Nunavut Teacher Education Program (NTEP) Nunavut Teacher Education Program (NTEP) Nunavut Teacher Education Program (NTEP)

NNNEWSLETTEREWSLETTEREWSLETTER

I nuksuit stand on ever-changing northern landscapes, offering guid-

ance as place and story markers and providing a form for vital communica-tion for those who live and travel in the North. Like the Inuksuit, the Nunavut Arctic College (NAC) —with its 3 Cam-puses and 26 Learning Centres situ-ated across the Arctic North —plays an essential guiding role, offering educa-tional opportunities for northern popu-

February 2010

SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST:

● Symposium Overview

● Symposium Reflec-tions offered by NTEP faculty mem-bers and students

● Photographs

lations. The Nunavut Teacher Education Program (NTEP)— headquartered in Iqaluit with the program offered at the Nunatta campus—is one of NAC’s place and story markers. NTEP—in partnership with the University of Re-gina—offers a campus and community-based program which prepares Inuit to become classroom teachers in Nunavut schools. Since its inception in 1981, over 130 Inuit students have completed

Photographer: Marc Spooner (U of R)

“Stronger Together” An Educational Collaboration Symposium

Page 2

The BEd program, while more than 230 have completed their Certificate in Native Northern Education/First Nations and Inuit Education part of the program, of-fered through the Community Teacher Education program (CTEP). This program allows students to complete their pro-gram and practica within their communi-ties, doing only a portion of their degree at the Nunatta Campus. These satellite campuses are essential for students to

M embers of the NAC, NTEP faculty, staff, and students, the Depart-

ment of Education, the Department of Language and Culture, and the Nunavut Teacher Association, along with guests from the University of Regina, and the Regina Public School Board, gathered for the second annual symposium, held De-cember 2nd and 3rd, 2009, in Iqaluit, Nuna-vut at St. Jude Parish Hall. The sympo-sium was jointly sponsored by the Nunavut Teacher Education Program and the Faculty of Education, Uni-versity of Regina. The theme was “Stronger To-gether”: an educational col-laboration symposium. Peesee Pitsulak, Campus Director for Nunnata Cam-pus, was the gracious em-cee for this event. The first day was a professional de-velopment day, spent in discussions around the operations of the program. Dr. Twyla Salm (U of R) presented on the topic of Interprofessional Collaboration. Day two began with a prayer by Elder Quppa and the lighting of the quilliq. Lighting the quilliq is a traditional cere-mony in which a seal oil lamp is lit by an

Symposium Overview

elder. This ceremony reminds participants of their desire for enlightenment and wis-dom. Shedding light and offering wisdom on the benefits of collaboration was an important theme for strengthening the work of teacher education.

Kathy Okpick brought greetings for Minis-ter Tapardjuk. Dr. Barbara Keirnes-Young, Chairperson for the Regina Public School Board, gave the keynote address. Dr.

Twyla Salm (U of R) pre-sented again on Interpro-fessional Collaboration to the whole group. After some refreshments, the group gathered for panel and roundtable discus-sions. Kathy Okpik (NG), Robin Langill (NTA), Dan Vandermeullen (NAC), Peesee Pitsuluk (NTEP), Shirley Humphries (STF),

and Sal Badali (U of R) sat on the panel, moderated by Michael Tymchak (U of R). Dr. Tymchak addressed the panel with questions regarding: Impressions of cur-rent levels of collaboration between Edu-cation and other Human Services in Nuna-vut; levels of desire for more collabora-tion; and steps that could be taken to pro-

(Continued on page 4)

Lighting the quilliq is a traditional ceremony in which a seal oil lamp is lit by an elder. This ceremony reminds participants of their desire for enlight-enment and wisdom.

complete their degrees because there are no connecting roads, making travel costly, and many students have families to care for at home. Thus, while a benefit to students, the community-based pro-gram also means that students and in-structors are geographically distant from one another. An annual symposium has emerged as one way to bring people to-gether.

Keynote address: Dr. Barbara Keirnes-Young

Community-based Teacher Education Programs allow students to take part of their degree in their own community.

Nunavut Teacher Education Program (NTEP) Newsletter

Photographer: Marc Spooner

Dr. Twyla Salm presented on the topic of Interprofessional Collaboration

Page 3 “Stronger Together” Educational Collaboration Symposium

Kathy Okpik (NG), Dan Vandermeullen (NAC), Shirley Humphries (STF), Peesee Pitsulak (NTEP), Robin Langill (NTA), and Sal Badali (U of R) sat on the panel moderated by Michael Tymchak (U of R). Photographer: Ken Bell

T he first day of the month of December is generally filled with anticipation of wonderful events to come.

The holiday season is just a few weeks away and, with that, comes thoughts of spending time with loved ones, of parties, of travel, of relaxation and of renewal. This year, however, there was a particularly high level of anticipa-tion at Northern Arctic College because it was also the first day of the Nunavut Teacher Edu-cation Program (NTEP) Educational Collabora-tion Symposium with the University of Regina. As a new “qablunaaq” member of the NTEP staff, I eagerly looked forward to meeting with the university representatives and being able to participate in the ensuing discussions.

Our first day was quite productive as there were open discussions aimed at making us “Stronger To-gether” on items of importance to the operations of our pro-gram. There was also an excellent presentation by Dr. Twyla Salm from the U of R on the topic of Interprofessional Col-laboration. This presentation stimulated active discussion within our groups and we decided to share our thoughts with all those in attendance the next day. The second day of our symposium opened with a prayer and the lighting of the qulliq

Helen’s Reflections of the NTEP/U of R “Stronger Together” Symposium

Dr. Michael Tymchak (U of R) moderated the panel. Dr. Tymchak worked in collaboration with NTEP representatives in the organization of this symposium.

by an elder. This was a very moving experience especially since the elder, through a translator, explained its significance to the people of Nunavut. The day continued with an informa-tive talk by our guest speaker, Dr. Barbara Keirnes-Young , a panel discussion by interested government/education mem-

bers, and “break out” discussion groups. The highlight for many of us was the insightful participation by our NTEP student representa-tives. Their presence and input made us all mindful that the true purpose of education is to encourage these eager students to take up the challenge of education. I have no doubt that they will ensure Nunavut’s educational system grows “Stronger Together” with their continued educational collaboration.

I want to thank all those who made this Educational Collabora-tion Symposium possible. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet with friends and colleagues, old and new, and give the gift of each other for the benefit of the future generations of Nunavimiut.

Helen MacDonald, NTEP Instructor

Kaviq Kauraq (L) Helen McDonald (R)

The Flowedge

Page 4 Nunavut Teacher Education Program (NTEP) Newsletter

mote a stronger collaborative environ-ment. Break-out discussion groups ex-plored ways to improve collaboration be-tween NTEP students and Nursing, NTEP students and others, communications courses or programs for NTEP students, and the formation of a partnership com-mittee.

After participants met in discussion groups they engaged in a plenary report-ing session to share outcomes of the dis-cussions. The day ended with greetings from Dan Vandermeullen, President of NAC.

Shuana Niessen, SIDRU, U of R

Outcomes of Panel:

● Help students become familiar with how community development (interagency) works in Nunavut —used to be a course, is there one now? Another way to help students is through a Speaker’s Program in which a speaker comes in from a community once per week/month. We need a clear purpose to make it meaningful.

● Create a way for NTA & the Dept. to be involved in course and program devel-opment for Nunvutizing the TEP be-cause it is created by U of R and NAC (e.g., orienting new instructors, inte-grating foundation documents).

● Re-establish the partnership commit-tee between NTEP/Dept/NTA (graduates, principals, current stu-dents also involved) with regular meet-ings to collaborate meaningfully.

● Consider establishing a similar group that involves the Nursing program, NTEP, the new Justice program, Men-tal Health, and Human Services.

● Find ways to ‘train’ participants in these groups in the processes and skills involved in collaboration — pro-

vide opportunities for mentoring.

Outcomes of roundtable discussions:

Collaboration between NTEP students and Nursing:

● Have an ongoing collaboration by get-ting students together from both pro-grams to work towards an under-standing of roles between each profes-sion and how they might work to-gether in the field to provide services to the public.

Collaboration between NTEP students and others:

● Have a representative from different departments or organizations come and give a presentation or a group discussion on how teachers could work with them in providing services to the community

● Have people come to NTEP each week, biweekly, or monthly

● Have people from different depart-ments within the college come and talk to NTEP students about ways they could work with other people in differ-ent professions in providing public services

● Rotate instructors within the college for information sessions.

Communications course or program for NTEP students:

● Create a credit or non-credit course on how to communicate with other public servants within the community

● The course can focus on providing in-formation about the mandates, goals, and roles of other organizations, for example, RSOs, NTA, the Education Act, Health and Social Services, DEAs and policies for various organizations and services

(Continued on page 6)

Photographer Marc Spooner

Page 5 “Stronger Together” Educational Collaboration Symposium

D uring the symposium we were reminded that even though we collaborate already, there is

always more we can do because we are as it was called “Stronger Together”. Possible partnerships were dis-cussed that would benefit prospective teachers, organi-zations that provide public service, and other programs that train students in other areas of public service. The symposium was a success and will lead to improve-ments within the program.

Our special guests from Regina; the elder Quppa; our campus Director, Peesee, and our college President, Mr. Vandermeulen; all reflected their positive thoughts that gave us something to think about—something to think about because even though it can be difficult to collaborate, the outcome of working together at any level can have a positive result, a positive outcome for the betterment of our communities. We can all learn something from each other.

Ikajuqtigiikkangapta piliriqatigiik&uta pivaalliqtul-

luarapta

When we collaborate we have the opportunity to im-prove.

The different forms of partnerships that were discussed would benefit students in the program. They would provide students with experience in areas such as com-munications and inform them about the different or-ganizations they might collaborate with in the field. These partnerships would also help students gain in-sight on the perspectives of people in other fields of public service. The overall aim seemed to me to be able to find areas where people can collaborate to improve both professionally and personally in the fields of public service, primarily education.

Kaviq Kaluraq, NTEP Instructor

Kaviq’s reflection on the “Stronger Together” Symposium

Kaviq Kaluraq and Helen MacDonald, NTEP Instructors

Ikajuqtigiikkangapta

piliriqatigiik&uta

pivaalliqtulluarapta

When we collaborate we

have the opportunity to

improve.

We should all think

about ‘how’ to

inform and involve

others.

Page 6 Nunavut Teacher Education Program (NTEP) Newsletter

● The delivery of the course would pro-vide students with information about different organizations and prepare them to cooperate and collaborate with them in the field

● The course could be created as an elec-tive course or as a requirement.

Partnership committee:

● A partnership committee between programs should be created to ensure continued coordination and delivery of an effective collaboration program.

Goals would have to be formalized to en-sure that they are delivered each year. This could be coordinated for delivery as early as next school year 2010-2011. The purpose of having instructors come in from other departments/programs would be to give insight on what they do and how they could work with people in other professions. To make program delivery more effective, multiple partners could participate in the coordination and deliv-ery of the program. The process should be formalized on paper to ensure that collaboration continues as a long-term process. An example that could be used is the Interprofessional Education Program delivered at the U of R. The program would be created to fit the services and needs in Nunavut. Coordinating the pro-gram with multiple partners would exem-plify “Stronger Together”. How to en-gage students and parents should also be a focus of communication to prepare fu-ture teachers to work in the field.

Other suggestions arising out of group

discussions include:

● The need for peer teaching with other

year levels

● The need for involvement in student

council with an NTEP representative at

NAC events

● The desire for professional guest

speakers in NTEP courses to share case

studies

● The need for interdisciplinary courses

and transferable courses within pro-

grams

● The desire to see more elders in NAC

courses; they are the experts

● The use of blogs to connect the NTEP

community

● Books and written resources n in Inuk-

titut by Inuit people

● The need for an action research course

and interpreter courses

● The need for Professional Develop-

ment for students, National Weeks

(Addiction Awareness, Language

Week, Education Week), and a Speak-

ers series at NTEP open to NTA mem-

bers

● The desire to set up a variety of men-

tor programs for new grads, current

students, and to develop Inuit instruc-

tors

● Clarification and communication be-

tween the Department and NTEP to

ensure that best current practices on

effective teaching are being developed

in our graduates, with the aim of devel-

oping bilingual teachers at all levels of

the school system

● NTEP and partners engage in relation-

ship building, to create understandings

of what is and what can be done. For

example, invite prospective teachers

to meet with Nurses

● NTEP Directors should meet with other

organization heads to discuss a frame-

work for collaboration realities. This

will be followed by grassroots involve-

ment.

Notes from NTEP Symposium

Group Discussions, December 2009

Page 7 “Stronger Together” Educational Collaboration Symposium

NTEP Students participated in the symposium: Front Row - Karen Inootik. Second Row from the left - Miali Elise Coley, Oleepeeka Metuq, KerriTat-

tuinee, Gloria Putumiraqtuq, Maggie Putulik, Morty Alooloo, Anisa Suno, Layli Parks

Del’s reflection on the “Stronger Together” Symposium

presentation (for others) of Twyla’s experiences with col-laborations really gave a backbone to the possibilities of actually planning for and carrying through on collabora-tions. The success of her work outlined that care, attention to planning details, and follow-through will assist to achieve goals. The elephant-dog illustration really drove that home.

A very good exercise was the group discussions and ideas generating session. Groups seemed to really go for the idea of this type of session. The reports from groups indicated a divergence of thinking and focus on the possibilities for collabora-tion. Great ideas were generated which should be circulated to all. NTEP really needs to be proactive on this … debrief the ideas and produce action items.

In the event that another symposium takes place, it may be good to hear from participants who undertook one or more of the ideas. It was really good to hear student voices. I believe that some participants were reassured that more collaborations are possible, and others did some network-ing and made contacts for future discussions. All-in-all, a very worthwhile undertaking.

Del Fraser, NTEP Instructor

T he second annual University of Regina – Nunavut Teacher Education Program Symposium— was held

in a community hall in Iqaluit, Nunavut. Invited guests in-cluded many administrative-level personnel from a range of organizations and government areas which all have edu-cation- related mandates. There was a diversity of repre-sentation and a similarity of intent. As always, the qulliq ceremony provided a solemnity to the begin-ning of the proceedings. Barbara Young provided a framework for col-laboration as she shared examples of success-ful collaborations which may seem unlikely, but produced positive results. Notably, it was im-pressed upon us that the most unlikely scenar-ios can produce the best results. Barbara’s presentation seemed to set the stage for an assurance that, “Hey, it is doable”. We should all look for the not-so-obvious possibilities. A panel presentation provided a differing array of opin-ions/positions concerning groups working together and what may impede same. Sal’s remarks were the most co-gent in that he had us look to our goals and determine the most useful collaboration possibilities. It was also apparent to myself that revealing of past impressions will surface defensiveness. The second presentation (for some of us) and the first

Del Fraser, NTEP Instructor

prove NTEP programming. It is especially important that we look at collaborative ways to share our cultural and linguistic heritage. Anonymous 3rd Year Student I am honored to have taken part in such a meeting, and I think, we as students should continue to be involved in meetings that affect our future, as teachers and learners. I think people at all levels in education need to communicate in order to discuss what works, and what doesn't, so that we can continue to improve the ever-important education system of Nunavut. Kerri Tattuinee, 1st Year Student Collaboration needs to be an open process that should lead to solv-ing common problems. It is important to follow up the symposium with some form of action that brings closure to the issues that were raised. Anonymous 2nd Year Student

I really appreciated that the symposium stressed the importance of teachers needing to work together to benefit our students.

Coming off of a 4-month internship, this symposium has re-enforced the notion of collaboration in improving my professional practice. Layli Parks, 4th Year Student While the symposium was informative in many ways, it was most importantly the impetus for developing a speaker series not only for NTEP students but also for all our colleagues at Nunavut Arctic College. The first speaker in the series will present in February 2010. The series, Collaborating with Our Partners, is a first step in reach-ing out to other college students in a cross-disciplinary manner. Anisa Suno, 4th Year Student

I hope that this is not the last time that students will be consulted about the NTEP program. I am very passionate about having the opportunity to work with staff and my student colleagues to im-

Students’ Reflections on the “Stronger Together” Symposium

A publication of SIDRU

Faculty of Education University of Regina

February 2010

2008 Symposium Photographs

Throat Singers Neil Christopher and Ooloota Maatiusi Marion and Maryanne