Niagara College Canada

The field of coaching in education acknowledges the whole person, is rooted in social and emotional skills development, and supports equity, diversity and inclusion. The sessions explored opportunities to use a coach approach with students and to create a coaching culture in post-secondary education. They also discussed how coaching supports culturally inclusive forms of knowledge, curriculum, and teaching pedagogy that recognize Indigenous ways of knowing and being. Educators also discussed how coaching practices can help advance UNESCO educational goals.

“The keynotes Kevin Lamoureux and Michelle Pacansky-Brock were everything we had hoped they would be – complementing one another and serving to both challenge and energize us for the work ahead,” said Wicks. “Each speaker brought something unique and special to the audience and the threads that tied the whole event together – things like humanizing, decolonizing, and advancing education towards a hopeful future – were both energizing and deeply resonant.”

The event elevated important Indigenous perspectives, with sessions acknowledging educational experiences through an Indigenous lens and worldviews, coaching in an Indigenous context, and ways to meaningfully honour local Indigenous heritage and communities beyond land acknowledgements.

Jenn Wicks, Director of Teaching & Learning Innovation, College of North Atlantic

Dana Wetherell, Educational Developer in NC’s Centre for Academic Excellence

“From the organization of the event and through the delivery, we wanted to make sure that we set a tone of support and openness,” said NC’s Dana Wetherell, Educational Developer in the Centre for Academic Excellence. “A big part of setting this foundation was the help we received from our teams at NC and CNA, who helped to make the event a smooth experience. An underlying theme throughout the two days is that education is changing and that approaches that focus on the whole student can be transformative, not just for the students but also for the universities and colleges in which they learn. Jenn and I hope that conversations around coaching in education will continue and we look forward to engaging in this learning more in the future.”

Leads Wetherell and Wicks were pleased to raise over $1,800 towards student bursaries, shared between their institutions.

Feedback from the event was positive, with attendees reporting that it was well-organized, topics were highly engaging, relevant and inspiring.

“This conference was truly life-changing for me. It has allowed me to rethink my teaching practice in a way I had not yet done. It was one of the most beautiful events I have ever attended,” said one participant in the feedback survey.

Event moderator and participant Janine Murphy from CNA explained: “The theme of sea change was so fitting for these sessions as we stand at the beginning of a substantial change in perspective that is happening in the field of education. When we reflect on one of the major changes that Seachange brings about is erosion, which is gradual but reshapes the shores it touches. I feel like this conference has created the waves that will take on the status quo and provide the sediments needed for a Canadian educational landscape that puts humans and humanity first.”