Kimberley Smaniotto - Holmes
Positions
Adjunct Assistant Professor
Werklund School of Education, Specialization, Curriculum and Learning
Affiliations
Associate Member Hotchkiss Brain Institute
Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research and Education
Contact information
Preferred method of communication
Background
Educational Background
Ph.D Curriculum, Teaching and Learning, University of Calgary , 2015
M.A Organizational Learning and Leadership, Royal Roads University , 2000
B.Ed Bachelor of Education -Secondary English , University of Calgary , 1990
Biography
Kimberley Holmes’ research and teaching are grounded in mindfulness, educational neuroscience, and humanizing pedagogy. She completed her MA (Honours) in partnership with the Banff Centre for Management, where she explored the connections among literature, creativity, and leadership development. This work deepened her longstanding love of writing, story, and narrative inquiry. Building on these foundations, her PhD at the University of Calgary examined the role of mindfulness in curriculum, teaching, and learning. Her doctoral research was recognized with the CATE Award (2016) for its contribution to teacher education.
Dr. Holmes has served as an English educator, Curriculum Leader, and Alberta Initiative for School Improvement Learning Leader with the Calgary Board of Education. Early in her career, she taught English and Drama at Rundle College, experiences that shaped her commitment to inclusive education and communities of compassion and care.
In 2020, Dr. Holmes joined the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary as an adjunct assistant professor and sessional instructor. She draws on her lived experience to bridge educational theory with the professional praxis of curriculum, teaching, and learning—cultivating spaces where learning feels relational, responsive, and grounded in an ethic of care.
Research
Areas of Research
Participation in university strategic initiatives
Projects
Dr. Holmes’ work is rooted in mindful pedagogy, educational neuroscience, story work, and holistic well‑being. Her research interests include language and literacy, narrative and poetic inquiry, embodiment, inclusive education, and critical pedagogy. She is particularly interested in the nexus between mindfulness and interdisciplinary literacy development, and how this interplay supports holistic well‑being for both learners and educators.
Her scholarship also explores neurodiversity and the implications of effective teaching and learning in relation to learner profiles and curricular design. During her doctoral research, she developed a model for teacher education that examines the interconnections among mindfulness, educational neuroscience, story work, and system complexity.
Across her work, Dr. Holmes is guided by a central question: What does it mean to be fully human in our educational environments? This inquiry informs her commitment to humanizing pedagogy and to cultivating communities of compassion, inclusion, and care.
Awards
- Teacher Education Dissertation Award, Canadian Association of Teacher Education . 2016
- Three minute thesis gold and people's choice award, University of Calgary . 2015
- Student Union Excellence in Teaching Finalist, University of Calgary. 2015
- Annette LeGrange Doctoral Scholarship, University of Calgary. 2013
- Alberta Excellence in Teaching Award, Alberta Education . 1999
More Information
Publications
Books
Holmes, K. & Leggo, C. (2020) The Spaces in Between – A Poetic duo-ethnographic exploration of living well in curriculum studies, learning and life. New York, NY. DIO Press Inc. https://www.amazon.ca/Spaces-Between-Poetic-duo-ethnographical- Exploration/dp/164504047X
Peer Reviewed Chapters
Holmes, K. (2022) Re-Awakening the Heart. In E. Lyle (Ed) Rehumanizing Education. The Netherlands: Brill Publishing
Holmes, K. & Leggo, C. (2020) Places of the Heart. In E. Lyle (Ed.), Identity Landscapes: Contemplating Place and the Construction of Self. The Netherlands: Brill Sense.
Lund, D.L., with Grain K., Hanson A., Holmes, K., Scott, D., & Sitter, K. (2016) Exploring duo ethnography in graduate research courses. In J. Norris & R.D Sawyer (Eds.), Theorizing curriculum studies, teacher education and research through duo ethnographic pedagogy. New Your, NY: Palgrave MacMillan
Peer Reviewed Journals
Smaniotto- Holmes, K. (2024). Learning, Breathing, and Well-Being: Resiliency and Yoga—Contemplations on the Neuroscientific Connection to Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning. Interchange. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10780-024-09520-3
Holmes, K. (2020) Ruminations and Reflections on Fear. International Journal of Fear Studies. Volume 2(2) https://prism.ucalgary.ca/handle/1880/112448
Holmes, K. (2019) Neuroscience, Mindfulness and Holistic Wellness- Reflections on Interconnectivity in Teaching and Learning. Interchange: A quarterly review in Education. http://www.springer.com/-/9/AU3vDnEXxIV6JZQW5J5i
Holmes K. & Sealock, K. (2019) Storytelling as a portal to deeper wisdom in the curriculum studies of Education and Nursing. Emerald Qualitative Research Journal. https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/full/10.1108/QRJ-D-18-00023
Holmes, K. (2017) Mindfulness as a practice of professional Life. A reflective learning journey with second year teachers. Journal of Educational Thought. https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/jet/article/view/44296
Holmes, K. (2015) Poetic Auto-ethnographical reflections on the role of mindfulness in curriculum and learning. Creative Approaches to Research. 8(3). http//aqr.org.au/publications/creative-approaches-to-research/
Holmes, K. & Bearance, D. (2015) Ontology through a mindful process. Interchange: A quarterly review Education. 46(2) 143-152. http://www.springer.com/-/9/AU3vDnEXxIV6JZQW5J5i
Holmes, K. (2015) An auto ethnographical reflection on teaching and learning in the Undergraduate Education program. Creative Approaches to Research 8(2). http://aqr.org.au/publications/creative-approaches-to-research/
Holmes, K. (2014) Becoming the Teacher: An auto-ethnographical reflection in poetry and prose. Journal of Educational Thought. 47(3). 170-188. https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/jet/article/view/52176
Holmes, K. (2014) Synthesis: A poetic exploration of the integral model investigating the interconnected strands of our educational landscapes. Special Issue: [Practices of Poetic Inquiry] in education, 20(2), 121-134. http://ineducation.ca/ineducation/article/view/175/678
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