Category: New faculty

The Faculty welcomes two members

The Faculty of Education welcomes two new one-year term faculty members:  Dr. Latika Raisinghani and Dr. Bree Fiissel.

Dr. Latika Raisinghani

Dr. Latika Raisinghani has accepted a lecturer position in Science and Environmental Education. She has taught as a substitute teacher with Regina Public Schools and has taught Science at the Elementary, Middle Years, and Secondary levels. Prior to February 2020, Dr. Raisinghani was at the University of British Columbia where she received a PhD in Curriculum Studies in Science Education.

 

 

Dr. Bree Fiissel

Dr. Bree Fiissel has accepted a lecturer position in Educational Psychology. Dr. Fiissel completed her Masters and PhD in Educational Psychology in the Faculty of Education at the University of Regina and has been a sessional lecturer since 2018 . She has over 24 years of experience in providing therapeutic services to children, youth, adults and families in our local community. Dr. Fiissel is currently the Vice-President of Clinical Services at Ranch Ehrlo.

New appointment to inclusive education

Kyle Robinson joined the Faculty of Education effective July 1, 2019 in a tenure track position in Inclusive Education. Robinson is near completion of his Ph.D. from Queen’s University with an anticipated defense date in early fall 2019. Robinson obtained his Master of Education (’15) in Cognitive Studies, a Bachelor of Education (’13), and a Bachelor of Arts, Honors (’12) from Queen’s University. He taught and served as a research and teaching assistant at Queen’s for the past six years.

Robinson has been the recipient of numerous awards, honours, grants and fellowships. His research is focused on developing a socially valid model of parental advocacy for children and youth, and his scholarly interest and commitment align well with the focus of the Inclusive Education subject area’s commitment to the developmental well-being of children and youth, and to the Faculty of Education’s commitment to social justice through holistic approaches to childhood development and learning.

New appointment to early childhood education

Emily Ashton. Source: University of Victoria website

Emily Ashton has joined the Faculty of Education, University of Regina in a tenure-track position specializing in Early Childhood Education effective July 1, 2019. Ashton is nearing completion of her Ph.D. from the University of Victoria, having obtained her Master’s of Education (2011), a Bachelor of Education (2004), and Bachelor of Arts (2002) from the University of New Brunswick.

Ashton has taught internationally in Malawi and has been a teaching assistant at both the University of Victoria and University of New Brunswick. During her graduate studies, Ashton was the recipient of numerous grants and fellowships, including the prestigious SSHRC Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship, Canadian Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Commonwealth Scholarship, and a number of awards from the Universities of Victoria and New Brunswick. Ashton’s research explores how the cultural connections of childhood are being rewritten under conditions of ecological destruction and political uncertainty.

Emily Ashton in Malawi. Source: Canadian Children, Spring 2015

New appointment to Assessment and Evaluation

The Faculty of Education is pleased to announce that we will be welcoming Dr. Cristyne Hébert to our Faculty as an Assistant Professor on July 1, 2018 in a tenure-track position working in the area of Assessment and Evaluation.

Dr. Hébert earned a PhD in Education from York University in 2015 where she is currently a postdoctoral researcher. She has been the recipient of numerous awards and scholarships (including a SSHRC doctoral fellowship), authored many refereed publications and has extensive university teaching experience stemming from time spent in four Canadian universities. We know that Dr. Hébert will make strong contributions in the areas of teaching, scholarship, and service. We look forward to having her as a member of the Faculty and our community.

Heartfelt thanks to the members of the search committee: Dr. Paul Clarke (Chair), Dr. Christine Massing, Dr. Marc Spooner, Dr. Joël Thibeault and Dr. Kristi Wright (Psychology), and special thanks to Laurie Lindsay for all her organizational work.

Dean of Education Appointment

Dr. Jerome Cranston (Source: University of Manitoba)

Dr. Jerome Cranston of the University of Manitoba has accepted appointment as Dean of Education at the University of Regina. The appointment is effective 1 July 2018.

Dr. Cranston is presently the Executive Director, Student Engagement & Academic Success, and Associate Professor of Educational Administration at University of Manitoba. He holds a PhD from the University of Manitoba, an MEd from the University of Lethbridge, and both the BEd and the BSc from the University of Alberta.

Prior to assuming his current role as Executive Director, he was Associate Dean (Undergraduate Programs) in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba. He is also an adjunct in Peace and Conflict Studies there, and a research associate with the Mauro Centre for Peace and Justice, and serves both on the Advisory Board and as a research affiliate for the Centre for Human Rights Research at the University of Manitoba. Dr. Cranston also serves on the Board of Directors for the Gonzaga Middle School in Winnipeg, a new school developed on the Nativity School model.

Before beginning his career at the University of Manitoba, he spent 16 years in the K-12 education system as teacher, principal, and superintendent in a career that spanned Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Dr. Cranston is a scholar, practitioner, and learner in the broad field of educational administration, management, and leadership. He researches and teaches as part of a transdisciplinary international community of enquiry on topics of education, social injustice, peace, and human rights education.

Dr. Cranston’s work on teachers’ conceptions of peace in post-genocide Rwanda earned him a 2015 American Educational Research Association award in Peace Education.

Dr. Cranston characterizes himself as “an immigrant descended from tribal and Anglo-Burmese ancestors and Scottish forebears.” He writes that he is “both colonizer and also colonized, but consummately Brown and committed to building healthy and reciprocally respectful relationships across diverse communities. I am fortunate to have married my best friend and contributed to the development of three amazing grown children.”

Dr. Andrea Sterzuk will continue to serve as Acting Dean of Education until June 30, 2018.

Thanks again to the members of the Search Advisory Committee for their commitment to a thorough search process: Alec Couros, Jenn de Lugt, Rochelle Fenwick, Emily Grafton, Xia Ji, Tish Karpa, Kristina Lee, Barbara McNeil, Pamela Osmond-Johnson, and Michelle Sorenson. Thanks also to Nancy Kazeil of Human Resources and Bryanna Butz for their key contributions to the success of this search.

~Dr. Thomas Chase, Provost and Vice-President (Academic)

New Appointment to Physical Education, Physical Literacy, and Educational Core Studies

The Faculty of Education is pleased to announce that we will be welcoming Dr. Alexandra Stoddart to our Faculty as the new tenure-track, assistant professor in physical education, physical literacy, and educational core studies.

Dr. Stoddart’s dissertation focused on her research in physical literacy and its effective implementation into elementary physical education classes.

During this research program, Alexandra administered physical literacy assessments tools in a Physical Education setting. She now has experience in both the Physical Literacy Assessment (PLAY) tools as well as PHE Canada’s Passport for Life assessment tool.

Alexandra received a Master’s of Arts in Kinesiology (motor learning) from the University of Western Ontario and a Bachelor of Science (physical education, teaching and coaching) from Eastern Michigan University. Dr. Stoddard has worked as a substitute teacher for Saskatoon Public Schools and as a sessional instructor at the University of Saskatchewan. Alexandra will be a very welcome addition the Faculty and the University.

New Appointment for Inclusive Education

mathesonian1 The Faculty of Education is pleased to announce that on July 1st, we will be welcoming Ian Matheson to our Faculty.

Ian is currently completing his PhD from the Faculty of Education, Department of Cognitive Studies at Queen’s University, with an anticipated defence in late spring 2017. During his doctoral studies, Mr. Matheson has been the recipient of numerous grants and fellowships, including a SSHRC Doctoral Award, an Ontario Graduate Scholarship, and a Frank W. MacLean Fellowship. His Masters and Bachelors of Education were also obtained from Queen’s University, with a Bachelor of Science, Honours Psychology, from the University of Trent. Mr. Matheson has worked for school divisions in Ontario and has also taught undergraduate education classes at Queen’s.

Ian’s research in inclusive education explores the cognitive and neuropsychological underpinnings for a wide range of exceptional populations. His doctoral dissertation describes the common maladaptive beliefs that students with high incidence and hidden exceptionalities hold, and how educators can promote more adaptive alternative beliefs to support their students. In addition to his doctoral research, Mr. Matheson has been involved in a qualitative research analysis of a social skills intervention for individuals with Autism Spectrum disorder. The study examined and analyzed the behaviour of participants in relation to experiences of intervention. He also worked on a SSHRC project to understand cognitive underpinnings of children’s mathematical reasoning and arithmetic proficiency. These research projects align with the Faculty of Education’s commitment to inclusive education and will undoubtedly provide important learning for all students in the teacher education program as they seek to meet the needs of exceptional learners in classrooms. Ian will be a very welcome addition to the EPSY area, the Faculty and the University.

Bac Programme Position Appointment

heather phippsHeather Phipps joins us from the Department of Educational Studies at McGill University, where she is nearing the completion of her Ph.D. She holds a Masters of Arts in Second Language Education from McGill University, a TESL certificate from Lethbridge College, and a B.A./B.Ed. from the University of Lethbridge. While a doctoral student at McGill, Ms. Phipps has been the recipient of numerous graduate scholarships, including the prestigious Doctoral Fellowship award and the Provost doctoral fellowship.

Phipp’s dissertation, Children Speaking to Children: Multimodal Engagements with Contemporary Canadian Picture Books in French Classrooms, is an ethnographic study situated in a public primary school in urban Montreal. It documents young children’s responses to Canadian children’s literature in Grades 1 & 2 French classrooms. Her study highlights the ways in which children engage and respond to both the words and images in diverse Canadian literature, and how they reflect on their own lived experiences in relation to the picture books. Her future research interests include inquiry related to issues of belonging, identity, and community for children and teachers in the context of minority language education in francophone and French immersion schools in the Saskatchewan context and in diverse multilingual contexts across Canada.

Phipps is a published scholar who has presented her work at numerous national and international conferences, serves as a reviewer for several scholarly journals and for the Language and Literacy SIG of CSSE. She has extensive experience as a classroom teacher in a French immersion context, and has also taught education classes at the post-secondary level. She is past president of the McGill University Education Graduate Students’ Society.

Bac Programme Position Appointment

Jöel Thibeault is currently a doctoral candidate in the Faculty of Education at the University of Ottawa. He holds a Masters of Arts in Education from the University of Ottawa, and an undergraduate degree in French language and literature from McGill University. Mr. Thibeault is the 2015 recipient of the Michael Smith Award for research abroad from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), and is a holder of the prestigious SSHRC Joseph-Bombardier scholarship, 2014-2017. He received a Graduate Studies Scholarship from the University of Ottawa, and the Ontario Graduate Scholarship.

Thibeault’s doctoral research focuses on the teaching and learning of French grammar in socio-linguistic minority contexts. His dissertation aims to understand the development of grammatical competence among elementary students in southwestern Ontario, a population of significant Anglophone dominance. Mr. Thibeault’s work lies at the crossroads the didactics of French first language and second language research and will undoubtedly make many contributions to the body of scholarship in French minority language education. In addition, he has been involved in several research teams at the University of Ottawa and the University of Quebec at Montreal that have required significant and sustained work in educational and school contexts.

Thibeault is a published scholar and has presented his scholarly work at numerous national and international conferences. He has several professional publications, and is involved in a number of important local, national, and international associations.

New Appointment to Indigenous Education/Core Studies

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Anna-Leah King will be joining us, July 1, 2016 to take up the tenure-track position in Indigenous Education/Core Studies.

Dr. King successfully defended her dissertation at the University of Alberta on March 22, 2016. She holds a Masters of Education (Curriculum Studies) and a Bachelor of Education degree, both from the University of Saskatchewan. Additionally, she holds a Bilingual Certificate from L’Université de Québec, and a Certificate in Cree Oral Language from the University of Saskatchewan. While a doctoral student at U of A, Dr. King was the recipient of numerous graduate scholarships, including the NEAHR Student Scholarship and the Indspire Award. In 2013, she received the U of A Human Rights Education Recognition Award for her work with the inaugural EDU211 mandatory Aboriginal Education course. She has served as the Aboriginal Education consultant with Saskatoon Catholic Schools, 2002-2006, as a classroom teacher in Saskatoon, 1989-2000 and as the Co-Director of the Aboriginal Teacher Education Program (ATEP) at the University of Alberta, 2008-2010.

Dr. King’s dissertation focuses on Anishnaabe song and drum in education using traditional story, experiences, archives, and Elder’s teachings as a focus to move forward in Indigenizing education stemming from Anishnaabe world view. Further research interests lie in Indigenous Education in light of current principles recommended by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Both her doctoral and master’s research align with the Faculty of Education’s commitment to indigenous education and indigenizing teaching and learning as articulated in our strategic plan. Dr. King will undoubtedly make important contributions to the Core Studies subject area and the Language and Literacy subject area.

We extend a heartfelt welcome to Anna-Leah!