Dr. Latika Raisinghani is a lecturer in science and environmental education at the Faculty of Education
Exponential growth in student diversity, the challenges posed by the current COVID-19 pandemic, and recent racial injustices in Canadian and global society, demand that we continue to explore ways to stimulate ongoing conversation and action that may invite education that is responsive to the needs of diverse students.
My journey to inquire about such an education began with exploring what culture is, how we define cultural diversity, and what culturally responsive education means in a multicultural country such as Canada. My doctoral study at the University of British Columbia exposed me to the complexities inherent in various dimensions of cultural diversity, the structural systemic inequities embedded in the education systems, and the politics of education that continue to marginalize many culturally diverse students in diversity-rich classrooms of Canada. What could be possible ways to respond to student diversity?
Informed by my doctoral research with K-12 teachers in Vancouver schools, I have conceptualized a (trans-multi)culturally responsive education framework as one way to do so. Amalgamating critical and transformational multicultural education perspectives and culturally responsive teaching, this framework invites educators to engage in critical self-reflective inquiries and initiate complicated conversations to interrogate the hidden curricula, recognize Other(ed) cultural knowledges (that are missing), and welcome multiplicity of lived experiences. Acknowledging culture as a dynamic way of life and cultural diversity as all cultural experiences that a student may bring into schools, a (trans-multi)culturally responsive education calls educators to cultivate critical cultural consciousness, embrace relational caring and develop empathetic relationships that may promote wholistic, socially-just, inclusive education, which cherishes diversity and engages with difference with solidarity and critique.
My efforts to invite educators in this transformational learning journey include organizing provincial professional development workshops for Ontario school principals and British Columbia teachers. As a member of the Faculty of Education at the University of Regina, I am continuing these efforts to invite (trans-multi)culturally responsive education through my engagements in teaching science and environmental education courses that focus on Indigeneity and responsiveness. My initiatives include contributing to the Fall 2020 Treaty 4 Gathering and co-initiating a Centre for Educational Research, Collaboration, and Development approved Knowledge Mobilization Project with Dr. Xia Ji on culturally responsive leadership for school leaders and administrators in Regina. Becoming a (trans-multi)culturally responsive educator is a life-long ideological and pedagogical commitment which necessitates what Mahatma Gandhi emphasized: “Be the change that you want to see in the world.” So, my journey of becoming a (trans-multi)culturally responsive educator continues, and I invite you to join me in this life-long journey.
By Dr. Latika Raininghani, Lecturer in the Faculty of Education
A new autumn issue of the Faculty of Education’s in education journal is published. Read online or download the full issue at https://ineducation.ca/ineducation
Understanding Meaningful Exchanges: Mathematics Discourse Analysis and Complexity Thinking
Evan Throop Robinson 103-138
____________________________ in education is a peer-reviewed, open access journal based in the Faculty of Education at the University of Regina, in Saskatchewan, Canada. The journal has been in existence since 1993, but published its first issue as an online journal in December of 2009.
The editorial board invites scholarly articles and reviews of works that explore ideas in teacher education, as well as broader and more inclusive discussions in education. We envision works that augment the latitude and significance of the idea of education, while acknowledging the ubiquitous growth of the digital arts and sciences in the everyday practice of life and how that might (in)form notions of formal and informal education. We encourage the submission of high quality works that travel across the qualitative and quantitative research landscape engendering conversations in thoughtful and innovative ways.This may include but is not limited to works in the following areas: ethnography, poststructuralist, postmodern and postcolonial approaches, queer theory, arts-based research, bricolage, narrative inquiry, autoethnography, critical theory, phenomenology, hermeneutics, or mixed methods. Submit your manuscript at https://journals.uregina.ca/ineducation/about/submissions
Obianuju Juliet Bushi, PhD student, sessional lecturer, student advisor and newly elected Regina Catholic School Board trustee
The current coronavirus pandemic has created economic, social, educational, and political uncertainties in North America and worldwide. This pandemic has tested our systems and has changed the way we perform our daily living. Teaching and learning have taken a new form and classes have been restructured and redesigned to keep students and teachers safe and to minimize the spread of this deadly virus. In addition to the pandemic, education institutions have to respond to concerns and provide clear answers to tough questions from students, faculty, and non-teaching staff about their safety in school and the impact of COVID-19 on teaching and learning. Schools have also witnessed significant cuts in funding and resources that have affected the ways education resources become available and accessible based on needs, race, and class (Khalifa, 2013).
The issues of power and racial inequalities in schooling contexts have been a topic of discussion since the 1990s by many scholars of colour (see, for example, Derrick Bell, 1993; Gloria Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995). In response to the inequitable access to education for minoritized students (Indigenous, Black, Latino, Asian, and other People of Colour), many post-secondary institutions have developed frameworks that address “whiteness” and are working to understand education policies and reforms (Khalifa, Dunbar & Douglas, 2013) and their impacts on Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour (IBPOC) students and faculty members. Discrimination and racial inequalities against IBPOC people are invisible to those who are not affected by them because they are endemic, engrained, and normalized in educational institutions and policies.
The unlawful killing of 46-year-old George Floyd on the 25th of May in the United States sparked unrest all over the world with thousands of concerned citizens taking a stance against racial injustice and police brutality against Black people. Many “Black Lives Matter” rallies were held across the country with hundreds and thousands of protesters showing their support and marching in solidarity.
As a Black student in the Faculty of Education, I have received moral and social support from fellow students, my supervisor, and senior administrators. This act of responsibility and support also shows that more needs to be done to address racial injustice and inequalities that IBPOC students and faculty may experience within and outside our Faculty. It also indicates that educational institutions need to move beyond conversations to actions—from liberal multiculturalism to critically relevant practices, from abyssal thinking to critical thinking and post-abyssal thinking (thinking from the realm of the “other” by the “other”) and from a non-racist to anti-racist practice—to address barriers and challenges that continue to impact academic success and personal growth of students and to promote a safe space for IBPOC faculty members to be their authentic selves. So, one may ask, how can an educational institution that embodies whiteness and Eurocentric practices promote blackness and black scholarship?
As many education scholars will agree, education is politics, and so is our curriculum because it is created from a lens that privileges a particular construction of knowledge and the record of knowledge, which more often than not, favours dominant culture. As a graduate student, I have enjoyed classes that allowed me to share my story without having to think and speak like the dominant population. I have also enjoyed classes that were interactive and engaging especially for IBPOC students. More often, our voices are silenced and our knowledge and experiences go unnoticed and undervalued. The Faculty of Education has allowed me to grow as an aspiring critically aware educator and activist and I have cherished the support and resources I have received and continue to receive.
I started my post-graduate studies in curriculum and instruction in the Faculty of Education in 2015, a couple of years after completing my MPA. Since my start date, I have been very fortunate to have been granted a much-needed Leave of Absence (Personal and Maternity) that allowed me to balance my studies and family life. I have also been a Sessional Lecturer at First Nations University for over eight years and a faculty advisor for a couple of years now. I have had the privilege of working with faculty members in the capacity of a graduate teaching assistant (GTA) that allowed me to experience and gain crucial knowledge in the teacher education program. I have also built intellectual relationships with students, faculty, and preservice and in-service teachers and have improved my knowledge of the K-12 system. These experiences have also inspired me to continue my research work in “exploring the perceptions of Black-African students (K-12) school experience and mental wellness in Saskatchewan,” an area I am passionate about. As a recently elected board trustee in the Regina Catholic School Division, I hope to continue to inspire young people to be more involved in their various communities and capacities. I am also very fortunate to be on the Board with dedicated and passionate trustees that understand the importance of putting students first.
By Obianuju Juliet Bushi, PhD student, sessional lecturer, student advisor and newly elected Regina Catholic School Board trustee
Racial justice and equity are the impetus behind Dr. Jerome Cranston’s research and teaching. As part of an interdisciplinary, international “community of inquiry,” Cranston studies topics that, in his words, “explore formal and non-formal teacher preparation and the ethical dimensions of school leadership with a particular focus on how capacity building in the education system can transform a set of seemingly random acts…into a just enterprise.”
Cranston’s family history explains this focus in part: His maternal grandparents who originated from tribal communities in what are now Nepal and Burma/Myanmar were “anglicized and evangelized as part of the colonial contagion,” says Cranston. His paternal grandfather, a travelling bookkeeper with the East Indian Rail Company, was killed in 1941 during a Japanese bombing of a railway station. His widowed grandmother, a mother of five, died the following year of malnutrition, an outcome of the British-manufactured famine in West Bengal. Singularly and collectively his family’s experiences shaped his earliest experiences of systemic racism.
Cranston says, “I accept a distant yet unvarying connection to the trauma that echoes through the colonized histories of my ancestors.” Yet, says Cranston, it is “impossible to talk about systemic racism without recognizing that it is not only a history, or a memory, but very much a current lived reality for Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour.”
“In the work that I do, race comes first,” continues Cranston. “It foreshadows the work I do and commit to do. From childhood, I’ve known myself to be consummately brown. When I looked in a mirror, I saw a brown face looking back. I endure in a society that doesn’t really want to make a space for me or to create a space for me to belong as I am. In my work, I’ve tried to work towards finding solutions through working with and alongside colleagues, to find ways that will bring greater racial justice.”
In defining systemic racism, Cranston says, “it is important to separate systemic racism from racists. There are individuals who are part of the structure who themselves may not be, in an overt sense, racist. Systemic racism is a pervasive power relation that is reinforced every day through lack of knowledge or ignorance—sometimes ‘willful ignorance,’ (Mills, 2007)—and through policies and practices that may appear to be neutral but have the effect of sustaining and fortifying a system.”
Attempting to dispel the common solution of the need to fix a broken system, Cranston says, “All of us are living in a system that has been imbued, fortified, and strengthened by white domination, white privilege, to the detriment of Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour. The system is doing exactly what it is meant to do. The system is not broken. Rather, the system is designed to do exactly what it was set up to do by the original colonial architects to privilege whiteness over everything else.”
As a critical race theorist and researcher, Cranston says he “uses race-conscious approaches to understand educational inequalities and systemic racism, and to find solutions that lead to greater racial justice for those denied it.” His transdisciplinary work interrogates policies and practices to highlight the overt, and uncover the covert, ways that colonial racial ideologies, structures, and institutions create and maintain racial inequality and injustice in the education system and beyond.
Cranston says, “With the release of the video showing the murder of George Floyd this past summer, it was impossible to ignore the extent of systemic racism in all of our social organizations, not just in policing, but in social services, health, justice and education.”
“The academy is not exempt from systemic racism,” says Cranston. In the academy, there are politics over who is cited, white-architected research methodologies, and salary and progression.
For those who don’t believe that systemic racism exists, Cranston points to three markers: “First, numerical data indicates that racialized people may not get hired into organizations, or may not be able to move into positions of leadership; Second, policies and decision-making processes determine the rules we use to govern ourselves: how we decide that decisions can be made and by who, may be designed to protect a Eurocentric white way of being and conducting business. Third, organizational culture— everything from communication style, to dress code, to the way we socialize—will favour white society: a privileged racial way of being that disadvantages Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour.”
“White supremacy is a fundamental structure, way of being, way of making sense of the social world. Most often associated with whiteness is the aspired version of beauty, intelligence and worth,” says Cranston. Other effects of systemic racism include racialized poverty levels and the effects of poverty on health and social determinants of health as well as education and learning.
Cranston says that what is needed is “the elimination of policies and practices that protect white supremacy and white privilege; the need to commit to enacting equity measures that dismantle the barriers that deny racialized students, staff and faculty opportunities to flourish; to change human resources policies and practices to create opportunities for racialized individuals to access and hold senior administrative roles; and to assemble a faculty and staff that more closely reflects both the diverse makeup of students we educate and a national pool of candidates.”
Because schools are a key site for the normalization of whiteness and white privilege (Cross, 2005), Cranston says it is important that those responsible for teacher preparation, preservice and in-service education, confront and reconsider how education from kindergarten through post-secondary has worked to buttress systemic racism. “I join with colleagues in the Faculty of Education at the University of Regina in committing that all learners gain a deeper understanding of our shared histories, the contemporary relationships, and the important work that needs to be done if we are ever to achieve reconciliation,” says Cranston.
The impact of student awards is matched only by the powerful stories behind them—stories about the donors who had a deeply personal motivation to create them, the loved ones in whose honour they were named, and the student recipients whose lives have been changed for the better because of it. The Florence & Grace Donison Bursary in Education is no exception.
Remembering who Florence and Grace were will give a richer understanding of why the University of Regina alumnus Dr. David Bloom, who holds a Bachelor of Science degree, had a strong desire to establish the bursary in support of Education students.
Growing up in what was a Romanian ethnic enclave in Wood Mountain, Saskatchewan, Bloom’s grandmother Florence Precopciuc married a farmer, Constantin Donison, at age 15, with two daughters following. Having lived through the drought-stricken years of the Dust Bowl, and during a much different time in our history when running a farm was socially deemed as “men’s work,” Florence—who had no sons to help out on the farm—resolved to come to Regina where she worked and raised her two daughters, Elaine and Grace, on her own after her husband’s death.
The Romanian-born woman’s upbringing in poverty and lack of education did not deter her from teaching herself to read, write, and improve her English fluency. Listening to the radio and reading the newspaper were lifelong routines that were integral to her learning, as well as her ability to keep a pulse on local and global events.
In her adulthood, Elaine married a cinema manager, Marcus Bloom, and over the years, they welcomed three children, Joseph, David and Moira into the world. Tragically, they lost their mother due to illness when they were young, and their grieving father passed away not long afterward, caused by what Bloom believes was “a broken heart.”
L-R: Grace (aunt), Moira (sister) David, Joseph (brother), and Florence (grandmother)
The orphaned Bloom and his siblings were left to be raised by their grandmother and aunt Grace. The family’s apartment may have been small, but the love inside its walls was abundant. Bloom always held great admiration for his grandmother and aunt who co-parented him and his siblings. One memory that always comes back to him is how their primary caregivers consistently modelled a culture of reading, curiosity, and self-education in the household.
Another fond childhood memory Bloom cherishes is of the Regina Public Library’s bookmobile rolling into his neighborhood in Gladmer Park every Friday afternoon, and him signing out non-fiction books that fueled his passion for Canadiana, particularly French-Canadian history—a passion that was not outweighed by his ambition to become a doctor and devote his life to helping others.
Having watched his grandmother educate herself and independently become literate instilled the confidence in Bloom to chase that ambition, which led him to take his pre-med studies at the University of Regina where he double majored in Biology and Chemistry, with a minor in History. Financially disadvantaged, he was honoured to receive assistance by way of scholarships that covered his four years of tuition.
The generosity of the donors who had made those scholarships possible, breaking down economic barriers to ensure students like Bloom could succeed, was met with overwhelming gratitude that endured throughout the life of the then aspiring medical doctor. These gifts also planted a seed deep within Bloom’s heart to one day pay it forward and help others—just as other University of Regina donors, whom he will never forget, had helped him.
Bloom went on to complete his medical degree at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, and subsequently his studies in psychiatry at McGill University in Montreal. Although the self-declared “prairie boy” had planned to return to Saskatchewan and practise psychiatry, the pull to live in Quebec—the province he had spent years reading and dreaming about in his youth—would be too strong to resist.
Bloom and his wife Suzanne made their home in Montreal, where they raised their two sons. Whatever distance may separate Bloom from Regina physically is not nearly enough to separate him emotionally from his alma mater; to this day, he remains a vital part of our university community, as well as a committed member of our donor family.
“I view teachers as the backbone of our society and I view donors to the Faculty of Education (among others) as living supports for the precious work of teaching,” says Bloom, who is in his 37th year of teaching at McGill as an assistant professor in the Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and the Chief of the Psychosis Program at the Douglas Institute. “If we can give to others, then it’s the right thing to do as a University of Regina alumnus, and a Canadian citizen. I believe it’s our duty to take care of our brothers and sisters, improve the fairness and equity of opportunity in our society regardless of one’s financial circumstances, and offer a beacon of hope to the current generation for a better future.”
“The inspiration to create the Florence & Grace Donison Bursary in Education came from my desire to honour the memory of my beloved grandmother and aunt in a meaningful and lasting way.” Bloom goes on to say, “the purpose was to help out deserving people who may not necessarily have the grades to win a scholarship, but have the potential to become admirable teachers.”
Kayla Ward, recent recipient of the Florence & Grace Donison Bursary in Education, after her virtual graduation ceremony, wrapped in the starblanket she was honoured with for having received the Spirit of SUNTEP award. The award is given in recognition of members of the Métis community and Indigenous communities at large who demonstrate commitment to leadership and active volunteerism. She was also presented with a hand-woven Métis sash to celebrate her graduation and other personal achievements.
Among such deserving people is Kayla Ward, recent alumna of the University of Regina and Saskatchewan Urban Native Teacher Education Program (SUNTEP). SUNTEP was established to ensure that people of Métis and non-status First Nations ancestry are adequately represented in urban teaching positions.Interestingly enough, both the founder and recipient of the Florence & Grace Donison Bursary in Education share something special in common—both were raised by their grandmothers, and saw their share of struggle.
“My grandmother and I were never well off financially,” says Kayla, who is of Métis (from Lebret) and Cree (from Peepeekisis Cree Nation) descent. “I began working at the young age of 15, and have paid my own way ever since. Receiving bursaries like the one Dr. Bloom established has allowed me to focus my time and energy on my academics, rather than my finances and working a second part-time job.
“With the help of his and other bursaries, I managed to maintain a high grade-point average and finish my degree with great distinction,” adds the Coronation Park Community School teacher. “Now, I strive to make a difference in children’s lives, just like the teachers before me have in mine. SUNTEP taught me the importance of integrating culture and identity into our teachings, which ultimately fostered my passion to teach children about the true history of Canada, and the importance of identity.”
Named bursaries and other academic awards are a testament to how acts of kindness can not only change the lives of others, but also touch their hearts forever. The Florence & Grace Donison Bursary in Education will endure as a memorable expression of Bloom’s admiration and love for his grandmother and aunt, a heartfelt tribute to the memory of two remarkable women, and a symbol of philanthropy.
“This bursary will continue to help many others in the future, and provide them with extra help that will be instrumental in their academic and career success, as it was in mine,” says Kayla. “For that, I am eternally grateful.”
When Jordan Balfour was voted in as Education Students’ Society (ESS) President for 2020/2021, he didn’t expect he would be navigating a pandemic.
“The world we are living in now, it isn’t what I signed up for from the start. There have been a lot of bumpy roads, and still are. I’m still trying to figure out how to navigate, how to communicate, how to represent the students, how to communicate with faculty and represent that to students. I wasn’t sure how to do this—it’s really been a complete adjustment.”
Balfour is a busy third-year secondary Education student, with a major in Biology and two minors, who is also working on a second degree in Indigenous Environmental Sciences. Despite the difficulties of remote studies and pandemic restrictions, Balfour with the ESS team are finding their way and making connections.
The addition of a new executive role, VP of Community Relations, is one way that the ESS is reaching out. “I thought we didn’t have enough representation in the community, so we created a new position called community relations,” says Balfour.
Paige Hamann, ESS VP of Community Relations
The position was offered to Paige Hamann, new to the ESS and in her second year of the Secondary program with a major in Social Studies and a minor in English. Hamann says, “I inquired about how to become an ESS member, had an interview to see what team I would fit best in, and then they offered me the position on the executive because of my experience with nonprofits.” Hamann had started her own photography business in Grade 10 and then last summer, following the loss of a friend who struggled with mental health, she incorporated Inside the Box, a nonprofit seeking to address the stigma around mental health within the sports culture.
Hamann says her vision for ESS community relations involves, “letting the community know that the University of Regina ESS wants to support them. We want to do as much as possible to help everybody in our community.” The Community Relations team of five has been providing opportunities for students to volunteer and creating spotlights on local organizations that support education, such as the Inspiring Young Minds book store and Ascendant Martial Arts.
The ESS is reaching out through donations as well. Balfour says, “we donated $500 to five schools for PPE funding because we could not go to the schools and volunteer our time. We also provided Street Culture and Rainbow Youth Centre a large sum of pumpkins and donated time to carve pumpkins with youth.” And they have purchased gift cards to contribute to giveaways for student draws.
Balfour says there have been many changes because the social events typically hosted by the ESS are restricted. “We just had a social event that we were worried about hosting. A month ago we rented a movie theatre, and we had to follow the COVID-19 restrictions, limiting our numbers from 20 to 15. We were worried about how it would go. We did get some backlash, but we followed our protocols. It was our last face-to-face social event.” To ensure they could keep to the restricted number who could attend, the ESS charged a $5 ticket price and had students register to attend. All proceeds from the event were donated to the Big Brothers and Big Sisters Foundation of Regina.
Without face-to-face events, the ESS has found it difficult to connect with students and build an Education student family. Balfour says, “Because we are online we don’t have the same ability to build that connection, a culture of relying on each other for support while we are undergrad students.”
Danielle Meader, ESS VP SocialSara Tokarz, ESS VP of Communications
Instead of face-to-face socials, the Social Team, headed up by Danielle Maeder, is offering giveaways and prizes in exchange for tags, follows, and likes on the ESS social media, managed by the VP of Communications Sara Tokarz.
Balfour has realized that remote studies due to COVID-19 have given ESS executives another new role. “We benefited from a really bad situation. We had a lot of first-year students sign up. New students who joined the ESS are trying to achieve this social, cultural connection with the University that they don’t get through remote classes. Some of them have never been on campus. We are trying to help them with that community. Some of the best aspects of the Faculty are the classes we get to attend. I was looking forward to the interactions and being a part of the educational experience in the Faculty of Education. We are here to provide…almost a peer mentorship. We’re like big brothers and sisters, cause we are experienced in the program,” says Balfour.
Kiah Holness, ESS VP Professional Development
With new students in mind, the ESS’s Professional Development (PD) team, headed by Kiah Holness, offered their first virtual event, “Ed’s Declassified School Survival Guide” where more experienced students offered tips and tricks for when new students finally come to the campus, such as where to buy the best coffee, how to find parking, how to buy textbooks, and how to navigate their own involvement. Other PD events offered virtually were “Building Resilience for Stress of Teaching” presented by Dyan Roth and “Indigenous Brilliance” with Justin “Jah’ kota” Holness.
The ESS executive is also working with Dr. Pamela Osmond-Johnson, the associate dean for undergraduate programs, to develop a new pilot program to provide small grants to pre-interns and interns to support practicum-based projects. Balfour says, “They are the only ones out there facing everything going on with the pandemic. Interns and pre-interns are unable to connect with community resources and bring them into the classroom because schools are locked down. With funding, they will have the resources to assist their practicum experience. Students won’t have to pay out of pocket.”
Hanna Gross, ESS VP Finance & Secretary
To apply for funding to provide resources, to make community connections, or to assist in lesson planning, pre-interns and interns can apply to the ESS for a specific amount with a proposal for PD funding.
There are more plans for collaboration with undergraduate Student Services. Balfour says, “Pam is excited about what we are accomplishing. We will be working with Student Services to host events where they can provide feedback for students, such as town halls and other opportunities for students to learn to navigate the ‘what’s next?’ in their programs.”
The ESS is also looking into collaborations with the University of Saskatchewan Education Students’ Society to broaden and extend their reach to offer PD events to Education students across Saskatchewan.
“The ESS team is amazing this year. They are so thrown out there even during pandemic. They are doing so much with the resources they have,” says Balfour. “This year has brought more than I expected. I didn’t expect 25 team members. These young individuals are so self-driven with their leadership and where they want to take their careers and what they want to accomplish.”
Balfour continues, “The pandemic has really changed everything. The way we can support students and the University at the same time. We’ve had to figure out how to navigate through that. It has been a challenge to make sure we follow proper protocols and to make sure we are inclusive to team members and the student body. Some of the ESS executive has navigated in ways that they couldn’t even anticipate. The experience has been phenomenal.”
Finding Phyllis Webstad approved Orange Shirts at Karen Mah’s Inspiring Young Minds store in Regina was just the beginning of the ESS’s work in the community. Finding out that the store was doing a toy drive to support Gifts of Hope 2020, an initiative started by a Grade 12 student, Emily Messier, to give the gift of play to children in need during the holiday season, the ESS purchased items from the store to donate to the Toy Drive as well as purchasing gift cards to contribute to a giveaway at a Regina School.
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In this Issue
The autumn 2020 themed issue of Education News is published. This issue highlights a few of the ways in which the University of Regina’s Faculty of Education is committed to facing current issues. With this issue we focus on our commitment to racial justice and equity.
Read about:
The Faculty of Education’s advancement priorities and how you can help us build community to help students succeed.
Dr. Jerome Cranston, who as a critical race theorist and researcher, “uses race-conscious approaches to understand educational inequalities and systemic racism, and to find solutions that lead to greater racial justice for those denied it.”
Dr. JoLee Sasakamoose, who is listening and responding ‘to health needs defined by our First Nations community partners.”
Dr. Latika Raisinghani’s journey to becoming a (trans-multi)culturally responsive educator.
PhD student Obianuju Juliet Bushi’s thoughts on blackness and racial justice and equity in the Education institution.
Dr. Sara Schroeter’s research into representational practices in musical theatre.
How Bac student, Wahbi Zarry’s “10 Days of Cree” student project is supporting U of R reconciliation efforts.
How the ESS is navigating through the pandemic and making community connections.
And about Cynthia Chambers Award recipient, Jessica Irvine’s research.
PhD Candidate Natalie Owl is the recipient of a SCPOR Trainee Funding Program award (2019-2020: $10,000 and 2020-2021 $5000) for her patient-oriented research project, “Cultural Continuity and Self-determination: Resolving Sociolinguistic and Historic Trauma Impacts on Nishnaabemwin Revitalization.” Owl is working under the supervision of Dr. A. Blair Stonechild.
PhD Candidate Obianuju Juliet Bushi is the recipient of a SCPOR Trainee Funding Program award (2019-2021 $4936/year) for her patient-oriented research project, “Understanding Racial Identity Formation, Mental Health, and Well-being of African-Canadian (Black) School Children in Saskatchewan through a Community-Based Summer Program.” Bushi is working under the supervision of Dr. Fatima Pirbhai-Illich.
An inspiring student story! Because of the uncertain and troubled times of the pandemic, 3rd year Secondary Education student Brayden Larson wanted to spread some hope and positivity, so he decided to give 20% of his Boston Pizza job wage and all of his tips for the month of November to three local organizations: The 4 Life Foundation, First Steps Wellness Centre in Regina, and Regina Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Regina General General Hospital.
Using his social media to spread the word about what he was doing, where and when he would be working, and also information about the organizations he would be donating to, Brayden was able to raise $2053.35!
Brayden says, “The amount of joy, support, and encouragement I have received throughout this entire month is something I am beyond thankful and grateful for. Thank you to everyone that donated, tipped, or offered words of support and encouragement during this process. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. “
It is with sadness we announce the recent passing of a respected and former colleague, Dr. Garth Pickard – Professor Emeritus. Dr. Pickard joined the Faculty of Education, University of Regina in July, 1978 following Faculty appointments at Brock University, York University and the University of Alberta. He retired from the University of Regina in December, 2011.
During his 33 year tenure in the Faculty, Dr. Pickard taught undergraduate and graduate courses in Physical Education, Outdoor Education and Educational Leadership. In addition, he also held the administrative positions of Associate Dean of Student Services and Undergraduate Programs; Director of Professional Development and Field Experiences; Director of the Centre for International Teacher Education as well as the Director of the Canada, China University Linkage Program. Following his retirement, Dr. Pickard remained active and steadfast in his passion and work with UNESCO – International Network for Re-orienting Teacher Education towards Sustainability and the United Nations University Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development.
Garth was widely known for his dedication, commitment and service to teacher education locally, provincially, nationally and internationally. Garth challenged and inspired his students to be independent thinkers and trust their own abilities and intuition in their pursuit of positive change. His love and stewardship for the outdoors was the foundation of his teaching philosophy. Garth’s professional accomplishments are numerous and he will be remembered by his colleagues as a hard-working, devoted colleague and dear friend.
Garth’s family will remember him privately. In Garth’s memory, donations may be made to the Nature Conservancy of Canada.
A new autumn issue of the Faculty of Education’s in education journal is published. Read online or download the full issue at 
PhD Candidate Natalie Owl is the recipient of a SCPOR Trainee Funding Program award (2019-2020: $10,000 and 2020-2021 $5000) for her patient-oriented research project, “Cultural Continuity and Self-determination: Resolving Sociolinguistic and Historic Trauma Impacts on Nishnaabemwin Revitalization.” Owl is working under the supervision of Dr. A. Blair Stonechild.
PhD Candidate Obianuju Juliet Bushi is the recipient of a SCPOR Trainee Funding Program award (2019-2021 $4936/year) for her patient-oriented research project, “Understanding Racial Identity Formation, Mental Health, and Well-being of African-Canadian (Black) School Children in Saskatchewan through a Community-Based Summer Program.” Bushi is working under the supervision of Dr. Fatima Pirbhai-Illich.
