In Conversation with Stephen Hurley: Recent Episodes
Stephen Hurley
Host Stephen Hurley scans the education ecosystem, looking for the people and ideas that are starting to change the way we think about teaching, learning, schools and communities
An insightful conversation with Dr. Jennifer Tupper and Dr. Jan Hare as they discuss the significant strides and challenges in Indigenous education. This episode sheds light on the transformative potential of integrating Indigenous knowledge and perspectives into mainstream education to foster inclusive and equitable learning environments for all.
Dr. Hare is an Anishinaabe scholar and educator from the M’Chigeeng First Nation, located in northern Ontario. She currently serves as Dean of Education for the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia
Dr. Tupper is an award winning scholar and professor of Curriculum Studies. She is currently serving her second term as Dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta in Treaty 6.
Key Takeaways:
1. Importance of Incorporating Indigenous Knowledge in Education: Both Dr. Jennifer Tupper and Dr. Jan Hare underscore the necessity of integrating Indigenous knowledge and perspectives into undergraduate and graduate education programs. This plays a crucial role in not only increasing the presence of Indigenous educators but also in driving systemic change within the educational landscape.
2. Renewing the 2010 Accord to Reflect Modern Contexts: The renewal of the 2010 Accord is essential to support ongoing policy shifts influenced by events such as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the incorporation of UNDRIP into provincial legislation. The accord aims to build on foundational work while accommodating the evolving needs and rights of Indigenous communities in education.
3. Provincial and Local Implementation for Broader Impact: Provinces like British Columbia are leading the way in implementing Indigenous-focused educational reforms, such as aligning with the UN Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Successful local adaptations include engaging Indigenous communities in curriculum development and integrating principles of learning that reflect Indigenous values and knowledge systems.
In this episode we delve into the world of cannabis education with guests Sunil and Hiral Mistry of Mistry Healthcare. As consultants and knowledge mobilization experts in the field of cannabis education, Sunil and Hiral share their personal journeys that led them to champion destigmatizing cannabis use and providing essential education to healthcare professionals, educators, and the general public.
They discuss the challenges, misconceptions, and opportunities surrounding cannabis education and highlight the importance of offering accurate and reliable information to young people. Listen in as they engage in a thought-provoking conversation with host Stephen Hurley, and explore how they are working to initiate open and honest discussions around cannabis within the school system and beyond.
Hiral is a Registered Nurse, Certified Cannabis Educator and the founder of Mistry Healthcare. She is also a Board Member and Volunteer with various Cannabis organizations. Below you will find details to learn more:
EducanNation: https://www.educannation.info/blog
ElionMED
https://www.elionmed.com/about
Parents Against Driving High
https://padh.ca
Dr. Crystena Parker-Shandal is Associate Professor in the Department of Social Development Studies at Renison University College at the University of Waterloo.
Dr. Parker-Shandal joins me today to talk about her newest book, "Restorative justice in the classroom: Liberating students’ voices through relational pedagogy."
We discussed a variety of key points including:
1. The essence and implementation of Restorative Justice in the classroom and its aim to create meaningful connections, repair harm, and cultivate an atmosphere of care on a broader scale.
2. The importance of a relational pedagogy, which involves building deep relationships with students and equipping them with tools for constructive conflict management, thereby fostering a more peaceful and democratic school environment.
3. The challenges, assumptions, and need for high-quality training in adopting restorative justice approaches in schools. We underlined the significance of creating safe spaces for difficult conversations and unmasking the true value in participative discussions.
Dr. Bonnie Stewart is Associate Professor, Online Pedagogy & Workplace Learning at the Faculty of Education, University of Windsor.
Dr. Stewart will be giving a keynote address at eCampus Ontario's Technology and Education Seminar and Showcase (TESS) to being held in Toronto on November 1st and 2nd, 2023.
In this conversation, we explore some of the ideas that Dr. Stewart will be exploring in her presentation, “Preserving the participatory: Digital empowerment in an age of AI”.
We're joined today by Patricia Kosseim, Ontario's Information and Privacy Commissioner, and Matthew Johnson, Education Director at MediaSmarts, Canada's Centre for Digital Media Literacy.
In this conversation, we discuss the connections between privacy, children and media literacy. In particular, we talk about Privacy Pursuit, a series of lesson plans for elementary teachers and students focusing on learning about privacy in our digital world.
In addition to the resource, our conversation led us into broader questions around privacy, children and youth.
Here are some links based on today's conversation:
Putting best interests of young people at the forefront of privacy and access to personal information
Resolution of the Federal, Provincial and Territorial Privacy Commissioners and Ombuds with Responsibility for Privacy OversightQuébec, QC, October 4-5, 2023https://www.priv.gc.ca/en/about-the-opc/what-we-do/provincial-and-territorial-collaboration/joint-resolutions-with-provinces-and-territories/res_231005_01/
How organizations can help protect young people online (resolution in plain language)
* https://www.priv.gc.ca/en/about-the-opc/what-we-do/provincial-and-territorial-collaboration/joint-resolutions-with-provinces-and-territories/res_231005_01_yth/
Companion document for organizations
* https://www.priv.gc.ca/en/about-the-opc/what-we-do/provincial-and-territorial-collaboration/joint-resolutions-with-provinces-and-territories/bg_231005_01/
The IPC’s Digital Privacy Charter for Ontario Schools
* https://www.ipc.on.ca/privacy-organizations/digital-privacy-charter-for-ontario-schools/
Teenage confidential: Teens, technology, and privacy (IPC Info Matters podcast episode with Matthew Johnson)
* https://www.ipc.on.ca/podcast/s1-episode-9-teenage-confidential-teens-technology-and-privacy/
Land as Relation is a new book from Canadian Scholars that introduces readers to an intersectional approach to Indigenous space and land-based education. It’s an edited collection that includes the voices of indigenous and ally-partnered contributors, weaving a rich and very worthwhile perspective on what is meant by land-based pedagogies.
Today, we speak with the books two editors Drs. Margaret Kress and Kahente Horn-Miller.
Margaret Kress is Adjunct Professor at University of New Brunswick
Kahente Horn-Miller is Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies and Associate Vice-President, Indigenous Teaching Learning and Research at Carleton University
The Ontario Information and Privacy Commission, in partnership with MediaSmarts, has created a set of lesson plans for use in elementary classrooms (Grades 2-8). In this episode, we are in conversation with IPC Commissioner Patricia Kosseim about Privacy Pursuit! now available on the IPC website.
Here are some key takeaways from the episode:
1️⃣ Kids DO care about privacy! Contrary to common misconceptions, kids today are not indifferent to privacy concerns.
2️⃣ Privacy education is a MUST: Our schools need to address the lack of awareness about commercial activity, surveillance, data monetization, and behavior tracking by companies.
3️⃣ The Privacy Pursuit! Lesson Plans provide powerful entry points to necessary learning about privacy at a variety of grade levels.
4️⃣ Amplifying Collaboration: Collaboration across jurisdictions is crucial for effective privacy protection.
Download the Lesson Plans
Here's how you can connect with the Ontario Information and Privacy Commission
Linkedin
Twitter
Instagram
YouTube
We're joined today by Drs. Marie Heath, (Loyola University Maryland;) Sumreen Asim, (Indiana University Southeast ) and Natalie Milman, (George Washington University).
Along with Jessa Henderson, (George Washington University), these scholars have co-authored "Confronting Tools of the Oppressor: Framing Just Technology Integration in Educational Technology and Teacher Education"
In today's conversation, we discuss what we can do to critically engage in constructive dialogue about how power, privilege, and prejudice are embedded within technologies.
Steve Paikin newest book is an up close and personal look into the life and career of Prime Minister John Turner. In this conversation, Steve and I share some thoughts about Mr. Turner's leadershp, using some poignant audio clips as a kind of tour guide.
Mr. John Turner was a passionate parliamentarian, a strong advocate for democratic process and principles AND a lover of Canada. All of this comes out in full force in toay's conversation.
Other podcasts featuring Steve Paikin talking about his new book:
From John to Justin with Craig Baird
Hub Dialogues with Sean Speer
Ontario Historical Society AGM Address
And Another Thing with Tony Clement
Bridging the Gap is a documentary film project currently being produced to provide a window into the stories, experiences and challenges of displaced and refugee newcomers to Canada.
Joining me today to talk about the initiative are project lead Dr. Rahat Zaidi and filmmaker, Nina Sudra.
Dr. Rahat Zaidi, is Professor and Chair of Languages and Literacy at the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary.
Nina Sudra is an Indo-Canadian filmmaker who for the past 25 years has been. creating dialogue about social issues revolving around the multicultural experience.
For more about the project and your chance to contribute to its success visit:
https://crowdfunding.ucalgary.ca/o/university-of-calgary/i/ucrowdfund/s/bridging-the-gap
Dr. Brent Davis is Professor of Mathematics Education at the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary. He also leads the research team at Math Minds, a "professional community dedicated to the effective teaching of K-12 mathematics".
We use Dr. Davis' work on mathematics education, complexity and curriculum design to discuss the current reform efforts in the province of Alberta. In particular, we focus on the importance of ensuring that what current research tells us is reflected in the way we think about curriculum, teaching approaches and resources.
Find out more about Math Minds at https://structuringinquiry.com
Dr. Rahat Zaidi is Professor and Chair of Language and Literacy at the University of Calgary’s Werklund School of Education. It is a role that has given her the opportunity to be an international mentor and visionary among her professional colleagues and her students.
Dr. Zaidi is the recipient of the 2020 Calgary Award for Community Achievement in the area of Education. In this conversation we talk with Dr. Zaidi about her current research, but also the research that she dreams of conducting. We talk about coming to family engagement through an asset lens, the power of storytelling and how building trust is so important in all of this work.
Find out more about Dr. Zaidi and other award recipients at https://ucalgary.ca/news/2020-calgary-awards-honour-extraordinary-calgarians
A great deal has been written in the days following the passing of former Ontario Premier, William Grenville Davis. And I can only imagine even more has been said around kitchen tables, summer campfires and Zoom meetings around the province. It’s hard to imagine what more can be added to the story of a man who shepherded the province of Ontario through times of great growth and modernization as well as times of increased political tension and financial restraint.
Well, hard to imagine unless you’re Steve Paikin or Charles Pascal.
Steve Paikin is the highly respected host of TVO’s flagship public affairs program, The Agenda and, among many other things, the author of "Bill Davis: Nation Builder, and Not So Bland After All".
Charles Pascal is professor of applied psychology and human development at OISE/UT. He has a great deal of expertise in early and higher education, public policy and leadership development and he’s not shy about sharing that expertise. His most recent book is "Leading From The Inside Out: Hard-Earned Lessons from Education, Government and ... Baseball".
Steve and Charles have been sharing a lot of stories about Mr. Davis over the past few days. They’ve been good enough to join us today to allow us to listen in on some of that remembering.
Stuart Miller has been serving the Halton District School Board for the 37 years. Stuart began as a secondary school teacher in 1984 and, as time went on, moved into more formal leadership roles: department head, school administrator, superintendent and, currently, Director of the Halton District School Board.
In July, 2021, Stuart Miller retires from his current role and we took the opportunity to sit down and look back on a career in education. Some great advice for new teachers, for new leaders and for anyone who wishes to make a difference in the profession.
William Deresiewicz returns to In Conversation to speak about "Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life". We talk about the narrative that college is something that young people just "need to do", the importance of a humanities education and the courage that it will take to challenge our current meritocratic approach to college and university admissions.
We're speaking across national borders on some of these issues, but there is plenty that should resonate with Canadian listeners. As with our conversation about "THE DEATH OF THE ARTIST
How Creators Are Struggling to Survive in the Age of Billionaires and Big Tech", Bill has given us plenty with which to build a bigger conversation.
Find out more about Bill's work at https://billderesiewicz.com/
Today, a conversation about Natural Curiosity—the organization and the book. Haley Higdon is the Program Director at Natural Curiosity and Doug Anderson is co-author of the second edition of the book: "Natural Curiosity 2nd Edition: A Resource for Educators: Considering Indigenous Perspectives in Children's Environmental Inquiry"
In today's conversation, we explore the pedagogical principles underlying Natural Curiosity and what it means to bring an Indigenous lens to this work.
For more information, visit https://naturalcuriosity.ca
What could be so contentious about a draft Physical Health and Wellness Curriculum? Well, our guests today on In Conversation point to many issues with the proposed curriculum changes in the province of Alberta. In fact, Shelly Russell-Mayhew and her team at the Body Image Lab, University of Calgary, have taken their concerns to Alberta parents in an open letter that outlines their concerns with the way that the draft curriculum seems to ignore concerns around body image, weight bias and a rather dichotomous view of food choices.
Dr. Shelly Russell-Mayhew is a Professor in the Werklund School of Education and Director of the Body Image Lab at the University of Calgary.
Lisa Taylor: Physical Education and PhD student at Werklund School of Education; member of the team in the Body Image Lab
Dr. Maxine Myre is a Post-Doc Scholar in the Body Image Lab. Maxine's current research focuses on the implementation and impact of weight-neutral health promotion.
For a copy of "An Open Letter to all Alberta Parents of School-Aged Children - Kindergarten to Grade 6 Curriculum" visit https://werklund.ucalgary.ca/research/body-image-lab/open-letter-all-alberta-parents-school-aged-children
Dr. Ann Lopez is a professor in the Department of Leadership, Higher and Adult Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto (OISE/UT). She also holds the position of Director for the Centre for Leadership and Diversity.
In this conversation, we explore Ann's early life and the influences that had an impact on her work as a young student, an educator, administrator and, now, a scholar in the area of equity, decolonization, and antiracist education.
Follow Dr. Ann Lopez on Twitter: @DrAnnLopez
Find out more about Dr. Lopez' academic work: https://www.oise.utoronto.ca/lhae/Faculty/17641/Ann_Lopez.html
Amazon Future Engineer is a childhood-to-career program aimed at inspiring and educating students from underrepresented and underserved communities to discover computer science and coding.
Here in Canada, a unique partnership between AFE, Fairchance Learning and ECOO is capturing the imaginations of both educators and students,
Today we are joined by a panel to offer several perspective on the program and the partnership:
Lynn Thomas: ECOO, President, Secondary School English Teacher
Susan Ibach:Head of Amazon Future Engineer, Canada
Martha Jez: CEO, Fair Chance Learning
Bushra Ul Hack, Director of Learning Productions, Fair Chance Learning
Chris Tucker : OCTE / SHSM Program, Curriculum Consultant YRDSB; Chair Council for Technological Education
Find out more about the Amazon Future Engineer program:
English: https://ecoo.org/blog/2021/05/04/ecoo-fcl-amazon-future-engineer-virtual-field-trip-event/
French: https://ecoo.org/blog/2021/05/04/fcl-afe-ecoo-projet-de-voyage-virtuel-sur-le-terraine/
Margaret Whitley is a teacher, a teacher trainer, a consultant and a writer who has experienced and lived Montessori for more than 50 years. Margaret pushes the boundaries of education and works to create awareness of the contribution Montessori can make to educate children for the 21st century.
Find out more about Margaret, her passion and her work at https://margaretwhitley.com/
Christine Saulnier is the Nova Scotia Director of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA-NS). We catch up with Christine to talk about her critique of the recently-released provincial budget released by Nova Scotia Minister of Finance, Labi Kousoulis.
We talk about child care, the high cost of post-secondary tuition in Nova Scotia and support for families needing income support.
Find Dr. Saulnier's critique here: https://monitormag.ca/articles/time-to-address-the-cost-of-poverty-in-the-atlantic-provinces
Learn more about the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives by visiting their website: https://www.policyalternatives.ca/
Margaret Brigham is an educator, and administrator and Indigenous storyteller. She joins me today to talk about the power of story, our current age of apology and the how listeners might come to the storytelling experience.
Find out more about Margaret and her work by visiting https://indigenousstorytelling.com
Our world has become increasingly complex with most day to day decisions requiring at least some digital literacy. Computational Thinking, or an approach to problem solving that uses a logical framework that allows a computer to solve the problem, has become a fundamental skill for learning and future success. This talk will explore what skills are required for this type of thinking and how they are represented across the elementary curriculum and in teacher preparation.
Dr. Julie Mueller is a Professor and Associate Dean with the Faculty of Education at Laurier.
Pieter Toth teachers business and social justice at Dundas Valley Secondary School, Dundas, Ontario. Today we talk about the move towards block chain technology and the ways in which personal identity is now being traded. We also talk about how Pieter's students are taught to look at the wider supply chains that are involved in our consumer lifestyles. Finally, we discuss student agency and the ways in which young people are choosing to make change.
Pieter Toth teaches Business and Social Justice at Dundas Valley Secondary School in Dundas, Ontario. In this conversation, we explored the dynamic that is created when one takes the combination of business and social justice seriously. We also explore the energy and passion that Pieter continues to bring to his work!
A new Minecraft World invites users to travel back in time to experience Anishinaabe culture, community and teachings.
"Manito Ahbee Aki: Where the Creator Sits" has been created in partnership with the Louis Riel School Division, Anishinaabe Knowledge Keepers and Microsoft Canada.
Today, we're In Conversation with three educators from the LRSD (Manitoba). Mark Lesiuk, Christopher Heidebrecht, Bobbie-Jo Leclair tell the story of the creation of Manito Ahbee Aki.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/education/manito-ahbee-aki
Dr. Jean Clinton is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at Hamilton's McMaster University. She joins me today to introduce us to a new podcast, World of Possibility. It's a collaboration between Dr. Jean, broadcaster Cheryl Jackson and author/parenting expert Ann Douglas.
Find "World of Possibility" on your favourite podcast platform.
Jim Stanford is Canadian economist and founder of the Progressive Economics Forum. He is also founding Director of Centre for the Future of Work, Australia. Jim’s recently released report, “10 ways that the COVID-19 Pandemic Must Change Work for Good! is part of the organization’s PowerShare project and a must read for anyone interested in some powerful thinking about emerging from our current COVID-19 crisis.
Follow Jim on Twitter: @jimbostanford or at the Centre for Future Work: https//centreforfuturework.ca
Steve Orsini has had a long and dedicated career in the service of Ontarians. He served as Deputy Minister of Finance and Secretary of the Treasury Board from 2011-2014 and Secretary of the Cabinet, Clerk of the Executive Council, Head of the Ontario Public Service (OPS) from 2014-2019.
Steve Orsini is a distinguished fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto.
You can find out more about Steve Orsini by visiting his profile page at the Munk School: https://munkschool.utoronto.ca/profile/orsini-steve/
Dr. Charles Pascal. Charles is Professor of Applied Psychology and Human Development as OISE/UT. He also serves as special advisor to the Dean at that same institution. He has a long-standing and very deep commitment to the area of early childhood education and took a lead on the design and implementation of ONtario’s full day kindergarten program.
As you’ll hear in our conversation, Charles Pascal in an interdisciplinary thinker who is concerned about our growing inability to see and talk across silos, a capacity that is important in both our leaders and our citizens.
Charles Pascal brings his insights, his years of experience in both academics and politics and his passion to today’s conversation.
Find out more about Charles Pascal by visiting: https://www.oise.utoronto.ca/aphd/Home/Faculty_and_Staff/Faculty/2097/Charles_Pascal.html
Follow Charles on Twitter: @CEPascal
In Canada, 52.2% of children in foster care are Indigenous, but account for only 7.7% of the child population. That is a staggering fact that should cause all of us to stand up and take action.
Dr. Cindy Blackstock is one Canadian who continues to dedicate her life to education and action around the inequality in the way in which First Nations children are treated, especially by the structures developed and maintain by the highest levels of government. For Cindy Blackstock one of the places to look for solutions is in the way we think about leadership, followship and citizenship.
indy Blackstock is a member of the Gitxsan First Nation, Professor at McGill’s School of Social Work, and the Executive Director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society. She holds a doctorate in Social Work as well as honorary degrees from a number of Canadian universities. Dr. Blackstock is an Officer of the Order of Canada.
Find out more about the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society at https://fncaringsociety.com
Marjorie Brans is an active member of intrapreneurial and entrepreneurial networks around the world and activated by a personal and professional desire to work towards equity, equality and justice. She is the founder of the School for Social Entrepreneurs and is a member of the League of Intrapreneurs.
In this conversation, we explore this work, including, Maitri, her networked response to the COVID-19 crisis.
Learn more about Marjorie by following her on Twitter (@marjorie_brans) or on LinkedIn
Irvin Studin is Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of Global Brief magazine, and President of the Institute for 21st Century Questions.
He thinks deeply and provocatively about Canada’s place in the world and can be found at the intersections of geography, politics, national psychology and, as you’ll hear in this conversation—imagination.
In this conversation, Irvin helps us map out some of the geo-political possibilities for the future, identifies some of the pivot points for our thinking, as both citizens and leaders, and calls us all to a new mentality that positions Canada, no longer as a term-taker, but a term setter.
Visit the Institute for 21st Century Questions at https://www.i21cq.com/
Host Stephen Hurley is joined by Canadian-American journalist, David Frum, to discuss issues of policy, leadership and the threat of de-globalization in the context of the current COVID-19 crisis.
Find out more about David’s work, including his newest book, “Trumpocalypse: The End-Times President, a Battle Against the Globalist Elite, and the Countdown to Armageddon ” by visiting https://davidfrum.com
Peter Biro is a passionate advocate for human rights, resistance against unaccountable governments, corporate influence and technology. He is the founder of Section 1″, a an initiative calling all Canadians to a type of heroic citizenship in the face of some pretty serious threats to constitutional democracy, here and around the world.
In this conversation, we use Peter’s soon-to-be-released book, Constitutional Democracy Under Stress: A Time for Heroic Citizenship, as a way into a rich conversation about leadership, citizenship and what that means in our current age.
Learn more about Peter’s work by visiting https://www.section1.ca/
« Story and Lesson: The Owl and the Condor
lexis Duclos is a Catalyst & intrapreneur. She’s focused on tech-driven social impact in Canada and the United States and is dedicated to helping organizations develop new models of operating.
Well, those are the words that she’s written on her LinkedIn Profile but, as you’ll hear in this conversation, there’s a whole lot to the way she thinks about her work and her role in the world. Alexis is one of those people who loves and lives the questions very deeply, a disposition that allows her to avoid the temptation to rush too quickly to solutions.
You can find Alexis on LinkedIn and follow her on Twitter: @alexisduclos
David Price, OBE is a global thought leader, learning futurist and author, with a keen eye for how organizations learn, innovate and lean into the future.
David’s highly-acclaimed book “OPEN: How We’ll Work, Live And Learn In The Future” sounds some very poignant tones in our current time as governments, social institutions and businesses try to make sense of life in a post-COVID world.
His newest book, scheduled for a summer release, is “ The Power Of Us: How We Connect, Act And Innovate.”
The title says a whole lot, and we’ll dig into some of the main themes of that book in today’s conversation.
Find out more about David Price by visiting his website: https://davidpriceobe.com
LEx Conversations is pleased to welcome Bob Rae, a man who has dedicated much of his life to public service. Between the years 1978 and 2013, Bob Rae served at both federal and provincial levels, leading the province of Ontario as premier from 1990-1995.
Currently, Bob Rae works as a lawyer, a mediator and a teacher at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. He’s written 5 books on politics and public life and is both a Companion of the Order of Canada and a member of the Order of Ontario.
In this conversation, we use the current COVID-19 pandemic to talk about leadership, the dangers of nations turning in on themselves and some of the new dimensions of citizenship and engagement.
Listen to Bob Rae’s podcast, Political Stripes at https://politicalstripes.ca
Christian Madsbjerg is Professor of Applied Humanities at The New School and Co-Founder of the pioneering consultancy Red Associates.
Christian insists that, in order to address the leadership crisis that exists in today’s world, we need a new way of seeing. The ability to talk and work across disciplines and traditional silos of thinking is rooted in the Phenomenological approaches of Heidegger and Merleau-Ponty and its an approach for which Christian Madsbjerg continues to advocate.
In this conversation, we push back against the ironic shallows of Silicon Valley and Design Thinking as well the limitations of our current way of imagining the university.
Learn more about Christian Madsbjerg at https://madsbjerg.com/
Today on the podcast, it’s London calling. We head to London England to catch up with Lenna Lou, a business consultant and the founder of the L Factor, an organization dedicating to helping small businesses and startups that dream of making the world a better place. Lenna and her team provide the business strategies, data and mentoring to help them get there, no matter where they are on their particular journey..
Lenna is also the head of the LEx London Circle.
Find out more about Lenna’s work by visiting her website: https://www.thelfactorltd.com/
We are being told by Silicon Valley that "there's never been a better time to be an artist", but the fact is that many artists are struggling to make ends meet on our current tech-driven landscape. So, what gives? This is one of the questions that WIlliam Deresiewicz takes up in his book, "The Death of the Artist: How Creators Are Struggling to Survive in the Age of Billionaires and Big Tech". It's one of the questions that we take up today with the author, himself and Canadian artist, Zainub Verjee.
William Deresiewicz is an educator, an author, essayist, and literary critic. His latest book The Death of the Artist—How Creators are Struggling to Survive in the age of billionaires and big tech in not only a wake up call for those involved in the arts, but for the rest of us—individuals and communities who are richer and more connected because of the artists among us.
Learn more at https://billderesiewicz.com
Zainub Verjee is a trail blazer for her generation. She is an accomplished artist, writer, critic, cultural bureaucrat, and a public intellectual.
A passionate and persuasive champion of art and it’s central role in society, she has produced ground-breaking body of work that has earned Zainub Verjee is the 2020 Governor General's Visual and Media Arts Award for Outstanding Contribution!
She can be found at https://zainubverjee.com
Robyn Gray is Superintendent of the Cowichan Valley School District in British Columbia. The district has moved through a very engaging strategic planning process and Robyn joined me today to talk about both the process and the plan.
https://sd79.bc.ca/
Executive Director of Access Copyright, Roanie Levy is joined by authors Sylvia McNicoll and Any Stuart to discuss today's Canadian copyright landscape, what it means to educators, and what it means to authors.
Charles Ungerleider is Professor Emeritus of the Department of Educational Studies in the Faculty of Education and Director of Research and Managing Partner of Directions Evidence and Policy Research Group. A teacher, a former Deputy Minister of Education for the province of British Columbia, Charles is one of those people who continues to think very deeply about education.
Shani Diluka was born in Monaco to Sri Lankan parents. At the age of 6, she was chosen to participate in a special program for talented young musicians, sponsored by Princess Grace Kelly. The experience allowed her to become immersed in the world of classical music and to say that she hasn't looked back would be an understatement.
In this conversation, we explore Ms. Diluka's musical education, her relationship with the vast heritage of western composers, but her recent exploration of how her Sri Lankan roots might find resonance with her classical background.
https://shanidiluka.com
Thomas Homer-Dixon is Founder and Director of the Cascade Institute at Royal Roads University, and holds a University Research Chair in the Faculty of Environment at the University of Waterloo, in Waterloo, Canada. He's the author of "The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity, and the Renewal of Civilization" and "The Ingenuity Gap".
Thomas Homer-Dixon joins me to talk about his latest book, "Commanding Hope: The Power We Have to Renew a World in Peril"
Find out more about today's guest by visiting his website: https://homerdixon.com/
Steve Paikin is, arguably, Ontario's most trusted and respected public affairs journalists. Long-time host of TVO's Studio One and The Agenda, Steve Paikin has established a space for the type of dialogue so lacking in many of public conversations.
It was great to connect with Steve about Ontario's political landscape, leadership within that space and the promise of active engagement among a new generation of citizens.
Irvin Studin is Editor-in-Chief at Global Brief Magazine and President of the Centre for 21st Century Questions. His recent opinion piece in Canada's Globe and Mail, "Canada needs a temporary Minister of Education", calls all Canadians into a much deeper conversation about the nature of our current education crisis.
While not downplaying the importance of health and safety and the quality of learning environments, Irvin Studin suggests that Canadian students, and our wider society, suffer as the result of a lack of national vision for education, and someone in the country who goes to bed worrying about that deficit.
Privacy and Security expert, Claudiu Popa recently wrote an article in The Conversation that questions the notion that parents and teachers should have access and control over a child's computer password.
Claudiu joins me today to dig deeper into the topic of privacy from a kid's perspective?
You can find Claudiu's article in The Conversation here: https://theconversation.com/controlling-childrens-passwords-is-a-flagrant-breach-of-their-privacy-141031
Valerie Irvine is an assistant professor of educational technology and co-director of the Technology Integration and Evaluation Research Lab in the University of Victoria’s faculty of education.
Her recent article in The Tyee sheds light on the complexity and confusion around back-to-school in British Columbia. Valerie highlights several things that she would like to see considered in that province before opening the doors to the schoolhouse this year.
You can access Valerie's article here: https://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2020/08/31/Five-Things-Before-BC-Schools-Reopen/
David Price, OBE, is a global thought leader, learning futurist and author, specialising in how organisations learn, innovate and make themselves fit for the future. His newest book, "The Power of Us: How We Connect, Act and Innovate Together" takes us behind the scenes of some of the world’s most innovative organisations harnessing the power of collaboration and diverse thinking to effect real change – and demonstrates what we can learn from them.
In this conversation, we take a 30 000 ft. view of the book and some of what is behind "the power of us."
Find out more about David Price at https://www.davidpriceobe.com/
Dr. Erin Maloney is Assistant Professor, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa. Her research life focuses on the cognitive and emotional factors that influence math learning and the impact of parents and teachers on children’s learning.
Erin joins us today to talk about how parents can set up a positive learn-at-home environment for children (and adults).
Dr. Dona Matthew is a Toronto-based psychoeducational consultant and freelance writer. She joins us today to speak about setting up the learn-at-home environment so that it doesn't centre on sitting in front of a computer all day.
Lots of great tips in this companion piece from the Psychology Today blog:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/going-beyond-intelligence/202008/pandemic-homeschooling-play-work-create-and-listen
Dr. Hetty Rooesingh teaches at the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary. Dr. Roessingh's research interests include reading and vocabulary development, but she also has developed quite a following through her insistence that we return to teaching young children how to write cursively.
In this episode, Dr. Roessingh extends that conversation to the art of taking handwritten notes. Whether you are an educator or a parent working with children at home, this conversation will get you thinking differently about the art and science of note taking.
You can find more of Dr. Roessingh's thoughts on the topic by visiting The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/note-taking-by-hand-a-powerful-tool-to-support-memory-144049
Jessica Cooke is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Psychology, University of Calgary. She recently co-authored an article in The Conversation, "“How to help your child cope with the transition back to school during COVID-19”".
The full article from The Conversation https://theconversation.com/how-to-help-your-child-cope-with-the-transition-back-to-school-during-covid-19-144530
Jessica joins us to talk about that article and some of the strategies that parents and families can use during this time of transition back to school during the pandemic.
Sue Bruyns is principal at Sir Arthur Curry Elementary School in the Thames Valley District School Board, Ontario. She has a robust and vibrant vision for family engagement and she joins me today to talk about the work of her Council since the COVID-19 shutdown, as well as their plans for engagement in the year to come.
Sydney Chapados is a Doctoral Fellow in the Department of Sociology at Carleton University in Ottawa. Her recent article in The Conversation (Canada), asks some interesting questions about the way that we are talking to children about back to school, the information that we are providing our children and the ways in which we are seeking their input.
You can find Sydney's article here: https://theconversation.com/as-schools-prepare-to-reopen-during-covid-19-are-the-kids-alright-142976
Follow Sydney on Twitter: @ChapadosSydney
Doug McDowall is a retired Ontario teacher who still keeps an eye on things, bringing his unique sense of humour to the world of politics, education and a whole lot more.
In this rather meandering conversation about how we met, the emergence of edtech and more, we discovered that Doug really needs his own podcast.
So stay tuned for that!
Dr. Steve Sider and Dr. Ardavan Eizadirad are both faculty members at Laurier University's Faculty of Education. Their recent article in The Conversation posed some important questions about ways to hold the important issues that have been brought to light during the pandemic on the radar of schools and communities.
In this conversation, we talk about systemic inequity, the language we use to frame the issues and some practical ways to begin conversations with staff, parents and community members.
Drs. Sider and Eizadirad's article can be found at https://theconversation.com/schools-after-coronavirus-seize-teachable-moments-about-racism-and-inequities-142238
Jason Lay is a secondary school teaching at Vaughan Secondary School in the York Region District School Board. He has been very dedicated on social media, holding issues of a safe return to school in front of his Twitter followers. My conversation with Jason digs deeper into his concerns, his insights and his advice.
Follow Jason on Twitter: @jlay02
A lot of conversation around safe re-opening of schools has centered around class size and the need to ensure safe physical distancing. Marcie is an Ontario-based Education Assistant (EA) and, as this conversation points out, there needs to be a much deeper discussion about the health and safety requirements of the large number of students with learning challenges and special needs.
In this second of a two part series, Vidya Shah and Erika Shaker reflect on announcements being made across the country about re-opening schools. We dig deeper into the need for more substantial funding, the "tyranny of choice", continuing issues of inequity and ways to authentically engage the public in conversation about...well...public education.
Vidya Shah is Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Education, York University. Vidya is driven by an expertise in and passion for passion for justice and equity.
Erika Shaker is National Office Director at Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, & Editor of Our Schools/Our Selves.
Their article, “Leaving Normal: Reimagining Schools Post-COVID and Beyond”, appears in the most recent edition of Our Schools/Our Selves: https://www.policyalternatives.ca/subscribe-osos
Carol Jones and Leslie Hutchison are both members of the Ontario Association for Developmental Education, an organization established in 1957 and includes teachers, educational assistants, principals, consultants, and other support staff and parents who work with and for students with developmental challenges.
The organization recently conducted a survey, "Return to School Survey Related to COVID 19 Amplifying Voice of Educators and Educational Workers Who Serve Students with Developmental Disabilities" which provides insights on the realities that must be taken into consideration if ALL students, including those with developmental exceptionalities are to return to school safely and with the necessary supports.
Carol Jones (President) and Leslie Hutchison (Executive member) join us to talk about what we might not understand about students with developmental exceptionalities and the staff that support them.
Visit the OADE website at https://oade.ca for more insights and a copy of the survey report.
Vidya Shah is Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Education, York University. Vidya is driven by an expertise in and passion for passion for justice and equity.
Erika Shaker is National Office Director at Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, & Editor of Our Schools/Our Selves.
Their article, “Leaving Normal: Reimagining Schools Post-COVID and Beyond”, appears in the most recent edition of Our Schools/Our Selves: https://www.policyalternatives.ca/subscribe-osos
Kathleen Gould Lundy joins Stephen Hurley to look back on a 2004 project that raised the voices of Canadian youth around their visions for school and education. Led by Kathy through a partnership with the Canadian Education Association/EdCan Network, "Imagine a School" connected cohorts of high school students from across the country through drama, poetry and music.
Find out about the project, how the messages still resonate and about Kathy's very powerful view of the arts in our schools—especially in this time of social and economic crisis.
Follow Kathy on Twitter: @kathleenglundy
Today, I'm joined by two members of the Ontario Parent Action Network (OPAN).
Seth Bernstein is an education worker, parent and the teacher/parent liaison Ontario Parent Action Network.
Rachel Huot is a parent organizer with OPAN.
In this conversation, we talk about the government's response to the current COVID-19 crisis and what that means for reopening schools in September. We also talk about the work of the organization and their advocacy/activism in defence of public education.
Find out more about the organization through their Facebook and Twitter accounts:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/parentaction4ed/
Twitter: @parentaction4ed
Barbara Silva is the Director of Communications for Alberta-based Support Our Students, an advocacy/action group dedicated to equitable and accessible public education in Alberta. In this conversation, we talk to Barbara about how their organization is working during this time of COVID-19 and how they are holding the provincial government accountable for its plans to re-open schools in September.
Find out more about Support Our Students at https://supportourstudents.ca
Andy Hargreaves internationally known and acclaimed researcher, writer, speaker, consultant and policy advisor is Visiting Professor at the University of Ottawa and Research Professor in the Lynch School of Education at Boston College.
His new book, Moving — A Memoir of Education and Social Mobility (Solution Tree) places some of the most pressing challenges of our time against the backdrop of Andy's own story of growing up in a society steeped in class, meritocracy and social mobility.
Ms. Marit Stiles is the MPP for the Ontario riding of Davenport. Marit also serves as the Education Critic for the Official Opposition (NDP).
Marit Stiles recently tabled a motion in the Provincial Legislature calling on the Conservative Government to get serious about "back to school" plans for the Fall in Ontario. In this conversation, we discuss that motion, the importance of advocacy, activism and leveraging the positive energy that has marked this recent period in our history.
Learn more about Marit Stiles at https://www.maritstiles.ca/
Richard Doornink is no stranger to stories. His background in film and video study and production, editing and a love for writing has brought him to the release of his first novel. 1967—A Coming of Age Story will certainly resonate with anyone growing up in Canada in the 60's, but it will also work its way into the hearts and imaginations of those who grew up in a different time.
In this conversation, Rick and I talk about the impetus for the book, the idea of setting as a character, some of the cultural references woven into the book, and the question of what it means to come of age—in any age.
Find out more about the book and Rick's work: https://www.richardwdoornink.com
Harvey Bischof is the president of the Ontario Secondary School Teacher's Federation (OSSTF), and represents over 70 000 secondary school teachers and education workers across the province.
Harvey joins me to talk about the progress being made toward a return to school in the Fall, some of the creative ways that we could be looking at the challenge and some of the elephants that might be hanging around in the discussion room.
Dr. Jewel Amoah is one of 14 Human Rights and Equity Advisors hired to school districts across Ontario. It's part of a pilot program designed to foreground issues related to develop cultures of respect for human rights and equity in public schools.
Dr. Amoah is a Human Rights scholar, advocate and activist and is the newly appointed Human Rights and Equity Advisor (HREA) for the Halton District School Board.
Negin Riazi is a PhD Candidate at UBC's School of Kinesiology in the Faculty of Education. Recently, her article, co-authored with Dr. Guy Faulkner, appeared in The Conversation Canada.
"Free-range kids: Why a child’s freedom to travel and play without adult supervision matters" was the subject of our conversation today. We explored the importance of letting our children explore their surroundings in a way that promotes independent mobility, a sense of responsibility and freedom.
Here's a link to Negin's article:
https://theconversation.com/free-range-kids-why-a-childs-freedom-to-travel-and-play-without-adult-supervision-matters-132243
Dr. Stuart Shanker is a research professor emeritus of Philosophy and Psychology at York University and the Founder/CEO of The MEHRIT Centre. He is also the founder and Science Director of the Self-Regulation Institute. Stuart’s new book Reframed: Self-Reg for A Just Society brings together his deep knowledge of philosophy, political theory and psychology to create the type of multi-disciplinary perspective that so many of us are longing for in this divided and siloed world.
In this conversation we look at our current COVID-19 context from a self-reg lens, not only on the individual and personal level, but on the social and political level as well.
For more information on Stuart Shanker and the work of the MEHRIT Centre, visit self-reg.ca
Ron Canuel is the former CEO of the Canadian Education Association (EdCan) and a former Director General of the Eastern Township School Board in Quebec. He is never at a loss for words or insights into new visions for schools and education.
Ron joins me to talk about the desire to "return to normal" when schools go back in the Fall, but also the types of questions that we need to be asking to preventing us from falling back to default thinking.
Sean Vanderklis is Mississauga from Curve Lake First Nation, a resident of the Niagara Region and one half of the podcast/broadcast team known as One Dish, One Mic.
You can hear them weekly on Sunday mornings at 10 on AM 610 CKTB. Sean and his broadcast partner Carl Doxtdater are the recipients of the 2020 CBC Indigenous Journalism Fellowship.
Sean and I talk about the transition from podcasting to broadcasting, the differences in perspective among Indigenous communities, and the ways in which Indigenous and non-Indigenous people can work together towards greater understanding.
Kalli Anderson is a broadcast journalist, a documentary film-maker and a Director of Audio Journalism at CUNY"s Craig Newmark School of Journalism.
Kalli's article in Today's Parent. "Ontario's back-to-school plan ignores a glaringly obvious problem" has caught the attention of parents and educators alike. Find out what that glaringly obvious problem is—and more—in this episode of In Conversation.
Read the Today's Parent article: https://www.todaysparent.com/kids/school-age/ontario-school-reopening-plan/
Find out more about Kalli's work: http://kallipearl.com/
Nicole and Barbara DeLory have a very unique connection. Not only are they mother and daughter, but Nicole has written a book based on some of her mother's writing.
Nicole's book is Night at the Gardens and it draws inspiration from Barbara's book, Three Centuries of Public Art Historic Halifax Regional Municipality. Find out about both books and this unique collaboration in this special episode of In Conversation.
From Halifax, Nova Scotia, it's Nicole and Barbara DeLory.
From beginning to end, it took 41 days for Eric Walters to write and publish his latest book. Today is release day and we were thrilled to spend an hour with Eric and members of his Orca Book Publishers team on voicEd Radio. Join Eric Walters, Leslie Bootle, Andrew Wooldridge, Fiona Ross and Luke Hurley in this special conversation about Don't Stand So Close To Me.
Find out more about the book by visiting https://www.orcabook.com/
Shree Paradkar writes about issues of race and gender at the Toronto Star. in 2018/19, Shree was the Atkinson Fellow in Public Policy which gave her the space to explore issues of race and equity in our public education system.
In this conversation, Shree speaks of the questions that framed her year-long fellowship, the patterns that she discovered and some of the calls to action that emerged from this work.
You can find the complete "Education without Oppression" series at https://theatkinson.ca/site/uploads/2020/01/EducationWithoutOppression_12720.pdf
Premiering at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, "Influence" takes us into the world of marketing and manipulation within our most foundational public institutions. It’s grounded in the story of Lord TImothy Bell, the firm Bell Pottinger and a politically-charged South Africa, but the questions posed and the realities revealed should be important to all of us.
A great conversation about deep journalism, following the money and media literacy.
David Barnum returns to voicEd Radio to talk about his approach to Place-Based learning in the context of the current COVID-19 crisis. David teaches elementary school in North Vancouver and is also a Faculty Associate in the Faculty of Education, Graduate Studies in Education at Simon Fraser University.
Khary Lazarre-White is the cofounder of Brotherhood Sister Sol, an organization that provides four-six year rites of passage programming, thorough five day a week after school care, school and home counseling, summer camps, job training and employment, college preparation, community organizing training, and international study programs to Africa, the Caribbean and South America.
In this conversation, Khary shares his 25 year journey with Bro/Sis, his theory of change and how the organization embraces young people with support, love, a vision for self-discipline and for agency in their communities and their world.
Find out more about Brotherhood Sister Sol at https://brotherhood-sistersol.org/
We last caught up with Ottawa resident, Lindsey Barr, soon after she began World Changing Kids, an organization that empowers young people to make a difference in the world.
Today, we connect with Lindsey again to see how her work has been transformed by the current COVID-19 crisis.
Find out about Lindsey's work by visiting https://worldchangingkids.ca/
Angela Hanimyan is a teacher at an Ontario-based Montessori school with over 26 years of experience teaching young children. That experience, coupled with a knowledge of Self-Reg and social emotional learning has led to the writing of Fearless Felicia. In our conversation, we explore how this story will help children identify their feelings and empower them to take ownership of their feelings and positively transform them.
Michelle DIttmer is President and Co-Founder at Canadian Gap Year Association, a national not-for-profit that provides support for young people looking for an alternative step in educational and/or career pathways through taking a gap year.
In this conversation, we talk about the trend toward more students considering a gap year, and how the Canadian Gap Year Association can support that thinking and planning.
Find out more about Michelle's work by visiting https://www.cangap.ca/
Rick Kelly is the founder and the energy behind Just Us: A Centre for Restorative Practices. Through his work, Rick inspires us to "widen the lens" as we look at how we build, nurture and heal relationships in our organizations, communities and families.
There's a whole lot more to Rick's work than can be written here so you're invited to explore more through his website: https://justusrestorativepractices.weebly.com/
Dr. Bryan Sanders is passionate about rethinking education using a critical techno constructivist lens. Yup, try to say that three times fast! it's a perspective that draws together key thinking by Dewey, Freire and Papert, and it not only led to his doctoral thesis, but also to some of his current energy around the way that we can do school in a different way.
Along with Dr. Verena Roberts, Bryan regularly brings together other educators and education thinkers to open up education discourse in this time of pandemic shutdowns.
Follow Bryan on Twitter: @nayrbgo
Harvey Bischof is the President of the Ontario Secondary School Teacher's Federation. Erika Shaker is the Director of The Education Project at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. In this conversation we use the current Pandemic context as a backdrop to talk about the policy conversations that need to be having if we are going to adequately address the many equity issues that are staring us in the face these days.
The inspiration for this conversation was a piece that Erika wrote for Behind the Numbers, the CCPA blog. Her entry called for us to consider the deeper equity issues that have been laid bare by the current crisis. You can find Erika's writing here: http://behindthenumbers.ca/2020/04/15/park-it-wi-fi-access-is-not-educational-equity/
In 2007, the World Health Organization released its report, A Safer Future—Global Health Security in the 21st Century. It would seem that not all of the recommendations, especially those around Pandemic planning were heeded.
Drs. Marilyn Leask and Sarah Younie (DeMonfort University) join us today to talk about a chapter on pandemic planning in education that will be included in a new book that they are writing on System Design in education.
When Werklund School of Education Associate Dean, Dr. Amy Burns, learned that field placement for teacher candidates would be threatened due to the COVID-19 shutdown, she put her team to work to create an alternative experience.
Dr. Burns is joined today by Dr. Astrid Kendrick, Director of Field Experience for the Community-based Pathway and teacher Candidate, Deanna Parker about how the creation of the Pandemic Field Placement.
We learn how it was created, how it was implemented and how it might inform future practice at Werklund.
Find out more about the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary by visiting https://werklund.ucalgary.ca/
According to the Institute for Learning Innovation, just 5% of what we learn in a lifetime takes place in school. In this conversation, ILI Executive Director, John Falk, talks about the other 95%. We talk about free-choice learning in the context of the current pandemic and we also explore how challenging the common assumptions about "learning loss" might help us leverage learning opportunities in a new way.
Find out more about John's work at https://instituteforlearninginnovation.org
In this LIVE radio conversation, educator, author and systems thinker, Michael Fullan is joined by former CEO of the Canadian Education Association, Ron Canuel to talk about the signals, signs, challenges and opportunities emerging in this time of COVID-19. We talk about the shifting policy landscape as well as new demands for a different type of education leadership moving forward.
Today on In Conversation, we head to Dorset UK to catch up with author Gail Aldwin. Gail has just returned from a 4 month Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO International) placement working in the Ugandan refugee settlement of Bidibidi. It was an experience focused on the area of early childhood access to education. In this conversation we find out about that work and how it has impacted her work as a writer.
Judith Koke is the Deputy Director and Director of Professional Development Institute for Learning Innovation, an organization committed to reshape the learning landscape by catalyzing innovation in lifelong, free-choice learning.
In this conversation, we talk about the work of the organization and the opportunities for authentic learning in this time of pandemic and isolation.
Learning more about Judith's work and the Institute for Learning Innovation by visiting https://www.instituteforlearninginnovation.org/
Timm Holmes is an Ottawa-based writer and storyteller who has a real passion for teaching kids how to weave and tell stories. Hear about the connection between "telling" and "writing", a little about Timm's own history as a writer and a special excerpt from Peanut Butter & Dragon. (You're going to love this!)
Find out more about Timm's work at http://timmholmes.com/
Dr. Ken Saltman, Professor of Education Leadership, UMass is joined by Erika Shaker, Director of the Education Project at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. We continue to dig deeper into issues around the privatization and corporatization of the Canadian public education space.
How is the current COVID-19 crisis impacting students who are already marginalized by the traditional structures of schooling? Are there ways of rethinking our current approach to remote learning to embrace the principles of culturally relevant pedagogy?
Alison Gaymes is Centrally Assigned Principal for Principal Coaching, Equity & School Improvement with the Toronto District School Board.
Ramon San Vicente is a principal with the Toronto District School Board, educational activist, and author of various texts.
Both Alison and Ramon have a passionate commitment for exploring critical pedagogies and challenging oppressive practices in schools. Follow him on Twitter at @RamonSanVicent2.
Alison and Ramon recently co-authored an article for the Beyond the Numbers, the blogspace of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Read "Schooling for equity during and beyond COVID-19" at http://behindthenumbers.ca/2020/03/27/schooling-for-equity-during-covid-19/
The Umbrella Project is a teacher-led curriculum and school based program created to help teachers, students and parents reframe our perception of challenges and strengthen the skills of well-being to positively cope with the everyday stresses of life.
https://umbrellaproject.co/
In this conversation, Umbrella Project founder, Dr. Jen Forristal, joins me to talk about the initiative and the importance of coping skills in this time of worldwide challenge.
Ottawa-based educator, Rebecca Chambers, has been working to immerse her students in passion and inquiry-based learning for the past several years. Now she's taking her own passion and commitment to experiential learning one step further. Listen in as Rebecca introduces us to The Unlearn Academy! (https://unlearnwithus.com)
Victoria Woelders, host of the Empathy Tales Podcast, in conversation with Stephen Hurley about a new project that brings a sense of hope and creativity to our current time. It's the COVID19ED Podcast. We talk about that project, the role of storytelling in times of challenge and the need for more creativity.
As we try to come to terms with the potential of long-term school closures in a COVID-19 world, many organizations are working to create learning environments that can help students, parents and educators keep the learning going.
TED Ed (ed.ted.com) is a commitment to creating lessons worth sharing is an extension of TED’s mission of spreading great ideas. Today, I had the opportunity to speak with Ontario educator Will Gourley and Associate Director of TED-Ed Educator Talks, Stephanie Ng. Our conversation took us to the heart of what TED Ed is all about and how students, parents and educators can discover, create and share powerful content.
For a powerful slide presentation on how to use the TED Ed resource, check out Will Gourley's offering at https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1K65IIYjWzeDR8IbSE5dq2nJc_n15ASWGjn93OnFH1ZY/edit#slide=id.g32fd465046_1_29
The Honourable Mrs. Margaret McCain is a Canadian philanthropist, the 27th, and first woman serving as, Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick. She is, perhaps, best known for her work in the promotion of early childhood education.
The first report of the Early Years study was released in 1999 and this month, more than 2 decades later, the Wallace and Margaret McCain Family Foundation has published the 4th iteration of the study, providing Canadians with a compelling and robust vision for the way we view the beginning years of a child’s life.
Today on In conversation, we dive into the backstory of this work but we’re also going to lean into the future and explore what it will take to have that vision become part of the way we do things here.
Download a copy of the Early Years Study by visiting https://earlyyearsstudy.ca
Over the past few months, we’ve been exploring issues around our social commitments to public education, evidence that many governments have moved away from seeing education not as an investment, a cost centre, a market and, indeed, an industry. What’s at the heart of this apparent march towards privatization of public education? What can we, as a public do, to read the language that governments, corporations and even financiers are using when they talk about public education.
Dr. Ken Saltman is a Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership at UMass. Dr. Saltman works at the intersection of sociology, philosophy and politics of education. He joins me today to dig a little deeper into the narrative that is being woven around our modern public education systems.
Monica Kristin Blair is a Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Virginia and a Jefferson Scholars Foundation Fellow. Blair’s dissertation is entitled, “From Segregation Academies to School Choice: The Post-Brown History of School Privatization."
Monica sheds light on the history of the privatization of public schools in the US and suggests some of the signs that we may want to be watching for in the Canadian context. We also talk about how we might open up spaces for the conversation about privatization of public goods.
Andréa Grebenc is Chair of the Halton District School Board. In this conversation, Ms. Grebenc shines a light on some of the aspects of public school funding that often go unnoticed and under-reported.
Amanda Brace is a grade 3 teacher based in Saskatchewan. She has also started a masters programme in education technology at the University of Regina. In this episode, we talk about the world of ed-tech, social media and what she is learning through her journey to begin her own podcast, EdTech Endeavours.
You can find Amanda's work at https://edtechendeavours.wordpress.com
Ricardo Tranjan is a political economist and senior researcher at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Recently, Ricardo released a calculator that would allow Ontario citizens to measure the impact that government cuts to class sizes and the introduction of mandatory e-learning would have on staffing at their local schools.
In this episode, we discuss the calculator against the backdrop of policy alternatives and the need for ongoing and robust debate about the future of public education.
Hetty Roessingh is a Professor at the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary. She is an advocate for restoring an approach to cursive writing grounded in current neuroscience research.
In a recent article in The Conversation, Dr. Rooessingh points to the benefits of handwritten letters of love and legacy.
Read Dr. Roessingh's piece in The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/handwritten-valentines-create-a-legacy-of-love-and-literacy-130365
Harvey Bischof is the president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation, representing over 70 000 teachers and education workers across the province. In this conversation we talk about contract negotiations in a social media world, a narrative for mandatory e-learning and stories that inspire us to stand up for public education.
Terry Greene is a Digital Learning Advisor in Fleming’s Learning Design & Support Team, ON November 26th he was in Milan, Italy where he accepted the Open Education Award for Excellence in Open Pedagogy.
In this conversation we talk about his adventure to Milan with his youngest daughter, his impressions of the conference he attended, and his IRL sightings and encounters.
For more of Terry, be sure to listen to his Gettin' Air podcast right here on voicEd Radio.
Jael Ealey Richardson is an author, a broadcaster and the Artistic Director/Founder of the Festival of Literary Diversity (FOLD), held each year in Brampton, Ontario. In this conversation, we talk about Jael's book, The Stone Thrower, her own identity journey and the importance of diversity in the stories we tell, and the books that we read, as young people and as adults.
For more on Jael, her website is a great starting point: http://www.jaelrichardson.com/
Meet Scott Kelly, the "S" in BS Games. I caught up with Scott at the Mindshare Workspace in Erin Mills Town Centre where he was demonstrating his newest game: Mathemagicians Duel. We talked about his personal passion for games, some of the current trends in game design and some advice for new game designs
Randy LaBonté is the CEO The Canadian eLearning Network (CANeLearn), a Canadian registered not-for-profit society with a vision to be the leading voice in Canada for learner success in K-12 online and blended learning.
Michael Barbour is Associate Professor of Instructional Design for the College of Education and Health Services at Touro University California in Vallejo, CA
Together, Randy and Michael have co-authored a paper , “Sense of Irony or Perfect Timing: Examining the Research Supporting Proposed e-Learning Changes in Ontario”. The article appears in the International Journal of E-Learning & Distance Education and can be accessed here: http://www.ijede.ca/index.php/jde/article/view/1137/1736
Steve Kaufmann is known to his 100.000 Youtube subscribers as an internet polyglot. His platform, Lingq.com provides a unique set of resources that enable people to learn different languages. In this conversation, we discuss Steve's approach and, in the process, challenge some of our standard assumptions that we've developed about our ability to learn and understand other languages.
Latifa Soliman is a student, a researcher and Graduate Assistant in the area of Education Leadership and Policy at OISE/UT in Toronto.
In this conversation, we begin to explore the policies and practices that would better support the success of newcomers to Canada—both young people and adults. Some simple ideas, but also an acknowledgement of the importance of policy.
Donna Fry is currently the Superintendent of the Pine Creek School Division in Manitoba. Donna has worked extensively in the province of Ontario on the mobilization of e-Learning strategies and Initiatives. David Porter is the CEO of eCampusOntario, an organization that connects and supports the development of e-Learning thinking at the post-secondary level.
This is the first time that Donna and David have spoken together, but something tells me that this may just be the start of some future work together. We're particularly excited about the possibility of connecting K-12 and post-secondary thinking about e-Learning through next year's TESS Conference.
Jennifer Binis is committed to complicated conversations about gender and/or education and/or assessment and/or history. Benjamin Doxtdater is a Canadian teacher and a member of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy /Oneida Nation, now teaching in Belgium On. their own, they are actively involved in critical approaches to the way we talk about education. Together, they deepen our understanding and appreciation for how those conversations can lead to change in theory, policy and practice.
Imogen Church is an actor, an author, an academic and and an audio book narrator. In today's conversation, we explore the re-emergence of the power of voice on a densely populated multimedia landscape.
Learn more about Imogen Church through her website: https://imogenchurch.com/
Follow Imogen on Twitter: @ImogenChurch
Through her book, "Mourning Has Broken: Love, Loss and Reclaiming Joy", broadcaster Erin Davis has opened up a space for us to think more intentionally and deeply about how we can begin new conversations about grief and grieving in our workplaces, our homes and communities.
Erin Davis joins us today on In Conversation.
Brian Woodland recently retired as Communications Director for the Peel District School Board in Ontario. He joins Stephen to reflects on some of the changes that he saw in his work over the course of the career, including how to nurture individuality and voice on today's social media landscape and the power of branding both inside and outside the organization.
Currently, Brian speaks and consults with organizations about their own communication strategies. He can be found at brianinspires.org
Traci Browder teaches Kindergarten in the State of Texas, but she has an eye for the bigger picture. A strong supporter of ALL students, Traci brings a sense of confidence and self-efficacy o her work. I think that you'll agree that having Traci as a colleague would hold a vision of excellence and equity in front of everyone on your staff.
We have the vision. We have the policy. How do we support our school leaders to develop rich and vibrant cultures of inclusion in their schools? What are the dispositions, skills and tools necessary? And what happens when we continue to embrace this work?
Joining the conversation are Steve Sider, Maggie Parker and Carolyn Treadgold.
Steve Sider is Associate Professor at Wilfred Laurier University in Waterloo Ontario (https://www.wlu.ca/academics/faculties/faculty-of-education/faculty-profiles/steve-sider/index.html)
Maggie Parker is a principal in the Halton District School Board (http://hdsb.ca)
Carolyn Treadgold is a principal and a Professional Learning Specialist at the Ontario Principals Council (https://www.principals.ca)
Joanne Foster is a parent, an author, an educator, consultant and expert in the area of gifted education. Her newest book "ABC's of Raising Smarter Children" is packed with resources, ideas and insights on how to nurture success in our children.
Find out more about Joanne's work at http://joannefoster.ca
Monday, September 30, 2019 is International Podcast Day and, in this conversation, we catch up with Dave Lee who, along with his father, Steve, started the whole thing six years ago.
Stephen and cohost Sara Candela dig a little deeper into the past, the present and the future of this day that celebrates the power of the podcast.
Find out more about the day at http://internationalpodcastday.com
Chami Akmeemana is the CEO of the Blockchain Learning Group, an organization that facilitates experiential learning-based education programs to support the innovation and design-thinking objectives of schools and organizations globally.
Chami speaks to me about the nature of blockchain, how it is having an impact on the way we think about education, as well as the role that technology can play in helping young people address some of the real world challenges presented by life in the 21st century.
Find out more about the Blockchain Learning Group at https://blockchainlearninggroup.com/
Learn more about BLG's upcoming event in Toronto at http://futureoflearning.io
Artists Maria Doering and Fiona Chinkan have developed a unique way of collaborating that has resulted in a project called "Shared Energies: Cells, Stars and the Fluidity Between" The project is fascinating, but so is the story of how it came to life.
Maria Doering is a German multidisciplinary artist and printmaker, living and working in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia since 2012. Her art practice moves fluidly between drawing, printmaking, installation art, painting and embroidery.
Fiona Chinkan is a New York City based artist. Fiona began her signature style of drawings in 2001, as a way to accompany graffiti lettering she was exploring at the time. Over the years, she has developed the lines and forms as a means to express herself and interpret the world around her.
Maria and Fiona's Shared Energies project can be found at http://shared-energies.com/
You can find more about Maria's work at http://maria-doering.com
You can learn more about Fiona's work at http://fionac.nyc
Dr. Sam Fecich is a professor of education at Pennsylvania's Grove City College where she passionately introduces presevice teachers to the connected worlds of technology and special education. Sam is the author of EduMagic : A Guide for Preservice Teachers and the host of the Edumagic Podcast!
Dr. Hetty Roessingh is a Professor in the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary. Her recent article in The Conversation has created quite the buzz as educators, parents and researchers around the world are, once again, discussing the merits of the formal teaching of cursive writing.
Christie Zaza is a Faculty Liaison in the Centre for Teaching Excellence at the University of Waterloo. Her article, "Students distracted by tech leave professors longing for eye contact" appeared recently in The Conversation. In this conversation, we talk about the research she conducted with Dr. Elena Neiterman that grounds the article. Should technology be banned from the University lecture hall, or do we need to take a closer look at how students coming to today's university are engaged by their professors. As is usually the case, the answer may lie somewhere between the two poles!
Dean Vendramin (@vendi55) is a teacher in the Regina Catholic School Division and a member of the Connected Educator program in that Division. This year, the group embarked on a Podcast Club and, over the course of a week in August, used podcast episodes to spark learning and connected conversations.
Benjamin Doxtdator is a Canadian-born educator now working in Belgium. Through his "A Long View on Education", as well as his presence on Twitter, Benjamin pushes us to look critically at our work in education, asking questions that many of us aren't used to asking.
In this conversation, Benjamin helps me unpack neo-liberalism and neo-conservatism, especially as it applies to education. We also explore predominant narratives in teaching, learning and schooling, evidence-based practice and the rise of the Edustar in the education space.
This year, Samantha Ellis introduced her students to "I Am Not A Number" by Jenny Kay Dupuis. Listen as she talks about the learning that she and her students encountered as a result, including the beautiful and poignant poetry that they produced in response. Supported by Viamonde District Consultant, Andrienne Lefebvre, this is a powerful story of learning about Canada's history of residential schools
Nicole Stogaitis is an Instructional Coach with the Viamonde School District and she's passionate about working with students on the habits, dispositions and mindsets they have about their work and learning skills. Listen as she talks about her own learning in this area, as well as some of the visions that she has around her ideal school.
Barbara Martins-Coehlo has been passionate about language for most of her life. A native of Brazil, coming to Montreal as a young person, Barbara now lives in Sudbury where she is preparing to start a Masters degree in Speech and Language Pathology.
Barbara joined me to talk about her professional journey, some of what she is learning about language development as well as the work of the Speech and Language Pathologist.
Siann, Merrick and Caleb are students at École élémentaire des Quatre-Rivières. Their teachers, M. Roméo Choumkui and Mme Veronique Mabel have introduced students to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and given them the opportunity to use technology (Minecraft) to address some of these goals.
Michael K. Barbour is Associate Professor of Instructional Design for the College of Education and Health Sciences at Touro University California. He has been involved with K-12 online learning in a variety of countries for well over a decade as a researcher, teacher, course designer and administrator.
Michael joins me to talk about the requirement that Ontario secondary school students take 4 of their high school credits online.
Académie de la Tamise teacher, Karyn Belanger-Sherman, didn't let the challenge of being assigned a 1/2 combined grade slow her down. Instead, she has leveraged available technology to "flip" her class so that all of her students are staying in touch with the learning throughout the school day.
For three years, 96 students and Aboriginal artist Philip Cote painted a timeline tracing Toronto's history from the ice age to today. Teacher and project lead, Auriane Sokoloski talks about the process and the impact of the project.
Stefan Dixon (s@tefandixon67) is the Vice-Principal at École élémentaire La Mosaïque in Toronto. As you'll hear in this conversation, Stefan is passionate about the learning that happens when we bring our students outside.
Alex Genest and Marie-Christine Côté took up the challenge of the "reluctant writer" and now use technology to engage students in exploring their story ideas using imagery, and multi-media software. The results have been inspiring for both teacher and student.
Acclaimed singer, author and child advocate, Raffi Cavoukian, joins Stephen Hurley to talk about his legacy work in Child Honouring and, in particular, a newly-created course that invites others to adopt a powerful respect for the voices of children in our world.
Find out more about Raffi's Child Honouring work at http://raffifoundation.org
From Ms. Melanie White's Grade 10 English class, more conversation with students engaging in using Twitter to energize their personal inquiry projects.
Tracey Maxfield is a nurse with over 36 years’ experience and certfication in gerontology and dementia care. Most recently, she is the author of Escaping the Rabbit Hole, in which provides a brutally honest, raw, and vivid description of what life is like after experiencing an acute depressive episode.
In this conversation, we discuss the journey through depression, her experience of workplace harassment and the advocacy she is currently doing with a variety of individuals and organizations in the area of bullying, mental health and depression.
At South Carleton High School near Ottawa, Ontario, Grade 10 students are learning to use Twitter as a research/connection tool as part of their English course. Teachers Melanie White and Chris Dales invited the world into a Friday afternoon Twitter chat about the social media platform and voicEd Radio was there to capture some of the voices of students participating.
Doretta Wilson is the former Executive Direct of the Society for Quality Education. Her support of parent choice in the arena of public education leads us to a conversation about the possibility of charter schools and vouchers in the province of Ontario.
Heather MacTaggart is the Executive Director of Classroom Connections, an organization that, for the last 15 years, has been developing classroom-based resources as well as working extensively to deliver innovative employability skills training to multi-barriered youth in First Nations communities.
Heather joined me this morning to talk about a new self-directed learning initiative aimed at creating alternative experiences of school for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth. Learn about how Heather is bringing her values, beliefs and insights to start one such alternative in the Toronto area.
Dr. Ted Christou is Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and Research at Queen's University, Ontario. Widely known for his passion and expertise in the area of the history of education, Dr. Christou's recent article in The Conversation, "Welcome to the latest wave of ‘modernizing,’ ‘progressive’ school reforms in Ontario" sheds a new (!) light on what is currently happening in that province and other jurisdictions across Canada.
Tim Carson is Chief Instructor in the Piping Trades Department at the British Columbia Institute for Technology. His podcast, The Guild, can be heard and found among other places at voicEd Radio.
In this conversation, we explore some of the attitudes that the public still holds around trades education, but it's importance in the economy of the country, as well as the power it holds for our human flourishing as makers.
Dr. Louis Volante is a Professor in the Faculty of Education at Ontario's Brock University. He was the lead author on a recent article in The Conversation, "Testing literacy today requires more than a pencil and paper". In this conversation we explore the changing literacy landscape around the world and how the assessments that we use to gauge both student success and school effectiveness might be expanded to capture the new possibilities that are open to educators, researchers and, most important, students.
Check out Dr. Volante's (et al) most recent contribution to The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/testing-literacy-today-requires-more-than-a-pencil-and-paper-114154
Follow Dr. Louis Volante on Twitter: @LouisVolante
Also connect with article co-authors:
Dr. Carol Campbell: @CarolCampbell4
Dr. Christopher DeLuca: @ChrisDeLuca20
Dr. Jennifer Rowsell: @drjenrowsell
Dr. Lorenzo Cherubini: @lorenzocherub
Dr. Steve Sider is Associate Professor at the Faculty of Education, Wilfred Laurier University. Steve's recent article in The Conversation explores the pillars of school leadership that help us reaffirm our commitment to every child in every school——everyday!
Here's a link to Dr. Sider's piece in The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/every-child-matters-what-principals-need-to-effectively-lead-inclusive-schools-114249
Follow Dr. Sider on Twitter: @drstevesider
Stephen Murgatroyd is a broadcaster, writer and consultant working with government, for-profit and not-for-profit organizations across Canada and around the world. He has a specialized knowledge about the way ideas move across the planet and is able to use that knowledge to help us step back and see how, what may seem like local challenges and opportunities, are really part of a much bigger picture.
In this conversation, we talk about the Global Education Reform Movement (G.E.R.M.) and how its effects are starting to be felt on the Canadian education landscape.
Mario Eleftheros is Technology Integration Leader for Halifax Regional Centre for Education in Nova Scotia.
In this conversation, we talk about the progress we've made towards effective technology integration, new trends in edtech and the conditions that allow us to make more powerful use of technology in our schools.
Grant McConnell is a Saskatchewan based artist and arts-educator currently teaching at the University of Saskatchewan. Grant is an arts advocate and in addition to his work on a number of arts-related boards, he is past chair of the Canadian Artists Representation (CARFAC).
In this conversation, we talk about Grant's work, the importance of supporting artists in a modern world and how art can provoke important thinking and questioning among viewers.
Nebojsa Karadzic holds a B. Sc. Degree in Electrical Engineering and has more than 15 years of experience as a Software Developer in energy, biotechnology, and financial industries. Deep reflection on his work has enabled him to develop unique thinking method named Premise Based Implicative Truth Synthesis.
We're hoping that this conversation with Nebojsa will draw you into the approach, compel you to want to find out more and embrace the power to think differently.
Harvey Bischof is the President of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation, an organization that represents nearly 70 000 high school educators as well as support staff from across Ontario's education space.
In this conversation, we talk about the challenges currently facing Ontario's public education system, how OSSTF is responding and how this critical period in history might help us get to the deeper questions around what we stand for and what we will stand for when it comes to students, teachers and schools.
Author, speaker and broadcaster, Ann Douglas joins Stephen Hurley to talk about her new book, Happy Parents, Happy Kids. In this half hour, Ann and Stephen talk about the pressures of parenting in today's world, the need for self-care, community and giving yourself permission to "not be perfect".
Find out more about Ann Douglas and her new book at www.anndouglas.net/
John Doran is an educator, Author of Ways to Wellbeing, a self-identified Possibilitarian, Board Member Make-A-Wish Foundation and a TEDx Speaker.
In this episode, Stephen Hurley catches up with John to talk about his approach to well-being, positive education and the need for every student to feel like they are "enough".
Dr. Sharon Mitchell is an autism consultant, university instructor (University of Regina & University of Saskatchewan), a much sought-after speaker and advocate for those on the autism spectrum, their families and their teachers.
Sharon is also the author of the acclaimed book series, "School Daze" which embeds much of what we have learned about Autism in compelling story of challenge and growth.
Elena Merenda is Assistant Program Head of Early Childhood Studies at University of Guelph-Humber. Her recent article in The Conversation, "‘Momo challenge hoax’ prompts parents to help children deal with scary media" has prompted some deeper conversations about the images and stories that young children encounter in their online lives.
How do parents and educators monitor not only the content, but how children are responding to that content?
Carl Honoré is a broadcaster, speaker and author. His 2004 Best-seller, "In Praise of Slow" prompted the Huffington Post to identify him as "the unofficial godfather of a growing cultural shift toward slowing down."
His latest book, "Bolder: Making the Most of our Longer Lives" is a lively and inspiring look at how our attitudes towards and ideas about ageing need to change and what might happen on both personal and social levels if we embrace growing older in a whole new way.
Scott Hebert is a Science teacher at St. John Paul II Secondary School in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta. But his classroom doesn't look like most science classrooms!
Listen in as Scott talks about how he uses gamification to engage, deepen understanding and connect students to their learning in unique ways.
Dr. Robert Suskind is a pediatrician, a medical educator and the former Dean of four different medical schools in the United States. In this conversation, Dr. Suskind joins Stephen Hurley to talk about childhood nutrition, malnourishment, undernourishment, our cultural habits around food and even the future of medical education.
Kerry McCuaig is Fellow in Early Childhood Policy, Atkinson Centre, OISE, University of Toronto. Kerry was on the original team that consulted and reported on a vision for early childhood learning that ultimately led to the establishment of what we now know as FDK.
In this conversation we dig a little deeper into the success of the Ontario FDK program and why it is important for our children, our families and our communities.
Louise Zimanyi is Professor of Early Childhood Education, School of Health Sciences, Humber College, Toronto
Louise has extensive experience in global and regional programming, policy development and advocacy in early childhood development (including Sustainable Development Goals 4 target on ECD) . She is currently researching how young children develop wonder, wisdom and relationships in a forest and nature program (co-piloted in at Humber College 2016) as well as parent perspectives of their children’s experiences in the forest nature program.
Louise's article in The Conversation, "Wonder and wisdom in a children’s forest nature program" can be found at:
theconversation.com/wonder-and-wisd…-program-106692
John Pateman is the CEO and Chief Librarian at the Thunder Bay Public Library. His vision for a Needs-based approach to libraries can be found in his newest book, "Managing Cultural Change in Public Libraries: Marx, Maslow and Management".
In this introductory conversation, John talks about his journey to Thunder Bay, the work towards a new vision for the library system in that city and what is in store for communities that take this vision seriously.
Raymond Steinmetz and Denis Sheeran are the hosts of the Instant Relevance podcast where they share their thoughts on how to #MakeItReal for your students, your colleagues, your school culture.
We're excited to welcome Raymond and Denis to the voicEd Radio community and in this conversation, Stephen Hurley digs a little deeper into some of the ideas and perspectives that they bring to this space.
Rachelle Dene Poth is teaches a course called "STEAM: What’s nExT in Emerging Technology" at Riverview Junior Senior High School in Oakmont, PA. She is very active in the EdTech space, including roles as President of the ISTE Teacher Education Network and the Communications Chair for the ISTE Mobile Learning Network.
Listen in as Rachelle talks about education technology, the signals of change that are on the horizon and how to move from self-efficacy to collective efficacy in our use of technology.
Gavin Foster is a music teacher in Belleville Ontario. He has chosen a very interesting word to inspire, motivate and hold him accountable in 2019. Listen in as he explains why "forward" is his chosen word for the year.
Michael Fullan is the Global Leadership Director, New Pedagogies for Deep Learning. For over half a century, Michael has been thinking deeply about systems of education around the world and continues to advise, consult and write about the journey of change.
In our very first conversation with Michael, we explore some of the broad ideas from his latest book, "Nuance: Why Some Leaders Succeed and Others Fail"
Diana Suskind, Ed.D and RIE (Resources for Infant Educarers) Associate, is an international Early Childhood consultant and artist. She is also the founder and developer of Stonework Play, an invitation extended to children and adults to create meaningful stories through contact with nature.
In this conversation, Diana tells about the spirit and power of using stones as a "kinesthetic medium" for storytelling and meaning-making.
Find out more about Stonework play:
corwin-connect.com/2016/11/playing…ful-engagement/
Reuben Loewy is the Director of LIVING ONLINE Lab , a non-profit organization dedicated to teaching youth about the digital world using a unique, online curriculum.
In this conversation, we explore the genesis of the initiative and some of the rich resources available for educators and communities who want to take young people on a deeper dive into the important issues related to digital literacy.
Reuben's work can be found at livingonlinelab.org/
Eva Pomeroy is the Social Innovator in Residence at Concordia University in Quebec. Her recent piece in The Conversation presents an idea for transforming the undergraduate experience by intentionally building cross-disciplinary cohorts of students.
Read the article here: theconversation.com/why-universitie…omerooms-106299
Find out more about Eva and her work: www.concordia.ca/about/next-gener…ion/pomeroy.html
Robert Nelson is a Professor in the Monash Education Academy at Australia's Monash University. His article, "To be Creative, Education Must Become Bifocal" takes a critical look at the practice of Constructive Alignment in university course design, although many educators at the elementary and secondary levels of education will find that this conversation might just resonate with them as well.
How are we leaving room for imagination and creativity in our approaches to course and curriculum design?
Dr. James Skidmore is Associate Professor in the Department of Germanic & Slavic Studies At University of Waterloo. He is also Director, Waterloo Centre for German Studies.
In this episode, we begin to explore the idea of a University in our 21st century. What purpose do they serve? How might students (and faculty) become more engaged in the tough work of knowledge acquisition and mobilization? What role does the notion of "Open" play in developing our systems of education so that they can continue to be transformative in the lives of students?
Maggie Fay is an ASD/DD Classroom Teacher in Ontario's Peel District School Board. She's here with a message about see all students through the eyes of empathy, caring and love.
Steve Brown is the President and CEO of Nelson, a leading Canadian educational publisher. In this episode, Steve joins Stephen Hurley to talk about the shifting landscape of content creation, access and use in the education space.
Steve also speaks about Nelson's response that these shifts through Edwin, a new approach to content curation and distribution.
In this 100th episode of In Conversation, Stephen Hurley welcomes Jon Orr and Kyle Pearce, two passionate math educators from Southwestern Ontario who are out to change the way that we talk and think about engaging students in learning mathematics.
Discover more about their current project at makemathmoments.com/lesson1
Both of our guests can be found on Twitter:
Kyle Pearce @mathletepearce
Jon Orr @MrOrr_geek
Stephen Hurley is joined by Margaret Boersma and Carrie Rubel who, along with Marise Foster are inviting Toronto-area residents to an Urban Retreat. It's a way to Shift your Stress in today's busy world. The event is on November 3, 2018, but the power of this conversation can't be put on an calendar.
Gloria and Peter Van Donge are the creative minds behind a new series of books designed to develop self-awareness among children identified as gifted. The Cheetah series area first step toward enabling gifted children to feel good about themselves for exactly who they are.
Find out more about The Cheetah Series by visiting www.giftedkidzone.com/
Reuben Loewy is the Director of LIVING ONLINE Lab , a non-profit organization dedicated to teaching youth about the digital world using a unique, online curriculum.
In this conversation, we explore the genesis of the initiative and some of the rich resources available for educators and communities who want to take young people on a deeper dive into the important issues related to digital literacy.
Reuben's work can be found at livingonlinelab.org/
From beekeeping to forensic science, Juan Campos' amazing journey into teaching and the development of his podcast, Seal it With A Smile. Responding to fear with the power of relationship!
Marit Stiles is a Member of Ontario Provincial Parliament representing the Toronto riding of Davenport. She also serves as the NDP's education critic. Stephen Hurley had the opportunity to catch up with MPP Stiles from her office at Queen's Park. They talked about the role of critic, the shifting conversations in Ontario education and the bigger questions about public education that need to be tackled as we move forward.
MPP Stiles is on Twitter: @maritstiles
Stephen Hurley is on Twitter: @stephen_hurley
Brent Jensen is an author, professional speaker, music critic, and host of the No Sleep 'til Sudbury Podcast Series. I was thrilled to be able to talk to Brent about the opportunity for connectivity that music provides, some thoughts on our own musical journey and how we might be able to reframe music education to support the appreciation that young people have for the music of their lives.
Find out more about Brent, his work and his podcast at nosleeptilsudbury.org/
We're pleased to welcome Cheyenne Dale and Zachary Tustin to our voicEd Radio team. Both Cheyenne and Zach are Education Students at Lakehead University and have signed on to voicEd Radio for an internship experience. Stephen Hurley catches up with them, just as they have returned home from a busy week of classes.
Lisa Kohn was born to hippie parents and raised in New York City's East Village in the 1970s. At age 10, Lisa's mother had her pledging their lives to the Unification Church (the "Moonies") and self-appointed Messiah, Reverend Sun Myung Moon.
Lisa's newly released memoir tells a powerful story of how, over time, she has come to terms with a life defined by insecurity and absurdity and has learned to live a life of joyful presence.
Amy Tepperman is the founder and creative catalyst behind Moving EDGEucation, an organization that is looking to nurture teachers who want to move education in the direction of creating wellness-focused learning environments.
Find out more about Amy and the work of the organization at www.movingedgeucation.com/about
Rachel Collishaw is the current president of the Ontario History and Social Science Teachers Association. She and Stephen talk a little bit of politics, geek out about primary documents and speak about the upcoming annual conference taking place in Toronto in November.
Krista Wiley and Barbara Silva are in two different parts of the country, yet find a great deal in common with the way their respective governments support much needed infrastructure support in their publicly-funded school systems. Barbara Silva is Communications Director for Support Our Students Alberta, while Krista is the founder of Fix Our Schools in Ontario.
Beth Eden is President of World Merit Canada, an organization that encourages, nurtures and rewards local activism around the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Listen as Beth shares her passion and invites others to do the same.
Find out more about World Merit by visiting worldmerit.org/
Ontario educator, Ann Marie Luce is back for the summer, having spent the last year as Principal of Nursery/Preschool/Elementary programs at the Canadian International School of Beijing. In this conversation, Ann Marie reflects on changing contexts, personal growth and both the challenges and opportunities that have greeted her on her journey.
My School Rocks is a charitable organization that leverages the SYNERGY between music, education and youth wellness. Anthony Kolozetti, Cliff Callaway and their team work to inspire elementary school students to embrace well-being, inclusivity and diversity through the power of music. Listen in as Anthony speaks with Stephen Hurley about the spirit of My School Rocks.
Visit My School Rocks at myschoolrocks.ca
Sue Kwiecien is the founder of Cube for Teachers, an Ontario-based initiative that provides educators with a way of curating and sharing web-based resources across a number of different areas of interest. Simple, yet powerful!
Find out more about Cube For Teachers at cubeforteachers.com
Nicole Anthony is one of two Canadian educators who received this year's Prime Minister's Certificate of Excellence in STEM. Nicole teaches at John Polyani Secondary School in Toronto. Listen in as Stephen engages Nicole in a conversation about her passion or science as well as her approach to planning and implementing learning experiences for her students.
For B.C. Educator, Dan Massey, learning science is about keeping it real, making it fun, interactive and playful. According to his profile as one of the recipients of this year's Prime MInister's Award for Teaching Excellence in the area of STEM, "Dan integrates art, math, science, English, and technology to create projects and tasks that directly address the age-old question, 'When will I need this information in real life?' "
Sarah Sils is committed to empower the students she teaches, all of them girls, to lead, collaborate, take risks and learn from what works and, more important, what doesn't. Her efforts to bring STEM to life have earned her recognition in this year's Prime MInister's Award for Teaching Excellence in STEM
Carla Cooper, a Senior Science teacher/curriculum writer, is one of this year's recipients of the Prime Minister's Award for Teaching Excellence in STEM. You won't need to listen to much of her conversation with Stephen Hurley to find out why she is a special teacher.
Sheila Dunwoodie is one of the 2018 Recipients of the Prime Minister's Award for Teaching Excellence in the area of STEM. Stephen Hurley caught up with Sheila on a Holiday Monday to talk about her passion for teaching, what keeps her motivated and her take on the conditions that have allowed her to breathe so much life into the learning lives of her students.
Amy Szerminska (@szwildcat)is a Biology & Chemistry teacher @Eastview SS in #SCDSB. Proponent of hands-on #science & keeping the focus on learning, not grades! In this episode, you'll hear the passion and insight she carries with in her into her teaching.
Although Jamie Bricker is retired from a long career with the Durham District School Board (Ontario), his learning journey continues. His book, "The New 3 R's of Teaching and learning outlines the language, the metaphors and the vision that Jamie has for schools and for learning as we move forward.
Find out more about Jamie at jamiebricker.com
Jen Cort is a therapist, former school principal & counselor focusing on diversity, advisory programs & student, parent, teacher partnerships. In this initial conversation, we focus on Jen's approach to having meaningful conversations with our kids about things with which we, as adults, may not totally comfortable.
Find out more about Jen's work by visiting her website: www.jencort.com/
You can follow Jen on Twitter as well: @JenCortEdCon
In this episode, Stephen Hurley speaks with Aaron Tucker about his latest book: "Y: Oppenheimer, Horseman of Los Alamos". The book takes us on a deep exploration of loves and moral dilemmas faced by the man who led the project that created the world's first weapon of mass destruction.
Find out more about Aaron Tucker at: aarontucker.ca
Discover Coach House Books at: chbooks.com/
Katherine Lawrence is a Saskatchewan-based writer whose newest book, "Stay" is capturing the imaginations of young people and adults alike. It's a novel-in-verse——a genre that has intrigued Katherine for a long time. On this episode, Katherine and I talk about "Stay", the writing process and the ways in which poetry speaks to young people.
Anna Khouzam and Amanda Yokingco bring their new podcast to the voicEd Radio airwaves this spring. Listen as they talk about their reasons for wanting to tell their story, share their insights and explore the world of podcasting.
Shauna Pomerantz is an Associate Professor at Brock University, Ontario. Her research interests in, among other things, Youth Cultural Studies and Girl Studies has allowed her to contribute to conversations about school dress codes in a powerful and important way. Stephen Hurley goes beyond the headlines with Shauna Pomerantz.
Ellen Barber is a young entrepreneur with a story to tell. It's the story of someone whose severe learning disability prevented her from accessing the stories and books that she so dearly loved. It's also the story of someone who learned to advocate for herself, overcome those challenges to become a successful businessperson and an avid reader.
An introduction to students from Rebecca Chambers' Grade 12+ World Issues students at John McRae SS, Ottawa, Ontario. Stay tuned for more from these articulate and engaged students.
Stephen Hurley speaks with Heidi Bernhardt, the founder and Executive Director of the Centre for ADD Awareness Canada. An enlightening conversation about the need to learn more--as educators, as parents and as community members.
Victoria Prooday is a Registered Occupational Therapist with an extensive experience working with children, parents and teachers. Victoria connects with Stephen to talk about, among other things, the impact of today's lifestyle on the brain development of children and young people.
Find out more about Victoria at yourot.com
Krista Wylie leads the Fix Our Schools working group, an Ontario-based initiative designed to advocate for safe, healthy, well-maintained buildings that provides an environment conducive to learning and working——a vision for all publicly-funded schools.
Irvin Studin is President of The Institute for 21st Century Questions
Editor-in-Chief & Publisher of Global Brief Magazine. In this intriguing conversation, he moves the conversation about school-based French Immersion well beyond the doors of the schoolhouse, making a strong case for a National Language Strategy in Canada.
Patrick O'Neill is a Toronto-based management consultant, mediator and mentor. He leads from within his organization, Extraordinary Conversations, but also through his new book, "The Only Certain Freedom: The Transformative Journey of the Entrepreneur.
A fascinating conversation with Kelly MacKay and Andrea Kerr. Together, they are the creative spirit behind The BeastEDU. You can read this very unique approach to thinking and writing about education at thebeastedu.com
Partnerships for Youth Empowerment (PYE) has been working for the past 20 years to unleash the power, purpose, and potential of young people worldwide. They do this by empowering teachers, youth workers, and other leaders to build supportive Creative Communities that change lives.
Listen in as PYEGlobal team members, Peggy Taylor, Gwyn Wansbrough, Nadia Chaney and Helena Hennighausen speak about their work in making this dream become a global force in Youth Empowerment
You can find out more about PYE Global at pyeglobal.org/
Usha Shanmugathasan is an Ontario-based educator and Masters of Ed Student (OISE/UT) who is passionate about increasing understanding about the importance of early childhood education. In today's conversation, Usha challenges some of the assumptions that we tend to make about young learners.
Connect with Usha on Twitter: @ushashan43
Stephen Hurley is joined by eCampusOntario Executive Director, David Porter (@davidp_eCO) and Program Manager, Terry Greene (@greeneterry) to talk about the Open movement, what it means and what the future holds for eCampusOntario and its partner post-secondary institutions.
Sarah Said (@mrssaid17) is the Director of English Language at the Chicago Ridge School District, Illinois. In this conversation with Stephen Hurley (@stephen_hurley) Sarah talks about valuing the story of all of our student as well as powerful family engagement as intentional and ongoing.
Rachel Williams is the Dean of Faculty at The Joy School in Houston, Texas. It's a school dedicated to serving students with learning differences, using strategies and approaches that will allow them to return to and thrive in their home schools.
Find out more about Rachel, her colleagues and The Joy School at thejoyschool.org
Stephen Hurley speaks with Education Researcher, Jennifer Hawkins, author of "Feelings and Emotion-Based Learning: A New Theory". The conversation explores the theoretical grounding for Jennifer's work as well as a way that educators can engage in some pretty powerful action research in this area.
Paul Signorelli (@paulsignorelli) is a writer, a instructional designer, social media strategist and consultant. His insights on community, collaboration and creativity shine through in this conversation with Stephen Hurley.
To find out more about Paul: paulsignorelli.com/index.html and buildingcreativebridges.wordpress.com/presen…urses/
Amanda Dervaitis (@adervaitis ) is the founding principal of the High Park Day School in Toronto. But she's so much more. She joins Stephen Hurley (@stephen_hurley) to talk about her work, her passion for education and her vision for schools in the 21st century
Kate Gatto is the National Program Director for the Youth Philanthropy Initiative, an organization that empower young people to make decisions about charities within their community. Find out more about Kate and YPI at goypi.org
Paul Bennett (@educhatter) joins Stephen Hurley (@stephen_hurley) to speak about issues related to school governance and the impending release of Dr. Avis Glaze's report on Education Re-organization in Nova Scotia
tephen Hurley (@stephen_hurley) is joined by Teresa Murray (@fixontmath) to discuss her passion around ensuring that all students get the basic skills they need to succeed in mathematics.
Stephen Hurley (@stephen_hurley) connects with Ottawa-based educator, Rola Tibshirani, as she prepares to launch her new podcast, The Missing Link. Hear what that's all about!
In this episode, Martin Ainscough (@AinscNW), Chair of Musical Futures joins Stephen Hurley (@stephen_hurley) to talk about the past, present and future of this informal approach to music education. For more information on Musical Futures visit: www.musicalfutures.org/
Support our Students (@SOSAlberta) Communications Director, Barbara Silva, speaks with Stephen Hurley (Stephen_hurley) about the need for a new vision—and a new funding model—in Alberta's commitment to public education.
In this episode, Stephen Hurley speaks with Joel Westheimer, the University Chair of Democracy and Education at the University of Ottawa. In this conversation we explore the power of connecting music education with the teaching of history.