Today concludes my last day at the UBC Learning Exchange! The three weeks have gone by super fast… It is very sad to leave the LE after just 3 weeks here. I have met lots of wonderful staff, many whom I will keep in touch in the future!

Working at the UBC Learning Exchange has definitely changed my perspective in teaching and education in general. From facilitating the ESL workshops and assisting computer sessions, to participating in various clubs (i.e. drama club, volunteer club, Artastic!, etc.) and assisting our patrons at the drop-in,  I have been widening my scope in terms of how education works. Learning Exchange has taught me that learning occurs in both ways, and that we are constantly using our existing skills and knowledge to help others and building on what we already know. It is through the process of exchanging and sharing knowledge that I finally understood the true meaning of UBC Learning Exchange.

UBC Learning Exchange has also given me the opportunity to use my assets in teaching (education), my academic and technical knowledge in mathematics, computer science, English, and my previous experiences in the work that we do collectively as a team. For example, I was able to use my academic knowledge in English and computer science to facilitate an ESL level 3 class on reading and analyzing a technical article that explores the history of the internet and explains how websites work, “behind the scene” – a quite technical article in 4 to 5 paragraphs! From that session, through my many drawings and demonstrations on the whiteboard, I used my previous knowledge of computer knowledge to explain to learners how the Internet/computer works. Everyone seemed fairly engaged as I was sharing my knowledge with them, while also learning English.

Overall, UBC Learning Exchange has taught me a lot! Among many important things that I have learned and understood through working with others, one main lesson is that in any situation, I have to be flexible and adaptable to the changing environment – this applies to the general teaching profession too. Being flexible to the changing conditions and the work environment means to be able to accept changes as we progress and to accept any “hiccups” that we may experience along the way. Not everything is perfect in its own ways, but as long as we learn from them and reflect on them, we can hope to improve and do better in the future! 😀

For more reflection on week 3 and the UBC Learning Exchange overall, please see my Week 3 Reflection Journal.

Today concludes my second last day at the UBC Learning Exchange! During the morning, I was assisting the advanced computer workshop. We covered the basis of PowerPoint – i.e. different templates, different tables and charts, inserting videos and pictures. Next class will be on animations! I discovered that majority of people who attended this workshop are adults and seniors. There were roughly 15-20 learners. Their main reason is to improve the use of PowerPoint for work purposes. Some are learning it for the sake of learning and understanding what different software tools are available. It was a fun and engaging class to be sitting in on the session and assisting the instructor (facilitator) and the learners.

I realized that teaching PowerPoint is just the same as teaching a class of 30 teenagers. The facilitator’s voice level was very clear; the pace (or speed) in which she was instructing was not too fast that people were unable to catch up, and not too slow that the lesson dragged. Her stance was good and she was constantly surveying the class to ensure that everyone is not falling behind. When the noise level is too high, she was quick to let us know when to be quiet. As for the lesson itself, she was able to have a general sense or idea on how comfortable and adaptable learners are in using PowerPoint. If she saw that learners were extremely “fluent” or quick to use it, the pace of the lesson would be faster than if they were first-timers. All in all, I could see a resemblance in teaching a class full of 30 high school students and teaching a class of just 15 adult learners. It was a rewarding experience to be observing and assisting this computer class!

Our day started with a level 3 ESL session at the Learning Exchange. Joanna and I were co-facilitating and teaching the lesson planned. Because this is a level 3 class, the difficulty of the materials prepared for level 3 class is certainly different than level 2, which I taught yesterday. Today’s session was reading an article provided in the handout and discussing the article accordingly. The article that we analyzed was on the World Wide Web! The article was quite technical and slightly difficult because there were a lot of technical words that learners were unsure of. Thankfully, with our tech background and that I had taken computer science courses in university, I was able to transfer the information learned in class to help learners understand how the web/internet works!

Overall, the session went really well! We were able to decode certain words that were difficult or unsure of. The learners were really engaged and enthusiastic about learning about technology and the use of technology; learners were learning while we were communicating in English and practice speaking, reading, and writing English individually and collectively.

After our session, I was assisting other staff members on preparing and gathering materials from the conference. Examples include searching Twitter tweets from various members and organizations about the conference (for feedback purposes); I was also working on collecting and organizing all sorts of materials prepared from the conference. We will continue to finish our task tomorrow!

Today was busier than usual! There was lots of activities and workshops happening today at the UBC Learning Exchange. My day started off helping to set up the computer session at 9 a.m. hosted by two of our staff members. Afterwards, I went to “My Health Matters” session until 10:30 a.m as part of the Senior Thrive project initiative at the Learning Exchange. In this session, which I observed and participated, I met senior learners who were very enthusiastic and eager to learn about personal health and well-being. We discussed topics on our body systems (i.e. veins and artery), the dietary food sources (i.e. proteins and fat), and information about our heart, and the various exercises that help improve our overall well-being. I could see that everyone was engaged in not only learning about the health, but also in learning English.

Right after this session, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to teach an ESL Level 2 class. I received the lesson plan and attendance sheet right before the lesson actually started, which I expected, and this is good practice for being a future TOC. There were about 6 – 7 English learners at this session. The handouts were quite lengthy – it was filled with very nice examples and fill-in-the-blank areas for students to work on their own (or together). Considering that the length of time for the session is only 75 minutes and that there were a lot of information to get through from the handout, it was difficult to get to every question. In the end, we only covered 2 pages out of 5-6 pages!

That being said, I would rather have students understand the beginning materials first before diving into the more complicated questions or topics. I also realized that learners really enjoyed reading the words out loud and seeing the words and sentences written on the whiteboard. Providing that visual is great for students to pick up grammar and whatnot fairly quickly. I also used different colour of markers when writing out sentences to indicate certain important words. I also used arrows to point to certain words when learning noun-verb agreement, for example. Aside from the actual lesson,

For the rest of the afternoon, I was involved in the Volunteer Club that is happening every Tuesday after lunch. We brainstormed lots of wonderful ideas on the important skills/assets gained from volunteering, and the different types of support are needed for the dedicated volunteers.

Following the Volunteer Club session, I played Mahjong at the Learning Lab for the Mahjong Club until 4:30 p.m. Throughout the afternoon and in between sessions, I was at the Drop-in greeting and having casual conversations with our patrons. Overall, I have learned a lot and participated in a lot of activities, which I am very thankful for! 😀 Tomorrow will be another busy day at the Learning Exchange!

Today’s task was mainly to work on the report to be produced for Katie and Suzie. My assignment for the report is to report on the good and hiccups of the conference that I encountered at the Creative Lounge – one aspect of the conference. I also spoke with Suzie and Matt for a 1-on-1 meeting as they were in chart of the Creative Lounge and supervision of the Auditorium, which was the Creative Lounge was hosted. From the meeting, I recorded many wonderful ideas and tips on improving the Creative Lounge for future conferences and workshops. These ideas and tips are very useful for my report because it essentially focuses on what and how the Learning Exchange can improve itself and the program(s) it is hosting now and in the future.

My next step for this report is to ask the patrons at the Drop-in tomorrow for more feedback on what they think of the Creative Lounge from the conference. The conference is for the patrons and various organizers around the Vancouver region, so having their input is very valuable to all of us at the UBC Learning Exchange.

Update for tomorrow:
In the morning, I will be sitting in on My Health Matters workshop hosted by UBC’s Faculty of Medicine students, who will be presenting the health of the seniors living in DTES. This session is part of the LE’s project initiative, “Senior Thrive”. In the afternoon, I will be spending part of my time at the Drop-in and part of my time learning to play Mahjong.

After the conference was the cleanup. On Friday, we had a 2-hour meeting before lunch on some of the good aspects of the conference and the challenges that we might have faced at the conference. At the meeting, one of our staff who was organizing the meeting had a creative idea of using materials as metaphors and symbolism to summarize our experience at the conference (and overall at the UBC Learning Exchange). We each did this by taking an item of different kinds from the basket. Each item meant something different and unique for each of us at the conference. For instance, one colleague took a key from the basket. To her, the key is a metaphor for opportunities in discovering our potentials. We, as a team at the Learning Exchange, is opening doors to many wonderful opportunities for everyone in the community. At the same time, we ourselves are opening doors and discovering our own potentials and exciting opportunities working here. This analogy resonates with me the most, and I truly believe that I am opening and finding my strengths and weaknesses.

My overall thought of the conference is that it was inspiring, motivational, engaging, fun, well planned out but with bumps here and there along the way. After the conference, I now realized the true meaning of “Learning Exchange”. We are constantly sharing, exploring and learning and new ideas with others; even little things such as how to sew a button or make a badge are just equally valuable and important.

For next week, we have planned out what our week will be like! Our final report will due on Thursday.

Today is the Day 2 of our Conference on the Learning of the DTES.

We were just as busy as Day 1, if not, more. I have enjoyed helping out the staff and meeting our guests and presenters continuously throughout the day. I have also attended a session on LinkVan App; an application bridging the DTES community with accessible and convenient services in just a click. I fairly enjoyed listening to what the team had to offer. Many of our attendees were curious on how to make the app work with the people living in the DTES. I could see a lot of us were brainstorming on ideas to make the app better and more effectively developed for its users. Of course, there are challenges that may hinder in the process. For instance, a simple question would be where and how would people in the DTES access phones? We suggested of collecting donated phones from service providers and distributed to members living in the DTES…? They were just brainstorming ideas. We still have yet implemented them.

For the remaining of the day, I have met a lot of wonderful guests and presenters. I spoke with the local vendors from the Binner Project. I saw them as mentors because they helped me understand the amazing (and confusing!) world of recycling. I have met with startup companies for connecting and providing support in employment for the people living in the DTES. I have also met with local business owners and designers who are selling beautifully created crafts, like clay pots and handmade jewelries. It was an amazing experience speaking with these local vendors.

I  have also met many student volunteers from different faculties who took their time to help out with the conference. So far, a lot of volunteers who I have met are from second to fourth year at UBC. They are studying different programs, such as English, psychology, economics, pharmacy, and other academic areas. It was enjoyable speaking with them and guiding them to help out with various sessions. I actually felt like a mentor to them because some student volunteers whom I met also wanted to be in the Education program at UBC! I was sharing a bit of my knowledge with them, which felt great! 🙂

Our conference ended with a wonderful dinner at the Ironworks Studio. The food provided was fantastic! Speaking of food, the lunch provided on Day 1 and Day 2 conference were the healthiest lunch that I have ever had! At the end of the day, we revealed our button blanket on stage. Everyone was cheering and it was an emotional experience sewing and interweaving the blanket together! The day ended off great with celebration of dances and singing. 😀

I sure hope that we do host an academic conference again someday in the near future! It was truly a rewarding experience for all of us!

Today is officially our first day of the Conference!

I felt quite excited for this event! We started off welcoming guests and presenters to our opening ceremony which was at 9 to 10 a.m. Everyone gathered around and sat in a circle in the auditorium. There was a wonderful opening performance by the First Nations drum group which consisted of only four people. The rhythm of the music occurred in unity, which made me think of the symbolism of unity and togetherness.  It always amazes me how beautiful songs can be created with just voice and the beat of the drum!

After the opening ceremony, various sessions are officially starting! We have the Creative Lounge in one corner, which Joanna and I have been helping setting up the Threading Our Stories button blanket making, the mandala drawing, and the badge/button-making (all part of the Creative Lounge); the Picture of Health in another corner led by the medical students working at the LE; the food and drinks in another corner, and other mini stations hosted by UBC students working at the LE. The sessions upstairs were hosted by our colleagues and presenters who often work multiple jobs, all with a common goal of shaping and building the Downtown Eastside (DTES) community.

The first session that I attended was the Fear, Courage and Joy presented by the Drama Club. I could really tell that every actor and actress had fun performing on stage! I also admire each one of the presenters’ courage to overcome the fear of learning and speaking English in a foreign country. I had a great time as an audience myself! Of course, there were tons of other amazing sessions happening at the same time and after lunch. I wished I could attend other sessions, but it was impossible to sit in on those sessions while also facilitating and animating the events that I was in charge of. As the day went by, there were more and more guests arriving to participate in our sessions, which was lovely because the more people coming the better!

Stay tuned for more events on Day 2!

Today is our last day to prep for the conference! Joanna and I have been busy helping everyone at the Learning Exchange with any last minute prep. In the afternoon, we went to the Japanese Language School to set up workshops in the auditorium and in rooms on the 4th and 5th floor of the building. The set up surprisingly did not take that long, considering how we have a team of roughly 20 people to help each other. Once we unload the van, the instructions were given to us right away. All the boxes and materials were labelled and indicated as to which items go to which room. Everything was pretty much prepped already, so all we had to do was rearrange the classrooms in the JLS and place the materials needed for the conference accordingly.

There were a lot of teamwork, leadership, communication skills and tons of other skills needed to prep for the conference and ensure that everything runs smoothly and efficiently.

Today ends one week that Joanna and I have been working at the UBC Learning Exchange!

Today went by fast as everyone is busy preparing for the conference. My time at the LE generally splits between working the back-end (operation side) of the conference in the morning, and visiting and helping the patrons in the afternoon.

During the day, I was working with Kathleen on writing emails ready to be sent to organizations and individuals about the upcoming conference. The email has gone through a lot of revisions and editing before we send it. It was a collaborative effort as Kathleen and Angela were kind to help with the revising process. I was also helping Janina with creating poster headings for the conference afterwards.

After lunch is our usual drop-in sessions. I was able to help quite a few patrons with technologies, mostly software use on computers, such as how to use Microsoft Access or Word, while some needed help with web browsers. I have also met a few new (but returning) patrons and chatted with them for a bit, which was nice. And now that I have done my boundary training, I am particularly aware of what I say and how I act in front of them. For instance, as I was interacting with the patrons, there were times when they asked me where I am from, what I study, what I do. My answers were generally kept to a minimal whenever I felt it was unnecessary to reveal too much information. I have also tried to divert the conversation into me asking them questions. All in all, I did have a good time chatting with the patrons and helping them whenever they needed help. I have made myself busy by providing support in the drop-ins, but also working with colleagues on the conference.

On Friday, I was also helping with sewing the button blanket at the Sewing Club! There, we met our wonderful Musqueam artist Elder Doris Fox as she was assisting us with button blanket and the graphic paper designs for the upcoming conference – “Threading Our Stories”.

Fridays will also be our brief meeting with Katie so we can let her know how our week went, and what to prep for the upcoming week, which is wonderful.

One more day to prep for the conference! Hope to see a lot of familiar and new faces!