Browsing by Author "Danyluk, Patricia"

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    A Qualitative Case Study Exploring the Learning Experiences of Self-Directed Social Work Practicum Students
    (2024-05-23) Judge-Stasiak, Angela; Eaton, Sarah Elaine; Burns, Amy; Danyluk, Patricia
    A qualitative case study methodology was implemented to explore the learning experiences of self-directed social work practicum students within real-world settings. Eight social work students and seven practicum supervisors were included in this study. The research objective focused on a comprehensive understanding of self-directed practicum learning, including the factors that influence, facilitate, and restrict these experiences. The study underscored how these experiences impact students as they acquire the knowledge and skills necessary for future social work practice. The research design, supported by a constructivist paradigm, draws from learning theories relevant to experiential and self-directed learning within social work education and incorporates insights from scholarship on the ethics of care, emphasizing the significance of compassionate and ethical considerations in social work education and practice. This study highlighted the crucial role of reflection in the learning process and within the research itself. The research findings are relevant for field educators, social work students, and other allied professionals. Examining student and supervisor responses about supervised, self-directed social work practicum yielded insights that could inform and enhance educational practices embodying a compassionate, reflective, and self-directed approach to learning and professional development.
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    Crisis and Opportunity: How Canadian Bachelor of Education Programs Responded to the Pandemic
    (Canadian Association for Teacher Education (CATE), 2022) Danyluk, Patricia; Burns, Amy; Hill, S. Laurie; Crawford, Kathryn
    This collection examines how Bachelor of Education programs across Canada adapted during the COVID-19 pandemic, covering the period immediately after the pandemic was declared and the year following (March 2020 to March 2021). The collection is divided into four sections focused on programmatic changes, pedagogical developments, practicum adaptations, and equity with an overall consistent concern for preservice teacher learning and well-being.
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    Experiencing the shift: How postsecondary contract and continuing faculty moved to online course delivery
    (Brock University, 2021-07-13) Danyluk, Patricia; Burns, Amy
    The shift to online learning that occurred in March of 2020 created an unprecedented period of intense work for faculty and sessional instructors at the postsecondary level. This shift necessitated courses be adapted under short timelines, new technology be integrated into course design, and teaching strategies and assessment methods be adapted for an online environment (Van Nuland et al., 2020). This study examines how sessional instructors, referred to in this article as contract faculty, and continuing full-time faculty members delivering the same online courses experienced this shift. While the demands of a continuing faculty position call for balancing of teaching, research, and service responsibilities, contract instructors have their own unique stressors (Karram Stephenson et al., 2020). Contract faculty lack job security, are paid by the course, and often receive their teaching assignments with short notice. By examining their perspectives on delivering the same courses online, we learn that the shift to online teaching resulted in additional work in order to adapt courses to the online environment, with faculty describing the challenges of balancing the additional work with other responsibilities of their position. Concerns of participants focused on a perceived inability to develop relationships with students in an online environment.
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    Exploring English Language Learning Experiences of Adult Chinese Immigrants
    (2023-09-03) Pang, Jinping; Kawalilak, Colleen; Brown, Barbara; Danyluk, Patricia
    Adult Chinese immigrants face many challenges in transition experiences when moving to Canada. Good English language proficiency is essential for integration into Canadian society as it determines educational and employment opportunities. Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) programs are government-funded programs that support immigrants in improving their English language levels and in understanding Canadian culture. The purpose of this research is to have an in-depth understanding of adult Chinese immigrants’ transition experiences in Canada to help policymakers and instructors more effectively understand and support this demographic in their transition experiences. I employ a qualitative and descriptive single case study to explore and describe this aspect through the lens of the 4S System of transition theory, which consists of Self, Situation, Strategies, and Support. Employing semi-structured interviews, four participants were selected for the research through a purposeful sampling method. The gathered data was then analyzed through the lens of the 4S System, which incorporates the themes of transitions, inner strengths, strategies, and support. The research results found that participants’ inner strengths, such as optimism, supported them in dealing with transitions. Research results also showed the importance of a strong support system, such as government, institutions, community, friends, and family in helping Chinese immigrants deal with transitions.
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    Exploring what Success Means from the Perspectives of Aboriginal Elders, Parents, and Educators in Aklavik, Northwest Territories
    (2016) Wick, Meghan; Drefs, Michelle; Poitras Pratt, Yvonne; Badry, Dorothy; Danyluk, Patricia
    This project explores both Gwich’in and Inuvialuit perspectives of success in the remote community of Aklavik in the Beaufort Delta Region of the Northwest Territories. From the onset, this project has been completed in a collaborative partnership with the District Education Authority of Moose Kerr School in Aklavik, which involved constant collaboration regarding all aspects of this work. A group of 12 Aboriginal Elders, parents, and school educators collectively came together to participate in focus group sessions and semi-structured interviews with a goal to develop a common, balanced, and culturally-based vision of what constitutes success in learning for Gwich’in and Inuvialuit peoples in Aklavik. During focus group and interview sessions, themes emerged that reflect a deeper, more holistic understanding of success for the community. Through several direct quotes captured by community participants, the findings highlight strengths the community has in fostering success, as well as areas the community continues to work towards. The community was determined to achieve their own success in this work, which is reflected in both the insightful words brought forward by participants as well as in a working model of success created by the community. The visions of success brought forward in this project will provide a foundation for how the current education system can be understood, challenged, and transformed for generations to come.
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    ‘First, do no harm’: systematic program evaluation of an equine veterinary service-learning initiative with Indigenous communities in Canada
    (2024-03-14) Tan, Jean-Yin; Pratt, Yvonne Poitras; Danyluk, Patricia
    Abstract Background Veterinary students have historically lacked meaningful experiential learning opportunities in equine medicine. At the same time, there are barriers to accessing veterinary care in Indigenous communities stemming from colonial injustices. In 2018–2019, a partnership was initiated where University of Calgary students began to provide equine veterinary services to Indigenous communities. As the first-documented equine veterinary service-learning initiative in Indigenous communities embedded in a veterinary curriculum, the purpose of the study is to systematically evaluate the program for its potential impact as part of a formative process for improvement. Methods Multiple parties in the program were engaged in a convergent, parallel, mixed-methods systematic program evaluation to explore the main program outcomes: (1) equine veterinary care; (2) clinical experiential student education; (3) cultural training of veterinary professionals and students; and (4) education of community members. The hypothesis was that ethical development using the “first, do no harm principle” would lead to benefits including a healthy horse population, a technically and culturally competent veterinary community, and an educated horse clientele. Results The program had a positive impact on accessibility to veterinary care and self-reported improvement in veterinary and cultural competency. In addition to the hypothesized program outcomes, additional program outcomes and effects were identified, including reciprocal learning and relationship building with the Indigenous community, leading to trust and equity-building. The students learned from both the in-community programming as well as the Indigenous community members they worked with. Conclusion Program evaluation of an equine service-learning initiative in Indigenous communities reveals multiple and profound impacts including improved patient health status, wider scope of veterinary and cultural learning, strengthened relationships, and reciprocal learning with partnering Indigenous communities.
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    Learning to Teach on a Construction Site: Applying Kolb's Model to the Student Teaching Practicum
    (University of Calgary, 2016-05) Burns, Amy; Danyluk, Patricia; Werklund School of Education
    This study examines the pre-professional development of two pre-service teachers during a non-traditional student teaching placement on a housing construction site. The findings are analyzed from the perspective of Kolb’s (1984) model and examined against the Teaching Effectiveness Framework by Friesen (2009) to outline a powerful opportunity for field-based teacher education. Initial findings point to an enriched pre-service teaching environment that provided the opportunity to create rich inquiry based interdisciplinary lessons related to the building project, the potential to build pre-service teacher conversational and workplace skills through interaction with community stakeholders and the opportunity to develop competencies in peer feedback and collaboration.
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    Moving from Discussion Boards to Jamboard
    (2022-07-19) Danyluk, Patricia
    Jamboard is a digital interactive whiteboard that allows learners to collaborate in real time. Jamboard was released by Google in 2017 and is one of the free products on Google’s G-suite. Prior to discovering Jamboard, I relied upon discussion boards in each of my classes. In my role as instructor, discussion boards provided me with insight into who was completing the course readings and acted as a form of assessment, both formative and summative. In this brief vignette, I discuss how Jamboards offer many of the advantages of discussion boards and provide students with the opportunity to interact with their instructor and peers. This results in a more enjoyable online course.
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    Moving Toward Critical Service Learning as a Signature Pedagogy in Aboriginal Communities: Why Good Intentions are not Enough.
    (University of Calgary, 2016-05) Poitras Pratt, Yvonne; Danyluk, Patricia; Werklund School of Education
    This study examines the experiences of student teachers that participated in a service-learning program working in Indigenous communities throughout Alberta. The intent of this study is to share what student teachers experienced as they combined formal theoretical knowledge and course content with community-based praxis. Initial results point to a synergistic relationship between the length of service learning and the depth of critical reflection. Those education students who were able to shift their understanding of the educational gap from a deficit perspective to recognition of their own gaps in knowledge are often those who think, act and perform with integrity.
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    Responding to the Calls to Action: Indigenizing a Graduate Program
    (University of Calgary, 2017-05) Pratt, Yvonne Poitras; Lablonde, Solange; Hanson, Aubrey; Danyluk, Patricia; Werklund School of Education
    In this article, we present our work on Indigenizing pedagogy as a response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (2015) Calls to Action. While Indigenous scholars provide access to the written voices of First Peoples (Battiste, 2013; Donald, 2009; Smith, 2012), the graduate program we created around the topic of reconciliation intentionally invited in Elders and allies to teach and learn alongside students. Our research reveals that inclusion of knowledge keepers, a respectful learning environment, along with creative pedagogical approaches, fostered transformative learning; yet we argue these innovations were only possible because our visions were supported by allied leadership.
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    A Review of the Literature on Academic Writing Supports and Instructional Design Approaches Within Blended and Online Learning Environments
    (2017-04) Scott, David; Ribeiro, Jason; Burns, Amy; Danyluk, Patricia; Bodnaresko, Sulyn
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    Using Indigenous Talking Circles in Online Environments
    (2021-05-10) Danyluk, Patricia; Hanson, Aubrey
    Talking circles online offer an opportunity for students to connect with one another during the course and in doing so enhance student satisfaction with the course. When facilitating a talking circle, the host must make it clear that they are drawing upon Indigenous knowledge systems. This requires educators to learn about the Indigenous peoples in the territory and ensure that they are respecting protocols and practices. Talking circles can be used to share feelings and thoughts, to connect with content, to build community, and as a form of assessment. The authors share their experiences using talking circles in synchronous sessions.
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    When the Professional Gets Personal: Teachers’ Experiences of Learning About Weight-Neutral Approaches to School Health Promotion
    (2024-05-22) Williams, Lindsay; Russell-Mayhew, Shelly; Mudry, Tanya; Danyluk, Patricia
    Health promotion is commonly carried out in schools. While school health promotion may aim to support health in a holistic way, it often reflects a weight-centric approach that places undue emphasis on body weight as the primary focus. As weight-centric approaches to health carry risks for student and teacher health and wellbeing, some schools are adopting a weight-neutral approach that supports health for people of all body sizes. Teachers are at the forefront of the shift to a weight-neutral approach in schools, and as a result, professional learning (PL) initiatives have been developed to help them make this change. Shifting to a weight-neutral approach to health may require significant changes in teachers’ personal beliefs about weight and health, and the personal impact of weight-neutral PL has implications for both teacher wellbeing and teachers’ ability to convey a weight-neutral approach effectively with students. In this qualitative study, I aimed to understand the influence of a PL series about weight-neutral approaches to health on teachers’ personal relationships with their bodies and health. Eleven teachers who completed a weight-neutral PL series were interviewed about their experiences. Reflexive thematic analysis (rTA) of the data revealed that participants became more aware of how their past experiences were shaped by a weight-centric approach to health; experienced a new, more weight-neutral way of relating to their bodies; and conceived of ways to maintain and advocate for a weight-neutral approach to health in the future. These findings are discussed in light of their implications for teacher wellbeing, future weight-neutral PL initiatives, and counselling psychology practice.