UBC Assistant Professor Dr. Kerry Renwich shares her views on the multifaceted field of Home Economics, and the many opportunities for growth educators have in this field.
UBC Faculty of Education Assistant Professor Kerry Renwick believes that Home Economics is a fundamental life skill. With years of experience in classrooms in Australia, professional teaching associations, and higher education, Kerry’s passion for health education is evident in her work.
As the Program Coordinator for the 2017 Home Economics Education Summer Institutes – which include Agriculture in the Classroom, Curriculum Design and Evaluation in Home Economics, and Ecology of Food Studies – Kerry believes that nutrition and health education are vital for students.
“Home Economics includes skills that students can apply in their life right now. It’s real, it’s authentic, and it’s also lifelong – not just something that gets left behind in school,” she says.
“Home Economics includes skills that students can apply in their life right now. It’s real, it’s authentic, and it’s also lifelong.”
Dr. Renwick’s high school Home Economics teacher inspired her to pursue this diverse field, and she later completed undergraduate work in Home Economics and Science education. She then taught in schools in her home district of Victoria, Australia for many years before working in public health nutrition and moving on to teacher education.
Summer Institutes such as Agriculture in the Classroom focus on integrating food production, sustainability, and agricultural issues into teachers’ curriculums. Exploring healthy school initiatives and place-based education gives teachers the tools to shape and inspire the way their students think about sustainability, and increase knowledge of where food comes from.
“Being able to actually get in and look at a farm and see how it works is a phenomenal opportunity for teachers. If I really think about working with Summer Institutes, it’s an opportunity for teachers to do something different. It’s related to their work but they’re actually part of it, they’re engaging with colleagues, and to me those experiences are often the conversations and connections [they’ll] make with others,” Dr. Renwick says.
Other summer institutes such as Curriculum Design and Evaluation in Home Economics help teachers explore how to incorporate the new BC provincial curriculum into their classroom practices.
“The new BC curriculum model that’s being used is this notion of three different areas which are: students being able to understand; students being able to know and develop new knowledge; and students being able to do. In Home Economics, all of those things happen,” notes Dr. Renwick.
“The new BC curriculum model that’s being used is this notion of three different areas which are: students being able to understand; students being able to know and develop new knowledge; and students being able to do. In Home Economics, all of those things happen.”
With the registration deadline for this year’s Summer Institutes fast approaching, anyone interested in this year’s programs is encouraged to apply now!
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May 30, 2017