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