dr. gerald walton (professor, faculty of education) participated in a panel discussion on tvontario’s current affairs program the agenda with steve paikin, exploring why bullying remains pervasive in ontario schools and what can be done to address it.

as a part of his contributions to the panel, dr. walton noted that bullying — which he described as “a systemic problem that targets people who are marginalized or who present themselves as different” — must be understood as an abuse of power that connects to feelings of pleasure in the bully.

“there’s research that has looked into brain chemistry of kids who bully and how the pleasure centres are being stimulated when acts of bullying are going on … there’s an adrenalin rush that happens … it’s what motivates bullying in the first place.”

he suggests educators can use societal examples where bullying is normalized and even validated to discuss its effects.

other panelists on the show included katie cole (thames valley district school board), annalisa varano (catholic principals’ council, ontario), claire crooks (western university), and julie schaafsma (co-founder, voices against bullying).

the show can be viewed here.

the january issue of our education exchange newsletter has been published. this newsletter brings our current and former 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 , as well as our educational partners, together to share news, successes, and innovations.

a new book edited by dr. sonja grover (professor, faculty of education), peremptory international legal norms and the democratic rule of law, has been published.

as explained on the routledge website, the book “explores the risks to the democratic state inherent in the attempt to divorce the notion of democratic rule of law from respect for and adherence to peremptory international legal norms which allow for no derogation therefrom, such as the prohibition against torture and against inhumane treatment or punishment by the state.

the chapters address, with specific current case examples, in what ways the democratic rule of law within certain democratic states risks being undermined through those states acquiescing to the erosion of peremptory international law norms in the domestic and international context. the book therefore explores the question of in what ways such democratic state acquiescence in effect may ultimately disrupt the investment within the state in the shared culture of core human rights values that underlies democratic rule of law itself and highlights the fragility of that shared culture.

the contributors argue for a renewed commitment in principle and practice to the democratic rule of law and to its human rights international normative underpinnings.”

this book will be of interest to scholars of international law, human rights and democracy.
 

a recent book co-authored by dr. graham passmore (associate professor, faculty of education) examines the benefits of applying identity structure analysis (isa) to teacher professional development.

co-authored by professors amanda turner and julie prescott (university of bolton, uk), the book notes that “at present no government, local authority or school is actively applying identity structure analysis to monitor school improvement. in a profession where turnover is extremely high, isa is framed as a way for professional development to meet the needs of the specific teacher.”

the book provides practical advice on how isa may be used in conjunction with mentoring to offset teacher turnover. as such, it will be of particular interest to scholars and researchers studying teacher identity and professional development, alongside policymakers interested in reducing teacher turnover.

identity structure analysis and teacher mentorship: across the context of schools and the individual (2019) is published by palgrave pivot.

congratulations to fatima ahmed (bed teacher candidate, orillia), who has been recognized by the ontario college of teachers 2019 scholarship program for her excellence in teacher education.

as noted on the oct website, this award is granted to individuals who “demonstrate a high level of preparedness for teacher education through examples of community involvement, background and life experiences.” fatima has fulfilled these criteria in numerous ways, including her work as an organizational development advisor for hiv/aids chief strategy officers in botswana (2013-2015); her work as an executive director for a youth centre for at-risk youth in inuvik, nwt (2009-2010); and her work as an it trainer and a women’s development officer for the provincial government in vanuatu, south pacific (2007). 

fatima notes that these international life experiences, along with many others – including the fact she speaks multiple languages and has lived, worked, or studied in 5 continental areas – were tremendous growth experiences that pushed her toward the field of teaching. she adds thanks to those who have supported her throughout her educational journey:

“during my acceptance speech at the oct council meeting, i mentioned that getting this award would not have been possible without the help of mentors and allies. i had a few odds against me, including a challenging financial situation and an undiagnosed disability, which prevented me from excelling during my first undergraduate degree. but, through the help of mentors and allies who continued to believe in me, i was able to keep pushing in academic and non-academic fields. i’m grateful because this award says that people can excel in spite of some obstacles.”  

congratulations, fatima, on this notable award!

educator, curriculum developer, and writer rachel mishenene (bed, 2003; med, 2012) has won a 2018 indspire guiding the journey: indigenous educator award. the award recognizes the achievements of outstanding educators of indigenous 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 who are leading the positive systemic change to education.

rachel, a member of the eabametoong first nation, is currently an executive assistant in first nations, métis and inuit education at the elementary teachers’ federation of ontario. for her demonstrated commitment to k-12 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 over the span of a long career in education, she has won the award in the category of community service.

rachel will be presented with the award in november, at the 2018 national gathering for indigenous education ceremony in edmonton, where hundreds of educators and supporters of indigenous education from across canada will gather to celebrate the award recipients.

“i’m very humbled and honoured to receive this award. my work is a responsibility to my ancestors, indigenous peoples, and to classroom teachers who are working to creating culturally responsive learning environments,” she says.

indspire is a national indigenous organization that invests in the education of indigenous people by connecting educators of k-12 indigenous 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 with programs, resources, and a professional learning community to improve educational outcomes, increase high school completion rates, and support sustained systemic change.

alumna dr. sarah pash (med, 2005; phd, 2014) has been elected as chairperson of the cree school board. 

“i am honoured that the people of our territory have given me the opportunity to help shape their children’s educational experience,” she explained on the cree school board website. “this will be an era in which we will not just make student success our priority, but also continually measure our own success, and adjust our course as necessary.”

dr. pash, from the cree nation of chisasibi, has a background in first nations education, education and language research, culture, and language maintenance. she has experience in eeyou and indigenous education as a teacher, university instructor, education consultant, researcher, and author.

she explains that the “voices of 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 , parents, communities, and our regional entities are equally important and must be engaged in a meaningful process as we continue to develop the cree school board.”

we are pleased to announce that the september issue of our education exchange newsletter has been published. this newsletter brings our current and former 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 as well as our educational partners together to share news, successes, and innovations.

master of education student jackie chan was awarded the prestigious 3m national student leadership fellowship – an award from the society for teaching and learning in higher education that recognizes 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 who demonstrate outstanding leadership in their lives, at their post-secondary institution.

jackie is the first 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 student to win this award, which recognizes his many notable leadership and mentorship initiatives relating to social justice for youth, and his passionate commitment to building relationships across culture, class, and race.

one of these initiatives was jackie’s involvement in running a land-based, well-being camp at kingfisher outdoor education centre last march. at the camp he worked with 18 indigenous high school 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 as part of his research into play-based, laughter-based community building and mental health leadership.

“before we deal with this issue of decolonizing, we have to build relationships of trust, and that can be done through laughter and play,” he explained in a recent news article.

the kingfisher camp was part of his work with the tikkun indigenous youth project, a sshrc-funded project out the university of windsor exploring how young people are contributing to social healing and change.

this summer, jackie took one of the indigenous youth from the kingfisher camp to camp arowhon, a private summer camp in algonquin park where he works. he also started a penpal program between jamaican youth and elementary 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 at the inner-city ogden community public school in thunder bay, and he is co-founder and director of zen's outdoor leadership camp for youth, an ngo where he leads groups to jamaica and nepal to facilitate volunteer-driven service learning programs.

dr. lisa korteweg is jackie’s med research supervisor.

jackie says that receiving the 3m award is “validation and motivation for me to continue on the path i am on.”

dr. ann kajander, associate professor in the faculty of education, is an expert panel member of the mathematics knowledge network, hosted by the fields institute for research in mathematical sciences.

the fields institute was recently awarded a five-year grant from the ministry of education to host the mathematics knowledge network for ontario. within the larger network are four communities of practice. dr. kajander's project, entitled transitions in grade 9 mathematics, is contained within the critical transitions community of practice.

dr. kajander explains that this grant will enable her to continue her research projects in conjunction with the mathematics knowledge network, with a special focus on grade 9 transitions and locally developed math courses.

"the locally developed courses are not evaluated by eqao, and hence often fall outside the funding sources for school improvement. these courses, taken by some of our very neediest 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 , serve 7% of grade 9 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 provincially, with a slightly higher percentage locally. it's time these 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 ' needs become more of a focus,” she explains.

the mathematics knowledge network brings together diverse mathematics education stakeholders from across ontario to mobilize evidence from research and professional practice and facilitate the use of evidence-based practices for mathematics instruction, to support improved educational achievement.