Dr. Michelle Kilborn

PhD

Positions

Instructor

Werklund School of Education, Specialization, Curriculum and Learning

Contact information

michelle.kilborn@ucalgary.ca

Location

Office: EDT720

Background

Credentials

Teaching Certificate of Qualification, BC Ministry of Education, 1993

Educational Background

PhD Secondary Education, University of Alberta, 2014

MA Education, University of Victoria, 1999

BEd. Education, University of Victoria, 1993

Biography

Michelle Kilborn is an Instructor, Physical Education and Wellness at the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary. Michelle holds a B.Ed and M.A. in Physical Education from the University of Victoria and a PhD from the University of Alberta. Michelle began her career as a K-12 teacher in British Columbia where she also provided leadership to the physical education community as the provincial specialist association president of PEBC. Michelle moved to Alberta in 2006 and as Curriculum Manager for wellness-related programs of study at Alberta Education, she was instrumental in co-developing the Framework for Kindergarten to Grade 12 Wellness Education. Michelle’s work focuses on reconceptualizing curriculum and pedagogy and physical and health education, with a special interest in holistic, wellness-oriented approaches to physical education; wisdom perspectives on health and wellness; comprehensive school health and physical education teacher education. Her initial efforts to encourage a wellness approach were first captured in her dissertation work which won the Recognition Award from the Canadian Association for Teacher Education and the Phi Delta Kappa Doctoral Dissertation Award. She expanded this work into her first book: A Curriculum of Wellness: Reconceptualizing Physical Education.

Research

Areas of Research

Wellness-oriented Approaches to Physical Education , Health and Physical Education Teacher Education, Comprehehsive School Health

Participation in university strategic initiatives

Child health and wellness

Courses

Course number	Course title	Semester
EDUC 535.08	Specialization II Elementary Physical Education	Fall 2021
EDUC 535.16	Specialization II Secondary Physical Education	Fall 2021
EDUC 430	Pragmatics of Learning and Teaching	Fall 2021
EDUC 440	Field Experience I	Fall 2021
EDUC 460.08	Specialization I Elementary Physical Education	Winter 2022
EDUC 460.16	Specialization II Secondary Physical Education	Winter 2022
EDUC 551	Comprehensive School Health and Wellness K-12	Winter 2022
EDUC 465	Field Experience II	Winter 2022

Projects

Fostering student-centered learning with games for understanding approach in physical education

Calls for reform in physical education curriculum and pedagogy stem from research suggesting that the dominant sport technique model (Kirk, 2010) does not meet the needs of contemporary youth and lack of connection and relevance to their lives (Dyson, 2006; Humbert, 2006; MacDonald & Hunter, 2005). This project will help ensure a more holistic approach to teaching and learning is employed in the specialization courses by using a practice-based strategy to teach pre-service teachers how to design and teach games in a conceptual way, incorporating Indigenous ways of knowing.

Awards

CARES Award - Engaging Others, Alberta Health Services. 2021
Doctoral Dissertation Award, Phi Delta Kappa . 2015
Recognition Award on Teacher Education (Doctoral), Canadian Association for Teacher Education. 2014
Doctoral Fellowship Award , Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council. 2013
President’s Doctoral Award of Distinction , University of Alberta. 2013
J Gordin Kaplan Graduate Student Award , University of Alberta. 2013
The Doctor Jean C. Nelson Memorial Award , Alberta Health and Wellness. 2012

Publications

A wellness approach to physical education.. Kilborn, M. & Hertlein, K. In J. Barrett & C. Scaini (Eds), Quality Health and Physical Education: Pedagogical Practices and Considerations for Canadian Elementary School Teachers. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.. (2018)
Exploring university-based physical literacy programming: Perspectives of service providers. . Borduas, C., Cameron, E., Yi, K, Kilborn, M., McGowan, E. Buote, R. et al.. PHEnex, 9(2). 14 pages. (2018)
Women reflect on being well in academia: Challenges and supports.. Young, G., Kilborn, M., Arnold, C., Azam, S., Badenhorst, C., Godfrey, J. R., Goodnough, K., Lewis, L., Li, X., McLeod, H., Moore, S., Penney, S., & Pickett, S. . Learning Landscapes, 10(2). 335-351. (2021)
Healthy active living programming for children in Newfoundland. Kilborn, M., Cameron, E., McGowan, E., Borduas, C., Baird, J., Cummings, M. & Rohr, L. . Physical and Health Education Canada Journal, 83(3). 8 pages. (2017)
A curriculum of wellness: Reconceptualizing physical education. . Kilborn, M.. New York: Peter Lang. (2016)
An analysis of Canadian physical education curricula. . Kilborn, M., Lorusso, J. & Francis, N.. European Physical Education Review, 22(1). 23-46. (2016)