CANCELLED: The Classroom: A Powerful Place for a Community of Wellbeing

This event is part of the 2023 Celebrate Learning Week, taking place from May 2–9, 2023.

This session will bring together a diverse panel of students, faculty, and staff, who are practicing, researching and/or experiencing wellbeing in the classroom. Through facilitated discussion and sharing ideas, this session provides an environment for instructors to be inspired to find opportunity within their own classes to incorporate wellbeing practices.

We are very aware of the challenged state of wellbeing of our students, faculty and staff and additionally, how personal health and wellbeing are critical for fully engaging, experiencing and learning in a university setting. Intentional practices, actions, and behaviours that either directly or indirectly target multiple dimensions of student wellbeing in the classroom setting can impact engagement, belonging, and connection with instructors and class peers.

When taken together with the fourth goal of the Indigenous Strategic Plan—Indigenizing our Curriculum—by “includ[ing] Indigenous ways of knowing, culture, histories, experiences and worldviews in curriculum…” examples of facilitating wellbeing in the classroom can range from the language used in course outlines to offering different assignment topics and grading practices, to teaching and learning approaches rooted in intentional kindness and compassion, and the inclusion of movement breaks.

If we all do a little something in every class to foster student wellbeing, then collectively, as an institution, we can move toward systemic cultural shifts. Instructors and staff who support the wellbeing of their students also reap benefits!

In the session, specific examples and detail will be given with resources and follow-up support if desired. We encourage audience participation.

We have a responsibility to make the classroom environment a positive, powerful space, that is inclusive and safe for all our students . . . . so they can be well, . . . . so they can engage in their learning.

For more events like this one, join the UBC Teaching and Wellbeing Community of Practice for facilitated discussion and sharing ideas on incorporating wellbeing practices into classrooms.

Facilitators:

• Michael Lee, UBC-V: OSOT
• Gail Hammond, UBC-V: LFS
• Sally Stewart, UBC-O: Health and Exercise Sciences

Panelists: TBA

Note to Non-UBC Participants:

In order to register for this program, non-UBC faculty, staff, and students will need to create a UBC Basic CWL. To do this, please go to the CWL page and scroll down to the accordion tab that reads “Basic”. Follow the instructions there for creating and activating a Basic CWL, then please return to this page to register for the program.

This event will be hosted in-person on UBC Vancouver Campus and online on Zoom. Both the location and Zoom link will be emailed once finalized. Register to hold your spot.