Skip to main content Skip to main navigation Skip to page-level navigation Go to the Disability Resource Centre Website Go to the DRC Booking Accommodation Portal Go to the Inclusive Technology Lab Website
The University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia Okanagan campus
UBC Okanagan News
  • Research
  • People
    • Student Profile
    • Faculty Profile
    • Alumni Spotlight
  • Campus Life
    • Campus News
    • Student Life
    • Teaching & Learning
  • Community Engagement
  • About the Collection
    • Stories for Media
  • UBCO Events
  • Search All Stories
Home / 2017 / September / 07 / Faculty of Education PhD student Kelly Hanson talks mindfulness, taking risks and practicing what you preach
People, Student Profile

Faculty of Education PhD student Kelly Hanson talks mindfulness, taking risks and practicing what you preach

September 7, 2017

About

Name
Kelly Hanson

Role
PhD student, and Faculty Advisor

Program
Education

Faculty
Education

Campus
Okanagan (Kelowna, BC)

Education
PhD (in progress)

Master of Arts (UBC Okanagan, 2014)

Hometown
Toronto, Ont.

“Self-reflection is a practice to be shared with colleagues and friends—that is how we learn and grow.”

THE KIDS IN KELLY HANSON’S RUTLAND MIDDLE SCHOOL class have noticed a change in their teacher.

“I love what I do and joy is contagious,” she says. “It has a huge impact on the students.”

Why Education?

Kelly Hanson’s master’s studies at UBC Okanagan revolve around professional learning, curriculum development and mindfulness practices. Her research explores innovative ways that educators can support each other to develop their teaching practices.

As part of her research into teaching and mindfulness, Hanson co-initiated a professional teachers’ group two years ago with colleagues at Rutland Middle School. They have since expanded to include educators across School District 23.

“Self-reflection requires trust and vulnerability,” she says. “It isn’t just something done alone. It’s a practice to be shared with colleagues and friends—that is how we learn and grow.”

Hanson is inspired to continue her research about teaching practices due to the positive effect that the teacher group has had on both her and her students.

“The students see the positive relationships between the teachers,” she says, “and they see that their teachers play and inquire; our love of learning inspires them. That is my motivation to continue my research—the impact I see on the classroom and the community that supports the classroom.”

Professional teacher groups are a growing trend in Canadian education, a trend that the Faculty of Education supports at the annual Scholar-Practitioner Conference. The event is an opportunity for educators across the province to come together to share research and gather insights.

“Schools and universities should continue to collaborate,” Hanson says. “Teachers have a lot of knowledge, and so do teacher researchers, it is a very important and meaningful partnership.”

CATALYST FOR CHANGE

While studying education theory at UBC Okanagan, Hanson’s own teaching style transformed.

“The research I’ve completed has required me to explore my own journey into education, my relationships, and the way I see the world.”

She has been encouraged by the mentorship she’s seen between UBC Okanagan and teachers in the community.

“Schools are places to grow possibilities and challenge structures that do not serve the well-being and well-becoming of society,” she says.

“The critical reflection involved in change can be supported by intentional practices. Infusing mindful practices into teacher professional learning supports this complex, necessary work.”

OPEN MIND, OPEN HEART, OPEN WILL

Hanson’s philosophy is simple. While doing anything in life, whether it’s teaching, yoga, or trail running with your husband and golden retrievers: Open your mind, your heart and your will.

The practice also applies to studying at UBC Okanagan.

“The graduate studies program has been a supportive place to be reflective, to notice and to weave new connections,” she says.

As Hanson prepares to write comprehensive exams for her PhD studies, she’ll continue to reflect on her practice and take time for herself and her studies.

“Since beginning this research, I grow more and more willing to take risks, to share, with integrity, what is working well and where I struggle” she says.

“We all have the opportunity to prioritize and grow communities that value well-being, that are inclusive, and democratic. I want to do my part.”

—by Jill Dickau

Content type: Profile
More content from: Okanagan School of Education

Trending Stories

  • How one student connects AI innovation to wildfire research
  • Robotics, AI advancing wildfire, agricultural research at UBCO
  • Psychedelic mushroom microdoses can improve mood, mental health
  • UBCO professor researches electric passenger light rail for Okanagan Valley
  • Made in Canada breakthrough is a gamechanger in heart valve technology
All Stories
UBCO Events

About UBC Okanagan

UBC’s Okanagan campus is an innovative hub for research and learning founded in partnership with local Indigenous peoples, the Syilx Okanagan Nation, in whose traditional, ancestral and unceded territory the campus resides. The most established and influential global rankings all consistently place UBC in the top five per cent of universities in the world, and among the top three Canadian universities.

The Okanagan campus combines a globally recognized UBC education with a tight-knit and entrepreneurial community that welcomes students and faculty from around the world in British Columbia’s stunning Okanagan Valley. For more visit ok.ubc.ca.

Discover more about UBC Okanagan

Find a Program Admissions Book a Tour UBCO Facts
UBC Okanagan Campus News, University Relations

Innovation Precinct Annexation 1 (IA1)
3505 Spectrum Court
Kelowna, BC Canada V1V 2Z1

We respectfully acknowledge the Syilx Okanagan Nation and their peoples, in whose traditional, ancestral, unceded territory UBC Okanagan is situated.

 

Search all stories

Subscribe to receive news by email

Visit UBC's Vancouver news room

Global and Admin Messages

News

Okanagan Campus

TikTok icon Linkedin icon

UBC Okanagan News
Okanagan Campus
3333 University Way
Kelowna, BC Canada V1V 1V7
Find us on
  
Back to top
The University of British Columbia
  • Emergency Procedures |
  • Terms of Use |
  • Copyright |
  • Accessibility