The Holistic Educator’s
Group met Saturday mornings from 10am - 12 noon approximately every two
months from September through
April. The meetings were
open to all who may be interested in holistic teaching and learning and
were not exclusively for those who are
associated with studies
at OISE/UT. We have had a number of captivating workshop leaders each year
who joined us to lead the
sessions which tended
to be interactive and participatory. Meetings also provided an opportunity
to network with those who have
common interests. There
was no need to register in advance and there was no charge to attend the
workshops. Attendees invited
others who were interested
in our meetings.
Our meetings were at OISE/UT,
252 Bloor Street West between St. George Street and Bedford Road on the
north side of the street. The
room number for the meetings
were posted at the security desk in the lobby. The main floor coffee
concession was sometimes open on
Saturdays or there's
a Tim Horton's just east of the building on Bloor. Parking on Saturday
was under the OISE building. There is a Green
P parking lot on Bedford
just north of Bloor. Of course TTC was always a good option (St. George
Station on the Bloor/Danforth line).
September
29 Room 4-414
Carlos Praniauskas: Alternative Medical Therapies: Shiatsu, Bio-Magnetic Pair Therapy, Qigong
Shiatsu Therapy is a Japanese
therapeutic massage that shares much of its background theory with Traditional
Chinese Medicine, acupuncture and
incorporates western
medical principles of anatomy, physiology and pathology. Participants will
learn a self-shiatsu sequence to relieve headaches,
neck and shoulder tension.
Bio-Magnetic Pair Therapy
is a therapeutic approach discovered by Dr. Goiz Duran over 25 years ago.
It consists of scanning and treating the body
with powerful magnets
of 1000 to 3000 Gauss. BPT identifies the origin and location of
pathogenic viruses, bacteria, fungus and parasites,
eliminating them by the
application of bio-magnets in pairs to specific parts of the body.
Qigong is the practice
of gathering, circulating and applying life force energy (Qi) to protect
and strengthen the body. It is most commonly
practiced through a series
of exercises which combine breathing techniques with movement and visualization.
Participants will learn a short
sequence to purge, tone
and balance energies improving health and personal power.
J. Carlos Praniauskas Dip S.T. C.S.T.
Certified Shiatsu Therapist,
Medical Qigong Practitioner and Certified Bio-Magnetic Therapist. Carlos
is also the former Director of the Shiatsu
Diploma Program ? Head
Student Clinic Supervisor of the Shiatsu School of Canada. Carlos
has devoted his life to continuously expanding his
knowledge within the
field of alternative medical therapies.
Carlos refined his Shiatsu
technique by learning forms of Shiatsu Therapy from Master Aklinobu Kishi
and Master Ryokyu Endo, Toru Namikoshi, Kaz
Kamiya ? Tetsuro Saito.
Carlos’ skills and extensive knowledge have contributed to his writing
many articles for medical publications and major
newspapers in Canada.
Carlos studied Qigong under Dr. Zaiwen Shen from 1987 to 1990, and later
with Master Wu. He also studied Qigong at the
Acupuncture and Integrated
Medical College at Berkeley, California where he received his certification
as a Medical Qigong Practitioner in 2006.
Carlos has also studied
Bio-Magnetic Therapy with Dr. Isaac Goiz Duran. Carlos currently
operates his own Shiatsu, Qigong and Bio-Magnetic
Therapy practice in Toronto
and has done so since 1988.
Please visit Carlos' site
for detailed information about all of Carlos' clinical practices. http://www.shiatsutoronto.org/
Carlos is now at the Xiaolan
Health Centre, 88 Prince
Arthur Avenue, Toronto, ON M5R 1B6 For more information, 416-788-3187.
November 24 Room 5-280
Winifred Hunsburger ? Matt Badali: Retracing the Circle: Meditation ? Protocols for Personal and Community Growth
The authenticity and health
of individuals and communities are inextricably intertwined. If we are
to realize inclusive, equitable and just communities
in our classrooms and
our workplaces, individuals must bring their true and whole selves to those
community and community must support and
promote the growth of
individuals. In this session we examine two means of working toward this
vision. Regular classroom meditation practice
supports individuals
in bringing their true selves to the classroom community while protocols
provide a framework for discussion and interaction that
promotes deep listening
and enhances communication. Together these reciprocal practices build
community and stimulate personal reflection and
growth. Participants
in the session will examine ways of integrating meditation practice into
the life of the classroom and experience how structured
conversations bring the
gift of community to personal growth.
“A community of peers
can help us discern our inner truth and support us in the demands of embracing
it. But for true self to show up, the
community must make a
promise to protect it.” - The Center for Courage and Renewal.
Matt Badali has been a
primary grade teacher for ten years and has incorporated a meditation practice
into his classroom. Matt is a former martial
artist and currently
practices reiki. Much of his inspiration for making meditation a part of
his pedagogical practice is informed by his holistic outlook
on education as well
as his insights as a practitioner himself.
Winifred Hunsburger brings
twenty years experience teaching junior, middle and senior level students
as well as many years experience in adult
education. She holds
an Ed.D. from OISE and has training and certification in coaching and facilitation.
She is inspired by the work of Parker Palmer
and is pursuing further
education at the Center for Courage and Renewal.
January
12 - Room 5-280
benjamin
lee hicks ? Tami Rankin
benjamin lee hicks: OUR LIVES OUT LOUD IN THIS SPACE: Exploring the potential of Contemplative Arts Based Data Analysis
This workshop will explore
a unique methodology that combines arts-based data analysis and contemplative
practice. Reflecting in part on a
practitioner research
study that asks, “what happens when student teachers are invited to learn
about trans/gender diverse identities through a
creative exploration
of their own relationship to identity+change”, we will consider how Contemplative
Arts Based Data Analysis (CABDA) can
support teachers/researchers
whose work connects deeply with personal life experiences. Using mixed-media
art layered with academic writing, I will
share visual examples
of how CABDA informs me as a researcher who is transgender, and who also
facilitates sexual/gender diversity education for
teachers. In the second
part of this workshop, we will work through a few interactive practices
together, and then take time to reflect on the role
of personal story, memory
and emotion in qualitative research.
benjamin lee hicksis a
visual artist, elementary school teacher and PhD candidate. They taught
junior kindergarten - grade 6 classrooms in the
Toronto District School
Board for 8 years prior to beginning graduate work in Curriculum Studies
and Teacher Development at the Ontario Institute
for Studies in Education,
University of Toronto. benjamin has written and illustrated curriculum
materials for teachers on topics of sustainable
community building, all-gender
inclusion and arts-based activism. Their graduate work focuses on how we
might better support teachers to expect
queerness and prepare
for all gender identities in elementary school classrooms. benjamin’s current
project considers the potential of a decelerated,
holistic approach to
teacher professional learning about gender diversity and queering school
space. They are interested in slowing down the pace
at which social justice
learning opportunities are offered to teachers; making room for heart-based
processing alongside social and political theory.
www.leehicks.weebly.com
benjaminlee.hicks@mail.utoronto.ca
Tami
Rankin - Exploring the Meaning of Empathy
My workshop/presentation
is an overview of my research interest and findings on Empathy. Empathy
was the focus of my doctoral research with Dr.
J. Miller. As a teacher
of Social Work Practice, Counselling and Mental Health Curriculum in post
secondary institutions, I am drawn to the teaching
of empathy and how to
construct empathic curriculum. My doctoral research examined how to teach
the value of empathy to adult students, where
empathy is a core value
across the curriculum and within the professional practice of social work
and education. A process for discussing empathy
as a value and not a
skill to be learned will be experienced in this workshop. Narrative methods
linked to lived experience will be practiced.
Tami Rankin: Currently
I am a professor at Sheridan and Seneca Colleges where I teach social work
and mental health curriculum in diploma and
degree programs. I recently
completed my PhD at OISE where I was fortunate to be able to work with
Dr. Miller. My background is in Counselling,
Mental Health and Community
Services. I am currently constructing and teaching curriculum to support
the learning of adults of varying ages, who
will be working in the
fields of social work and community health.
February
23 - Room 5-280
Tara
Kumabe ? Kirby Mitchell: Holistic Educators in Special Education
Join us for an interactive
and engaging session that focuses on the work of two holistic educators
and their experiences within special education in
Ontario public schools.
During our time together, we will examine what educators are currently
doing to foster well-being in their schools and explore
how we can foster well-being
in our own practice.
Kirby Mitchell, Ph.D.
Candidate:Kirby is a doctoral candidate in the Curriculum, Teaching, and
Learning department at OISE/UT. He is employed
full-time in the Peel
District School Board as a special education Itinerant teacher on the Secondary
Intensive Behavior Team. His role focuses on
collaborating with school
teams to foster social-emotional wellbeing and school success for students
labeled as behaviorally challenging. His current
research examines stories
of exemplary special education workers seeking both personal and student
well-being.
Tara Kumabe, Ph.D: Tara
is a recent doctoral graduate from the Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning
department at OISE/UT. She is a full time
elementary school teacher
for the York Region District School Board, where she teaches in a community
class for students identified with
developmental disabilities.
Her research interests include holistic and inclusive education, in-school
team structures, and care in schools.
March
23 –Room 5-280
Equinox
School: Marcia Mcvean, Deborah Adelman, Boriana Koran
Equinox Holistic Alternative
School: Founding teachers Deborah Adelman and Marcia McVean, with active
Equinox parent and ASAC Chair Boriana
Karan, share the journey
of one of TDSB’s largest elementary alternative schools. Equinox was proposed
based on Jack Miller’s The Holistic
Curriculum. Celebrating
10 years, Equinox has grown core routines that engage the whole child,
connecting through body, mind, spirit and heart to
others and the world
around them. From inception, healthy partnerships between holistically
active, informed teachers and parents continue to
support programs across
the grades. Deborah, Marcia and Boriana will offer insights into the strength,
success and challenges of Equinox.
Deborah Adelman conceived
the idea of a public holistic school which became Equinox Holistic Alternative
School. With a background in
international community
development and Waldorf education, Deborah is inspired by the many connections
and benefits of holistic education. She
continues to share Equinox
practices of holistic outdoor inquiry through the TDSB and beyond.
Marcia McVean is a mother,
musician, artist and educator. Twenty years of elementary classroom teaching
began in Grassy Narrows First Nation,
followed by inner city
schools in the TDSB, Monteverde, Costa Rica and her current post at Equinox
Holistic Alternative School. Led by her
commitment to holistic
education, Marcia connects with children in the classroom, community, and
on the land and the yoga mats.
Boriana Koran was raised
in communist Bulgaria with no options for alternative education. Since
her childrens’ enrolment in Equinox Holistic
Alternative School, she
became a strong supporter of alternative pedagogies in public schools as
a way to provide learning environments for
different learners and
build strong local communities. Boriana expresses her support for Alternative
Education in TDSB through actively participating
in ASAC as a Co-Chair.