Certifications
2017- 2021
Doctor of Philosophy, Curriculum and Learning, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Thesis: The Play of Silence and Talk in Difficult Conversations about Literary Texts
2015 – 2017
Master of Arts, Curriculum and Learning, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Thesis: A Hermeneutic Inquiry into Grade Eleven Students’ Experiences of Classroom Talk in Language Arts
- The TCPS 2 Tutorial Course on Research Ethics (2016)
Academic Awards
- Werklund Doctoral Scholarship 2019/2020
- Werklund School of Education Graduate Programs in Education Travel Award 2019
- Faculty of Graduate Studies Travel Award 2019
- Eyes High International Doctoral Scholarship 2018
- Dean’s Doctoral Scholarship 2018
- Co-investigator, 2018 /2019 University of Calgary Teaching and Learning Grants
- Knowledge Mobilization Award 2018
- Graduate Programs in Education Scholarly Engagement Award 2018
- Graduate Programs in Education International Student Bursary 2018
- St. Lucia Calgary Association Scholarship 2017/2018
- Faculty of Graduate Studies Travel Award 2017
- Graduate Program in Education Travel Award 2017
- Dr. Bonnie L. Shapiro Distinguished Faculty Achievement Graduate Scholarship 2016
- Evelina Orteza Graduate Scholarship 2016
- Graduate Programs in Engagement Scholarship 2015/16
2012
DELF A2 French, Alliance Française de Sainte Lucie, St. Lucia
2002-2006
Master of Philosophy in Literature, University of the West Indies, (UWI) St. Augustine, Trinidad
- Thesis: Myth-taking and Myth-making: Mythological Archetypes in Selected Afro-Caribbean Women’s Writings
2000-2002
Certificate in Secondary Teacher Training, Sir Arthur Lewis Community College (SALCC), St. Lucia
1994-1997
Bachelor of Arts in Literature (Honours), University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad
1991-1993
Cambridge Advanced Level passes in History, Sociology, English Literature, and General Paper, Sir Arthur Lewis Community College (SALCC), St. Lucia
1986-1991
Caribbean Examinations Council General Proficiency Grade One (1) passes in Biology, Caribbean History, English (A), English (B), Mathematics, Social Studies, Spanish, French, St. Joseph’s Convent Secondary School, St. Lucia
Awards:
- History
- Exceptional Achievement
Conferences and Publications
Peer-reviewed Publications
Blackman, G. (2024). Walking away: A joyful resistance. In A.B. Pratt, K. Donley, S. Hatch, S. L. Tharp, & F. Calderon-Berumen (Eds.), Walking away: Refusing and resisting reactionary curricular movements (pp. 21-37). Information Age Publishing.
Blackman, G. & Mombayeva, D. (2021). The tensions with the bricks in the wall: (Un) easy dialogues about teaching identities. In T. Fowler & W. Allen, Duoethnographic encounters: Opening spaces for difficult dialogues in times of uncertainty. DIO Press.
Field, J. C., Blackman, G., Francois, K. (2021). Teaching as authentic practice in the graduate student supervisory relationship. Imagining SoTL Proceedings of the Mount Royal Institute.
Blackman, G. (2020). Storying silence: A visual essay. The Goose, 18(2), Article 27. https://scholars.wlu.ca/thegoose/vol18/iss2/27
Blackman, G. (2020). [Abstract]. The fecundity of silence in dialogue: Students’ experiences of classroom discussions. Journal of the Canadian Association for Curriculum Studies.
Blackman, G. (2020). The meeting of multiple words and worlds. Language and Literacy, 22(1), 6-23. https://doi.org/10.20360/langandlit29513
Blackman, G. & Bolden, B. (2019). Chapter 2: Aesthetics keyword responses. In J. Wearing, M. Ingersoll, C. DeLuca, B. Bolden, H. Ogden, & T. M. Christou. (Eds.), Key concepts in curriculum studies: Perspectives on the fundamentals. (pp. 18-19) New York: Routledge.
Blackman, G. (2019). When art meets research: A review of John Williamson’s The Case of the Disappearing/Appearing Slow Learner: An Interpretive Mystery. Canadian Journal for New Scholars in Education. 10, 1.
Bryan, V. & Blackman, G. (2019). The ethics of self-care in higher education. Emerging Perspectives. University of Calgary.
Blackman, G. (2017). An interpretive exercise in moving from research to assessment in language arts. 2017. In P. Preciado Babb, L. Yeworiew, & S. Sabbaghan (Eds.). Selected Proceedings of the IDEAS Conference: Leading Educational Change, pp. 150-158. Calgary, Canada: Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary. http://hdl.handle.net/1880/52122
Blackman, G. (2016). Secrets in the open: An exercise in interpretive writing. Journal of Applied Hermeneutics, 0. Retrieved from http://jah.journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/jah/index.php/jah/article/view/126
Blackman, G. (2016). Cognitive Development: Students’ Beliefs about Knowing. Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning Guide Series. Calgary, AB: Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning at the University of Calgary. http://www.ucalgary.ca/taylorinstitute/guide
Conference Presentations
Blackman, G., (May 17, 2022). What’s happening when students are silent in a discussion? [Conference session]. Language Literacy Researchers of Canada, Conference of the Canadian Society for the Study of Education, Canada.
Francois, K., Imanoff, J., Bon Bernard, J., Blackman, G., Wong, K., Webber, K., Clark, N., & Currie, G., (June 4, 2021). A call to graduate students: “The Hub” – Building the foundation for a hermeneutic home. [Conference session]. Canadian Hermeneutic Institute, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Blackman, G., (June 2, 2021). Being thrown into silence: A condition for the event of understanding [Conference session]. Canadian Hermeneutic Institute, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Blackman, G., (June 3, 2021). Difficult discussions in literary studies: Is there pedagogy in discomfort? [Conference session]. Conference of the Canadian Society for the Study of Education, Canada.
Blackman, G., Field, J., & Francois, K. (May 4, 2021). When teaching becomes mentorship: Authentic practice as mentoring in the supervisory relationship [Conference Session]. University of Calgary Conference on Postsecondary Learning and Teaching (Mentorship in Higher Education), Calgary, AB, Canada.
Fiddler, J., Beamer K., & Blackman, G. (May 4, 2021). Mentorship opportunities in virtual communities [Conference Session]. University of Calgary Conference on Postsecondary Learning and Teaching (Mentorship in Higher Education), Calgary, AB, Canada.
Paris, B., Woodend, J., Barrantes, L., Blackman, G. (May 4, 2021). Peer mentoring in higher education: Experiences from a graduate research journal [Poster session]. Conference on Postsecondary Learning and Teaching, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
Blackman, G. (March 20, 2021). What sorcery is this? Alter-native conceptualizations of science (Caribbean obeah). [Conference session]. Restrictions: Avenues of Limitation and Possibility, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
- 2020 – Impacted by the Covid-19 Pandemic*
Accepted – Field, J., Blackman, G., Francois, K. (2020, May 3-5). When teaching becomes mentorship: Authentic practice as mentoring in the supervisory relationship [Conference session]. Conference on Postsecondary Learning and Teaching, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada. https://taylorinstitute.ucalgary.ca/conference-menu/schedule (Conference cancelled) *
-Accepted – Paris, B., Blackman, G., Woodend, J., Barrantes, L., (2020, May 3-5). Peer mentoring in higher education: Experiences from a graduate research journal [Conference session]. Conference on Postsecondary Learning and Teaching, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada. https://taylorinstitute.ucalgary.ca/conference-menu/schedule (Conference cancelled) *
-Accepted – Blackman, G., (2020, May 28-June 4). The tensions of teaching in troubled times [Conference session]. Conference of the Canadian Society for the Study of Education, Western University, London, ON, Canada. https://csse-scee.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/CSSE-Program-Draft-Mar-1.pdf (Conference cancelled)*
-Accepted – Blackman, G., (2020, May 28-June 4). The fecundity of silence in dialogue: Students’ experiences of classroom discussions [Conference session]. Conference of the Canadian Society for the Study of Education, Western University, London, ON, Canada. https://csse-scee.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/CSSE-Program-Draft-Mar-1.pdf (Conference cancelled) *
-Accepted – Blackman, G., (2020, June 3-5). Being thrown into silence: A condition for the event of understanding [Conference session]. Canadian Hermeneutic Institute, Calgary, AB, Canada. (Conference cancelled) *
-Accepted – Francois, K., Imanoff, J., Jen Bon Bernard, J. B., Blackman, G., Wong, K., Webber, K., & Clark, N. (2020, June 3-5). A call to graduate students: The hub – building the foundation for a hermeneutic home [Conference session]. Canadian Hermeneutic Institute, Calgary, AB, Canada. (Conference cancelled) *
Blackman, G. (2020, February 20). The many meanings of teacher silences. Tapestries of Learning Symposium, Werklund School of Education, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Blackman, G., & Francois, K. (2020, January 28). Teaching as authentic practice in the graduate student supervisory relationship. Peer Beyond Graduate Research Symposium, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Field, J., Blackman, G., Francois, K. (2019, November 8). Teaching as authentic practice in the graduate student supervisory relationship. Mount Royal Symposium, Banff, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Blackman, G. (2019, June). The meeting of multiple words and worlds. Paper presented at the Languages Literacy Researchers Canada Preconference, LLRC, Canadian Society for the Study of Education, CSSE, Vancouver, British Columbia.
Blackman, G. (2019, June). The play of silence and talk in oral literacy. Paper presented at the Canadian Society for the Study of Education, CSSE, Vancouver, British Columbia.
Field, J., Blackman, G., Francois, K. (2019, June). The supervisory curriculum: What graduate students live through and learn from their supervisory relationships. Paper presented at the Canadian Society for the Study of Education, CSSE, Vancouver, British Columbia.
Blackman, G. (2019, April). Vignettes on students’ experiences of classroom talk in the language arts classroom. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association, AERA, Toronto, Canada.
Blackman, G. (2018, June). Conducting a hermeneutic study: The play of the dialogue between the researcher and participants. Paper presented at the 10th Annual Canadian Hermeneutic Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta.
Blackman, G. (2018, May). What do students want us to know? Talking about talk in Language Arts. Paper presented at the Canadian Society for the Study of Education, CSSE. Regina, Saskatchewan.
Blackman, G. (2018, May). Students’ experiences of classroom talk in language arts. Paper presented at the Canadian Society for the Study of Education, CSSE. Regina, Saskatchewan
Blackman, G. (2018, May). Listening to experience: Audio-journals as texts in hermeneutic research. Paper presented at the 16th Qualitative Methods Conference, Banff, Alberta.
Blackman, G. (2018, March). The pedagogy of silence in difficult conversations. Paper presented at the Werklund Graduate Research Symposium, Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary.
Blackman, G. (2018, March). Seeing understanding in educational research. Paper presented InterLock2018: 3rd Annual Interdisciplinary Conference Crowsnest Hall, University of Calgary.
Blackman, G. (2018, February). After all is said and done in interpretive inquiry: Experiences of the researcher in the field. Paper presented at the Peer Beyond Graduate Student Symposium, GSA University of Calgary.
Ostrowski, C., Chick, N. & Blackman, G. (2017, October). Adventures and insights of a “Failed” SoTL project. Paper presented at the ISSOTL17 Conference, Calgary, AB.
Blackman, G., Ostrowski, C., Doherty, T. (2017, October). Students as fellow climbers and not baggage handlers: Methods, models, and principles of co-inquiry. Poster presented at the ISSOTL17 Conference October 11-14, Calgary
Braun, R., Ng, C., Tran, J., & Blackman, G (2017, October). Research Associates (RAs) as student partners in teaching and learning: Reflections using Healey, Flint, and Harrington’s conceptual model. Paper presented at the ISSOTL17 Conference, Calgary, AB.
Blackman, G. (2017, May). Audio-journals, from research methods to classroom assessments. Paper presented at IDEAS 2017: Leading Educational Change Conference. Galileo Educational Network and Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, AB.
Blackman, G. (2017, May). “Can you hear me? Wait, are you listening to me?” An evaluation of the use of audio-journals as a data-collection method in interpretive inquiry and the implications for classroom assessment. Paper presented at the Canadian Society for the Study of Education, CSSE. Ryerson University, Toronto, ON.
Blackman, G. (2017, June). Hermes and Legba: Hellenistic and Afro-Caribbean configurations of understanding and the implications for hermeneutic practice. 9th Annual Canadian Hermeneutic Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB.
Braun, R., Blackman, G., Fedoruk, L., Ostrowski, C., Parker, J., & Tran, J. (2017, May). Self-study in student professional development programs: Key concepts and ideas, A Collaborative Workshop. Paper presented at the Conference on Postsecondary Learning and Teaching, Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB.
Blackman, G., Chick, N. & Poole, G. (2016). Interpreting the Stories of SoTL Peer reviews. International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. California, USA.
Joseph, J. , Blackman, G. & Severin, G. (2015). Co-organizers – Beyond the Furling Page – a literary conference for secondary and post-secondary students, Sir Arthur Lewis Community College, St. Lucia
Blackman, G. (2011). Mythological Orientations in Selected Afro-Caribbean Women’s Writings. Paper presented at The Islands in Between – Languages, Literatures and Cultures of the Eastern Caribbean, co- organized by the University of Puerto Rico at Río Piedras and the University of the West Indies, Grenada.
Blackman, G. (2008). The latent schism: The St. Lucian artist’s dilemma. Paper presented at The Islands in Between – Languages, Literatures and Cultures of the Eastern Caribbean co-organized by University of Puerto Rico and the University of the West, Curaçao.
Blackman, G. (2004). ‘Is the old parents, oui’ The ancestor shaman in selected Caribbean women’s narratives. Paper presented at Cross Culturalism and the Caribbean Canon – A Cultural Studies Conference, The University of the West Indies, Trinidad.
Posters:
Blackman, G. (2016). Can you hear me? Wait are you listening to me? Graduate Research Symposium. Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary.
Academic Blogging:
Blackman, G. (2016). Adventures on the research assistant ship. The Research Associate (RA) Notebooks. http://tirap.ucalgaryblogs.ca/
Blackman, G., Ostrowski, C., & Paris, B. (2016). Student reflections from ISSoTL and the MRU Banff Symposium 2016. TI Connections. Retrieved from http://connections.ucalgaryblogs.ca/2016/12/22/student-reflections- from-issotl-and-the-mru-banff-symposium-2016/
Blackman, G. (2017, February). SoTL Foundations Reflections on International Graduate Students. In N. Chick, (2017, February 7). SoTL the scholarship of teaching and learning, a guide from the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning. The SoTL Guide. University of Calgary. Sotl.ucalgaryblogs.ca. Retrieved from http://sotl.ucalgaryblogs.ca/2017/02/07/sotl-foundations-reflections-international-graduate-students/
Other
Blackman, G. (2010, September 11). UWI, a personal reflection. The Voice Newspaper. Retrieved from http://www.thevoiceslu.com/features/2010/september/11_09_10/UWI.htm
Galicia S. T. Blackman 