Sarah Coates is a social studies teacher at St George's School in Vancouver, BC. She holds a Bachelor of Education degree from UBC and is a candidate for a Master's of Education degree from St. Francis Xavier University. Her areas of pedagogical interest include experiential learning, reflection, global mindfulness, and social justice. She has extensive leadership experience in debate, model UN, and with Girl Guides of Canada.

1. S a r a h C o a t e s
307-428 w 8th
Avenue
Vancouver, BC V5Y 1N9
Telephone: 604-454-8741
Email: scoates@stgeorges.bc.ca
Education and Certification
Teacher Regulation Branch of BC
Professional Certificate- L186375
Candidate, Masters of Education- 2015
St Francis Xavier University- Nova Scotia
Proposed Thesis: How do experiential learning opportunities
contribute to students’ understanding of global mindfulness?
Bachelor of Education- 2009
University of British Columbia- Vancouver, BC
English and Social Studies- Secondary School
University of Women’s Club Vancouver Award
UBC Outstanding Practicum Award
Bachelor of Arts (Honours)- 2004
Acadia University- Wolfville, NS
Political Science and Sociology
University Scholar and Dean’s List
Work Experience
St George’s School- Vancouver, BC 2010-present
Social Studies (SS8, International Relations/Public Speaking 8, SS10,
SS11, Law 12, Debate and Public Speaking, Model United Nations,
Student Leadership, national/international tours, Connect 10)
Position: Teacher
Collingwood School- West Vancouver, BC 2009-2010
Learning support, teacher assistance, lesson development and teaching
in Grade 4 and 4/5 Key(LD) classrooms.
Position: Associate Faculty and Daycare Coordinator, Tutor
BC Cancer Foundation- Vancouver, BC and Calgary & Edmonton, AB 2005-2008
Participant recruitment, volunteer coordination, event management,
team leadership, staff training.
Position: Manager Logistics/Operations (Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton)
International Organisation of German Adult Education- Bosnia 2004-2005
Coordinated international and multilingual conferences and programs.
Position: Conference and Education Coordinator
Leadership Experiences (Volunteer)
Curriculum and Leadership Development- (Alley Outreach)
Advice, consultation and development of program to grow school implementation.
Vice President and Coordinator- 3 years (Debate and Speech Association of BC)
Governance, coordination and execution of constitution, procedure rules, tournaments,
travel logistics, coaching training.
District Commissioner and Leader- 5 years (Girl Guides of Canada)
Program planning and execution on subject areas including reading and writing, science
and technology, art and culture and outdoor education for groups of 8-30 girls aged 5-16.

2. S a r a h C o a t e s
307-428 w 8th
Avenue
Vancouver, BC V5Y 1N9
Telephone: 604-454-8741
Email: scoates@stgeorges.bc.ca
Professional Development and Engagement
ReSchool Transform the Future of Learning
May 2015 - Simon Fraser University
http://www.radiussfu.com/reschool/
International Boys’ School Coalition Action Research Cohort, Boys as Global Citizens
2015 - South Africa 2016 - Vancouver, BC
IBSC Conference 2015- attendee, designing action research project
IBSC Conference 2016- presenting, topic: reflection within experiential learning
https://www.theibsc.org/uploaded/IBSC/Action_Reseach/IBSC_Action_Research_2016_Boys-as-
Global-Citizens-info_sheet.pdf
Provincial Curriculum Revision Committee- K-9, 10-12
April 2015-present – British Columbia
https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/sites/curriculum.gov.bc.ca/files/pdf/curriculum_development_
process.pdf
National School Reform Faculty- Protocols Coach Training
April 2015-present – Harmony Education Center
http://www.nsrfharmony.org/free-resources/protocols/a-z
Internationalization: What are the Intercultural and Global Learning Outcomes for
Students?
December 2014- Simon Fraser University
http://www.bccie.bc.ca/event/internationalization-what-are-the-intercultural-and-global-
learning-outcomes-for-students/
Growth and Renewal Task Force
2013 - St George’s School
Arts Week Committee
2013, 2014, 2015 - St George’s School
Annual Conferences
§ NAIS 2012
§ BCSSTA 2012, 2013
§ ISABC 2014, 2015
Research Activities
§ (2015-2016) IBSC Action Research: above
§ (2015) Masters Thesis: above
§ 2014-2015 internal action research: What does effective teacher collaboration look like?
§ 2013-2014 internal action research: What has been the experiences of students in the new
Social Studies Learning Commons?

3. S a r a h C o a t e s
307-428 w 8th
Avenue
Vancouver, BC V5Y 1N9
Telephone: 604-454-8741
Email: scoates@stgeorges.bc.ca
Pedagogical Interests
§ Experiential learning (Kolb, Dewey)
§ Reflection (Zlotkowski, Moon, Ash and Clayton)
§ Guided inquiry
§ Global mindfulness
§ Social justice
§ Service learning
§ Design of educational spaces
§ Benchmarks of Historical Thinking
Co-Curricular Programs
Saint’s Conference- Model United Nations, Debating, Public Speaking
A program with over 100 students and 20 events per year (local, national, international)
Twice-weekly sessions with participants, weekly meetings with student leaders.
Service Learning
Annual Spring Break service week
Alley Outreach
Travel
Saint’s Conference- BC, Chicago, New York, Washington DC, Kingston, Calgary, Hong Kong
Cultural- Turkey, Quebec, Ottawa
Athletics
Spin biking, cricket, road cycling.
Personal Interests
Triathlon, marathon and GranFondo training; urban design and architecture; food growing,
cooking and catering; former gin rummy champion at the Caddy Lake cottage.
Teaching Philosophy
The purpose of education is both conservative and progressive. Education enables us to
preserve the very best of our collective knowledge and beliefs while enabling us to unpack
aptitudes and attitudes to move forward our knowledge and beliefs beyond the limitations of
the present. In more practical terms, education- and the institution of school- must be a place
for students to take risks, to accept, reject and reformulate their own understandings at
conceptual and practical levels, through a series of meaningful interactions with themselves,
their peers, and their communities on both local and global scales.
At the core of each of teaching and learning is the notion of opportunity: the opportunity
afforded to the student by virtue of their experiences and reflection upon them; the
opportunities the students create for dynamic, unscripted exploration; and the opportunities
teachers must provide, facilitate and recognize to keep the momentum going. Teaching is at
the nexus of theory and practice and I am highly attuned to this fact. What we determine as
our philosophy has direct impact on the schooling of a student. I wish to be guided by a
philosophy that is robust and coherent, flexible, dynamic and in the end, concerned most about
each student’s growth and sophistication as a learner and as a participant in his or her
communities.
References Available on Request