KANAWÊÝIHTÂKOSIWIN ( CARED FOR ): INCREASING CONNECTIVITY
By Dr . JoLee Sasakamoose , Associate Professor - Educational Psychology & Counselling
As the Research Director and Community-Led Scholar with the Wellness Wheel Medical Clinic & Indigenous Wellness Research Community Network ( WW ), my role
Dr . JoLee Sasakamoose is to listen and respond to health needs defined by our First Nations community partners . In the era of COVID-19 , rural , and geographically isolated and urban First Nations communities seek health care that is accessible , culturally responsive , and
safe . Wellness Wheel responded by launching Kanawêýihtâkosiwin ( Cared for ): Online Community Medical Centre . Designed for WW community partners , the customized virtual portal can be accessed from anywhere through secure web , email , or embedded systems .
Configured for internal and external users , Kanawêýihtâkosiwin is pioneering virtual health care technologies to facilitate meaningful connectivity by bringing together patients , nurses , physicians , researchers and peers using modern smart phones or other technologies . Our patient-focused solution prioritizes best care outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic by carefully reviewing our strategies with leading infectious disease experts , health professionals , Indigenous researchers and peers . Kanawêýihtâkosiwin is expanding our clinical and research initiative to assist Wellness Wheel patients better , offering front-line support to staff , researchers , and colleagues while maintaining resources during the COVID-19 epidemic and beyond . Together with our partners at the University of Regina , Jump . ca , Cisco , Apple , SaskTel , SHRF and others , we will transform and modernize patient interaction , telehealth and virtual care in a sustainable , respectful and compassionate manner through partnership and cooperation with Indigenous communities and their care providers .
JOURNEY OF BECOMING A ( TRANS-MULTI ) CULTURALLY
By Dr . Latika Raisinghani , Lecturer , Science and Environmental Teacher Education
RESPONSIVE EDUCATOR
Exponential growth in student diversity , the challenges posed by the current COVID-19 pandemic , and recent racial injustices in Canadian and global society ,
Dr . Latika Raisinghani demand that we continue
to explore ways to stimulate ongoing conversation and action that may invite education that is responsive to the needs of diverse students .
My journey to inquire about such an education began with exploring what culture is , how we define cultural diversity , and what culturally responsive education means in a multicultural country such as Canada . My doctoral study at the University of British Columbia exposed me to the complexities inherent in various dimensions of cultural diversity , the structural systemic inequities embedded in the education systems , and the politics of education that continue to marginalize many culturally diverse students in diversity-rich classrooms of Canada . What could be possible ways to respond to student diversity ?
Informed by my doctoral research with K-12 teachers in Vancouver schools , I have conceptualized a ( trans-multi ) culturally responsive education framework as one way to do so . Amalgamating critical and transformational multicultural education perspectives and culturally responsive teaching , this framework invites educators to engage in critical self-reflective inquiries and initiate complicated conversations to interrogate the hidden curricula , recognize Other ( ed ) cultural knowledges ( that are missing ), and welcome multiplicity of lived experiences . Acknowledging culture as a dynamic way of life and cultural diversity as all cultural experiences that a student may bring into schools , a ( trans-multi ) culturally responsive education calls educators to cultivate critical cultural consciousness , embrace relational caring and develop empathetic relationships that may promote wholistic , socially-just , inclusive education , which cherishes diversity and engages with difference with solidarity and critique .
My efforts to invite educators in this transformational learning journey include organizing provincial professional development workshops for Ontario school principals and British Columbia teachers . As a member of the Faculty of Education at the University of Regina , I am continuing these efforts to invite ( trans-multi ) culturally responsive education through my engagements in teaching science and environmental education courses that focus on Indigeneity and responsiveness . My initiatives include contributing to the Fall 2020 Treaty 4 Gathering and co-initiating a Centre for Educational Research , Collaboration , and Development approved Knowledge Mobilization Project with Dr . Xia Ji on culturally responsive leadership for school leaders and administrators in Regina . Becoming a ( trans-multi ) culturally responsive educator is a life-long ideological and pedagogical commitment which necessitates what Mahatma Gandhi emphasized : “ Be the change that you want to see in the world .” So , my journey of becoming a ( trans-multi ) culturally responsive educator continues , and I invite you to join me in this life-long journey .
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