Walls to Bridges/ComPaS : teaching in prisons as a collective project for social change
Feb 13, 2023 — All day
How can we implement participatory and engaged pedagogy in our context? We will introduce the Walls to Bridges (W2B) programme, whose name has lately been translated as "Knowledge Sharing Community," in an effort to provide a response to this topic (ComPaS). A prison education programme run by the university to bring together undergraduate students and students who are already incarcerated. Instead of using the traditional lecture style, this programme includes an immersive pedagogy that relies on knowledge building and sharing among all participants. ComPaS/W2B courses are developed jointly and organically by participants through indigenous pedagogies and a multitude of group activities, and they are grounded in lived experience and critical reflection on instructional materials.
About the event
In this presentation, we will go over some of the tactics and procedures we employ to encourage fairness and inclusivity in education. We will also talk about how emotions function as a tool and a channel for learning, as well as the importance of reflexivity in this kind of learning. This programme challenges all participants—teachers and facilitators to step outside their comfort zone and dismantle social taboos and barriers that are pervasive in our culture.
The process of putting such a programme implementation as well as the institutional, individual, and ethical issues that administrators, instructors, and students face will also be covered. We will reflect on our roles as educators and researchers and critically assess the program's potential as a tool for social change as well as its drawbacks.
Associate professors Sandra Lehalle and Alexis H Truong work at the University of Ottawa's Department of Criminology. Sandra Lehalle also serves as both the Walls to Bridges Program Coordinator and the Director of the Carceral Ricochet Research Group (GRRIC).