Hartley Banack bio

Meet Hart Banack

Dr. Hartley Banack | Department of Curriculum & Pedagogy

I grew up in Toronto in a family and community that practiced Jewish family values, yet I do not practice any faith (spiritually or politically), beyond what might be called faith to a will to support and help develop some sense of what I have read the Cree call, being alive well. I feel that much of my life’s work and choices, to this moment, sustain such a claim.

“I am a father, partner, son, brother, friend, colleague, educator, and community member.”

I arrived in Vancouver permanently in 1999. Other than Canada, I have lived in Chile and Costa Rica, y puedo hablar el espanol, ya un poco oxidado. I am a father, partner, son, brother, friend,
colleague, educator, and community member. I have always volunteered, mostly with children with disabilities, and continue to do so with Vancouver Adaptive Snow Sports, helping people learn to alpine ski.

I love to ski, cycle, paddle, hike, play ultimate, skate, strum guitar, read poetry and philosophy, philosophize, cook, garden, play chess, MacGyver, and make others smile. I have been an outdoor educator since my mid-teens — initially, leading backcountry wilderness trips as a guide, then running outdoor/physical education/camp programs as an administrator and Executive Director. I have worked with a wide range of community-based, non-profit programs and services.

I am rather passionate about outdoor education, and I am attempting to live more ‘locally’ (whatever that might mean), and explore this in my approach to outdoor education. I know myself to be an educator, philosopher, poet, and fierce advocate by nature. I hold a BC teaching certificate from SFU, and have taught with various age groups and in distinct educational settings, including pre-school, elementary school, high school, post-secondary school, and with adults and seniors.

“I know myself to be an educator, philosopher, poet, and fierce advocate by nature.”

My educational pursuits also include a Master’s (Diversity in Curriculum and Instruction) and a Doctorate in Education (Curriculum Theory and Implementation), both from SFU.   I am also involved with the Wild About Vancouver (insert URL – www.wildaboutvancouver.com) (WAV) Outdoor Education Festival and exploring ways that in/non/formal educators can help increase outdoor learning and time spent outdoors during instructional periods.

“I have learned that outdoor quests are not about the summit, but rather the journey.”

I have enjoyed participating in experiences with some fairly radical work teams, which have significantly (in)formed my “ways” of teamwork and learning. I am rather open to diversity, difference, and making meaning through sharing and participation. I have learned that outdoor quests are not about the summit, but rather the journey.

I believe that curriculum, pedagogy, place and community are all essential to healthy learning and being.  I have come to respect the intentional effort required to form community, a process of learning about other and building mutual trust, and I am invested in fostering relationships that extend beyond the course.



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