Category: Spotlights

Spring 2022 Education News

Click image to access the animated copy of Education News.

In this issue:
A note from the Dean….. 3
Change maker: Tranforming schools and society….. 4
Alumna envisions schools as environments of empowerment….. 10
Why become a teacher? To be a role model….. 16
Alumnus positively influencing change….. 20
Le Bac student helping to preserve Indigenous languages….. 22
Teaching hard truths in a positive way: Kâsinamakewin….. 24
De/colonising Educational Relationships….. 29
Study informs services and supports for South Central Saskatchewan newcomers….. 30
Equity, diversity, and inclusion research partnership agreement announced….. 32
Successful defences….. 34
Funding and awards….. 35
Published research….. 36
New book….. 38
Long service recognition….. 38
New staff|New position….. 39
Student fundraising….. 40

Alumni Spotlight: Christian Mbanza

Alumni Spotlight: We’re shining light on Christian Mbanza (BEd’17–Le Bac), currently a French Immersion Educator at École St. Mary Elementary School in Regina.

You may have seen Christian in the news recently regarding his work to bring Black history into prairie classrooms. https://www.cbc.ca/newsinteractives/features/bringing-black-history-into-prairie-classrooms

Christian has a passion for history and it is one reason he became a teacher: “I have a passion, not only about important events throughout history, but the people who were able to influence society. I had a history teacher in high school who would always tell us that ‘those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it,’ and that continues to echo in my mind. I see how true that is throughout society today.”

Black history is a particular focus for Christian, who says, “I believe that teaching Black history is often misrepresented or ignored in general and has created a negative image and perception around Africans/African-Canadians. In order for the perception to change, we must first know the history and properly teach the history. When students, Black or White, learn about the positive contributions of Black people, whether it be in science, art, law, etc., they are able to gain an appreciation and a new understanding. To ensure that Black history is being implemented, I encourage teachers to use resources by Black authors, writers, artist, and refer to famous Black scientists and mathematicians and incorporate primary sources into reading lists.”

A second passion for Christian is people, especially youth, which is another reason Christian became a teacher: “An educator can positively influence and change the course of a person’s life and that has always been my goal in becoming an teacher,” says Christian.

After five years of teaching experience at the elementary level, Christian has had the opportunity to define and refine his teaching philosophy. He says, “Experience is the best teacher. I have learned that effective teachers allow their students to make connections between content and acquire new knowledge that transforms into new ideas. That is why teachers have such a crucial role in the advancement of the community. Further, I am a firm believer in the power of relationships. Strong, positive relationships between teachers and students in the classroom are fundamental to promoting academic and overall student growth.”

Christian values the B.Ed. program he took with the Faculty of Education, ” The B.Ed program has shown me the importance of challenging students to be the best that they can be so that they can positively influence our community.”

Offering shout-outs to former professors, Christian says, “I had some very influential professors like Clay Burlingham, who changed my entire perspective on how history was taught; Dominic Sarny, who was instrumental in teaching me about cultural pride; and Jean Dufresne, who showed me how to implement my passion into what I teach and how I teach it. A lot of how I teach has really come from my education at the University and these professors especially.”

The most memorable experience Christian had as a French le Bac student was his experience at Laval University. “As a french education student, in order to develop our skills in French, second-year students spend two full semesters in language and cultural immersion at Laval University. This experience allowed me to grow as a person, student and a teacher. By far the most memorable experience!”

As advice to students, Christian says, “Obtaining a university education is more competitive and challenging than ever and it may not be easy but it is important to enjoy the process. Preparation is key. Immerse yourself in the experience and enjoy the fruits of your labor. It is important to set your goals and see them through despite how long it may take and the challenges you may face along the way.”

Spotlight on Dr. Andrea Sterzuk, Director of the CERCD

Today our spotlight shines on Dr. Andrea Sterzuk who has been a professor of Language and Literacies Education with the Faculty of Education since the fall of 2007. In January 2021, Dr. Sterzuk took on a new role as Director of the Centre for Educational Research, Collaboration and Development (formerly SIDRU).

The Centre for Educational Research, Collaboration and Development (CERCD) is a research unit based in the Faculty of Education at the University of Regina. CERCD supports educational researchers and research communities in conducting educational research and development projects that are meaningful to, and serve the needs of, diverse communities in local, provincial, national, and/or international contexts.

In her role as Director, Dr. Sterzuk says, “I support faculty members in their research efforts and I also co-ordinate research projects with external agencies. I work closely with the Dean and Associate Dean, Research and Graduate Studies to support faculty members in their scholarly and creative contributions and knowledge mobilization endeavours.”

As highlights of her role, Dr. Sterzuk points to the CERCD Lunch & Learn series that her team is hosting with communications experts, designed to help researchers learn to share their research stories with the public. The research unit’s new website is launched and the renovations on the CERCD’s office space are nearly complete. Dr. Sterzuk adds, “There are also several external research projects underway. For example, Dr. Pamela Osmond-Johnson (Associate Dean, Student Services and Undergraduate Programs) is the principal investigator on a project that investigates the continual professional learning and currency of practice for registered teachers in the province of Saskatchewan. This project is a partnership with the Saskatchewan Professional Teachers Regulatory Board and is supported administratively by CERCD.”

Exciting news will be released soon about a new partnership. Stay tuned!

 

 

 

Fall 2021 BEAD Convocation Prize | Thor Stewart YNTEP

Thor Stewart graduated from the Yukon Native Teacher Education Program (YNTEP) with Great Distinction and was the recipient of the Fall 2021 Bachelor of Education After Degree (BEAD) Convocation Prize. The Yukon Native Teacher Education Program (YNTEP) offers a University of Regina B.Ed. (elementary education) in cooperation with Yukon College in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory.

While a student, Thor was also a recipient of the Academic Silver Scholarship (2020 Fall). Early in his adult life, Thor began working with youth and building community through skateboarding and this turned into working with diverse groups of youth at summer camps and guiding outdoor pursuits. In 2012, Thor completed the University of Manitoba’s Inuit and Environmental Science field course in Pangnirtung, Nunavut and in 2019, Thor returned to Nunavut with some high school friends and climbed Mount Thor, an experience documented in the film “Ocean to Asgard.” (Source: Thor Conquers Thor). One of the goals of this expedition involved engaging with the community in Pangnirtung and taking some local youth on a day of rock climbing on the cliffs that overlook the town.

While studying at Yukon University, Thor worked as a substitute teacher, giving him opportunities to apply the skills he learned in the classroom. Thor provided constant academic support to his classmates in the YNTEP program and would go out of his way to ensure his peers would thrive in the classroom. Thor has fond memories of teaching the program supervisor how to ‘ollie’ for a special skateboarding Phys-Ed class!

Following his graduation, Thor is continuing to substitute teach in Yukon and BC, acquiring experience in all kinds of classrooms.

 

Alumni Spotlight | Bushra Kainat

Bushra Kainat graduated with Distinction with her Baccalauréat en éducation secondaire and was the Fall 2021 recipient of the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation Award.

In today’s spotlight, we’re recognizing the student achievements of a new member of our alumni family, Bushra Kainat, who graduated in Fall 2021 with distinction with her Baccalauréat en éducation secondaire.
 
Over the course of Bushra’s program, she was the recipient of the Centennial Merit Plus Scholarship (2017 Fall), an Academic Silver Scholarship (2020 Fall), and an Academic Silver Prize (2021 Spring/Summer), and finally the 2021 Fall Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation award recipient.
 
Bushra wanted to become a teacher because she says, “During my schooling, I met many educators that inspired me, and I wanted to be that inspiration to others. I have a passion for the French language and I wanted to share that passion with the next generation. I highly value education and learning, and wanted to encourage the same passion in the next generations.”
 
Among her University experiences, Bushra says, for her what was most memorable, was her second year in the Bac program, “which I spent at Universite Laval, where I got to experience the French language and the French culture first-hand.”
 
In terms of on campus experiences, Bushra especially enjoyed “having the opportunity to have some amazing professors!” Three of her professors were especially influential: “I really enjoyed Laurie Carlson Berg’s courses, as well as Stephen Davis’ courses. These two professor’s showed me the impact the educator has on the content being taught. They were very involved with their students’ progress and learning. Lucie Anderson was also an amazing educator. She gave us some of the best teaching advice I have received.”
 
From her experiences as a student, Bushra offers the following advice to current and future students: “My number one advice would be to take advantage of as many opportunities as possible. Join the club, apply for the award, participate in conferences, volunteer with an organization, etc. It will go a long ways! Not only will it help you gain experience, but you will develop many skills on the way.”
 
Bushra says, “The most significant aspect of earning her degree with the Faculty of Education was that “through this degree, I was able to gain a variety of experiences that helped shape me into the educator that I am becoming. From the variety of in-classroom experiences to the exposure to various learning and teaching environments, it all helped me build my skills as a teacher.”
 
Bushra began teaching with Saskatoon Public following her graduation, and she looks forward to returning to University of Regina for her master’s in education in the near future.

Vanier Scholarship Candidate | Jessica Madiratta

This week we are shining light on Jessica Madiratta, currently in her second year of a Doctor of Philosophy in Education program with the University of Regina. Jessica recently received the good news that she has been selected as a University of Regina candidate for the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships–Doctoral Awards 2021-2022 competition. She will find out in spring if she has been successful in the national competition. For her dissertation, Jessica’s proposed research is a critical participatory action research project which she hopes will improve teaching practices through professional development in culturally responsive pedagogy. “This project challenges educators to build deeper relationships with their students, to bring in authentic learning experiences for students, and to explore social issues happening around student lives,” says Jessica.
 
Living up to her maiden name “Wesaquate,” which means “sharp as a whistle,” Jessica’s been a non-stop student on campus since 2006, earning her BEd from SUNTEP Regina in 2010, her MEd (C&I) in the Faculty of Education in 2015, followed by a BA in Indigenous Studies from FNUC in 2019. Jessica’s been working as a teacher with Regina Public Schools since 2010. Beginning in 2018, she took on the role of Indigenous Advocate Teacher at Kitchener Community School in Regina.
 
Jessica’s fondest memories come from her favourite MEd course, Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, which she took with Dr. Angelina Weenie (FNUC): “This class showed me the importance of decolonizing and indigenizing my classroom practices and shared the power of culturally relevant and responsive pedagogies. It had a huge influence on my PhD research topic. Someone should take this class if they are looking for ways to engage their diverse student population,” she says.
 
In Dr. Weenie’s class, Jessica had the opportunity to attend culture camp: “It was completely dedicated to Indigenous ways of knowing, doing, and being. I had the chance to learn from many elders, participate in a sweat, and to be on the land,” says Jessica.
 
Jessica, who grew up in Regina, and has roots with Piapot First Nation, considers the most significant aspect about earning her degree from the Faculty of Education, “is the opportunity to learn in my traditional territory with learnings connected to the Regina area.”
 
As advice to students, Jessica says, “Connect with other students. This gives you the opportunity to ask questions and learn from the experiences of those that have already started their schooling journey.”

Alumni Spotlight – Joanna Sanders

Our spotlight today is shining on award-winning alumna Joanna Sanders (BEd’05), Director of Professional Learning for Let’s Talk Science, “a national, charitable organization that has been providing educational experiences to educators and their students at no cost to them for over 25 years.” In her role as director, Joanna leads a national team, that, “provides professional learning opportunities in STEM education to thousands of Canadian educators every year.”
 
In her career, Joanna has also served as the Consultant of Digital Fluency at the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education and as a French Immersion Teacher with Regina Public Schools. She is a Google Certified Innovator, a YouTube Star Teacher and an Apple Teacher with Swift Playgrounds recognition. She is the recipient of the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence (2011), and a Saskatchewan Ministry of Education recipient of the “Excellence in Education Award for Student First/Citizen-Centred” (2017). She was recognized in 2016 as a CBC Saskatchewan “Future 40.”
 
Looking back on her time as a student in the Baccalauréat en Éducation program in the Faculty of Education, Joanna feels she was well-prepared to teach, lead, and learn in the variety of educational roles she has served in: “The Bac program gave me the skills, confidence and knowledge to be a leader in my field in two languages. I learned how to be an innovator in my classroom so that I could support the best learning environment possible for my students. This has led to opportunities to become an educational leader at local, provincial and national levels.”
 
The most memorable experience for Joanna was her internship: “I got to put everything together that I had learned during my studies and put it into practice over many months in a real-life situation. After completing my internship I had much more confidence in my skills and abilities as an educator and I felt equipped to take on my first class as a new teacher the following year.”
 
Joanna recommends the Bac program, which she considers unique in that it is “led by a small team of professors who supported our growth in different classes. …Being known and supported by this team allowed me to customize my educational experience to fit my unique needs and goals as a student, while still following a core program of courses in my second language.”
 
As advice to new and future students, Joanna recommends our Education program: “This program is special. Having four years to learn, practice, reflect, and grow as an educator provided a solid foundation to be able to start a new career with confidence. It also instilled an appreciation for life-long learning as an education. Being a good learner is essential to being a good educator.”
 
What is most important to Joanna about earning her B.Ed with us is that, “The Faculty of Education at the University of Regina has a strong commitment to social justice. The learning experiences offered through this Faculty helped me grow my own worldview and perspectives and further solidified my life-long commitment as an advocate for equity and inclusion for all.”
 

Alumni Spotlight | Claudia Castellanos

It’s a pleasure to shine our spotlight on alumna Claudia Castellanos (MEd’14). Claudia is the founder and CEO of Connected World Translation (CWT), an award winning company of translators and interpreters based in Saskatchewan.

“CWT is the only translation agency operated in Saskatchewan that actively offers 45 languages including Cree and lnuktitut,” says Claudia.

When Claudia looks back to her studies with the Faculty of Education, she says what was most memorable for her was “unlearning the concepts I had when I started my studies.”

During her M.Ed. studies, Claudia’s favourite professors were Dr. and Dr. . “Dr. Carol Schick was my favourite professor because she challenged our thoughts and beliefs in order for us to question and confront the status quo. She was always fearless to teach us the truth about systemic issues that are certainly part of our everyday life. Her robust knowledge about anti-oppressive education was inspiring!! Dr. Andrea Sterzuk was one my favourite professors because she pushed us to reach our maximum potential. Her knowledge regarding applied linguistics is incredible and I felt honoured to be her student.”

Claudia says that what was most important about earning her M.Ed. in curriculum and instruction from the Faculty of Education was “to have had the opportunity to learn from a faculty whose passion for social change is relentless. Teaching us to view the world in the eyes of the oppressed is something that makes one challenge the status quo. THANK YOU!!”

Faculty Spotlight – Dr. Cristyne Hébert

Faculty Spotlight! We’re shining the spotlight on faculty members this fall so you can get to know some of the faces around the Faculty of Education.

Meet Dr. Cristyne Hébert, Associate Professor in the areas of assessment, education research, and digital literacies since July 2018.

Dr. Hébert is passionate about stress-free, learning-focused and equitable assessment. She says, “I am a strong believer that assessment practices should not be punitive. I do not deduct late marks, and students are given the opportunity in all of my classes to revise and resubmit assignments. My hope is that this approach both reduces stress and creates a more learning-focused and equitable classroom for my students, and that they carry some of these practices into their future classrooms.”

Why should students consider taking courses in assessment? Because, “it’s important that new teachers think critically about their assessment practices, moving away from some of those traditional approaches that we know don’t support all learners. Teacher education gives future teachers the space to really practice and try on something new,” says Dr. Hébert.

Digital literacies are another area of study that Dr. Hébert considers important for students: “We live in such a digitally mediated world. As educators, we need to know more than just what to do with technological tools. Developing a deep understanding of how media shapes lived experiences, and how power operates (often covertly) within systems to limit access and participation is of fundamental importance.”

Dr. Hébert’s current research involves both assessment and digital literacies. She recently (2020) received a SSHRC Insight Development Grant for her study on multimodal learning and assessment practices in the province. As part of a larger SEED grant-funded project, Dr. Hébert says, “I am currently analyzing provincial school divisions’ assessment policies, focusing on modernizing provincial assessment.”  Dr. Hébert has a few other research projects underway, “working with both in-service and preservice teachers to look at how maker education might be enacted in the classroom.”

As advice for Education students, Dr. Hébert says, “Visit your professors during office hours. We set aside this time to meet with students to answer questions or talk through any course content or assignments, and are happy to see you there.”

If you are interested in taking a course with Dr. Hébert, she regularly teaches ECS401 (online): “This course takes a backward-design approach to assessment, narrowing in on curricular outcomes. Students gain experience with formative assessment, assessment tools, peer and self assessment, triangulation, and differentiation. My two favourite elements of the course are the assessment videos we watch, created by practicing teachers in the province, and the Rick Rant assignment, where students produce a three minute argumentative ‘paper.'” And she teaches EC&I 832 (online): “This course takes a critical look at digital citizenship and media literacies, focusing on how we might empower (rather than protect) young media users. Some themes we address include algorithms, technology and surveillance, memes and visual literacies, propaganda and fake news, and policing on line spaces. My favourite element of this course is the weekly collaborative work students produce, via Google Docs, applying their learning to analyze media.”

Faculty Spotlight – Dr. Alexandra Stoddart

“Now more than ever, it is important that we are teaching our students how to live healthy active lifestyles. Highlights of this course of study include experiential learning in the classroom, gymnasium, and out-of-doors.”

Faculty Spotlight! We’re shining the spotlight on some of our faculty members this fall so you can get to know the faces around the Faculty of Education.

Meet Dr. Alexandra Stoddart, Assistant Professor in the Health, Outdoor, Physical Education (HOPE) subject area since 2017.

Two things shine through about Dr. Stoddart: her passion for “building relationships with students and for re-instilling and/or growing their love for physical activity.” Her own love for physical activity is demonstrated in her off hours, in which she says, “I love to be physically active. Flying through the air at Fly Studios YXE, playing volleyball, or going to the gym are a few of the ways I strive for balance with my overall health and well-being.”

Dr. Stoddart’s research interest in physical education pedagogy, the physical education curriculum, and physical literacy has recently focused in on exploring 2SLGBTQ+ student experiences in PE. This research was recently awarded a Humanities Research Institute Micro-grant.

As advice for Education students, Dr. Stoddart says, “Remember why you are here. It can be difficult when you have lots of papers, lesson plans, and assignments to do, but if you stop and reflect on the reason why – because you want to positively impact children’s lives – it helps you get through the grind.”

If you are interested in taking a course with Dr. Stoddart, she regularly teaches EPE310 (Physical Education for K-Gr. 8), EHE350 (School Health Education), and graduate courses. A course Dr. Stoddart says she thinks you will enjoy is,”EPE310, a highlight for me to teach because teaching PE at the elementary level was my favourite. I would encourage students to take EPE310 as it showcases how quality PE should be taught. Unfortunately many students have had a negative experience with PE in their own K-12 education. EPE310 can show students how PE should have been taught and how they can make the subject a positive experience for their future students.”