Vol 2026 No. 1

My study traces how the evolution of the microlabels two-spirit and indigiqueer are not consistently used in Canadian First Nations tribes as documented by Joshua Whitehead's anthology Love After the End. My objective was to apply Timothy Morton’s conceptual framework of queerness as a part of nature as a tool for preserving cultural diversity. Not only does this intervention build off existing decolonial scholarship, but it adds a new approach for moving away from a zero-sum Western epsitolomology and towards a more ground-up approach of the body as a storyteller. My preliminary findings showed that there was still a reverence for people no matter how they identified themselves and furthermore that the consensus among the three contributors was that our understanding of gender fluidity is shaped by our environments. Since Adam Garnet Jones is Anishinaabe, jaye simpson is Cree, and Kyle Minosh Pyle is L’nu there is not one traditional ecological knowledge to draw from; nonetheless, each story critiques state-surveillance and encourages the audience to consider how our memories are “fucked over.” In moving beyond the eco-sexual gaze I argue that the stories “History of the New World,” “The Ark of the Turtle’s Back,” and  “How to Survive the Apocalypse for Native Girls” demonstrate how a fetishization of the past is antithetical to more accepting communities. In fact, we must adapt to use the “new” words which have been coined to truly speculate on what it means to inhabit a queer nature in the future.

This paper examines practicum‑based learning within the Faculty of Education, Community, and Human Development (FECHD) at the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV), a teaching‑intensive Canadian institution committed to experiential and community‑engaged education. Across four Schools, practicum placements serve as essential sites for integrating theory with professional practice and for advancing UFV’s Institutional Learning Outcomes. Drawing on literature documenting longstanding divides between universities and professional fields, the study highlights how competing cultures, expectations, and epistemologies shape the design and delivery of practicum experiences.

Using Schon’s (1991) concept of ‘epistemology of practice’ as well as Safir’s (2017) model of complex change, the analysis reveals significant inequities in practicum workload, supervision demands, and instructional expectations all while valuing the richness of learning in practicum-based programming and working for transformational experiences of learning for students. Faculty workload data show wide variation in practicum hours and faculty responsibilities. These disparities raise concerns about workload equity, the quality of mentoring, and the sustainability of community partnerships that anchor field‑based learning even with a strong commitment to nurture the student experience. The findings also underscore the importance of assessing student readiness for relational, human‑centred professions to create conditions for student success.

The paper offers lessons learned. The inquiry points to the value of practicum learning as indispensable for developing professional competence, reflective capacity, and job‑readiness. At the same time, we reflect on structural support and programmatic recommendations that are needed to sustain high‑quality practicum experiences across diverse programs.

Keywords: practicum, workload, equity, profession, learning