Hi HEALers:
I hope you all were able to recharge your batteries yesterday. For my part, I found our Friday and Saturday time together to be highly stimulating and leaving me with much to think about in terms of the 'practices' of health education, health promotion and health care. Although working in very professional contexts, we can certainly learn from one another how to take on the challenges and "social determinants of health" in very practical, local and life-changing ways.
Our cohort increasingly becomes the crucible for what we read, discuss and write. In saying that, I mean that as we get to know one another better and become comfortable sharing our ideas, our hopes and aspirations, the class times and communications in and around these times become the "curriculum." This sense of a LIVING CURRICULUM includes everything from being sensitive enough to know when a food break is needed to the careful listening and responsiveness to one another that build understandings and become the interpersonal guides to practical agency. We change our seating, connect with cohort members whom we haven't spoken with very much. We come to listen and help one another find words to express what may only yet be a good intuition. The term bandied around for all this is "creating learning communities." But that term, while a good one, does not necessarily get at the relational dynamics that are at the core of whatever it is that makes for vibrant, diverse, challenging, empowering and generative "learning communities."
I've mentioned in a previous email the wonderful text written by Alphonso Lingis called "The Community or Those Who Have Nothing in Common." The narrative I quoted from this text illustrates a beyond-the-usual-community imperative to respond well to another. It is, for me, a reminder to keep attuning to the everyday, practical tasks with a responsiveness inspired by those who have such an expansive appreciation of community that it includes those with whom we at first seem to have little if anything in common.
Our planned curriculum, which is to say, our current EDUC 820 course on "Current Issues in Curriculum and Pedagogy" is rightly a curriculum COMMONPLACE where we find the space and time to bring to otherwise abstract theoretical matters to life. (There is much educational literature on all this, ever since Joseph Schwab shifted the sense of curriculum from the planned, techno-rational processes of designing, developing, implementing and evaluating educational programs thought to be good for others to greater consideration of the commonplaces of the subject matter, the nature of the learners themselves, the teachers and their lives, and the specific contexts in which learning happens. Since Schwab's writings, and building on the earlier writings of John Dewey, curriculum scholars and practitioners have taken the message to heart. The next course with Robin Brayne will provide opportunity for you to dig into this curriculum scholarship some more.)
I mention the CURRICULUM connection at this particular juncture in our current course because it is indicated in the Nov 25-26 topic title I put in the course outline, namely, "Health Education and Active Living: Curricular Constructions." My original intention was for us to consider the models, frameworks, guides, plans, and so on that we use to make sense of where we are heading, or where we want to head, in our respective workplaces. This topic pertains to where I anticipate many of you now find yourselves in your HEAL inquiries as you think your way from the personal narratives to the articulation of key concepts and themes and, in turn, to the "So what now?" questions. Does your inquiry topic require you to invent a new curriculum wheel or can you draw upon or adapt existing programs, plans, frameworks and guides? For instance, do behavioral, or life course, or social-ecological models of health care, health promotion and health education help you articulate the "so what?" question? Do health models drawn from indigenous ways of knowing help you? Do "One Health" and "Holistic Health" models speak to you and your inquiry interests?
If you are not at this point of considering "curriculum constructions" don't worry. Besides which, it is better to be exploratory in the inquiry assignment than rush too quickly into developing curricula that are assumed to be good for others. As we know from K-12 education, the road is paved with good educational intentions but littered with so many curriculum documents!
Since we have such a short time between now and Friday, I will not overload you with readings. We already have parts 5 and 6 of the "Social Determinants of Health" on "Social Exclusion and Public Policy" to address. And you have the inquiry assignment to work on. But if you have any time, you might want to look up:
World Health Organization (2012). "Health education: Theoretical concepts, effective strategies and core competencies. A foundation document to guide capacity development of health educators." You can download this PDF by just googling the above title.
A second source is a website with which I am involved:
Function2Flow: An interdisciplinary model for health and physical education
http://function2flow.ca/
Here you can find the "Function2Flow" curriculum framework to which I am somewhat attached as a model for cultivating a movement disposition through the great variety of physical activities available to us.
A continuing concern I have is that when we consider health education, health promotion and health care we tend to confine our interests to human beings and humanly-built environments. I know some of you are particularly interested in healthy relations and connections with the "natural world" and with the critters that comprise the larger world in which we all live but with which too many of us have such very limited connection.
If you poke through the Function2Flow website you will find the link to the recent International Human Sciences Research conference where there was much interest in the "more-than-human-world" and in relations and sensitivities that go beyond built environments. Check out the edited videos of the keynote talks and responses:
http://function2flow.ca/home-7/welcome-to-the-35th-international-human-science-research-conference-ihsrc-uottawa-july-3-7-2016
Finally, for those of you who are particularly interested in movement, physical activity and fitness, there are some really interesting initiatives that provide inspiration for K-12 programs, community recreation planning and, in general, for helping us look beyond the limitations of current Health and PE, Daily PE and Physical Activity programs. These initiatives, while not particularly new if we look back in time, are at least offering some 'fresh' perspectives.
Here are three examples:
The Movement! Ido Portal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0Wr7HsylE0
The Workout the World Forgot by MovNat
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKGF-ErsJiI
Dr. Mercola and Katy Bowman (Full Interview)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zy7iL33g-tM
See you all on Friday.
Cheers,
Stephen.
Wednesday 23 November 2016
Friday 4 November 2016
Looking ahead to November 18, 19 and things to do in the meantime
Hi HEALers:
I draw your attention later in this email to the topic we'll address at our November 18 & 19 classes, appreciating that you are in the throes of writing your HEAL inquiry paper, doing a further "self-care" Blog entry, and prepping for the class presentations (amidst very full work and personal lives).
In doing so, I am mindful of our discussion last Saturday of the inquiry paper criteria and the questions that were posed. In brief, I can summarize the discussion by saying the paper is 15 double-spaced pages max, 12 point font, no more than 10 key references, and in a format that follows the three parts: narrative opener (1-3 pages); discussion of the themes and or health-related concepts that are indicated by this narrative (6-9 pages); and then some mention of "so what?" implications (4-5 pages). Use an appropriate title for your paper, which can range from a self-explanatory overview statement (e.g. Exploring the importance of social 'connectedness' in community health programming) to a title, whether a phrase or expression, that is particularly germane to your sense of this inquiry (e.g. The community of those who have no thing but potentially everything in common). Break up your parts two and three into sub-headed sections that highlight the relevant themes/concepts and points of application (e.g. being with others, being for others, and becoming otherwise might be thematic sub-headings of an exploration of social "connectedness," while self-care and care-for-others applications might be tied in with personal and social competencies stated the BC Education plan).
If your topic is quite novel or new to you, it may require an exploration that involves more emphasis on the second part of the paper. In this case, it may well require a bit more personal 'data' (i.e. your own experiential accounts) to flesh it out. Even if your topic is more widely understood and has a lot of literature to it, you'll want to ensure that your perspective (as indicated by the initial narrative) comes through. How? By treating the literature on the topic critically and by ensuring that your experience is the filter for what makes sense. Those of you who have a certain program in view, whether as one you have developed, one with which you have had direct experience, or one to which you are drawn, may want to stretch yourselves in part 3 of the paper a bit more.
The goal of this assignment is, as we have discussed, to get a HEAL inquiry underway. You'll be able to develop it further in subsequent courses, or you may find that your interests shift and a different inquiry surfaces for you. But my experience is that while topics can change, the underlying, personalized themes of, say, "social connection" in health promotion or "vitality" in health practices, tend to remain in place. We just find different ways and means to explore the things that are core to our beliefs, commitments and practices.
There remains the nagging question about assessment. For that I regard the criteria of text formatting (APA as the default style), essay coherence, and persuasiveness as givens. Beyond that, think of what it means to WRITE UP your ideas. We write things DOWN in reports and laundry lists, but we WRITE them UP when we want our text to speak more powerfully than what our everyday talk conveys. Does your text motivate others who read it to be interested in your topic or issue? Does it even potentially move them to do something different? That's a tall order, however we can always aspire to WRITE UP our thoughts, incorporating the perspectives and ideas of others where they are relevant, to provide powerful motive for individual and collective action.
What would this look like? This question seems to beg an example or two. Still, I would say that it is best to find your own way and draw inspiration from readings and texts that speak to you. They may not speak to everyone. For instance, did the Alphonso Lingis narrative that I included in the last email speak to you? Or did the passages from the Brownen Wallace poem? Or does any reading we have had so far in this course? Or a reading you have encountered in exploring your own inquiry topic? What is it about the writing genre, the use of personal experience, the active voice, and the way of drawing meaning from one's experience and the experiences of others that is compelling?
I have shared with you the piece I wrote many years ago about my son's heart surgery which roughly parallels the first two parts of your inquiry paper. I have no idea whether or not it meant anything to you. But over the years I have been contacted about it by some folk whom I've never met who have cited it academically or simply written to tell me of its connection to their own life experiences. In the readings for the upcoming class I will share some other, more recent pieces that have to do with physical activity and my sense of the need to broaden what we think constitutes vitality-enhancing, physical activity while adopting a "life stage" approach to fitness interests. The particular article titled "Balls, barbells and sock poi" does not have an opening narrative, but it does at least parallel parts 2 and 3 of the inquiry piece and shows the use of simple titles and section headings, and incorporates personalized 'data' to try to convey the curricular message.
Of course, I know you all have limited time and we are just talking about a course paper. So, do not be too mesmerized by this task. I'd hoped to have had some time last class for you to share your work-in-progress. Since we ran out of time to do this, I suggest that we do so by 'tripling' up on-line and send two others what you have so far for peer commentary and feedback. It will be a simple matter of responding appreciatively to the drafts in terms of how the indicated health themes and concepts make sense. That's what I did when I read your narratives and tried to think ahead in terms or where these narratives seem to point. Now you should be in a position to say where indeed you are going and readers of your work can confirm the line of inquiry, and possibly suggest further things to think about in terms of related health ideas or connected programming. Just to share your own work-in-progress and read the work of two others should provide assurances of being on the right track.
Here are my suggested groupings (hopefully with some thematic if not topical commonalities):
Group A
Anna
Nick
Tyne
Group B
Jolene
Paul
Raman
Group C
Anne-Marie
Renee
Neva
Group D
Chelsea
Leah
Michael
Group E
Craig
Rhonda
Karen
Group F
Carley
Elizabeth
Alexis
Group G
Erica
Naseem
Shivinder
You could also go to the blogs to read and see how the inquiry paper drafts are connected to wider interests. My further suggestion is that each group member send the inquiry paper draft to the other two folk in your group of three over the coming week and receive even just short responses before we meet on November 18.
For our next class meetings on November 18 & 19 we will continue with the "Social Determinants of Health – Food and Shelter" presentation on the Saturday and pursue the topic of "Active Living: Fitness and Physical Activity" on the Friday evening and Saturday. (Lori Bowie will join us on the Friday evening and speak to her work in "active living" promotion in Community Recreation and how that work has been motivated by her former studies and ongoing efforts to address the social determinants or health.) As for why I have chosen the topic of "Active Living: Fitness and Physical Activity" for us to focus on this particular weekend, I think it is worth our attention given the "active living" emphasis of the HEAL program and, in particular, the health interests so many of you have shared already in your blog entries as practices of "self-care." I sense the active living 'motivation' quite strongly in our class times together when the restlessness arises from sitting and talking too long!
Below I have recopied the readings, included some relevant www resources, and listed a pertinent Youtube 'watchable' you might find interesting.
Topic: Active Living: Fitness and Physical Activity (Nov 18, 19)
Raphael: Social Determinants, Part Four: Foundations of lifelong health: Food and shelter.
**Smith (2011) Daily Physical Interactivity
**Lloyd and Smith (2009). Enlivening the curriculum of health-related fitness
**Smith (2015). Balls, barbells and sock poi: The progression of keeping fit
Department of Health and Human Services, Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity
https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/
World Health Organization
http://www.who.int/topics/physical_activity/en/
The 2015 ParticipACTION Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth
Google and download the on-line PDF using the title above.
BC Ministry of Education: Healthy Schools
http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/health/welcome.htm
Watchable: Never leave the Playground
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eICg4CMd2jU
Cheers,
Stephen.
I draw your attention later in this email to the topic we'll address at our November 18 & 19 classes, appreciating that you are in the throes of writing your HEAL inquiry paper, doing a further "self-care" Blog entry, and prepping for the class presentations (amidst very full work and personal lives).
In doing so, I am mindful of our discussion last Saturday of the inquiry paper criteria and the questions that were posed. In brief, I can summarize the discussion by saying the paper is 15 double-spaced pages max, 12 point font, no more than 10 key references, and in a format that follows the three parts: narrative opener (1-3 pages); discussion of the themes and or health-related concepts that are indicated by this narrative (6-9 pages); and then some mention of "so what?" implications (4-5 pages). Use an appropriate title for your paper, which can range from a self-explanatory overview statement (e.g. Exploring the importance of social 'connectedness' in community health programming) to a title, whether a phrase or expression, that is particularly germane to your sense of this inquiry (e.g. The community of those who have no thing but potentially everything in common). Break up your parts two and three into sub-headed sections that highlight the relevant themes/concepts and points of application (e.g. being with others, being for others, and becoming otherwise might be thematic sub-headings of an exploration of social "connectedness," while self-care and care-for-others applications might be tied in with personal and social competencies stated the BC Education plan).
If your topic is quite novel or new to you, it may require an exploration that involves more emphasis on the second part of the paper. In this case, it may well require a bit more personal 'data' (i.e. your own experiential accounts) to flesh it out. Even if your topic is more widely understood and has a lot of literature to it, you'll want to ensure that your perspective (as indicated by the initial narrative) comes through. How? By treating the literature on the topic critically and by ensuring that your experience is the filter for what makes sense. Those of you who have a certain program in view, whether as one you have developed, one with which you have had direct experience, or one to which you are drawn, may want to stretch yourselves in part 3 of the paper a bit more.
The goal of this assignment is, as we have discussed, to get a HEAL inquiry underway. You'll be able to develop it further in subsequent courses, or you may find that your interests shift and a different inquiry surfaces for you. But my experience is that while topics can change, the underlying, personalized themes of, say, "social connection" in health promotion or "vitality" in health practices, tend to remain in place. We just find different ways and means to explore the things that are core to our beliefs, commitments and practices.
There remains the nagging question about assessment. For that I regard the criteria of text formatting (APA as the default style), essay coherence, and persuasiveness as givens. Beyond that, think of what it means to WRITE UP your ideas. We write things DOWN in reports and laundry lists, but we WRITE them UP when we want our text to speak more powerfully than what our everyday talk conveys. Does your text motivate others who read it to be interested in your topic or issue? Does it even potentially move them to do something different? That's a tall order, however we can always aspire to WRITE UP our thoughts, incorporating the perspectives and ideas of others where they are relevant, to provide powerful motive for individual and collective action.
What would this look like? This question seems to beg an example or two. Still, I would say that it is best to find your own way and draw inspiration from readings and texts that speak to you. They may not speak to everyone. For instance, did the Alphonso Lingis narrative that I included in the last email speak to you? Or did the passages from the Brownen Wallace poem? Or does any reading we have had so far in this course? Or a reading you have encountered in exploring your own inquiry topic? What is it about the writing genre, the use of personal experience, the active voice, and the way of drawing meaning from one's experience and the experiences of others that is compelling?
I have shared with you the piece I wrote many years ago about my son's heart surgery which roughly parallels the first two parts of your inquiry paper. I have no idea whether or not it meant anything to you. But over the years I have been contacted about it by some folk whom I've never met who have cited it academically or simply written to tell me of its connection to their own life experiences. In the readings for the upcoming class I will share some other, more recent pieces that have to do with physical activity and my sense of the need to broaden what we think constitutes vitality-enhancing, physical activity while adopting a "life stage" approach to fitness interests. The particular article titled "Balls, barbells and sock poi" does not have an opening narrative, but it does at least parallel parts 2 and 3 of the inquiry piece and shows the use of simple titles and section headings, and incorporates personalized 'data' to try to convey the curricular message.
Of course, I know you all have limited time and we are just talking about a course paper. So, do not be too mesmerized by this task. I'd hoped to have had some time last class for you to share your work-in-progress. Since we ran out of time to do this, I suggest that we do so by 'tripling' up on-line and send two others what you have so far for peer commentary and feedback. It will be a simple matter of responding appreciatively to the drafts in terms of how the indicated health themes and concepts make sense. That's what I did when I read your narratives and tried to think ahead in terms or where these narratives seem to point. Now you should be in a position to say where indeed you are going and readers of your work can confirm the line of inquiry, and possibly suggest further things to think about in terms of related health ideas or connected programming. Just to share your own work-in-progress and read the work of two others should provide assurances of being on the right track.
Here are my suggested groupings (hopefully with some thematic if not topical commonalities):
Group A
Anna
Nick
Tyne
Group B
Jolene
Paul
Raman
Group C
Anne-Marie
Renee
Neva
Group D
Chelsea
Leah
Michael
Group E
Craig
Rhonda
Karen
Group F
Carley
Elizabeth
Alexis
Group G
Erica
Naseem
Shivinder
You could also go to the blogs to read and see how the inquiry paper drafts are connected to wider interests. My further suggestion is that each group member send the inquiry paper draft to the other two folk in your group of three over the coming week and receive even just short responses before we meet on November 18.
For our next class meetings on November 18 & 19 we will continue with the "Social Determinants of Health – Food and Shelter" presentation on the Saturday and pursue the topic of "Active Living: Fitness and Physical Activity" on the Friday evening and Saturday. (Lori Bowie will join us on the Friday evening and speak to her work in "active living" promotion in Community Recreation and how that work has been motivated by her former studies and ongoing efforts to address the social determinants or health.) As for why I have chosen the topic of "Active Living: Fitness and Physical Activity" for us to focus on this particular weekend, I think it is worth our attention given the "active living" emphasis of the HEAL program and, in particular, the health interests so many of you have shared already in your blog entries as practices of "self-care." I sense the active living 'motivation' quite strongly in our class times together when the restlessness arises from sitting and talking too long!
Below I have recopied the readings, included some relevant www resources, and listed a pertinent Youtube 'watchable' you might find interesting.
Topic: Active Living: Fitness and Physical Activity (Nov 18, 19)
Raphael: Social Determinants, Part Four: Foundations of lifelong health: Food and shelter.
**Smith (2011) Daily Physical Interactivity
**Lloyd and Smith (2009). Enlivening the curriculum of health-related fitness
**Smith (2015). Balls, barbells and sock poi: The progression of keeping fit
Department of Health and Human Services, Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity
https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/
World Health Organization
http://www.who.int/topics/physical_activity/en/
The 2015 ParticipACTION Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth
Google and download the on-line PDF using the title above.
BC Ministry of Education: Healthy Schools
http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/health/welcome.htm
Watchable: Never leave the Playground
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eICg4CMd2jU
Cheers,
Stephen.
Monday 31 October 2016
Blog Prompt
Hi HEALers:
My thanks to you all (including Jacqueline, Randy and Lehoa) for such a rich Friday evening and Saturday of presentations, discussions, and activities.
I'll write separately about our readings and preparations for the next meeting dates of November 18 and 19. This email is about the blog prompt that Randy mentioned on Saturday afternoon.
"Reflect on a time when you received care – the other cared for you. How did you know you were cared for?"
Read on for further explanation of what is intended in having you do this particular blog entry.
Let me start by sharing what Lehoa wrote to me afterwards about her presentation and mini-workshop on Friday evening. I have received her permission to share this reflection with you. I do so because Lehoa speaks directly to pedagogical relationality through her own self-care practices and in a way that exemplifies what I was trying to say on Saturday about how we can recast "pedagogies of health education, promotion and care" as more than just the impersonal curriculum designs and instructional frameworks through which we teach, coach, instruct, mentor, supervise and manage others.
Lehoa also provides a wonderful example of "a time when SHE received care." It could be her blog entry if only she were still doing the HEAL MEd!
Lehoa writes:
"I've heard from few students after the session that it was helpful, but I wanted to let you know how valuable it was for me. I walked out of the class and couldn't stop reflecting and thinking about the positive impact that it had on me.
Some of the comments shared by the class yesterday made me want to inquire further around the notion of connectedness and laughter. Someone brought up an example of their P.E. class and how some students laughed at times when he could be using that space to get back to the lesson plan, and he shared that he may do things a little differently in that class to encourage laughter or use that in a way that positively impacts the student and lesson. What I heard from that wasn't necessarily to have more laughter in the classroom, but perhaps to be more aware of these opportunities to create connections in the professional roles we hold. Instead of following a lesson plan which absolutely has its values, pausing to notice what's happening and using it to inform our practices could bring different and possibly more impactful experiences. There's a human-ness aspect where we are more aware of ourselves and others.
Laughter is fantastic. But it's not truly about the laughter; it's what it represents and brings out in people. I use laughter yoga as a vehicle to send an embodied message, that if we are compassionate, kind, and forgiving individuals, we are better human beings. We can be better at creating impactful human connections. While I believe that, yesterday's class made me think more about all this."
I've cc'd Lehoa on this email in case any of you want her email address to make further comment to her.
The blog prompt asks you to simply recall a time when the tables were turned and, instead of being expected just to care for your kids, the students you teach, the athletes you coach, the clients you serve, the staff you administer, and so on, you were the one receiving positive attention which felt comforting and supportive. Write about some time that you feel okay about sharing and, if you wish, use images, illustrative photos, graphics or whatever may give the reflection greater poignancy. It's your blog and so the medium needs to be your message. Keep in mind, too, the literary ways of making a personal reflection public by focusing on the details of the interaction, the actions, gestures, and expressions, and not on the identifiable context or the recognizable persons involved, or by rendering the reflection through the eyes of a real or imagined observer or commentator. And keep in mind that "the other" from whom you received care may not necessarily be another person. (By the way, some of you may have this and other blog entries serve 'double duty' by using them, if appropriate, in your HEAL inquiry paper.)
The purpose of this blog entry is to continue our exploration of self-care and the practices that serves us and others best. While this reflection on "a time when you received care – the other cared for you" may seem quite removed from the practices of self-care that you are pursuing and have mentioned already in your blog entries, hopefully it will stir a thought or two about how these very practices might serve you relationally, emotionally, even ecologically and spiritually, as well as in terms of what we often take glibly to be their physical benefits. The question "How did you know you were cared for?" can be asked of these practices of self-care insofar as we are interested in knowing what likely physical, mental, emotional, social, ecological, spiritual and (since Renee has impressed the point) sexual health benefits accrue from practices of self-care, for ourselves and for others.
Let me give you two further, literary examples of receiving care. The first example is of "receiving care from a stranger" that Alphonso Lingis provides in his book *The community of those who have nothing in common.* Lingis is a philosopher who has turned to "travel writings" as his medium of musing.
"One night, sick for weeks in a hut in Mahabalipuram in the south of India, I woke out of the fevered stupor of days to find that the paralysis that had incapacitated my arms was working its way into my chest. I stumbled out into the starless darkness of the heavy monsoon night. On the shore, gasping for air, I felt someone grasp my arm. He was naked, save for a threadbare loincloth, and all I could understand was that he was from Nepal. How he had come here, to the far south of the Indian subcontinent – farther by far than I who, equipped with credit card, could come here from my home in a day by jet plane – I had no way of learning from him. He seemed to have nothing, sleeping on the sands, alone. He engaged in a long conversation, unintelligible to me, with a fisherman awakened from a hut at the edge of the jungle and finally loaded me in an outrigger canoe to take me, I knew without understanding any of his words, through the monsoon seas to the hospital in Madras sixty-five miles away. My fevered eyes contemplated his silent and expressionless face, from time to time illuminated by the distant flashes of lightning as he labored in the canoe, and it was completely clear to me that should the storm become violent, he would not hesitate to same me, at the risk of his own life.
We disembarked at a fishing port where he put me first on a rickshaw and then on a bus for Madras, and then he disappeared without a word or a glance at me. He surely had no address but the sands; I would never see him again. I shall not cease seeing what it means to come to be bound with a bond that can never be broken or forgotten, what it means to become a brother. How indecent to speak of such things in the anonymous irresponsibility of a writing he cannot read and a tongue he cannot understand!"
Lingis, A. (1994). The community of those who have nothing in common. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, pp. 158, 159.
The second example comes from the Canadian poet Bronwen Wallace and is drawn from a poem titled "Burn-Out" in which Bronwen describes an experience of being on call in a shelter for battered women and children. She writes in this poem of her response to Linda, one of the women in the shelter, who comes to speak with her and in the course of the conversation tells her of yet another very unfortunate incident in her much abused life. We pick up the poem just after Linda has spoken of the fetus she miscarried (one suspects because of the spousal abuse she suffered) and disposed of without telling a soul.
Bronwen narrates: "And again, I wish I could tell you/ how I handled this in a/ professional manner, except that/ I, personally, don't think there/ is one." (Wallace, 1989, p. 78). Instead of casting her response to Linda within the realm of professional responsibility, Bronwen catches herself in a remembering of the personal past. As she listens to Linda she finds herself momentarily back at school, in the gymnasium, hearing her gym teacher yelling at her to try a particular kind of leap. She feels the admonishment; she feels the motion; she feels the knee injury that results from not being up to the task. Sitting with Linda as she cries out her story, Bronwen still remembers getting hurt. Through the painful, arthritic, stiffness of the adult joint, she remembers the injurious moment. But what is significant about this remembering is not that it seems to arise at Linda's expense, but that it actively, physically constitutes a gesture of comfort for Linda. Bronwen says: "and I reach/ for my knee (cradling it/ as I might a child's head/ sleeping, in my lap) as I will/ in the next movement, reach/ for Linda's shoulder" (p. 79).
What is most interesting about this example is that Bronwen Wallace shows the manner in which remembering a personal past is compressed within the present encounter. It is "in that gesture which, from where you are, may appear/ ambiguous, whether it's for/ comfort or support, though/ believe me, it's not/ the distance makes it/ seem that way, it's not/ the distance at all." (p. 79). The ambiguity of this gesture of reaching for Linda's shoulder arises out of its two-sidedness: because "whether it is for comfort or support" has much to do with acknowledging the reflectivity that is bound up in this action of reaching out to another. The gesture remembers a personal past in the context of an intention to be there for another. As Wallace has indicated, this particular gesture of reaching for Linda's shoulder arises out of the action of cradling one's knee and the memories of hurt that this action occasions. In reaching out for Linda's shoulder, Bronwen Wallace is comforting the woman and yet also, in some very deep way, supporting and comforting herself as an adult and as the formerly physically hurt child. In the action, with its movement, touch, and feel, Bronwen comforts herself as if reaching back into her childhood. Is the gesture to comfort self or to support the other person? Well, of course, it is for both. And it is the very ambiguity of the gesture that creates the space for both.
Wallace, B (1987). The stubborn particulars of grace. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart.
I'll stop here only to stress that these these two examples were written by professional writers and are intended merely to provide a bit of stimulus for you in reflecting on "a time when you received care – the other cared for you" and "how you knew you were cared for."
Cheers,
Stephen.
My thanks to you all (including Jacqueline, Randy and Lehoa) for such a rich Friday evening and Saturday of presentations, discussions, and activities.
I'll write separately about our readings and preparations for the next meeting dates of November 18 and 19. This email is about the blog prompt that Randy mentioned on Saturday afternoon.
"Reflect on a time when you received care – the other cared for you. How did you know you were cared for?"
Read on for further explanation of what is intended in having you do this particular blog entry.
Let me start by sharing what Lehoa wrote to me afterwards about her presentation and mini-workshop on Friday evening. I have received her permission to share this reflection with you. I do so because Lehoa speaks directly to pedagogical relationality through her own self-care practices and in a way that exemplifies what I was trying to say on Saturday about how we can recast "pedagogies of health education, promotion and care" as more than just the impersonal curriculum designs and instructional frameworks through which we teach, coach, instruct, mentor, supervise and manage others.
Lehoa also provides a wonderful example of "a time when SHE received care." It could be her blog entry if only she were still doing the HEAL MEd!
Lehoa writes:
"I've heard from few students after the session that it was helpful, but I wanted to let you know how valuable it was for me. I walked out of the class and couldn't stop reflecting and thinking about the positive impact that it had on me.
Some of the comments shared by the class yesterday made me want to inquire further around the notion of connectedness and laughter. Someone brought up an example of their P.E. class and how some students laughed at times when he could be using that space to get back to the lesson plan, and he shared that he may do things a little differently in that class to encourage laughter or use that in a way that positively impacts the student and lesson. What I heard from that wasn't necessarily to have more laughter in the classroom, but perhaps to be more aware of these opportunities to create connections in the professional roles we hold. Instead of following a lesson plan which absolutely has its values, pausing to notice what's happening and using it to inform our practices could bring different and possibly more impactful experiences. There's a human-ness aspect where we are more aware of ourselves and others.
Laughter is fantastic. But it's not truly about the laughter; it's what it represents and brings out in people. I use laughter yoga as a vehicle to send an embodied message, that if we are compassionate, kind, and forgiving individuals, we are better human beings. We can be better at creating impactful human connections. While I believe that, yesterday's class made me think more about all this."
I've cc'd Lehoa on this email in case any of you want her email address to make further comment to her.
The blog prompt asks you to simply recall a time when the tables were turned and, instead of being expected just to care for your kids, the students you teach, the athletes you coach, the clients you serve, the staff you administer, and so on, you were the one receiving positive attention which felt comforting and supportive. Write about some time that you feel okay about sharing and, if you wish, use images, illustrative photos, graphics or whatever may give the reflection greater poignancy. It's your blog and so the medium needs to be your message. Keep in mind, too, the literary ways of making a personal reflection public by focusing on the details of the interaction, the actions, gestures, and expressions, and not on the identifiable context or the recognizable persons involved, or by rendering the reflection through the eyes of a real or imagined observer or commentator. And keep in mind that "the other" from whom you received care may not necessarily be another person. (By the way, some of you may have this and other blog entries serve 'double duty' by using them, if appropriate, in your HEAL inquiry paper.)
The purpose of this blog entry is to continue our exploration of self-care and the practices that serves us and others best. While this reflection on "a time when you received care – the other cared for you" may seem quite removed from the practices of self-care that you are pursuing and have mentioned already in your blog entries, hopefully it will stir a thought or two about how these very practices might serve you relationally, emotionally, even ecologically and spiritually, as well as in terms of what we often take glibly to be their physical benefits. The question "How did you know you were cared for?" can be asked of these practices of self-care insofar as we are interested in knowing what likely physical, mental, emotional, social, ecological, spiritual and (since Renee has impressed the point) sexual health benefits accrue from practices of self-care, for ourselves and for others.
Let me give you two further, literary examples of receiving care. The first example is of "receiving care from a stranger" that Alphonso Lingis provides in his book *The community of those who have nothing in common.* Lingis is a philosopher who has turned to "travel writings" as his medium of musing.
"One night, sick for weeks in a hut in Mahabalipuram in the south of India, I woke out of the fevered stupor of days to find that the paralysis that had incapacitated my arms was working its way into my chest. I stumbled out into the starless darkness of the heavy monsoon night. On the shore, gasping for air, I felt someone grasp my arm. He was naked, save for a threadbare loincloth, and all I could understand was that he was from Nepal. How he had come here, to the far south of the Indian subcontinent – farther by far than I who, equipped with credit card, could come here from my home in a day by jet plane – I had no way of learning from him. He seemed to have nothing, sleeping on the sands, alone. He engaged in a long conversation, unintelligible to me, with a fisherman awakened from a hut at the edge of the jungle and finally loaded me in an outrigger canoe to take me, I knew without understanding any of his words, through the monsoon seas to the hospital in Madras sixty-five miles away. My fevered eyes contemplated his silent and expressionless face, from time to time illuminated by the distant flashes of lightning as he labored in the canoe, and it was completely clear to me that should the storm become violent, he would not hesitate to same me, at the risk of his own life.
We disembarked at a fishing port where he put me first on a rickshaw and then on a bus for Madras, and then he disappeared without a word or a glance at me. He surely had no address but the sands; I would never see him again. I shall not cease seeing what it means to come to be bound with a bond that can never be broken or forgotten, what it means to become a brother. How indecent to speak of such things in the anonymous irresponsibility of a writing he cannot read and a tongue he cannot understand!"
Lingis, A. (1994). The community of those who have nothing in common. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, pp. 158, 159.
The second example comes from the Canadian poet Bronwen Wallace and is drawn from a poem titled "Burn-Out" in which Bronwen describes an experience of being on call in a shelter for battered women and children. She writes in this poem of her response to Linda, one of the women in the shelter, who comes to speak with her and in the course of the conversation tells her of yet another very unfortunate incident in her much abused life. We pick up the poem just after Linda has spoken of the fetus she miscarried (one suspects because of the spousal abuse she suffered) and disposed of without telling a soul.
Bronwen narrates: "And again, I wish I could tell you/ how I handled this in a/ professional manner, except that/ I, personally, don't think there/ is one." (Wallace, 1989, p. 78). Instead of casting her response to Linda within the realm of professional responsibility, Bronwen catches herself in a remembering of the personal past. As she listens to Linda she finds herself momentarily back at school, in the gymnasium, hearing her gym teacher yelling at her to try a particular kind of leap. She feels the admonishment; she feels the motion; she feels the knee injury that results from not being up to the task. Sitting with Linda as she cries out her story, Bronwen still remembers getting hurt. Through the painful, arthritic, stiffness of the adult joint, she remembers the injurious moment. But what is significant about this remembering is not that it seems to arise at Linda's expense, but that it actively, physically constitutes a gesture of comfort for Linda. Bronwen says: "and I reach/ for my knee (cradling it/ as I might a child's head/ sleeping, in my lap) as I will/ in the next movement, reach/ for Linda's shoulder" (p. 79).
What is most interesting about this example is that Bronwen Wallace shows the manner in which remembering a personal past is compressed within the present encounter. It is "in that gesture which, from where you are, may appear/ ambiguous, whether it's for/ comfort or support, though/ believe me, it's not/ the distance makes it/ seem that way, it's not/ the distance at all." (p. 79). The ambiguity of this gesture of reaching for Linda's shoulder arises out of its two-sidedness: because "whether it is for comfort or support" has much to do with acknowledging the reflectivity that is bound up in this action of reaching out to another. The gesture remembers a personal past in the context of an intention to be there for another. As Wallace has indicated, this particular gesture of reaching for Linda's shoulder arises out of the action of cradling one's knee and the memories of hurt that this action occasions. In reaching out for Linda's shoulder, Bronwen Wallace is comforting the woman and yet also, in some very deep way, supporting and comforting herself as an adult and as the formerly physically hurt child. In the action, with its movement, touch, and feel, Bronwen comforts herself as if reaching back into her childhood. Is the gesture to comfort self or to support the other person? Well, of course, it is for both. And it is the very ambiguity of the gesture that creates the space for both.
Wallace, B (1987). The stubborn particulars of grace. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart.
I'll stop here only to stress that these these two examples were written by professional writers and are intended merely to provide a bit of stimulus for you in reflecting on "a time when you received care – the other cared for you" and "how you knew you were cared for."
Cheers,
Stephen.
Saturday 29 October 2016
Social Determinant of Health: Early Childhood Education
Greetings HEALers!
Hope you are well! Please see below the link for today's presentation notes. Thank you Alexis for forwarding the information. Your team did an amazing job this morning.
Google Doc: Chapter 9-12 Notes
Have a wonderful Sunday and see you soon!
j.
Hope you are well! Please see below the link for today's presentation notes. Thank you Alexis for forwarding the information. Your team did an amazing job this morning.
Google Doc: Chapter 9-12 Notes
Have a wonderful Sunday and see you soon!
j.
Monday 24 October 2016
Active Living
Hi Everyone:
Craig has drawn my attention to the Canadian initiative called 'Take Me Outside' which happens this Thursday and is a reminder of what can happen every day! It is very much in keeping with the health education AND active living connection we want to make.
http://takemeoutside.ca/tmo-day/
I'm looking forward to seeing you all this Friday and Saturday.
Cheers,
Stephen.
Craig has drawn my attention to the Canadian initiative called 'Take Me Outside' which happens this Thursday and is a reminder of what can happen every day! It is very much in keeping with the health education AND active living connection we want to make.
http://takemeoutside.ca/tmo-day/
I'm looking forward to seeing you all this Friday and Saturday.
Cheers,
Stephen.
Sunday 9 October 2016
Preparations for Oct 28/29
Hi Everyone:
I hope you are having a wonderful long weekend.
It is a treat to follow your blog entries. The entries for "self-care practices" show a diversity of interests and yet much unanimity in what self-care means. We'll pursue this very practical and important dimension of our HEAL MEd when next we meet. I've invited Lehoa Mak (who at least a couple of you know) to share her HEAL inquiry and the practice that has evolved from it. That will be on the Friday evening. And Randy Persad will again join us on the Saturday afternoon to help us further explore the therapeutic practices of self-care.
I trust I have responded to your narratives that you sent to me. If not, it likely means I have overlooked your email somewhere, so send me a follow-up message. And come prepared to talk in small group conversation about where your inquiries are headed.
For our next meeting we'll turn our attention to "pedagogies of health education, promotion and care." By the word "pedagogy" I mean those relational aspects of our work as teachers, therapists, health care workers, trainers, instructors, advisors, coaches and so on.
You are all addressing "pedagogy" in some way or other in your narratives. So I hope that our further exploration of some relational, pedagogical concepts will be useful to you.
Thinking in general about pedagogy, we can consider how to construe this helpful, caring relationship as one that is animating, health-inducing, and life-sustaining. We customarily speak about our professional work with the terminology of procedures, programs, courses and instructional plans that provide the general direction for our actions and interactions with others. But those frameworks and that terminology do not necessarily capture the moment to moment sensibilities and personalized relationships we create with our clients, students, patients, participants, athletes, parents and the communities we serve. Pedagogy is ultimately a relational practice of attending to particular people with particular needs in particular situations. It is a way of being responsive to those whose lives are invariably unique and whose circumstances are usually idiosyncratic.
And yet, given such particularity and idiosyncrasy, there are still some general ways of understanding this responsiveness, certain generalizable practices that work better than others, and theoretical perspectives that highlight essential commonalities within and across diverse fields of pedagogical practice. Always there is a theorizing, or 'refined way of seeing,' that can work for us.
We can address the observable features of this relational practice we call "pedagogy" through attention to the stances, as well as the postures, positions, gestures and expressions, that demonstrate very visibly the practices of being responsive to and responsible for others. We can address, also, the affective dynamics of our respective "pedagogies of health education, promotion and care" by considering the kinesthetic, energetic and flow registers of pedagogical vitality.
The attached readings are intended to provide a backdrop to our discussions and inquiries. The one by Max van Manen on "Modalities of body experience in illness and health" provides concepts for how we can situate ourselves physically in relation to one another. It will allow us to talk a little more about body-mind matters in pedagogical relation to our health interests. The piece by Lloyd and Smith on "Interactive flow in exercise pedagogy" is an example of relational dynamics in a setting familiar to many of you. It will hopefully allow us to consider the dynamics of pedagogy through examples taken from more than just exercise settings but where physical interactivity is nonetheless apparent. The third piece, on "The first rush of movement," is one to which I referred in our first class. It presents a child-oriented, pedagogical viewpoint that revolves around a telling feature of physical vitality. Again, insert your own sense of being focused on clients, students, patients, athletes, and others.
There are also the four chapters of the "Social Determinants of Health" on "Education" (chapters 9-12) to prepare us for another rich seminar. These readings are important for understanding the wider educational context (particularly in regard to k-12 schooling) for any consideration of agency and relationality as being central to health education, promotion and care. Please come prepared to contribute your insights based on reading the "Education" chapters.
For those of you interested in human-animal relationships there is "The Mane Event" happening October 21-23 at the Chilliwack Heritage Park (Yale Road exit off the Canada #1 Highway.
Link: https://chilliwack.maneeventexpo.com/
In previous years we have attended this event to observe the postural, positional, gestural and expressive aspects of animal communication. But I decided this time that the social, cultural, economic and ecological determinants of certain domestic animals' lives, as evidenced at events such as this, can just as easily get in the way of appreciating the relational possibilities. We will do a farm field trip later in the HEAL program that allows us animal interactions and the opportunity to reflect on how these mostly nonverbal interactions can inform our professional lives. But, again, for those of you with particular interests in human-animal matters and are looking for an outing, "The Mane Event" is a relatively inexpensive and interesting outing.
See you all in a couple of weeks.
Cheers,
Stephen.
I hope you are having a wonderful long weekend.
It is a treat to follow your blog entries. The entries for "self-care practices" show a diversity of interests and yet much unanimity in what self-care means. We'll pursue this very practical and important dimension of our HEAL MEd when next we meet. I've invited Lehoa Mak (who at least a couple of you know) to share her HEAL inquiry and the practice that has evolved from it. That will be on the Friday evening. And Randy Persad will again join us on the Saturday afternoon to help us further explore the therapeutic practices of self-care.
I trust I have responded to your narratives that you sent to me. If not, it likely means I have overlooked your email somewhere, so send me a follow-up message. And come prepared to talk in small group conversation about where your inquiries are headed.
For our next meeting we'll turn our attention to "pedagogies of health education, promotion and care." By the word "pedagogy" I mean those relational aspects of our work as teachers, therapists, health care workers, trainers, instructors, advisors, coaches and so on.
You are all addressing "pedagogy" in some way or other in your narratives. So I hope that our further exploration of some relational, pedagogical concepts will be useful to you.
Thinking in general about pedagogy, we can consider how to construe this helpful, caring relationship as one that is animating, health-inducing, and life-sustaining. We customarily speak about our professional work with the terminology of procedures, programs, courses and instructional plans that provide the general direction for our actions and interactions with others. But those frameworks and that terminology do not necessarily capture the moment to moment sensibilities and personalized relationships we create with our clients, students, patients, participants, athletes, parents and the communities we serve. Pedagogy is ultimately a relational practice of attending to particular people with particular needs in particular situations. It is a way of being responsive to those whose lives are invariably unique and whose circumstances are usually idiosyncratic.
And yet, given such particularity and idiosyncrasy, there are still some general ways of understanding this responsiveness, certain generalizable practices that work better than others, and theoretical perspectives that highlight essential commonalities within and across diverse fields of pedagogical practice. Always there is a theorizing, or 'refined way of seeing,' that can work for us.
We can address the observable features of this relational practice we call "pedagogy" through attention to the stances, as well as the postures, positions, gestures and expressions, that demonstrate very visibly the practices of being responsive to and responsible for others. We can address, also, the affective dynamics of our respective "pedagogies of health education, promotion and care" by considering the kinesthetic, energetic and flow registers of pedagogical vitality.
The attached readings are intended to provide a backdrop to our discussions and inquiries. The one by Max van Manen on "Modalities of body experience in illness and health" provides concepts for how we can situate ourselves physically in relation to one another. It will allow us to talk a little more about body-mind matters in pedagogical relation to our health interests. The piece by Lloyd and Smith on "Interactive flow in exercise pedagogy" is an example of relational dynamics in a setting familiar to many of you. It will hopefully allow us to consider the dynamics of pedagogy through examples taken from more than just exercise settings but where physical interactivity is nonetheless apparent. The third piece, on "The first rush of movement," is one to which I referred in our first class. It presents a child-oriented, pedagogical viewpoint that revolves around a telling feature of physical vitality. Again, insert your own sense of being focused on clients, students, patients, athletes, and others.
There are also the four chapters of the "Social Determinants of Health" on "Education" (chapters 9-12) to prepare us for another rich seminar. These readings are important for understanding the wider educational context (particularly in regard to k-12 schooling) for any consideration of agency and relationality as being central to health education, promotion and care. Please come prepared to contribute your insights based on reading the "Education" chapters.
For those of you interested in human-animal relationships there is "The Mane Event" happening October 21-23 at the Chilliwack Heritage Park (Yale Road exit off the Canada #1 Highway.
Link: https://chilliwack.maneeventexpo.com/
In previous years we have attended this event to observe the postural, positional, gestural and expressive aspects of animal communication. But I decided this time that the social, cultural, economic and ecological determinants of certain domestic animals' lives, as evidenced at events such as this, can just as easily get in the way of appreciating the relational possibilities. We will do a farm field trip later in the HEAL program that allows us animal interactions and the opportunity to reflect on how these mostly nonverbal interactions can inform our professional lives. But, again, for those of you with particular interests in human-animal matters and are looking for an outing, "The Mane Event" is a relatively inexpensive and interesting outing.
See you all in a couple of weeks.
Cheers,
Stephen.
Wednesday 28 September 2016
September 23/24 HEAL review and looking ahead
Dear HEALers:
It was a pleasure to engage in such rich conversations this past weekend. The Saturdayseminar on "issues of income security and employment in Canada" was particularly stimulating. I appreciated very much the preparations undertaken by Anna, Nick, Raman and Anne-Marie in delivering this seminar and in prompting class discussion. Certainly the overriding question is about how our consideration of these social determinants of health can become the basis of personal initiatives and local actions.
I've had a query about the write-up of these class presentations and seminars. So let me just reiterate from the Sept 11th email that those who have selected the particular part of the Raphael text to address submit individually (and via email to me) a write-up that covers the following:
a. A one-page synopsis of the part of the Raphael text you and your group members are addressing.
In this synopsis, mention the key ideas, issues and challenges. Focus on those ideas, issues and challenges that stand out for you.
b. Some examples or illustrations from your work and wider life of the above. Indicate how you connect personally and professionally with the "social determinants" being discussed. Such connections should comprise no more than a second page.
c. And, in no more than a page, indicate possible courses of action to help turn the "social determinants of health" into "affordances" of greater well-being and enhanced quality of life for those adversely affected by "income insecurity and unemployment," "educational access," "food insecurity and inadequate housing," and "social exclusion" especially as a function of systemic colonialism.
The query about this write-up is because I wrote "detailed critique" in the course outline. A three-page write-up does not allow space for too much detail, which is all there in the Raphael text anyway, however it does provide space for you to detail your own interest in the social determinants being addressed and, specifically, how you connect to, and take from, the readings what is most pertinent to your personal and professional lives. Reference any sources, i.e. websites and research (beyond those in the Raphael text) to which you refer in the presentation/seminar or the write-up. And send me the write-up in the week subsequent to the presentation.
Now, let me say a few things about the development of the major paper. I've received already some of the drafts of the introductory, first-person pieces which I'll endeavor to respond to as soon as I can. Since we have a bit of time before we meet next on October 28/29, it's important that we move the development of the major paper along and certainly to the point where you have a reasonably good sense of your topic and the information sources that are most helpful to you. The purpose of going to the library and online sources, and to other resources available to you personally and professionally, is "to flesh out the issue or question" (as stated in the course outline). It's not intended for you to get lost in some question or issue that is no longer your own, nor is this wider research intended to make your question or issue seem abstract in a way that you lose touch with it. The first-person narrative, and further narratives of your own or from others that you care to add in building the paper, should serve to keep the inquiry 'real.'
For now, send me what you have and we'll go from there.
The third thing to mention is your blog and its use in documenting your "Active living: practices and reflections." In the course outline (once again, written before I met most of you), I wrote: "Students will engage in a self-chosen practice and keep a journal of their experiences over the semester. The reflection will address purposes, applications, enabling conditions, life-course factors and social determinants, as well as provide a rich description of the practice itself in terms of personal commitment to it." Now interpret this instruction to allow for "a self-chosen practice" or a set of practices or, if you prefer, activities, pursuits, and pastimes that are enjoyable, sustaining and meaningful to you. We'll discuss further what constitutes a "practice" and pursue the notion of "practices of self-care" which we started to address (with Randy Persad) on the Saturday afternoon and which we will continue to delve into in terms of the functions, forms, feelings and flows of such "practices of self-care." For some of you, this exploration may well be closely coupled with the focus of your major paper. But whatever your practice/s or pastimes of "active living," see how you can portray something of their "purposes, applications, enabling conditions, life-course factors and social determinants, as well as provide a rich description of the practice itself (or practices and activities themselves) in terms of personal commitment."
The blog prompt posed last Saturday stated: "Having reflected on what heath means to you, turn your attention to and explore your personal definition/description of self-care." That's a good way into this portrayal of your practice/s of "active living." See this and subsequent blog posts serving the purposes of a journal, but with the important difference of posting on your blog only information which you are comfortable to share. If ultimately you feel limited in using the blog as the vehicle of your reflections on "active living," then the default for this particular course assignment is to provide the "active living reflection" at the end of the semester and as an emailed document. But first, let's see how much we can use blog posts to at least express our various "active living" interests and pursuits. Have a look at the blog posts on 'self-care' practices and pursuits that Chelsea, Ann-Marie, Elizabeth, Naseem, Leah, Neva and Nick have put up already. These are excellent inspirations.
Well, that's more than enough information for the moment. I will send you another email in anticipation of our next class times on October 28 and 29, and with PDFs of the readings. Keep in mind the 'vitality' pieces from last time which we did not have time to discuss. The one, in particular, on "promoting vitality" contains ideas that are important for understanding how health has been defined in often very restrictive ways. But more on all this later. For the moment, let's press ahead with the blogs, the major assignment, and your group preparations for the class presentations and seminars.
Hope you are all getting a chance to enjoy the sunshine.
Cheers,
Stephen.
It was a pleasure to engage in such rich conversations this past weekend. The Saturdayseminar on "issues of income security and employment in Canada" was particularly stimulating. I appreciated very much the preparations undertaken by Anna, Nick, Raman and Anne-Marie in delivering this seminar and in prompting class discussion. Certainly the overriding question is about how our consideration of these social determinants of health can become the basis of personal initiatives and local actions.
I've had a query about the write-up of these class presentations and seminars. So let me just reiterate from the Sept 11th email that those who have selected the particular part of the Raphael text to address submit individually (and via email to me) a write-up that covers the following:
a. A one-page synopsis of the part of the Raphael text you and your group members are addressing.
In this synopsis, mention the key ideas, issues and challenges. Focus on those ideas, issues and challenges that stand out for you.
b. Some examples or illustrations from your work and wider life of the above. Indicate how you connect personally and professionally with the "social determinants" being discussed. Such connections should comprise no more than a second page.
c. And, in no more than a page, indicate possible courses of action to help turn the "social determinants of health" into "affordances" of greater well-being and enhanced quality of life for those adversely affected by "income insecurity and unemployment," "educational access," "food insecurity and inadequate housing," and "social exclusion" especially as a function of systemic colonialism.
The query about this write-up is because I wrote "detailed critique" in the course outline. A three-page write-up does not allow space for too much detail, which is all there in the Raphael text anyway, however it does provide space for you to detail your own interest in the social determinants being addressed and, specifically, how you connect to, and take from, the readings what is most pertinent to your personal and professional lives. Reference any sources, i.e. websites and research (beyond those in the Raphael text) to which you refer in the presentation/seminar or the write-up. And send me the write-up in the week subsequent to the presentation.
Now, let me say a few things about the development of the major paper. I've received already some of the drafts of the introductory, first-person pieces which I'll endeavor to respond to as soon as I can. Since we have a bit of time before we meet next on October 28/29, it's important that we move the development of the major paper along and certainly to the point where you have a reasonably good sense of your topic and the information sources that are most helpful to you. The purpose of going to the library and online sources, and to other resources available to you personally and professionally, is "to flesh out the issue or question" (as stated in the course outline). It's not intended for you to get lost in some question or issue that is no longer your own, nor is this wider research intended to make your question or issue seem abstract in a way that you lose touch with it. The first-person narrative, and further narratives of your own or from others that you care to add in building the paper, should serve to keep the inquiry 'real.'
For now, send me what you have and we'll go from there.
The third thing to mention is your blog and its use in documenting your "Active living: practices and reflections." In the course outline (once again, written before I met most of you), I wrote: "Students will engage in a self-chosen practice and keep a journal of their experiences over the semester. The reflection will address purposes, applications, enabling conditions, life-course factors and social determinants, as well as provide a rich description of the practice itself in terms of personal commitment to it." Now interpret this instruction to allow for "a self-chosen practice" or a set of practices or, if you prefer, activities, pursuits, and pastimes that are enjoyable, sustaining and meaningful to you. We'll discuss further what constitutes a "practice" and pursue the notion of "practices of self-care" which we started to address (with Randy Persad) on the Saturday afternoon and which we will continue to delve into in terms of the functions, forms, feelings and flows of such "practices of self-care." For some of you, this exploration may well be closely coupled with the focus of your major paper. But whatever your practice/s or pastimes of "active living," see how you can portray something of their "purposes, applications, enabling conditions, life-course factors and social determinants, as well as provide a rich description of the practice itself (or practices and activities themselves) in terms of personal commitment."
The blog prompt posed last Saturday stated: "Having reflected on what heath means to you, turn your attention to and explore your personal definition/description of self-care." That's a good way into this portrayal of your practice/s of "active living." See this and subsequent blog posts serving the purposes of a journal, but with the important difference of posting on your blog only information which you are comfortable to share. If ultimately you feel limited in using the blog as the vehicle of your reflections on "active living," then the default for this particular course assignment is to provide the "active living reflection" at the end of the semester and as an emailed document. But first, let's see how much we can use blog posts to at least express our various "active living" interests and pursuits. Have a look at the blog posts on 'self-care' practices and pursuits that Chelsea, Ann-Marie, Elizabeth, Naseem, Leah, Neva and Nick have put up already. These are excellent inspirations.
Well, that's more than enough information for the moment. I will send you another email in anticipation of our next class times on October 28 and 29, and with PDFs of the readings. Keep in mind the 'vitality' pieces from last time which we did not have time to discuss. The one, in particular, on "promoting vitality" contains ideas that are important for understanding how health has been defined in often very restrictive ways. But more on all this later. For the moment, let's press ahead with the blogs, the major assignment, and your group preparations for the class presentations and seminars.
Hope you are all getting a chance to enjoy the sunshine.
Cheers,
Stephen.
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