Faculty of Education Education News Fall 2013 / Winter 2014 Page 3
Contents all of this with students , colleagues , administrators and parents . The classroom is a space in which many things are occurring simultaneously , multi-dimensionally , and often unpredictably . Such an environment requires quick thinking in action , but as importantly , it requires thoughtful reflection and further planning , adjusting , and adapting ( Kauchak & Eggen , 2012 ). This is the invisible work of teachers that we need to explicate , against the grain , to a larger audience . Many educators believe that educational reform will never be successful , “ if we continue to demean and dishearten the human resource called the teacher on whom so much depends …[ and ] if we fail to cherish – and challenge – the human heart that is the source of good teaching ” ( Palmer , 2007 ).
One only has to think of the politics of high stakes standardized testing as one such contested field where we need to work against the grain , providing evidence-based data of the dangers inherent in focusing on testing and not on learning . Another example is the often ill-informed debate , currently receiving much press , ( Globe & Mail , 2014 ) about the “ old math ” and the “ new math ” and the supposedly lamentable skill level of children who do not know their times-tables . Such arguments quickly default to a false binary between rote learning versus discovery learning . Educators must lead this debate , providing constructive discussion related to the history of math education , issues of gender , technology , and math as a symbolic language or code that we better understand because of educational research .
Many of the governments in Canada today have presumed that they are not just our elected representatives ; rather , they position themselves to be “ managers ” of society , reflected in a neo-liberal policy of “ lean ” management ( i . e . greater efficiency and productivity ). As citizens , as professionals in educational institutions , and as students in schools , we are regarded by government as something to “ manage ,” as if we were items on the assembly line that can be fixed and improved ( Schick , 2014 ). As academic activists in Faculties of Education our job is to contribute to the debate about , critique of , and research into public policy and school practice , for the sake of children in schools ( Spooner , 2014 ). Aligning our program offerings to be attuned with the reality of the diversity of our school populations must also go hand-in-hand with our support and advocacy for the professionalism of the teachers we educate .
As Dean of the Faculty of Education for the past 6 years , I take great satisfaction in seeing the strengthening of our program through rigorous renewal and a concerted commitment to diversifying
Dean ’ s Message ...................................... 2 100 Years of Loss Exhibit ........................ 4 Teacher-Researcher Profile ...................... 6 Protecting Our Sacred Water : Partnership Infuses SUNTEP With Renewed Energy ..................................... 8 Enhancing Treaty Education Through Digital Storytelling ............................... 10 The Compliment Tree ............................. 12 Talk “ le Bac ”......................................... 13 Spooner ( ism ) on Standardized Testing ... 14 Biotechnology Tool Kits : Raising Awareness of Careers in Agriculture ...... 15 WCSA Top Rookie ................................... 16 Student Awards Reception ..................... 16 Former Faculty of Education Dean Receives U of R Distinguished Service Award ....................................... 17 Grants and Awards ............................... 18 Long Service Awards ............................. 18 New Faculty and Staff ............................ 19 Sponsored Faculty Events ...................... 20 Faculty Member Co-Producing and Co-Hosting “ The Four ”.......................... 21 Retirement ............................................ 21 Published Works ................................... 22 Campus Events ..................................... 23 The Aesthetics of Pedagogy Exhibition .. 24
and Indigenizing our Faculty in multiple ways . This Faculty has never been more robust , despite budgetary constraints . I look forward to continuing to work with students , staff , and faculty members as the Director of SIDRU in the coming years . This edition of our Faculty Education News provides me with an opportunity to thank everyone for their contributions to the many ways in which we work to make this a better world .