dr. connie russell (professor, faculty of education and 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 research chair in environmental education) recently co-edited, with patrick chandler (university of colorado boulder) and justin dillon (university college london), a special issue of the top-ranked journal, environmental education research.

the issue focused on humour, an under-studied topic in the field. other related fields, like climate change communication and social justice education, have begun delving into the topic and revealed the potential for humour to lower resistance to uncomfortable topics, increase engagement, raise awareness, and spark or sustain action. it is not without pitfalls, however, especially since what is found funny is subjective and may not be shared across cultures or generations.

the eleven papers in the special issue illustrate humour does have potential for environmental education. hailing from eight different countries, the authors adopted an array of methodological approaches and theoretical frames and their inquiries were grounded in diverse sites of learning. delving into humour led authors to push beyond the boundaries of their own disciplines and, for some, to form creative collaborations that took them not only into new academic fields but also outside their professions to work with cartoonists, comedians, actors, and game developers. the full issue is available here.

research shows there is a need to move beyond traditional, formula-based approaches to mathematics—and dr. ann kajander’s (professor, thunder bay campus) new book, mathematics for intermediate teachers: from models to methods, aims to teach teachers the reasoning behind the methods.

the 2023 book is written for prospective and practicing teachers, with the encouragement of lakehead’s bachelor of education candidates in mathematics curriculum and instruction courses. these preservice teachers, all of whom had extensive post-secondary mathematics coursework, claimed that understanding the representations and reasoning (what the field calls specialized mathematics content knowledge for teaching) significantly deepened their understanding of the concepts. a group of the 2021-2022 cohort even gathered for the book's cover shot in the bora laskin library!

as noted on the cambridge scholars publishing website, the ideas and activities outlined in the book “are directly transferable to classroom use, with concepts developed using visual models and representations, manipulatives, reasoning, and with deep connections to other concepts. these methods support better thinking, learning, and understanding for all 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 . in addition, these visual and active approaches are also much better aligned with indigenous ways of thinking and knowing, a critical benefit for societies striving for decolonization.”

ann, who teaches mathematics education, is the author of numerous research papers, and has published five other books on mathematics education.

congratulations to randy wilkie (contract lecturer, thunder bay), who has been appointed as editor of the ontario association for geographic and environmental education journal, the monograph.

the monograph shares geographic teaching resources to its membership, which includes geography and environmental teachers across ontario.

randy’s first edited journal can be found here.

congratulations, randy!

phd student mohit dudeja has been selected as the first place winner of the pradeep khare memorial scholarship, a scholarship awarded to international 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 from india who demonstrate “exceptional leadership and community involvement, promising career aspirations, outstanding academic achievement, and a desire to continue serving the community after attaining their educational goals.”

mohit’s doctoral research—tentatively titled transglobal queer identities: experiences of indian queer international 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 in small canadian cities—will explore the experiences of queer international research participants, with questions including: how does being queer shape your educational experiences and daily life in a small city in canada? what support systems are available for you, as a queer international student? how accessible are the support systems to you?

mohit plans to interview participants to learn whether they feel safe on campus to express their gender and/or sexual identity, and what resources and support systems they might need from their university.

“ultimately, i want to foster progressive change in the education system,” he says. “recommendations from my research will add to the emerging body of work on queer concerns in the internationalization of education. i also seek to contribute to the academic conversation on queer inclusion in education, and to provide practical and operational assistance to schools, curriculum developers, and policymakers.”

mohit has worked with various non-profit organizations in india and is the founder of mendlife foundation, a volunteer-based organization dedicated to helping underprivileged youth in delhi attain a quality education and sustainable livelihood. mohit has also developed a sustainable system to provide subsidized mental health services to members in marginalized communities. in thunder bay, he volunteers with thunder bay counselling on a community youth program called “choices.”

mohit’s supervisor, dr. gerald walton (professor, thunder bay) notes that “this scholarship is a prestigious and competitive award, and i am elated about mohit’s success!”

congratulations, mohit!