Faculty of Education UVic Faculty of Education

Last week, we officially welcomed Dr. Vanessa Andreotti to UVic as our new Dean of Education. She was appointed in April 2022 with plans for a transition year leading up to her five-year term beginning on July 1, 2023. Dr. Catherine McGregor, our Associate Dean, Graduate Programs and Research, graciously stepped up to take on the position of Acting Dean for the faculty during this transition year.

UVic Faculty of Education Community Relations Coordinator Jasdeep Randhawa spoke with Catherine and Vanessa to learn about their experiences with this process, their reflections on the past year and their hopes for the future.

In this episode, we had a great conversation with doctoral student Suriani Dzulkifli about her research and her journey as an international student in Canada, from her undergraduate studies in Ottawa to her current research in the Department of Educational Psychology & Leadership Studies at UVic.

Suriani describes her use of arts-based methodology in her research to investigate the different ways in which international students navigate the three education settings: formal education, non-formal education, and informal learning that we do on a daily basis.

Jeff Hopkins is the creator and principal for the Pacific School of Innovation and Inquiry (PSII) located in downtown Victoria. In this episode, Hopkins explains why he chose to create this new high school to fill gaps in education using questions and quests and how it benefits students.

Read more about PSII: https://learningstorm.org/

We had a great conversation with Wendy-Sue Andrew, UVic’s 2020 Education Distinguished Alumni of the Year.

Wendy-Sue is now the executive director for Lifetime Networks. Living with her son diagnosed with autism and cerebral palsy, she moved from being a full-time teacher to helping out children of parents who like her wondered: What is going to happen when the parents are no longer there to support their children? What could they do to have their children on the autism spectrum engage and connect with people to create lasting relationships that will support them through life? Lifetime Networks is now helping over 400 people connect and become more independent.

Learn more about Lifetime Networks: https://www.lifetimenetworks.org/

Assistant professor Alison Shields invited Teresa Vander Meer-Chassé as an artist-in-residence to create beadwork and explore how she connects with students the Indigenous way.

They explored what happened as Teresa sat at a table beading and took the time to meet with passersby and art education classrooms being sent her way. They sat with her and learned through watching and conversations. Connecting around a kitchen table brings out personal stories and larger questions.

Let’s hear what they have to say about beadwork and how taking the time helps to learn and connect with each other.

Thomas Webb’s experience in science started at a young age when he started exploring life's mysteries along with a group of primary school kids enrolled in the UVic Science Venture program. His discoveries inspired him to follow a path in Science. He is now one of the program coordinators for Science Venture. Webb explains the nuts and bolts of the program and shares how the program changed his life.

Find out more about Science Venture: https://www.scienceventure.ca/