the United States incorporating a Land Ethic into the standard public education curricula. With years of traveling, teaching, and living in countries around the Pacific Ring of Fire, Dave is excited to look at this idea through a cross-cultural lens. He serves as the director of an after-school program that promotes Mexican cultural enrichment and scholastic academic support. When not reading, writing, or working with students, he enjoys time homesteading and gardening with his wonderful wife, Michelle, in Bellingham, Washington.
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David joins the EDCP community to pursue a PhD in Curriculum Studies with a passion to explore how (young) people develop what Aldo Leopold coined as a "Land Ethic." He very much wants to see the United States incorporating a Land Ethic into the standard public education curricula. With years of traveling, teaching, and living in countries around the Pacific Ring of Fire, Dave is excited to look at this idea through a cross-cultural lens. He serves as the director of an after-school program that promotes Mexican cultural enrichment and scholastic academic support. When not reading, writing, or working with students, he enjoys time homesteading and gardening with his wonderful wife, Michelle, in Bellingham, Washington.
Doctoral Student Profile Curriculum Studies
I am a PhD student in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy under the supervision of Dr. William Pinar. I mainly study curriculum theory, early childhood education and teacher education. I hold an MA degree from Tokyo Gakugei University, Japan.
I worked as a member of the EDCP Peer Advisors’ Team in 2018/2019. As it happens, I am joining the Peer Advisors’ Team again in 2020/2021. I hope to engage upper-year graduate students like myself in the peer-advisors’ events. That’s what I’m thinking that I could work on. I want to create opportunities in which the students who are new here can connect with the upper-year graduate students.
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I am a PhD student in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy under the supervision of Dr. William Pinar. I mainly study curriculum theory, early childhood education and teacher education. I hold an MA degree from Tokyo Gakugei University, Japan.
I worked as a member of the EDCP Peer Advisors’ Team in 2018/2019. As it happens, I am joining the Peer Advisors’ Team again in 2020/2021. I hope to engage upper-year graduate students like myself in the peer-advisors’ events. That’s what I’m thinking that I could work on. I want to create opportunities in which the students who are new here can connect with the upper-year graduate students.
Doctoral Student Profile Art Education
Ran Xiang is a PhD student in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, with a focus on Art Education. Before pursuing her current degree, she has finished her first MA in Comparative Literature at University of Alberta and her second MA in Education Studies at UBC. Her dissertation project investigates the aesthetic qualities and the educative nature and potential of tea ceremony, seeing it as a form of aesthetic and affective pedagogy. Her research interests include tea ceremony, place and space, objects and materiality, aesthetics and aesthetic pedagogy and qualitative methodology.
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Ran Xiang is a PhD student in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, with a focus on Art Education. Before pursuing her current degree, she has finished her first MA in Comparative Literature at University of Alberta and her second MA in Education Studies at UBC. Her dissertation project investigates the aesthetic qualities and the educative nature and potential of tea ceremony, seeing it as a form of aesthetic and affective pedagogy. Her research interests include tea ceremony, place and space, objects and materiality, aesthetics and aesthetic pedagogy and qualitative methodology.
Doctoral Student Profile Mathematics Education
Kwesi Yaro is a PhD candidate studying curriculum studies in Mathematics Education at the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada. He has M.A in Mathematics Education from UBC and B.Ed. (Mathematics focus) from the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. At the UBC Faculty of Education, Kwesi works as a part-time Sessional Lecturer teaching mathematics methods and Inquiry courses for secondary mathematics and physics teachers. He also works as a Faculty Advisor supervising teacher candidates on practicum. His research interest in mathematics education is informed by situated, cultural, and critical perspectives inspired by principles of cultural sustainability, social justice, and inclusion. In his doctoral research, Kwesi employs the concept of cultural capital and Afrocentric worldviews to investigate cultural strategies that African immigrant families deploy to support their children's mathematics learning in the context of Canada. Kwesi’s research will contribute knowledge and insights that will guide teachers and other educators towards a more culturally responsive mathematics curriculum and pedagogy for students of African background. His most recent publications include “Situated perspectives on creating mathematics tasks for peace and sustainability” published in Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education (CJSMTE).
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Kwesi Yaro is a PhD candidate studying curriculum studies in Mathematics Education at the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada. He has M.A in Mathematics Education from UBC and B.Ed. (Mathematics focus) from the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. At the UBC Faculty of Education, Kwesi works as a part-time Sessional Lecturer teaching mathematics methods and Inquiry courses for secondary mathematics and physics teachers. He also works as a Faculty Advisor supervising teacher candidates on practicum. His research interest in mathematics education is informed by situated, cultural, and critical perspectives inspired by principles of cultural sustainability, social justice, and inclusion. In his doctoral research, Kwesi employs the concept of cultural capital and Afrocentric worldviews to investigate cultural strategies that African immigrant families deploy to support their children's mathematics learning in the context of Canada. Kwesi’s research will contribute knowledge and insights that will guide teachers and other educators towards a more culturally responsive mathematics curriculum and pedagogy for students of African background. His most recent publications include “Situated perspectives on creating mathematics tasks for peace and sustainability” published in Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education (CJSMTE).
Doctoral Student Profile Science Education
Megan Zeni is a PhD candidate who brings over 25 years of K-7 public school teaching to her research. With an M.Ed from the University of Toronto (OISE) that explored the academic value of play, her research interests have expanded to include pedagogies of place and play in the elementary school context. Megan has extensive experience teaching in public school outdoor classrooms, and consults broadly on school garden pedagogy with practical strategies for joyful outdoor play and learning. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, hiking, boating, and skiing with her family in this beautiful province we call home! Follow her learning journey at www.meganzeni.com or on Twitter and Instagram at @roomtoplay.
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Megan Zeni is a PhD candidate who brings over 25 years of K-7 public school teaching to her research. With an M.Ed from the University of Toronto (OISE) that explored the academic value of play, her research interests have expanded to include pedagogies of place and play in the elementary school context. Megan has extensive experience teaching in public school outdoor classrooms, and consults broadly on school garden pedagogy with practical strategies for joyful outdoor play and learning. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, hiking, boating, and skiing with her family in this beautiful province we call home! Follow her learning journey at www.meganzeni.com or on Twitter and Instagram at @roomtoplay.
Doctoral Student Profile Mathematics Education
This is Ting Zhang, a PhD student at the University of British Columbia in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, studying under the supervision of Dr. Ann Anderson. My research addresses how elementary students’ mathematical problem solving develops with robotics activities. Raised by parents with engineering backgrounds in Xi’an, China, I went to business school in Shanghai Jiaotong University, where I obtained my bachelor's degree in business. I have been heavily involved in designing and teaching robotics programs for more than a decade after I received an MA in education from California State University in 2004. My current research attempts to examine the role of educational robotics as a learning aid within the context of problem-based learning in mathematics.
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This is Ting Zhang, a PhD student at the University of British Columbia in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, studying under the supervision of Dr. Ann Anderson. My research addresses how elementary students’ mathematical problem solving develops with robotics activities. Raised by parents with engineering backgrounds in Xi’an, China, I went to business school in Shanghai Jiaotong University, where I obtained my bachelor's degree in business. I have been heavily involved in designing and teaching robotics programs for more than a decade after I received an MA in education from California State University in 2004. My current research attempts to examine the role of educational robotics as a learning aid within the context of problem-based learning in mathematics.