Holistic Educators Saturday Meetings at OISE in Toronto 2018-2019
Holistic Educators Saturday Meetings at OISE in Toronto 2018-2019
The Holistic Educator’s Group meets Saturday mornings from 10am - 12 noon approximately every two months from September through April. The meetings are open to all who may be interested in holistic teaching and learning and are not exclusively for those who are associated with studies at OISE/UT. We have a number of captivating workshop leaders each year who join us to lead the sessions which tend to be interactive and participatory. Meetings also provide an opportunity to network with those who have common interests. There is no need to register in advance and there is no charge to attend the workshops. Please invite others who may be interested in our meetings.
Our meetings are 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 meeting is posted at the security desk in the lobby. The main floor coffee concession is sometimes open on Saturdays or there's a Tim Horton's just east of the building on Bloor. Parking on Saturday under the OISE building is currently under construction. There is a Green P parking lot on Bedford just north of Bloor. Of course TTC is always a good option (St. George Station on the Bloor/Danforth line).
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.
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.
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 hicks is
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.
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.
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.
