Documentation:II-Design Lab/Learning Community

Description­

The Indigenous Initiatives Learning Community (or “II-Learning Community”) is peer-driven professional development community intended for participants who have completed the II-Design Series. Indigenous Initiatives at the Centre for Teaching, Learning, and Technology (CTLT) at the University of British Columbia provides support for the II-Learning Community, but the II-Learning Community is self-directed, self-sustained, and self-facilitated by its own members.

Some of the goals of the II-Learning Community are to build and sustain supportive relationships amongst practitioners who are interested in “diving deeper” to explore integrating Indigenous perspectives and knowledges in their teaching and learning design; make space to share, apply, and test possible learning activities in an environment of constructive and caring feedback; support capacity-building and facilitate connections amongst those with shared interests and different skill and experience levels; open up opportunities for respectful and critical dialogues about “reconciliation,” “decolonization,” and “indigenization” in teaching and learning at UBC.

Audience and Previous Experience

The II-Learning Community is suitable for those who have fully completed the II-Design Series workshops. In some circumstances, individuals who have a high-level of expertise and experience with Indigenous knowledges, topics, and pedagogies, or have demonstrated knowledge and experience working with Indigenous communities may be eligible to join the Learning Community. To explore your eligibility for the Learning Community, contact us.

Structure, Format, and Time Commitment

The Learning Community runs during the academic year, starting in September. The structure, format, and time commitment will vary, depending on the group. An initial meeting (approximately 60-90 mins) will be called in September to plan the schedule of meetings for the year and to discuss how the group will function and to set goals.

Design Lab (6 hours)

Members of the Learning Community are invited to lead, participate in, and volunteer to present and test ideas at a day-long Design Lab workshop. The Design Lab will bring the Learning Community together with the new cohort of II-Design Series workshop participants. In this session, the Learning Community will have the opportunity to hear from series participants what they learned, as well as to share their own experiences and knowledge, and to iterate and receive feedback on possible ideas with an interested, peer-supportive audience.