TLCN09 Reflective Practice

Date and time: Thursday, December 05, 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM

John Dewey observed that, “We do not learn from experience. We learn from reflecting on experience.” In order to become a better teacher, it is necessary to reflect on what we do and why we do it – to ask ourselves, is what we do effective? In this workshop we will explore several models of self-reflection, including the Gibbs’ Model, as methods for engaging in a reflective practice. Participants will also have the opportunity to share their own successes and struggles as they strive to become a better teacher.

Register for the Reflective Practice workshop

TLCN10 Self-Evaluation of Teaching Practice

Date and time: Monday, December 9, 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM

Feedback and evaluation of teaching are part of every teacher’s life. How do you make sense of the evaluative feedback you receive from SRI scores, daily classroom experiences and student grades? This workshop examines the theory and practice of evaluation and suggests practical strategies for integrating effective evaluative practices into your teaching. Please note that this workshop does not cover the design and creation of student assessments. 

Register for the Self-Evaluation of Teaching Practice workshop

TLCN02 Teaching and Technology

Date and time: Monday, December 9, 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM

In this workshop, we will explore a framework for using technology in teaching and learning. Rather than a technology ‘how-to’ session, the focus will be on providing a method for evaluating technology that supports the goals of teaching and learning. We will also discuss the benefits and challenges of using technology in the classroom.

Register for the Teaching and Technology workshop

TLCN03 Navigating Challenging Student Situations

Date and time: Tuesday, December 10, 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM

As instructors, you may have experienced behaviour by your students that you felt was disrespectful, rude, or disruptive. These can be challenging situations to deal with. Staff from Student Advocacy and Case Management and the Office of Human Rights and Conflict Management will provide an overview of pertinent University policies and procedures to help you understand your rights and responsibilities as an instructor. This interactive workshop will provide you with strategies and tips for preventing and responding to these behaviours.

Register for the Navigating Challenging Student Situations workshop

TLCN07 Mental Health in the Classroom: Responding to Students Demonstrating Mental Health Distress

Date and time: Tuesday, December 10, 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM

Young adults are highly susceptible to mental health problems. We know that most instructors encounter many students who are struggling with mental health issues that affect their academic performance, behaviour in the classroom, and interactions with teaching staff.  Research also indicates that the incident rate and intensity of mental health problems experienced by students is increasing. These situations can be stressful, time-consuming, and potentially can involve risks to personal safety for the students and others. David Ness, the Director of the Student Counselling Centre at the University of Manitoba, will provide you with information about how to identify and respond effectively to student mental health issues, how to understand the factors that contribute to student distress, and how to access resources.  This interactive workshop will involve case study material to apply your knowledge of risk assessment, response alternatives, and on- and off-campus resources.

Register for the Mental Health in the Classroom workshop

TLCN08 Indigenous Knowledges for Teaching Higher Education

Date and time: Wednesday, December 11, 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM

This workshop introduces participants to Indigenous pedagogies by contextualizing Indigenous knowledges, discussing the importance of making space for Indigenous content and knowledge transmission in the academy, and providing participants with resources about the pedagogical significance of Indigenous knowledges.

Register for the Indigenous Knowledges for Teaching Higher Education workshop

TLCN01 Universal Design for Learning

Date and time: Wednesday, December 11, 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an orientation to teaching and learning that promotes greater student choice and agency in learning experiences, with the aim of reducing barriers to learning by providing multiple means of representation, engagement, and expression. In this workshop, participants will explore how UDL values intersect with their own teaching philosophies, identify barriers to learning for students with a range of needs, and (re)design course elements to adopt UDL guidelines in a way that is practical for instructors yet beneficial to learners.

Register for the Universal Design for Learning workshop

Teaching Through Entrepreneurship

Date and time: Thursday, December 12, 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM

Entrepreneurship is recognized as one of the 12 types of experiential learning at UM. Entrepreneurship is not only the early stage start up of businesses, but the solving of real world problems. In this workshop, participants will learn to create experiences that allow students to learn through entrepreneurship. 

Register for the Teaching Through Entrepreneurship workshop

TLCN04 Academic Integrity Teaching and Learning Strategies

Date and time: Thursday, December 12, 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM

Do you want to promote academic integrity in your course but don’t know how?  In this workshop, we will discuss the meaning of academic integrity at the University of Manitoba, and how it relates to your teaching and learning environment (whether that be face-to-face, remote/online). We will discuss ways to implement teaching and assessment strategies that promote integrity that will allow you to focus on students’ learning and community building. Resources for academic integrity education (e.g., syllabus statements, learning activities) that you can modify and incorporate into your courses will be shared.

Register for the Academic Integrity Teaching and Learning Strategies workshop

TLCN05 Developing Intercultural Teaching Competence

Date and time: Monday, December 16, 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM

Every student and instructor brings their own culture into the teaching and learning contexts in which they inhabit. Similarly, every teaching and learning context is informed by and situated in institutional, regional, and national cultures. In this workshop, you’ll explore your own cultural attitudes, knowledge, and skills, and those of your learners and the environments you all find yourselves in. Then, you’ll apply this to your own teaching practices through elements of course design.

Register for the Developing Intercultural Teaching Competence workshop

TLCN06 Teaching Dossier

Date and time: Monday, December 16, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Increasingly, university promotion and tenure committees are requiring a teaching dossier to document your development and achievements as an educator. This workshop looks at the requirements at the University of Manitoba for teaching dossiers and covers the basics of writing a Teaching Philosophy statement and creating a teaching dossier.

Register for the Teaching Dossier workshop

Workshops and groups offer different experiences. Workshops are usually 1-2 sessions, focus on coping skills and don’t require that you share. They are more likely to be drop-in or open-ended so there are usually different people at each session. Groups offer more sessions, and if it’s a closed group, you’ll typically meet with the same group of students over multiple weeks. Groups also provide more opportunities to share personal experiences and delve deeper into what’s going on for you.

One of the best parts of this kind of programming is that it brings people together. Connecting with and hearing from other students going through similar experiences can help you feel less alone.

Here are 12 groups and workshops you can try out at UM over Winter Term:

Workshops/Drop-in programming:

• Regulation Station: join other autistic students in a space where you can feel like yourself! No agenda or expectation, just a place to come as you are. Next sessions: January 16 and February 13. In-person at the Student Wellness Centre, 162 Extended Education. Drop-in: no registration required.
• International Centre Weekly Wednesday Conversation Group: talk about Canadian culture, get tips for making connections and practice your “small talk.” All students are welcome weekly from 2:30-3:30pm in-person at the International Centre, 541 UMSU University Centre. Next sessions: January 17 and 24. Drop-in: no registration required.
• Pause for Paws: take a break and find some stress relief with pet therapy in the Student Wellness Centre, 162 Extended Education. Next sessions: January 24 and February 14. Drop-in: no registration required.
• Antiracism workshop series: better understand the impacts of racism and how to advocate against it. Build resilience and learn how to respond to microaggressions. Thursdays from 10:30am to 12pm starting January 25. In-person; registration required through the Student Counselling Centre (SCC).
• Colourful Minds Paint Night: grab a paintbrush, manage stress and explore your artistic expression through a guided painting session. No experience required and all materials are provided. 4-7pm January 25. In- person; registration required by January 19.
• Stress and Wellness 101: sign up for a three session workshop series that can help you identify stress triggers, develop strategies to help and expand your awareness of available resources. Next series starts February 2. Online and in-person sessions available; registration required through the SCC.

Groups:

• Queerly Beloved: join a group of queer students and allies in the UM student community who have experienced harm and hurt from a faith community. A gathering space for you to belong, to tell and process your story and to receive the stories of others who have walked a similar path. Students from all faith backgrounds and experiences are welcome. In-person; registration required through the SCC.
• Healing from Racialized Trauma: recognize how racialized trauma may be present in your body and learn individual and community healing strategies to help. For students who identify as Black, Indigenous, Bodies of Culture (BIBOC) and are seeking to heal from racialized trauma. Next session starts January 16. In-person at the Spiritual Care and Multi-Faith Centre, 5^th floor UMSU University Centre. Registration required through the SCC.
• ZONGIIGABOWIN – Indigenous Men’s Wellness Group: join a weekly gathering of Indigenous males who empower each other. Come together and explore your strengths and place in the university and society. Traditional knowledge and western teachings will be called upon as guidelines. Weekly on Thursdays, 4-5:30pm in the Circle Room at Migizii Agamik. Next session is on January 18. Drop-in: no registration required.
• Two-Spirits Talking: gather in a space for Indigenous Two-Spirit students, staff and faculty. Talk about topics that explore and bridge your interconnected Indigenous and queer identities. Online and in-person in the Circle Room at Migizii Agamik. Next session is on January 25. Drop-in: no registration required.
• Making Meaning About Me: Understanding and expressing my emotions in a good way: make sense of your emotions and learn how to express them in safe and constructive ways. Starting in February 2024. In-person; registration required through the SCC.
• Mindful De-Stressing Group: discover the practice of mindfulness to become more aware and accepting of your experiences. Learn to respond to stressful situations in new ways. Next session starts March 1. In-person; registration required through the SCC.

These groups and workshops aren’t your only options for support, but they’re a great place to start. Discover a safe place where you can meet others who you can relate to, share your experiences, get valuable feedback and develop new coping skills. You deserve to receive the care that fits best with your self-defined goals for wellness!

Discover all the student supports you need to thrive at umanitoba.ca/student-supports

This panel was a collaborative event between the Feminist Legal Forum (FLF), the Robson Hall Mental Health Group, the Manitoba Bar Association Representative (MBA Rep), the Robson Hall Movember Fundraising Team, and it was graciously sponsored by LexisNexis.

The event was held on Tuesday, November 15th in the Robson Hall Common Room, and featured a variety of legal professionals from both the law school and the Winnipeg legal community. The panel featured Professor Brandon Trask [JD/2012], Greg Evans, K.C. (of Evans Family Law) [LLB/1997], articling students Shawn Singh [JD/2022] and Rowan Greger [JD/2022] (both at Manitoba Prosecutions), and Steve Silva (a Therapist through the Wellness Program at Manitoba Justice). The panel was moderated by Dean of Law, Dr. Richard Jochelson.

The goal of the event was to encourage men’s voices around mental health, to create a supportive environment for male students to make connections, and to share resources with male and non-male students about how we can all support the mental health of our male colleagues. While this event focused on men’s mental health, all students were encouraged to attend, regardless of gender.

At the event, the six-person panel discussed a variety of topics relating to mental health in the legal profession, as well as the barriers that are faced by men in the profession. Some of the topics covered included the panelist’s own experiences throughout law school, articling, and practice, how to reach out for support, networks and supports available to law students and lawyers, how to find ways to take care of mental health, and how to make time for mental health.

During the panel discussion, Dean of Law, Richard Jochelson (2nd from right) and lawyer Greg Evans, K.C. (far right), shared with law students how both used music as a way to practice self-care. Photo: Jayden Wlasichuk (2L).

“It is important for members of the legal community to speak openly and candidly about mental health,” said Jochelson. “I am grateful for the organizers of this event and for the practitioners and faculty who gave of their time to share their stories and good advice with the attendees. We know that speaking about our mental health is a first critical step in a lifelong journey of healing and wellness. Events like this evening help us embark on this project.”

“We are very pleased with how this event went,” said Jayden Wlasichuk, a second-year law student and the 2022-23 Women’s Legal Forum Liaison for the FLF. “It was the first event of this type that the FLF has hosted, particularly with this group of collaborators. We are happy with the student turnout, as well as the broader support that this event received from the faculty at Robson Hall and the legal community.”

“It sounds silly, but this event came together because of a book I read over the summer,” Wlasichuk said. “‘Man Enough: Undefining my Masculinity’ by Justin Baldoni really got me thinking about the ways in which we all need to learn how to support men’s mental health, and how impactful an open conversation and supportive environment can be. November 19^th is International Men’s Day, so I pitched the idea to the FLF team at our first meeting of the year to host a panel-style event on men’s mental health, and I was met with so much support and enthusiasm to make this event happen! Collaborating with the Mental Health Group and the Movember team made sense because they would be able to bring knowledge and experience to the event, and the MBA Rep was on board to support the event through planning, advertising, and connecting us to resources in the legal community.”

Sawarn Benning, a 2L student and member of the Robson Hall Mental Health Group, spoke about the stigma of mental health. “It’s common to see mental health events catered toward certain groups, like law students or women. While all these considerations are important and impactful, it was great to see the expansion of this topic to men as well.”

The stigma and socially constructed hesitancy on men’s mental health isn’t new to hear about, but it’s events like these that actively combat the barriers surrounding men’s mental health. Mental health isn’t sanctioned to a specific group of individuals, it affects us all. As such, it was an initiative that the Mental Health Group was excited to endorse.

– Sawarn Benning, 2L

While the panel was facilitated by students of all gender identities, ensuring men’s voices were heard was a priority for planners.

“It was important from the beginning of planning to ensure that this event was championed by men, so the panel was all-male professionals, speaking directly about their experiences. This allowed all attendees to learn from people in similar circumstances about what support is available, how to ask for support, and most importantly, how to support one another,” said Wlasichuk.

“I was thrilled when FLF reached out to collaborate in organizing a panel for such an important topic” said Eric Gagnon, the MBA Representative for the Manitoba Law Students’ Association. “Both the pressures of law school and the pandemic have really taken a toll on folks’ mental health. Nor is this a problem that is unique to Manitoba; across Canada, law students are facing difficulties keeping up and taking care of their mental well-being. What’s more, as men there are unique barriers that we face in reaching out for support. Thankfully, this event was an important step in breaking down those walls and creating community through candid conversations about our mental health.”

One of the additional impacts of the Panel was the opportunity to raise money for the Robson Hall Movember Team Fundraiser.

“Movember is a wonderful initiative that focuses on raising awareness and funds for men’s mental health, suicide prevention, and research for prostate and testicular cancer throughout the month of November,” said Liam Menec, a third-year law student and this year’s captain of the Robson Hall Movember Team. “The Men’s Mental Health Panel was an opportunity for the Movember team to raise funds and to help bring together male students to talk about men’s mental health. I am proud of the participation from Robson Hall for this amazing cause and it is really fun to see all of the growing moustaches around the school,” he added.

Law students Liam Menec, Benjamin Manness, Justin Paulic, and Connor Stewart grew moustaches for Men’s health in Movember.

Events on mental health are important, particularly as we move into the stress of exam season. Event organizers want to emphasize the importance of reaching out for help, whether to peers, administration, campus counselling services, or other trusted sources. In addition to growing moustaches, the Robson Hall Movember team is still accepting donations.

There are many self-directed and group mental health resources available for students, accessible within the UM community and beyond. These include workshops, peer-support groups, self-guided programs, as well as online toolkits – all of which cover a variety of topics related to mental health.

• Consider attending workshops and groups being offered by the Student Counselling Centre (SCC). These sessions help participants develop empirically validated skills to manage stress and distress, depression and anxiety, trauma, grief and loss, and more. Groups and workshops provide an environment where students can feel comfortable among others who are developing the same techniques and feel empowered in doing so. For many needs, workshops and groups have proven to be more effective than individual counselling.

• The Indigenous Student Centre hosts weekly virtual sharing circles, providing safe spaces for participants to learn from each other’s experiences. View the full schedule to access other sharing circles scheduled for the upcoming weeks.

• We understand that busy schedules and time constraints can make accessing certain services difficult for students, but that doesn’t mean that you need to compromise mental wellness. The RBC MOOD (Manitoba Online Overcoming Depression) Program is an online counselling service that helps UM students with low to moderate symptoms of depression. By working through a series of self-guided treatment modules in your own time, then receiving guidance and feedback from a SCC counsellor, you can work at your own pace.

• Wellness Together Canada also offers online modules to help Canadians access self-guided resources for mental health support. The resource selector narrows down the ones best suited for you.

• Healthy U, a student group consisting of trained health educators, also provide health packages related to different aspects of wellness that you can access at any time.

• Mental health and wellness apps can also help with skills related to specific conditions, mindfulness and relaxation.

• Shared Health has prepared a list of recommendations for self-help resources including websites, online programs and guidebooks, and other apps.

These examples aren’t your only options, but they’re a great place to start. Exploring your options is key to finding the combination of resources and services that will work for you. Your story is unique, and you deserve to receive the care that fits best with your self-defined goals for wellness.

“The idea for the Distress Guide grew out of recognition that UM faculty and staff were increasingly seeking consultation on how to respond to and approach students demonstrating mental health distress,” says David Ness, director of the Student Counselling Centre. “We subsequently wanted to develop a resource that would help faculty and staff become more knowledgeable and skilled in responding to requests for support and when reaching out to students who appear to be in distress.”

The Distress Guide is accessible via the University intranet and was created by a committee of director David Ness, Dr. Lori Mac and Michelle Pearson of the Student Counselling Centre, director of Student Support at Bannatyne Campus Leah Deane, Student Support case manager Jodie Schoenbeck, and health and wellness educators Britt Harvey and Bryanna Barker.

To make it as accessible as possible, the guide is broken into sections, such as urgent help and non-urgent help, and can be used quickly at any time – especially during times of great concern for a student. It can also be used for general education to learn more about mental health and to help recognize the signs of distress.

The goal of the guide is to help faculty and staff feel supported in their work and to know that if they do approach or respond to a student in distress, they have many supports available on campus to help them. It is not up to them alone to provide support.

“We believe the Distress Guide can help the UM community become even more supportive and caring toward students and facilitate connecting students to the supports they need for their overall well-being as well as for their academic success,” Ness says. “We hope the Distress Guide can decrease hesitancy that faculty and staff can experience when recognizing that a student may be in distress and they feel more confident in responding.”

Faculty and Staff are encouraged to review the Distress Guide and can access it via the University intranet here.