May 2026 – Transformative Systems Education

About me

Hi everyone! How fun it is that you are considering joining the sustainability education alumni family. I myself joined in September 2021 as a teaching candidate in the Bachelor of Education Program. Throughout the program, I felt so connected to the faculty, that when Dr. Vanwynsberghe mentioned there was a Graduate Program, I made a permanent mental note to myself to reach for it when I was able to commit to it. Now I am on track to graduate with my Master’s in Education for Sustainability, Resilience and Regeneration in June of 2026! It’s been an empowering, humbling, and necessary journey for me in my lifetime on this planet I am, and we all are, trying to protect. As a teacher, I completely appreciate the structure of this program. I have a full-time teaching job in a grade three classroom and am able to handle the courseload of this program with confidence.

Back to the Beginning

The sustainability cohort is a truly special community to be part of. For those dedicated to making the world a better place through teaching, who are mindful of the impacts of global warming and motivated to mitigate the effects of the climate crisis, this cohort offers a meaningful and supportive learning environment. In my experience, instructors within the Sustainability Cohort consistently went out of their way to ensure their curricula aligned with our shared commitment to minimizing environmental impact. For example, our art professor emphasized approaches to teaching art using natural and sustainable materials. Additionally, several cohort members who were committed to sustainability-focused teaching were placed in schools that encouraged strong connections between students and the outdoors. I was fortunate to complete my practicum on Bowen Island, where I gained valuable insight into how childhood outdoor education, social emotional learning, and climate activism are deeply interconnected.

EDST 401 was one of the most valuable courses that I studied in my B.Ed. program for several reasons. First, teaching is a profession embedded within many interconnected systems. Educators must navigate family dynamics, school boards, government policies, and individual school communities, all of which are nuanced, context-specific, and can often be challenging. EDST 401 supports teacher candidates in understanding how systems operate at the local level, while also developing skills that allow for adaptation in broader, global contexts. I have found that a deeper understanding of how systems operate has been exceptionally beneficial to my work-life balance and mental health as an educator. Additionally, Dr. Vanwynsberghe is a highly connected professor who leads with collaboration, flexibility, and a strong commitment to meaningful learning. He makes every effort to bring in relevant community members from a variety of professional backgrounds to teach us about specific systems. He facilitates important discussions with a gentle amiability and a sense of humour. I always look forward to any opportunity I am given to learn from him and pursued the Masters of Education in Sustainability, Resilience, and Regeneration specifically because he is the program lead on it.

Where I’m At Now:

When I was going through photos of the past two years trying to figure out which ones to include for this blog, I couldn’t help but feeling so fortunate to all the valuable learning experiences Dr. Vanwynsberghe created for us. From wondering through the old growth forest at Malcolm Knapp Research Forest, to spotting baby black bears in Lil’Wat while learning harvesting and conservation ideologies from Indigenous Elders, to the coopers hawk who dutifully watched over us in our summer 2025 institute at the Hidden Hut, everything has felt deeply connected to earth, humanity, and the cosmos. My capstone project for this year is related to fostering resilience through outdoor education in primary students, as I fundamentally believe that the children who are inheriting this planet,will absolutely need demonstrate resiliency to overcome the problems hurtling towards them. Dr. Cole and Dr. Vanwynsberghe have given me room to inquire, prototype, and create this capstone project and I very much look forward for it to come to fruition. If you are pursuing an accolade like this, I couldn’t recommend it with more enthusiasm. It is a nutrient rich program that connects like-minded students and professors with one another.

With care, Maria

About Me

My name is Mahfida Tahniat, and I am a PhD Candidate in the Department of Educational Studies at UBC. I am working under the supervision of Professor Robert VanWynsberghe. My doctoral research focuses on how place-rooted (e.g., place-based, place-conscious, and land-based approaches) education programs in Canada engage with climate change education, particularly within a climate justice context. This engaged scholarship emphasizes the educational transformation that can bring about positive changes in the face of the climate crisis and pave the way for a justice-oriented, accessible climate future for all.

My Academic Journey

Before joining the UBC EDST community, as a British Council-GREAT Scholar, I completed my second Master’s in Education, Gender and International Development from the Institute of Education at UCL in the UK. During that time, the COVID pandemic added a layered meaning to “Education in Emergency,” which was already an interest of mine. While my research focus was more inclined towards climate change education, I decided to pursue a PhD as it seemed to be the natural path for my research journey. This is also the time when I met Rob! While I was looking for my prospective supervisor, I was drawn to his research expertise, his ever-expanding work, and his impressive website, which features his various exciting ongoing projects in sustainability and transformative education. Till this day, Rob has been instrumental in shaping my research project: not only as my academic advisor with constructive feedback, but also as a mentor in the research lab groups, with whom I closely work.

My Research Work

While climate change is a global phenomenon, its impact on the individual is multi-layered. For me, working in the area of climate change education was a deliberate choice as I wanted to connect my research to everyday life. As a parent living in British Columbia (B.C.), I have observed my children only occasionally engaged with climate change education through random school projects. Even though the B.C. curriculum mentions climate change education integrated into the Kindergarten to Grade 12 (K–12) levels, in practice, this is often limited to basic concepts presented in classrooms. Such gaps between the ongoing urgent climate realities and limited classroom practice are concerning when it comes to future generations being well-prepared for the climate crisis. As a Climate Solutions Scholar, I find this divide between theory and practice in climate change education particularly worrying. This has motivated me to explore how alternative education models offer climate change education in Canada, particularly in B.C., and to what extent they connect both local and global climate issues, while critically engaging with climate justice.

My research focuses on three interconnected frameworks: Place-Based Education, where learning is situated in local environmental and cultural contexts; Place-Conscious Education, which critiques place in connection to historical and political realities; and Land-Based Education, which is rooted in Indigenous knowledge and relational ethics. I have designed my research project as a qualitative multiple-case study, with each case representing one of the educational approaches. My engaged scholarship does not pursue the traditional form of knowledge extraction. Rather, the support from the community of climate research practitioners has created opportunities for co-creation and re-imagined ways of reciprocity in sharing climate change knowledge.

Research and Beyond

Nature has always been my muse; be it the artistic canvas of the majestic mountain, colourful streaks of fall leaves, serenity of the ocean, or the silently floating clouds! The vastness of the sky always intrigues me, and these days, I have been chasing auroras as well! But my obsession with the sky remains unchanged (with or without aurora!). However, even the beauty of nature now seems like a sad reminder of the devastating impact of climate change. In that way, my research work is deeply personal, informed by my connection to nature and grounded in the hope that it might create a fairer and more accessible climate future for everyone.

Different Shades of Sky

Month: May 2026

Meet Maria York, M.Ed student!

Meet Mahfida Tahniat, PhD Candidate!