My practicum shaped my perspective and expanded my knowledge of human rights and social justice in a tangible and actionable way. I was placed with a new program at Thompson Rivers University. The idea of the program is to cohort arts students and see if improving their sense of belonging and inclusion could decrease attrition, failure, and withdrawal from classes. The task for my practicum was to research sense of belonging and inclusion in higher education and its application to orientation activities, then design an orientation day for the incoming first cohort of students.
I knew education was a human rights issue. When I thought about it though, I pictured young girls in developing countries who had to work in the home, take care of younger siblings, and perhaps walk long distances to collect fresh water for drinking, bathing, and cooking. These girls didn’t have access to education, maybe didn’t recognize a need for it, and most likely did not have the time to go to school. I pictured television campaigns depicting starving children who prioritized eating and clothing over learning.
I assumed social justice efforts to provide access to education would be focused on relieving some of the burden that prevents young people from going to school. I imagined clean water initiatives that brought fresh water into villages and into the homes of those who need it. I recall documentaries I have watched that discuss third-world access to birth control and other medications, home building initiatives, and school programs where classrooms are created in dilapidated buildings. When I thought of social justice and education, Thompson Rivers University and the arts department did not come to mind.
My practicum impacted my understanding of human rights and social justice by having me specifically focus on three Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs). With my supervisor, I chose the following PLOs: “Demonstrate knowledge, through experiential learning, of key human rights and social justice issues locally, nationally, and/or globally; Demonstrate a critical awareness and understanding of ethical and intercultural frameworks appropriate to research planning and communication skills to a range of audiences and social contexts; and, Creatively engage in finding solutions to issues of justice and fairness in contemporary society at a community, provincial, national, and/or global level.”
The literature review portion of my practicum allowed me to explore the academic literature on a variety of educational topics. Specifically, my search focussed on higher education regarding access, equity, attrition and persistence, and how orientation positively influences these issues. The orientation planning portion of my practicum opened my eyes and awareness to how much research there is on the topic of orientation in higher education.
My understanding of human rights and/or social justice issues grew slowly over the course of my practicum. I did not have any “AHA” moments. I reflected on my personal educational journey and recalled my own experiences of orientation. I realized that the activities in which I had participated had been meticulously planned, implemented by a lot of hard-working people, and had also probably been thoroughly researched before the activities were launched. I came to the realization that my practicum learning experience has immense value to people with differing abilities, it is important to people with financial struggles, and it could be beneficial to those with obligations to pursue higher education.
My coursework gave me the research skills I needed to review the literature, which informed the planning of the orientation event. I learned how to do a library search of the literature and find articles specific to the topic I was hoping to learn more about. I learned how to read articles quickly and to pull out the necessary information. I had practiced synthesizing information. What my coursework did not prepare me to do was to plan an event.
Planning an orientation event was challenging, especially since I did the planning during the summer months. Some challenges that arose were that I would be unavailable to attend the orientation event due to a trip to China. During the practicum, I had to do my best with planning and leave the implementation in the hands of others. Further, the summer holiday months proved to be a challenge with communications. I waited long periods between some communication messages and had to fill that time with other activities.
Overall, the practicum gave me skills to apply to my later coursework that were invaluable. I learned how to show up to the best of my ability and let go of attachment to the results. In my coursework, I often had group projects where I was not in total control of the outcome. I was able to grow as a group member by being able to show up with my portion complete and have faith in the others to show up with their work. If that didn’t happen (and this did occur), I was able to fill in the gaps to the best of my ability and hand in/present a quality assignment.
I also now have a deep appreciation for my education. I value the knowledge I have gained and I don’t take for granted the letters that now appear after my name.