Honouring the Journey to the Eighth Fire: Educating to Create Common-Unity Many directions people turn to today there is dissension: bombings, riots, shootings, famine and even genocide. There is an increasing awareness that change is required to create a more peaceful world, but how can we create common-unity and integrate it into educational systems? This narrative enquiry research explores the ways Maxwell International Baha’i School (MIBS) attempted to create an inclusive community that was founded on the principle of the oneness of humanity. It was through MIBS’s conscious attempt to create community that people felt accepted, safe and learned to connect. This research, through a focus group of primary stakeholders, explored the way community was intentionally built. The findings in this research revealed that from its inception, MIBS accepted diversity as a means to create unity, leading to members feeling a sense of belonging, connected to a greater purpose and a desire to serve humanity. With a conscious desire, schools could replicate this type of inclusive community. It is with this knowledge that I have been asked to create a more inclusive community at my current school. Education for a globally inclusive world must not be merely a separation and honouring of diversity, but must instead weave together the diverse elements through ritual and ceremony in a manner that creates an integrated tapestry. It is time to consciously and fully educate people to see that “the earth is but one country and mankind its citizens.” (Baha’u’llah, 1990, p. 346) / Graduate / mcleod.kristy@gmail.com

For hundreds of years immigrants have been coming to Canada to start life afresh in hopes of a better future. Many choose Canada because they consider this country a peaceful, tolerant and welcoming place where people and institutions are open and supportive towards cultural diversity. This perception has led many newcomers to believe that with hard work and perseverance, they can in time achieve a fulfilling life. However, the reality of everyday life for many immigrants and their families has shown that significant challenges threaten the attainment of these goals. Research into the life of immigrants makes clear that not every newcomer is able to gain full inclusion in Canadian society. As well, not everyone arrives on equal footing. Many families arrive with few resources. These new Canadians need help not only to gain access to key necessities (i.e. housing, income, education and employment) but also to understand the countless and often perplexing new cultural experiences that await them. This group of newcomers become particularly vulnerable to falling into a downward spiral of poverty that can be difficult to escape. Considering the fact that finding a safe and satisfying home is a critical step in smooth transitioning, it becomes important to ask how the work of architects contributes to the well-being of immigrants attempting to settle and integrate into their newly chosen home. The thesis studies the potential of making settlement easier by proposing an architecture of belonging. The goal is to create a welcoming place for newcomers that supports both a robust communal life and responds to everyday needs. The positive momentum of inclusive community building further fosters a strong neighbourly bond among residents of all cultures and beliefs, which in turn strengthens the Canadian visions of multiculturalism. The thesis explores the design of a housing prototype that brings a neighbourhood house and housing development on the site of St. Christopher House in Toronto.

For hundreds of years immigrants have been coming to Canada to start life afresh in hopes of a better future. Many choose Canada because they consider this country a peaceful, tolerant and welcoming place where people and institutions are open and supportive towards cultural diversity. This perception has led many newcomers to believe that with hard work and perseverance, they can in time achieve a fulfilling life. However, the reality of everyday life for many immigrants and their families has shown that significant challenges threaten the attainment of these goals. Research into the life of immigrants makes clear that not every newcomer is able to gain full inclusion in Canadian society. As well, not everyone arrives on equal footing. Many families arrive with few resources. These new Canadians need help not only to gain access to key necessities (i.e. housing, income, education and employment) but also to understand the countless and often perplexing new cultural experiences that await them. This group of newcomers become particularly vulnerable to falling into a downward spiral of poverty that can be difficult to escape. Considering the fact that finding a safe and satisfying home is a critical step in smooth transitioning, it becomes important to ask how the work of architects contributes to the well-being of immigrants attempting to settle and integrate into their newly chosen home. The thesis studies the potential of making settlement easier by proposing an architecture of belonging. The goal is to create a welcoming place for newcomers that supports both a robust communal life and responds to everyday needs. The positive momentum of inclusive community building further fosters a strong neighbourly bond among residents of all cultures and beliefs, which in turn strengthens the Canadian visions of multiculturalism. The thesis explores the design of a housing prototype that brings a neighbourhood house and housing development on the site of St. Christopher House in Toronto.

The purpose of this study was to investigate leaders' experiences with developing a culturally inclusive community and equitable learning environment in six state-level supplemental virtual programs. Two research questions were: (1) How do leaders in state-level supplemental virtual programs describe their experiences with developing a culturally inclusive community: (a) At the program level for faculty and staff? (b) At the program and course levels for students? (2) How can instructional and course design practices address barriers to virtual learning in order to facilitate an equitable learning environment for students of diverse backgrounds? This research contributes to the field of virtual leadership by representing leaders' perspectives and practices regarding how to cultivate a sense of belonging in the online community and how to address challenges with teaching and learning in this setting. This qualitative case analysis involved leaders from six state-level supplemental virtual programs in the United States. Data were gathered using a demographic survey, semistructured one-on-one interviews, and focus groups to gain a comprehensive understanding of leadership in this setting. An online survey collected demographic data from 22 program leaders, of whom 21 from various backgrounds were purposefully selected for interviews: four executive leaders, seven directors of instruction, four curriculum leaders, two instructional designers, and four other program-area leaders. Twelve findings were identified, with six related to a culturally inclusive community and six pertaining to an equitable learning environment. The findings described how leaders built community at the program level for virtual employees and at the course level for teachers and students. Considerations for creating a shared sense of community included collaboration with colleagues, multiple staff roles, relationship building, frequent communication, teacher visibility, and some student anonymity. The findings also identified barriers to equity, including student access to online content, cultural representation, connectivity, device limitations, individual readiness, and support from a supervising adult. Leaders navigated some challenges through standards-aligned course design and instructional practices. Finally, a team-based approach to resolving technology issues and supporting individual learners' needs was found to help students access content and engage in their online courses. / Doctor of Education / The purpose of this study was to investigate leaders' experiences with developing a culturally inclusive community and equitable learning environment in six state-level supplemental virtual programs. This research contributes to the field of virtual leadership by representing leaders' perspectives and practices regarding how to cultivate a sense of belonging in the online community and how to address challenges with teaching and learning in this setting. This qualitative case analysis involved leaders from six state-level supplemental virtual programs in the United States. Data were collected using a demographic survey and semistructured interviews. An online survey was used to collect demographic data from 22 program leaders, of whom 21 from various backgrounds were purposefully selected for interviews: four executive leaders, seven directors of instruction, four curriculum leaders, two instructional designers, and four other program-area leaders. Information related to the purpose and research questions was gathered through one-on-one interviews and group interviews. A comparison of leaders' perspectives offered insight into leadership approaches to building relationships and with problem-solving how to help students access online content in state-run virtual programs. Twelve findings were identified, with six related to a culturally inclusive community and six pertaining to an equitable learning environment. The findings described how leaders built community at the program level for virtual employees and at the course level for teachers and students. Considerations for creating a shared sense of community included collaboration with colleagues, multiple staff roles, relationship building, frequent communication, teacher visibility, and some student anonymity. The findings also identified barriers to equity, including student access to online content, cultural representation, connectivity, device limitations, individual readiness, and support from a supervising adult. Leaders navigated some challenges through standards-aligned course design and instructional practices. Finally, a team-based approach to resolving technology issues and supporting individual learners' needs was found to help students access content and engage in their online courses.

The written text, and approaches to reading it, serves well as an analogy for the classroom space as a “text” that teachers are able to compose; and students are able to read, interpret meaning(s) of, and make responses to and about (Rosenblatt, 1988). Researchers point to ways in which the classroom can be conceptualized as a text to be evoked, experienced, and read (Freire & Macedo, 1987; Powell, 2009; Rosenblatt, 1988; Spears-Bunton & Powell, 2009). The present study analyzed secondary data including: 10 transcripts of teacher talks and six self-reports retrieved from the program evaluation archives of DOR Foundation. The data described six teachers’ classroom experiences subsequent to professional development centered on Goma character education curriculum that was used during a summer youth program located in South Georgia. Goma, an acronym that stands for Goal, Objective, Method, and Attitude, is a character education paradigm derived from The Inclusive Community Building Ellison Model, the theoretical framework used for this study. The Model identifies conflict resolution as one of its five foci (Hunt, Howard, & Rice, 1998). Hunt (2006) conceived Goma as part of a 7-Step unitary process, also named the 7-Step pathway, to demonstrate how conflict resolution is accomplished within a variety of contexts. Analysis of the data involved: (a) a priori coding of teacher talks transcripts using the components of the Goma 7-Step pathway as coding categories, (b) emergent coding of teacher talks transcripts for the types of experiences teachers evidenced, and (c) emergent coding of teachers’ self-reports for categories of teachers’ instructional activities. Results of the study showed positive influence of Goma curriculum on participating teachers and their instructional practices. Teachers were shown to have had cognitive, instructional, emotional, and social experiences that were most evident when they reported changes in their attitudes toward their students, themselves, and their instructional practices. The present study provided implications for classroom teachers wherein all aspects of teachers’ instructional practices can be guided by principles of positive character; and can be used to help compose the kinds of “texts” that may likely contribute to a classroom character culture.