AƬ×ÊÔ´°É

Master of Education

Apply now

MEd in Educational Practice: Indigenous Pedagogy and Indigenous Inquiry

Take a deeper dive into educational theory, research, and practice within the context of wholistic participatory pedagogical pathways and Indigenous inquiry. This 12-month, part-time professional degree enables you to build on your SFU Graduate Diploma in Advanced Professional Studies in Education (GDE).

This Master of Education in Educational Practice: Indigenous Pedagogy and Indigenous Inquiry is connected to the Graduate Diploma in Education (GDE) in Indigenous Education that was developed in partnership and collaboration with School District 44 (North Vancouver), School District 41 (Burnaby), and the and Nations.

Method of delivery: In-person
Applications open: October 1, 2023
Applications close: February 28, 2025 (extended)
Next start date: September 2025
Estimated Tuition Fee: $3,478.78 per term
Location: Burnaby campus

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

This program is ideal for:

This MEd EP is designed for educators involved in K–12 or community-based education who are interested in developing their pedagogical practice while engaging in sustained transformative inquiry, all within the context of wholistic participatory pedagogical pathways and Indigenous inquiry. Applicants must have completed the SFU Graduate Diploma in Education (GDE) prior to the start of the program.

Program Structure

  • 1-year, 37-unit program*
  • Cohort model, typically 20-30 students
  • In-person classes integrating Indigenous participatory pedagogical pathways
  • Classes meet 5-6 times per term on Friday evenings and Saturdays at the SFU Burnaby campus.

*Applicants admitted to the program within five years of completing a GDE can apply up to 15 units of advance credit from their GDE towards the MEd EP credential.

Further Studies

Explore our wide variety of doctoral programs and continue your educational journey. See what is offered in your area of interest.

Program Design

The MEd EP provides opportunities for teacher-learners to extend the work undertaken in a GDE program by broadening and deepening their understandings of Indigenous educational theory, research and practice.

Themes of study include:

  • Indigenous inquiry and transformative practice
  • Indigenous worldviews and perspectives in education and scholarship
  • Indigenous and wholistic approaches to learning, teaching, inquiring and well-being
  • Exploration of Indigenous knowledge practices and transformative pedagogies
  • Indigenous making, circle processes, and story telling
  • Ecological land-based practices informed by Indigenous communities
  • Community-centered dialogue for learning and leading
  • Education for belonging, kinship, and relationality

COURSES

The MEd EP consists of coursework (30 units) and a comprehensive exam (7 units) for a total of 37 units.  

EDUC 718-5 LANDSCAPES OF PRACTITIONER INQUIRY

This course introduces teacher-learners to various landscapes of practitioner inquiry, including diverse dispositions, worldviews, paradigmatic assumptions, and approaches affiliated with this methodological approach. Working collaboratively, teacher-learners will situate themselves personally, professionally, theoretically and methodologically, locating their inquiry practice within communities of scholarship. The course aims to acquaint participants with a broad spectrum of ethical considerations, issues, and methods, with an eye toward being able to thoughtfully draw from theories, practices, and perspectives in developing their own inquiry projects to be conducted in the following term.

EDUC 807-5 INQUIRY INTO PRACTICE

Building on the philosophical and methodological foundations developed in the previous semester, this course supports teacher-learners in engaging in ethical inquiry practices within their specific professional contexts. Participants will undertake an inquiry project during the term, engaging in spirals of action and reflection, to extend, enrich and theorize professional practice. As a community of inquirers, we will critically and creatively investigate our practice as teachers, re-imagine teaching and learning relationships, and reconfigure lives in schools.

EDUC 811-5 FIELDWORK I

The goal of this course is to support teacher-inquirers in explicating, synthesizing, interpreting, and evaluating their key learnings in the Master of Educational Practice Program. Through dialogue, writing, and arts-based practices, we will explore what we have learned through conducting our inquiries, engaging with theory, exploring our own autobiographies, and examining critical moments in our journey(ies). We will work towards crystalizing our learning and deepening our understanding of our practice as educators. This inquiry project will form the basis of the ‘comprehensive examination’ to follow.

EDUC 888-7 MED COMPREHENSIVE EXAM

Although formally referred to as the ‘Comprehensive Examination,’ this is not an ‘exam’ as such, but a summative presentation by each teacher-learner of their now-extended understandings of the relationship between theory, practice, and teacher-inquiry. There will be two components: (1) teacher-learners will write a paper summarizing their inquiry projects, their understandings, and their further questions; and, (2) they will present their work to a community of inquirers consisting of cohort colleagues and instructors.

Note: Program courses and order of delivery subject to change.

Voices of the Program

  • October 06, 2022

    October 06, 2022

    Dr. Katherine Mulski, Doctor in Educational Practice graduand, shares her experiences as a student in the education faculty and the process of reconnecting with herself and fostering resiliency, telling her story through photography.

  • "Pursuing a single field study for the MEd EP helped me consider what my "life work" might be, and what I am truly being called to discover about teaching, about learning, and about myself."

  • "Go for it! Never stop learning, be willing to let your guard down and critically reflect on your practice."

FACULTY

MEd EP faculty members are recognized for their work in developing, advancing and enacting knowledge that makes a difference in public education. We follow a rigorous research program to investigate theory and provide innovative leadership in issues of educational pedagogy.

UPCOMING INFORMATION SESSIONS

QUESTIONS?

Applicants who may Exceed the Five-year Completion Limit

In exceptional circumstances, it may be possible to secure an extension to the five-year completion limit. In such cases, you will be required to provide a letter explaining your delayed application. Specific requirements will be provided to applicants on contacting our MEd program assistant at aps_general_admin@sfu.ca or 778-782-3628.