We recently connected with Keirsten, a current IslandWood grad student, to reflect on her Colloquium experience at the end of last quarter.

At Colloquium, students presented 1-2 projects from all four of their fall courses: Philosophy of Education, Informal Pedagogies, Natural History and Ecology, and Art and Science Integration in Climate Justice.

Thanks for taking the time to talk about your Colloquium experience, Keirsten! Tell us about your projects for Colloquium.

Our topics differed in each class. For example, in Philosophy of Education, we presented a visual metaphor meant to capture our own personal philosophy of education. In Natural History and Ecology, we conducted a research project based on our interests and presented our findings (mine was on shoreline birds!). In Informal Pedagogies, we created educator-facing zines on a topic of our choice (mine was on Interpretive Power and Emotionality). In Art and Science Integration, we facilitated an experience for participants to explore art, imagination, and climate.

What did you discover in the process of creating your projects?

Many of the projects required self-inquiry and reflection about our ideas in education and about our positionality and identity as an educator. Most of all, I gained valuable insight into myself, my identities, and my role in transformative education.

What was your favorite part of participating in Colloquium?

I loved the creative freedom! We were given parameters for each project but were encouraged to research topics that were interesting to us.

What else would you want people to know about this experience?

Colloquium is a great opportunity to share our learnings in process. Our projects are not perfect nor finalized but reflect who we are and what we are learning in this moment.

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Learn more about our graduate program in partnership with the University of Washington here.

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