Northwest Community College Connections

Challenging the Paradigm is back at NWCC

Marie-Eve Drouin-Gagne, a PhD student at Montreal's Concordia University, leads a discussion on The Evolutionist Explanation, and the Challenge of Indigenous Higher Education. Her presentation was at NWCC Terrace Campus Waap Galts'ap during the first day of Challenging the Paradigm 2012.


TERRACE – Challenging the Paradigm 2012 is in full swing today, the first of three full days of Northwest Community College's (NWCC) annual gathering that centres discussion and learning activities around decolonizing post-secondary education.

This year, Challenging the Paradigm's theme is Teaching, Learning & Knowing in Both Worlds and features keynote speaker Gerald Taiaiake Alfred (see bio below).

In addition to Taiaiake, the gathering attracts people from around the province and the rest of Canada. Organizer Seth Downs, NWCC Manager of Events & Conference Planning, says this year there are representatives from several Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island institutes, including Capilano University, Simon Fraser University, University of the Fraser Valley, Justice Institute of BC, Camosun College, Vancouver Community College, University of Victoria, and representatives from the University of Northern BC, Prince Rupert School District no.52 and from as far away as Toronto's George Brown College and Concordia University in Montreal.

The conference kicked off Wednesday night with a welcome reception from NWCC President, Dr. Denise Henning at Waap Haawk.

Today, the first full day, is packed with speakers/breakout sessions from 10am to 5pm. Among the speakers and the topics they are covering are: Mark Fettes (SFU) – LUCID Teaching: Decolonizing the Imagination; Audrey Woods & Ed Harrison (UNBC) – Dividing one life between two worlds; Molly Wickham (NWCC) – Turning Points: Challenging perceptions of decolonization; Marie-Eve Drouin-Gagne (PhD student, Concordia University) – The Evolutionist Explanation, and the Challenge of Indigenous Higher Education; and Sheree Ronaassen and Gordon Weary (NWCC) – Power of Field School Learning.

Friday morning will see the keynote address by Taiaiake Alfred, followed by a new and unique addition to Challenging the Paradigm, half-day field school learning experiences to the Nass Valley and Kitselas Canyon National Historic Site.

Challenging the Paradigm wraps up on Saturday with an open-floor for all participants to discuss how to move forward with decolonizing the education system. Dr. Henning will moderate this discussion, focusing on the topics/experiences from the previous two days.

This marks the fourth Challenging the Paradigm gathering at NWCC since it was started in 2009. With the exception of 2011, it is an annual event that all NWCC staff, post-secondary educators and administrators are encouraged to attend.

For Dr. Henning, a Cherokee/Choctaw originating from Creek County in Oklahoma, Challenging the Paradigm is an event tied directly to her expertise and knowledge in the post-secondary world, which has been marked by a dedication to inclusion and equity in higher education and to increasing the knowledge and appreciation, by all people, of the rich heritages of Indigenous peoples in North America.

"Challenging the Paradigm is an opportunity to share ideas that are essential to making post-secondary education accessible and meaningful to all students,” said Dr. Henning. "Decolonizing post-secondary education is but one pillar in the success of Aboriginal students that we our proud to be helping to lead."

Registration is still open for one and two-day participation. See the website for details.
 
Challenging the Paradigm keynote speaker Gerald Taiaiake Alfred:
Gerald Taiaiake Alfred is a Professor of Indigenous Governance at the University of Victoria, where he specializes in studies of traditional governance, the restoration of land-based cultural practices, and decolonization strategies. He has been awarded a Canada Research Chair, a National Aboriginal Achievement Award in the field of education, and the Native American Journalists Association award for best column writing.

Educated at Concordia and Cornell universities, Taiaiake has lectured around the world and has served as an advisor on land and governance and on cultural restoration for his own and many other First Nation governments and Indigenous organizations. His writing includes scholarly articles and reports, newspaper columns, non-fiction essays, and three published books, Wasase, a runner-up for the McNally Robinson Aboriginal Book of the Year in 2005; Peace, Power, Righteousness; and, Heeding the Voices of Our Ancestors.

Taking the spring/summer off? Not at NWCC

The 2011 group that made up the Stewart/Telegraph Creek Field School class visits awe-inspiring Salmon Glacier near Stewart and Hyder, Alaska.

 

TERRACE – Northwest Community College's (NWCC) Spring/Summer semester has kicked into gear with a variety of courses to choose from, including the flexibility of online options.

A highlight of NWCC's Spring/Summer semester is the field schools experience, with on-campus and in-the-field learning. In 2012, NWCC offers four such intensive and unique opportunities: the Cultural Heritage of the Skeena and Bulkley Valley Field School from April 30 to May 18 at NWCC Smithers Campus; Kitlope Field School from June 15-28 at NWCC Terrace Campus; Haida Gwaii Field School from July 18-31 at the Haida Heritage Centre at Kaay Llnagaay, plus Terrace videoconference; and Stewart/Telegraph Creek Field School from Aug. 15-31 at NWCC Terrace Campus.

Field school students get the bonus of earning credits—each field school includes one to two different courses with up to six University Credits—that may satisfy requirements as a core or elective course for a College credential.

In addition to the popular field schools, NWCC offers a variety of Spring/Summer semester courses to choose from with starting dates from now until August. A selection of courses is also available for online and distance learning.

"Northwest Community College's Spring/Summer semester courses offer flexibility for our students," says Lianne Gagnon, NWCC Dean of Student Development & Instruction. "These courses and the field schools are ideal for those students who want to keep their minds active, get a head start on the fall semester or get additional course credits in a short amount of time, or those who are seeking a hands-on and unique learning experience." 

Go to Northwest Connect today and find a course or field school that suits you this Spring/Summer semester. Click the "Guests" link, then click "Search for Classes." On the new page, choose 2012 Spring/Summer from the "Term" drop down list and enter search by the "Subject" and/or  "Location" drop down lists. Then, scroll to the bottom of the page and click "Submit."

NWCC is a valuable community asset, impacting the lives of students and our communities. Through its nine campuses, 500-plus employees and an annual injection of over $30 million into the local economy, NWCC is an economic engine supporting the many communities that look to us to provide innovative programs and services.

Student success: focus on NWCC Field Schools

As the winter semester comes to an end and attention at Northwest Community College (NWCC) switches to the start of spring/summer semester offerings, nursing student Kim Latimer says students should really look at the unique series of field schools offered between now and September.

Latimer, who is finishing her second year of the Northern Collaborative Baccalaureate Nursing Program and transfers to UNBC this fall for third and fourth years, can't say enough about the hands-on learning experience she had in 2011 taking the Stewart/Telegraph Creek Field School.

"It was great," said Latimer. "You spend the first week in the class doing really interactive learning, then head up north for the last week to put the theory into practice. You get to stay in neat accommodations and see some pretty amazing landscapes. I'm not joking when I say we must have seen over 30 bears!"

The field school appealed to Latimer, a horse riding enthusiast who likes the outdoors and experiential learning. She says it offered a unique opportunity to visit Telegraph Creek.

"Telegraph Creek isn't a community you can visit on your own, you need to have permission from the people who reside there," said Latimer. "This was a unique opportunity to explore the Tahltan culture and territory."

And when you consider she earned six credits towards her nursing program—an anthropology credit, which was used as her First Nations focus elective and a geology credit satisfying her 200-level elective—you can see why she'd encourage others to do the same.

Latimer says you don't need to be outdoorsy or an extreme hiker to participate either, adding the instructors are super accommodating to everyone.

"I really have to applaud (University Credit instructors) Gord (Weary) and Sheree (Ronaasen), they make the whole thing so enjoyable and entertaining. It's neat to learn from people who really love what they teach, it really engages us as students."

The 2008 Caledonia Secondary School graduate listed several personal highlights from the field school: "I really enjoyed Stewart. I've been there before and it's such a neat community, definitely somewhere I will consider working in the future. Hiking under the Berendon Glacier was pretty surreal, too.

"I had no background in geology, so that course gave me a pretty broad perspective of what geology's all about. I really enjoyed hearing stories that First Nations Elders tell; they are such a unique culture in regards to their traditions and background."

This spring and summer, NWCC offers four field schools with on-campus learning followed by in-the-field learning: Cultural Heritage of the Skeena and Bulkley Valley Field School from April 30 to May 18 at NWCC Smithers Campus; Kitlope Field School from June 15-28 at NWCC Terrace Campus; Haida Gwaii Field School from July 18-31 at the Haida Heritage Centre at  Kaay Llnagaay, plus Terrace videoconference; and Stewart/Telegraph Creek Field School from Aug. 15-31 at NWCC Terrace Campus.

Each field school includes one to two different courses for up to six University Credits. Go to the field schools page on NWCC's website  for more information.

Latimer, who envisions a nursing career working in remote locations before eventually moving to live and work as a trauma/ER nurse in Australia, says another benefit of field schools is keeping your mind active and inquisitive during the spring and summer semesters. The field school she took part in ran the last two weeks in August and she says it was a good way to get into school mode a little early.

For more photos from last year's Stewart/Telegraph Creek Field School, click here.

NWCC is a valuable community asset, impacting the lives of students and our communities. Through its nine campuses, 500-plus employees and an annual injection of over $30 million into the local economy, NWCC is an economic engine supporting the many communities that look to us to provide innovative programs and services.