Education

Learning rewired: U of T researcher sparks kids’ interest in tech with animatronic critters

bresgead — Tue, 16 Jul 2024 18:22:39 +0000

Learning rewired: U of T researcher sparks kids’ interest in tech with animatronic critters

bresgead Tue, 07/16/2024 - 14:22

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Paul Dietz, a distinguished engineer in residence and director of fabrication in U of T’s computer science department, hopes his paper animatronic creations can engage more kids in STEM through the power of storytelling (photo by Polina Teif)

Adina Bresge

Topic

Our Community

Computer Science

Education

Faculty of Arts & Science

Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

Robotics

STEM

Subheadline

Paul Dietz says robotic paper creations are a creative – and more inclusive – way to get kids interested in STEM fields

Could a talking paper octopus be the key to igniting kids' curiosity about technology?

University of Toronto engineer Paul Dietz certainly thinks so. With the help of a menagerie of mechanically controlled puppets, he has a plan to help students learn to think creatively across a wide range of fields.

All it takes is some simple circuitry, a few arts and crafts supplies – and a lot of imagination.

A distinguished engineer in residence and director of fabrication in the Faculty of Arts and Science’s computer science department, Dietz is the whimsical mind behind the Animatronics Workshop. The program collaborates with schools to provide opportunities for children to create, design and build their own robotic shows.

Dietz has been partnering with schools where kids create their own animatronic stories – from staging pre-programmed puppet shows to hosting Q-and-As with Shakespeare – departing from the competition-based competitions typical of many youth robotics efforts.

Dietz’s program has been his passion project for a decade and a half, developed on the side while he worked day jobs engineering innovations for companies like Microsoft, Mitsubishi and Disney, as well as his own startups.

Now, at U of T, Dietz is focusing on bringing accessible and affordable animatronics to classrooms across Canada. The goal, he says, is to teach kids to use technology as a tool for storytelling, dismantling what he sees as a false divide between the arts and sciences.

“One of the first participants in this program was a young girl who was really into writing creative stories and really loved science. And she saw these as two conflicting parts of her world,” says Dietz, who is also a faculty affiliate at the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society.

“After what she did in animatronics, it suddenly dawned on her that you can do both. If you do engineering right, it is a creative art.”

In a capstone course on physical computing in K-12, Dietz encouraged undergraduate students to explore how computer-based systems can bring stories to life in the classroom (photo by Polina Teif)

Dietz had a similar realization as a teenager in the late 1970s, when a behind-the-scenes tour of Walt Disney Imagineering got him tinkering with an animatronic robot penguin.

This early fusion of technical skills and storytelling sensibilities set Dietz on a path that turned flights of imagination into real-world breakthroughs that shape our engagement with technology.

A prolific inventor and researcher, Dietz is best known for co-creating an early progenitor of the multi-touch display technology that’s ubiquitous in today’s smartphones and tablets. Other innovations include 'Pal Mickey,' an interactive plush toy that guided visitors through Disney theme parks, and parallel reality displays that allow multiple viewers to see individualized content on the same screen.

Dietz says his storied career debunks the common misconception – often reinforced in schools – that creativity is exclusive to artistic pursuits, while science is the domain of strict rationality, where there are prescribed methods of inquiry to arrive at a single correct answer.

As Dietz sees it, weaving a narrative and programming a robot are propelled by the same creative impulse – they just exercise different skills. He believes a well-rounded education should equip students with a diverse arsenal of tools to explore new ideas.

“If you’re an artist, you have to learn the mechanics of sculpting or painting or whatever your medium is,” he says. “We should be looking at engineering and technology as those tools, and the key is … learning how to use them creatively to achieve things that are actually positive for our society.”

The universal appeal of storytelling also serves to make technology accessible and exciting to kids of all ages and genders, Dietz adds.

Bridging the gender divide in STEM has been core to Dietz’s animatronics mission since its inception.

When his daughter was in middle school, Dietz took her to a robotics competition – but she was turned off by the contest, which seemed pointless to her. However, when the two of them worked together on an animatronic raccoon, he saw her passion for creating ignite.

“This light bulb went off in my head: Maybe the problem isn’t that we’re doing tech,” says Dietz. “Maybe kids like my daughter need to see some application that makes sense to them – like telling a story.”

Kids at the Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study are encouraged to develop creative and computer science skills (photo courtesy of JICS)

Over the years, Dietz has partnered with several schools to set up animatronics workshops that attracted an even number of boys and girls and ensured every kid participated in all aspects of the projects – from storytelling and character design to robot building and programming.

But as his career took him across the U.S., Dietz found it difficult to sustain and replicate the success of the programs because of the prohibitive costs of full-scale animatronic robots and the significant technical expertise required from teachers.

At U of T, Dietz is working to bring animatronics to schools of all resources, allowing students to develop creative and computer science skills by harnessing the endless storytelling possibilities of paper.

Undergraduate students demo an interactive diorama during a capstone showcase at the Bahen Centre for Information Technology (photo by Polina Teif)

At the Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study (JICS) at U of T’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, students from kindergarten through Grade 6 have put Dietz’s paper animatronics kits to the test, bringing characters to life with kinetic, vocal creations.

The laboratory school has hosted a series of pilot projects where kids fashioned characters out of construction paper, recorded voices and wired motorized movements to animate creations ranging from a chomping, sharp-toothed maw to a bouncing kitten.

Dietz hopes the pilot program at JICS, pictured, can be scaled up to schools across the country (photo courtesy of JICS)

Nick Song, a special education and technology teacher at JICS, says he sees enormous educational potential for paper animatronics to engage students in hands-on, interactive learning that simultaneously develops technology skills and fosters creative expression.

“The kids love doing things with technology because it gives them a really cool feedback loop where they can try something and see it work immediately,” says Song. “All of this is very motivating for kids, seeing something pick up their voice and start moving, and you almost feel like it’s coming to life.”

Building on the pilots at JICS, Dietz is aiming to scale up the program to schools across the country in hopes of nurturing the next generation of out-of-the-box innovators.

“It’s very different from the technical work that I’ve generally done … but it feels very right,” says Dietz. “I think we’re doing something important for Canada.”

U of T's Data Sciences Institute partners with UNICEF to drive innovation in learning

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 18:45:29 +0000

U of T's Data Sciences Institute partners with UNICEF to drive innovation in learning

Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 08/09/2023 - 14:45

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(photo by Biplov Bhuyan/SOPA Images/Lightbox/Getty Images)

Sara Elhawash

Topic

Global Lens

Data Sciences Institute

Institutional Strategic Initiatives

Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation

Computer Science

Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Education

Faculty of Arts & Science

Global

Research & Innovation

Undergraduate Students

The Data Sciences Institute (DSI) at the University of Toronto is partnering with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)’s Frontier Data and Tech team to find new ways to use data to address complex challenges involving children.

Through joint research and training, DSI – a U of T institutional strategic initiative – will work with UNICEF to strengthen the international organization’s ability to use data science to drive innovation in learning.

That includes a partnership focused on using data and artificial intelligence, or AI, to predict student dropout rates and develop better early warning systems that inform decision makers in the development and humanitarian realm.

“This partnership is a significant milestone for our Frontier Data Network, a global community of practice that leverages data science to positively impact the lives of children worldwide,” says Yves Jaques, chief of the Frontier Data and Technology unit at UNICEF.

“Together, we are poised to unlock new insights, drive evidence-based decision-making, and pave the way to a brighter future for children everywhere.”

The effort aligns with DSI’s strategic goal of leveraging the potential of data to promote the greater public good.

As an initial collaboration, Zahra Shakeri, an assistant professor at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME) at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, will partner with Manuel Garcia-Herranz, data principal researcher, and Karen Avanesyan, statistics and monitoring education specialist at UNICEF’s Division of Data, Analytics, Planning and Monitoring (DAPM) on a project that aims to revolutionize early warning systems in education through the application of cutting-edge AI technology.

As part of the 2023 Summer Undergraduate Data Science (SUDS) Opportunities Program, the project allows Ziqi Shu, a third-year student studying computer science, cognitive science and mathematics, to gain practical experience by working on fictional case studies focusing on social problems affecting children. By identifying at-risk students and schools with high dropout rates, UNICEF aims to support countries with a strong Education Management Information System (EMIS) and household survey data.

“Our aim is to develop a pilot tool that provides a comprehensive representation of the machine learning-based school dropout prediction landscape, bridging the knowledge gap in this area,” says Shakeri, who is also director of the Health Informatics, Visualization, and Equity (HIVE) Lab at IHPME. “This tool will utilize innovative data analysis and visualization techniques, benefiting researchers, practitioners and other stakeholders in exploring the factors influencing school dropout among children.

“The long-term goal of this project is to harness the power of data science and create an adaptable, publicly accessible system that could support countries in addressing the critical issue of school dropouts. By leveraging AI technology and early warning systems, our aim is to identify and support at-risk students and schools, ultimately safeguarding every child’s right to education.”

The UNICEF-DSI partnership paves the way for further research and training collaborations.

There will be opportunities to connect with the DSI community during its DSI Research Day on Sept. 27, where Garcia-Herranz will deliver the keynote address and Jaques will participate in a panel discussion on developing an effective data science workforce. The discussion will focus on equipping graduates with essential data science skills required in today’s diverse fields and industries. DSI Research Day aims to showcase the work of the DSI community, fostering connections and engagement among academia, industry and government stakeholders.

“By combining our community’s expertise in data science with UNICEF’s commitment to driving results for children globally, we have the opportunity to make a profound impact,” says Lisa Strug, director of the Data Sciences Institute.

“Through our joint efforts, we aim to strengthen UNICEF’s knowledge and capacities in utilizing data science methodologies, fostering innovation in learning and ultimately creating a brighter future for children worldwide.”

Digitally immersive, land-centred space at OISE to support Indigenous research

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 05 Aug 2022 17:13:35 +0000

Digitally immersive, land-centred space at OISE to support Indigenous research

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 08/05/2022 - 13:13

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From left to right: Elder Clayton Shirt, Interim Dean Normand Labrie, Professor Clare Brett and Professor Sandra Styres sit in the new land-centred learning environment at OISE (photo by Christina Andrews)

Topic

Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

Truth and Reconciliation

A new digitally immersive, land-centred learning environment at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education will provide a key space for Indigenous-specific research – a place where Indigenous faculty and students can access Indigenous resources, collaborate on research projects, and engage in critical conversations about their work in a sacred space.

Part of OISE’s Indigenous Educational Research Centre, the land-centred learning environment was recently revealed by Associate Professor Sandra Styres, her research team and Elder Clayton Shirt alongside the Deepening Knowledge Project (DKP) and Indigenous Educational Research lab.

“I feel honoured to be here on the very first day of the launch of DKP,” said Normand Labrie, OISE’s interim dean, said in late June. “It is a great addition to OISE and an incredible space for our researchers and educators to collaborate, lead and connect on Indigenous research and excellence,

The Deepening Knowledge Project: Indigenous Knowledge Resurgence and Education seeks to infuse Indigenous Peoples’ histories, knowledges and pedagogies into all levels of education in Canada. It was created by OISE’s Indigenous Educational Research Centre and is connected to OISE’s department of curriculum, teaching and learning (CTL).

The digitally immersive, land-centred floor space, meanwhile, combines Indigenous traditional knowledge with a 360-degree immersive learning experience.

“With the national spotlight still on the reconciliation project and with education seen as a critical site for reconciliatory efforts, there's a significant attention to the importance of addressing Indigenous rights in national and global conversations about Indigenous education,” said Styres, a Canada Research Chair in Iethi’nihstnha Ohwentsia’kkha (Land), Resurgence, Reconciliation, and the Politics of Education.

“Some examples of these are found in the ways we occupy the space to make it placeful, the ways we enter the space, the furniture placement open to the East and West directions, the use of sacred fire with tobacco and 360 imaging in the room around you.”

Led by a group of Indigenous and non-Indigenous faculty, students and staff, DKP is a hub that provides access to resources about the history and perspectives of First Nations, Métis and Inuit Peoples along with other Indigenous cultures. It also provides curricula for teachers to incorporate into their teaching practices and content areas related to issues of pressing concern to Indigenous Peoples and their communities.

“I realized today, listening to the ceremony and sitting in the room with community, that going through the pandemic has somehow raised the importance and the reality of the potential that this project has,” said Associate Professor Clare Brett, chair of the department of curriculum, teaching and learning. “I see it now as being a real fulfilment of some of the promise of what we saw during COVID-19 – this movement towards a more hybrid world. And now we have this centre, which is a wonderful embodiment of that.”

The digitally immersive, land-centred space, DKP website and Centre for Indigenous Educational Research computer lab provide a forum for Indigenous students, faculty and staff to share their own stories, build connections with one another and activate understandings on what it means to be in good relationships with Land that has and continues to exist first and foremost in relationship to Indigenous Peoples.

Ryan Neepin, the project co-ordinator of the Deepening Knowledge Project who oversaw the development of the website, invites all teachers across Canada to infuse and integrate Indigenous knowledge, content and perspectives into their classrooms. DKP also features Indigenous authored content and resources for all school grades and materials for educators that have been vetted by Indigenous faculty and staff on the team.

“It is the knowledge we want you to know, and we are asking you to walk into a relationship to learn,” said Neepin. “So, we talk about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission before we move into reconciliation. Reconciliation – or as Dr. Styres called it, reconcili-action – requires that we do the hard work of truthtelling first, and that’s what this website allows us to do together.”

With access to research and language software, the centre’s computer lab will provide resources for students to use fonts and keyboard layouts that will allow them to type in several Indigenous languages.

“It is a doorway,” said Brett. “And you can think about how we can use this best as we move forward to really empower the next generation of Indigenous students.”

U of T’s Jennifer Brant on how Canadians can mark the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 29 Sep 2021 23:13:35 +0000

U of T’s Jennifer Brant on how Canadians can mark the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 09/29/2021 - 19:13

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(Photo by Marianne Lau)

Geoffrey Vendeville

Topic

Our Community

Orange Shirt Day

Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Education

Hart House

Indigenous

Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

Truth and Reconciliation

Canada will observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Thursday, a new federal statutory holiday to honour residential school survivors, their families and communities.

The day, which U of T will mark by flying its flags at half-mast on all three campuses, coincides with Orange Shirt Day, which recognizes the history and legacy of residential schools that was inspired by the story of Phyllis (Jack) Webstad from the Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation whose orange shirt was taken away at the St. Joseph’s Residential School in Williams Lake, B.C.

An online Hart House event marking the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day will feature a video on Webstad. The event’s keynote speaker is Lee Maracle, a sessional lecturer in Indigenous studies, author and member of the Sto:Loh Nation.

Other events taking place at U of T that day include a virtual presentation of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health’s plans to create an Indigenous garden on McCaul Street followed by an in-person honouring ceremony outside the Health Sciences Building with speaker Elder Clayton Shirt.

Jennifer Brant, an assistant professor in the department of curriculum, teaching and learning at the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), says it’s important for Canadians to reflect on the truth component of Truth and Reconciliation and do their own work to understand the urgent need for reconciliation.

This involves learning about Canada’s role in the genocide of Indigenous Peoples and the history of colonialism in this country, she says. While Sept. 30 marks the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, engagement with reconciliation must be a continual and daily process, she adds.

Brant, who teaches courses on Indigenous literatures, says one way to engage in reconciliation is to read. But not all history books on the subject are accurate, warns Brant, who belongs to the Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk Nation) with family ties to Six Nations of the Grand River Territory and Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory.

U of T News spoke with Brant about how Canadians can mark Sept. 30, where they should turn to learn more about the ongoing impact of residential schools on survivors and their communities and the progress (or lack thereof) the country is making toward reconciliation.

How should Canadians mark Sept. 30?

It's really important for Canadians to understand what truth and reconciliation is all about and to focus on the truth component. The final reports of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada were released nearly six years ago, yet the past several months have been described as a national reckoning. Canadians have had years to read the final reports of the TRC and to find ways to engage with the Calls to Action. Becoming aware of Canada’s history of colonization and the ongoing intergenerational legacy is a starting point. As the Calls to Action remind us, the need for truth and reconciliation in this country is urgent.

We witnessed reverberating shock across Canada following the findings of unmarked graves [at residential schools] despite an entire section of the final report of the TRC dedicated to awareness of unmarked graves across Canada. This is not something that was new to Indigenous Peoples. We've been talking about this for years. And so, an extension of the trauma this summer was witnessing the shock of Canadians and being asked to educate and comfort them about this. For Indigenous Peoples, this has also been a time of collective grief and mourning amidst heightened media requests. It has been quite exhausting.

You’ve pointed out that textbooks are often inaccurate in their descriptions of residential schools. What are some more reliable resources?

In my last interview with U of T News, I strongly urged all Canadians to read Tanya Talaga's Seven Fallen Feathers.

Pamela Toulouse released a book called Truth and Reconciliation in Canadian Schools, and it includes lesson plans as well as a list of books that teachers can bring into their classrooms. Sweetgrass Basket, They Called me Number One and Indian Horse are other books that I strongly recommend.

I also work with a lot of memoirs. One that stands out, and that I assign in my courses today, is titled The Education of Augie Merasty: A Residential School Memoir, a powerful story about a fisherman, trapper and storyteller who wanted the story about the years he endured in residential school from 1935 to 1944 to be told. Merasty, a survivor of the St. Therese Residential School located in Sturgeon Landing, Sask. was in his early 70s when he reached out to David Carpenter, a former professor at the University of Saskatchewan. The memoir documents Carpenter’s 10-year journey collecting the story of Augie Merasty. This story is a must read that exposes the legacy of residential schools and intergenerational trauma.

In terms of films, I have been really pushing this older film, from 1989, called Where the Spirit Lives and some community-based documentaries. There's one called Our Sisters in Spirit that was produced by Nick Printup that highlighted the issue of racialized, sexualized violence across Canada. This film was part of the push for the nationalpublic inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, trans and two-spirit peoples.

Do any history books come to mind?

One example is Susan Dion’s Braiding Histories: Learning from Aboriginal Peoples’ Experiences and Perspectives. Her book documents the way Indigenous Peoples have been misrepresented in mainstream history texts. Braiding Histories presents accurate portrayals of several Indigenous Peoples that we should have learned about in our history classes. Other history books that come to mind are: In the Days of Our Grandmothers; The Colonial Problem: An Indigenous Perspective of Crime and Injustice in Canada; and Indigenous Peoples within Canada: A Concise History.

How should parents discuss colonialism with their children, including residential schools?

There are tons of stories and books written for the primary and junior audience as well as some for adolescents. Some picture books offer age-appropriate insights into the history of residential schools and help to start a conversation that should continue over years.

I think it’s really important to be teaching this topic by centering Indigenous voices and bringing those literatures into the classroom, and inviting guest speakers, because the story needs to be told by Indigenous Peoples. Educators and parents must engage in their own work and be cautious of the additional labour that tends to get placed on Indigenous Peoples.

It’s important for educators and parents to reflect on what their role is in reconciliation. How can one even begin teaching about reconciliation if they’ve never taken the time to familiarize themselves with the TRC’s 94 Calls to Action? The educational archives of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation website offer an important starting place.

I struggle with the question that gets asked about age-appropriate ways to teach about residential schools and how to do it without traumatizing students. If we think about the difficult histories that students learn about in school – the conflicts and genocides in other countries – it becomes apparent that there seems to be a lot of resistance to learning about residential school history. Indeed, there has been significant pushback to using the word “genocide” to describe this system. We must remember it was a system intentionally designed to “kill the Indian in the child.” As a nation, Canada can no longer ignore this.

Resistance tends to stem from the very fact that Canada’s treatment of Indigenous Peoples challenges the narrative of Canada being a fair, equitable and peacekeeping country. I think it’s hard for Canadians to be confronted with a troubling history that has been ignored for so long and to grapple with the notion that Canada was built on the genocide of Indigenous Peoples.

Residential schools is not the sort of topic that you bring up once in Grade 1 or 2 and leave there – it should be an ongoing conversation. Children may learn about it in age-appropriate ways in the primary years and, in Grade 5 or 6, learn a little bit more. Children in primary school might not be learning about the sexual abuse that occurred in these schools, but might engage in introductory conversations about residential schools. As author and public speaker David Robertson wrote, parents must be prepared to talk about “identity, assimilation, and colonialism” and use language that is appropriate for their age level.

Students in my graduate courses who only learned about this history in university express frustration that they have got to that point in their educational journey without knowing about this history.

What are some Indigenous-led organizations that people might consider supporting on Sept. 30 and beyond?

There’s certainly the Indian Residential School Survivors’ Society, but more locally to the University of Toronto there’s the Mohawk Institute Residential School, otherwise known as “the Mush Hole,” which is now the Woodland Cultural Centre.

They have the Save the Evidence campaign to ensure that the evidence and restoration of the residential school there is complete, and have already been using that space for educational tours. But there’s more restoration that needs to be done.

Where do you think we, as a country, stand on reconciliation as we mark this first federal holiday?

I would say that progress is really slow, and I think the lack of movement toward reconciliation across the nation has been strikingly demonstrated for the past two years. We had land claim disputes and land protectors from Wet'suwet'en Territory on the west coast all the way to the Miꞌkmaq Territories on the east coast.

A striking number of Indigenous communities still have no access to clean drinking water. Some are under boil-water advisories. Others do not use advisories – so, there’s a significant number of Indigenous communities across Canada that can’t even use the tap water to wash their hands. This would not be happening in non-Indigenous communities in Canada.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau failed to follow through on his promises to provide clean drinking water in First Nations communities. That's only one of the multiple examples of our lack of movement toward reconciliation as a nation.

Alongside all of that, we still have Canada in court fighting against Dr. Cindy Blackstock’s initiative to bring Canada to the Human Rights Tribunal for discrimination against Indigenous children across Canada.

And even though the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has gotten some attention, we’re not hearing anything about the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and its 231 calls to justice. Racialized and sexualized violence is another pressing and ongoing travesty that is deeply intertwined with Canada’s genocidal history.

So, we’re talking about reconciliation across the nation and it seems to be something that Canada is really committed to. But when we look at all these other realities that are ongoing, reconciliation appears to be quite superficial.

Reconciliation must involve engaging in difficult conversations, addressing the Calls to Action and not merely be about engaging in superficial acts for one day. I hope this first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation becomes a day for many Canadians to reflect and find ways to engage in an ongoing and meaningful journey of reconciliation. For some this involves starting with the calls to action, and for others it involves reading and learning about that truth component as a starting point toward reconciliation.

‘How powerful is place?’ U of T hosts major global academic summit with Times Higher Education

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 02 Sep 2021 19:47:54 +0000

‘How powerful is place?’ U of T hosts major global academic summit with Times Higher Education

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 09/02/2021 - 15:47

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(Photo by University of Toronto)

Yanan Wang

Topic

Global Lens

Johns Hopkins University

University of Melbourne

Diversity and Inclusion

Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy

School of Cities

Alumni

Centre for Indigenous Studies

Faculty of Arts & Science

Rotman School of Management

Times Higher Education

University of Oxford

The University of Toronto has brought together university leaders from around the globe for the Times Higher Education World Academic Summit 2021 – a digital-first event that explores the idea of “place” during the pandemic and beyond.

“The pandemic has brought many changes to our daily lives and the way we interact with one another,” said U of T President Meric Gertler in a pre-conference interview.

“That raises some interesting questions for our sector: Is the residential model of university education still the dominant model after all this? How will international education and experience be transformed as a result of the pandemic? What does the future of global research collaboration look like?

“U of T is ideally positioned to host these conversations.”

The three-day global conference, co-hosted by Times Higher Education and U of T, kicked off yesterday and features leading higher education administrators, prominent researchers and political and business leaders. Together, they are examining four important topics under the overarching theme of: “How Powerful is Place?”

President Meric Gertler

Some sessions considered universities’ “contributions to place” by taking a look at their impact on the regions where they are located, including their role as economic and civic anchors that foster resilience, reinvention and innovation. Others focused on “place’s impact on universities,” discussing the importance of local politics and policies – and the critical role location plays in attracting and retaining students, staff and faculty.

Still others explored “how global collaboration can complement local success,” and whether a university’s location affects its international partnerships and networks.

Sessions that looked at a fourth theme – “Has the digital classroom replaced the campus?” – involved discussions around the use of virtual learning and other technologies to adapt programming during COVID-19, and how universities can use these technologies to complement traditional in-person learning post-pandemic.

The conference was several years in the making. Originally scheduled to be hosted by U of T in 2020, the summit was postponed due to the global pandemic and its original theme of “The Power of Place” was reimagined to reflect new challenges.

Featuring a combination of keynote speeches, participatory debates, case studies and panel discussions, the conference also marks the exclusive live reveal of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2022, followed by a data masterclass.

Times Higher Education’s university rankings are among the most closely watched in the world.

President Gertler joined leaders from Johns Hopkins University, the University of Cape Town and the University of Oxford for an opening panel discussion focused on the relationship between universities and geographic divisions.

“This theme is of direct relevance to U of T, where we have arguably one of the most diverse student bodies in the world,” President Gertler said prior to the event, adding that a commitment to inclusive excellence is core to the university’s mission.

Another key focus was Indigeneity and place, which explored the historical and contemporary relationship between Indigenous Peoples and the places where universities are situated. In a keynote event, Associate Professor Susan Hill, director of U of T’s Centre for Indigenous Studies, and Shaun Ewen, pro vice-chancellor (Indigenous) at the University of Melbourne explored “The legacy of place: How to take transformative action.”

Other timely discussions at the summit focused on the following areas: innovation and equity; opportunities for global collaboration; how the pandemic has changed the way universities communicate; what universities owe the descendants of slavery; how to attract and retain talent; and remote learning through the eyes of students.

In an address to summit attendees, Toronto Mayor John Tory, a U of T alumnus, emphasized the importance of the two-way relationship between universities and the urban regions that support them.

“Our educational institutions have allowed us to lead on a variety of fronts, including health care, medicine, machine learning, law, finance, film, pharmaceuticals, technology – the list goes on and on,” he said, noting that universities are a key economic driver for the Toronto region.

Similarly, Cheryl Regehr, U of T’s vice-president and provost, highlighted the advantages enjoyed by U of T because of its location.

“Our three campuses benefit immeasurably because they are located in one of the world’s most dynamic – and most diverse – urban areas,” said Regehr, who previously discussed the power of place with university leaders in Davos during the World Economic Forum.

“That helps us attract the best minds and, in turn, imparts a global outlook to our research and scholarship that elevates both the university and the city in which it resides.”

U of T experts participating in the three-day event include:

· Dan Breznitz, University Professor, Munk chair of innovation studies and co-director of the Innovation Policy Lab

· Karen Chapple, professor in the department of geography and planning and director of U of T’s School of Cities

· Richard Florida, University Professor at the Rotman School of Management

· Susan Hill, associate professor of Indigenous studies and history and director of the Centre for Indigenous Studies

· Geoffrey Hinton, distinguished professor emeritus and deep learning pioneer

· David Estok, vice-president communications

· Susan McCahan, vice-provost of academic programs and vice-provost of innovations in undergraduate education

· Joseph Wong, vice-president, international

· Simon Pratt, director, research strategy and excellence

Several talks sought to examine the role of physical space in an increasingly digitized world.

Vijayakumar Bhagavatula, director of Carnegie Mellon University Africa, is scheduled to discuss the function of global branch campuses on Thursday. Also on Thursday, Krishna Rajagopal, acting vice-president of open learning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will discuss how digital delivery can enhance learning on campus.

In the case of U of T, President Gertler said he expects the university’s three campuses to retain their strong ties to the Greater Toronto Area amid advances in remote learning and digital communications.

“There’s no question that we have viewed our locations as one of our most important assets,” he said. “I think that’s going to continue to be true. But this summit asks: In what ways will that relationship change over time?”

Schooling the system: U of T historian Funké Aladejebi explores Black women's experiences in education

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 16 Mar 2021 19:26:37 +0000

Schooling the system: U of T historian Funké Aladejebi explores Black women's experiences in education

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 03/16/2021 - 15:26

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Funké Aladejebi, an assistant professor in U of T's department of history, explores how government policies have influenced racialized students and Black women educators (photo courtesy of Funké Aladejebi)

Topic

Faculty of Arts & Science

History

When it comes to Black Canadian history and, particularly, Black women educators, Funké Aladejebi says there’s a lot to learn.

Aladejebi is an assistant professor in the University of Toronto’s department of history in the Faculty of Arts & Science whose research focuses largely on Black Canadian women’s history and education.

In particular, Aladejebi explores how Canadian government policies have influenced racialized students and Black women educators.

She spoke with Arts & Science writer Sean McNeely about how she uses history as a lens to understand the ways female educators have negotiated economic, social and, at times, political belonging through urban educational institutions.

Why did you want to come to U of T?

I wanted to come to U of T because of its competitive and transnational programming. I’m deeply concerned with decolonial pedagogical practices in post-secondary institutions and found U of T’s increasingly diverse faculty and critical research program incredibly important for helping me to think through these frameworks. My work is also influenced by many scholars of Black Canadian history who graduated from and are affiliated with U of T.

Can you talk about your research exploring the experiences of Black Canadian women in education and their paths to becoming educators?

In an attempt to contribute to historical analysis on Black identity, citizenship and racial difference in Canada, my research and work explore the ways Black Canadian women navigated socially constructed boundaries of racial alienation, limited institutional support and inequality within Ontario school systems.

Stemming from an 18th-century tradition of activism and self-help, Black Canadian women created unique forms of antiracist programming, despite the historical erasure of persons of African descent within the Canadian curriculum. Seeking to address the silences of Black professional women in feminist scholarship, I look to oral histories as an important way of allowing Black women to tell their own stories.

Can you tell us a little about your upcoming book,  Schooling the System: A History of Black Women Teachers?

In post-World War II Canada, Black women’s experiences in the teaching profession served as sites of struggle and contestation in a myriad of ways. Their presence as racialized educators, though smaller in number, represented the various ways in which Black women disrupted mainstream notions of education in Ontario and challenged Canadian nationhood more broadly.

Schooling the System explores the ways in which Black women teachers’ engagement with Ontario’s education system comprised a set of difficult, messy and complex processes – beginning with access to education, their ability to get into teachers’ college, the constant questioning of their professional status and the realities that shaped their choices inside Ontario schools.

The book also offers a transnational approach to viewing Black women’s experiences and activism. A distinguishing marker of Schooling the System lies in the way it establishes Black feminist theory in Canada alongside diasporic and transnational understandings of personal and cultural survival.

Ultimately, I explore Black women’s distinct consciousness as a way of understanding their entrance into the professional workforce. I hope this work contributes to an under-researched area of Canadian history through its examination of community and school initiatives where education supported Black women’s activism and agency.

You’re involved in several community engagement and social justice initiatives – what are some examples?

I’ve collaborated with the Graphic History Collective, an organization that uses text and images, to make history educational and inspirational for a diverse range of public audiences. I’ve also written pieces in ActiveHistory.ca and The Conversation to explore how historical moments create lasting legacies and inform public debates surrounding Black Canadian communities.

More recently, I was part of the University of New Brunswick’s Working Group on the Principles of Naming or Renaming University Places, where I made recommendations for the removal of the name of Ludlow Hall.

The university’s law school was named after George Duncan Ludlow, a challenging figure in New Brunswick’s history because of his involvement in residential schools and views on slavery. The committee created recommendations that weighed historical research and changing public debates on redressing colonial practices embedded in post-secondary institutions.

I also volunteer in the community where I grew up: Scarborough. As part of the community’s alumni network, I support civic engagement initiatives to help young adults understand voting processes in Canada. In 2018, alongside other grassroots organizations and volunteers, I supported a city-wide fundraising campaign that facilitated the free screening of the film Black Panther in Scarborough for over 200 young students.

What’s one thing you wish more Canadians knew or understood about Black history or Black women’s history in Canada?

Given the ways settler-colonial discourses position Canada as a nation of two-founding people, facilitated by the violent removal and displacement of Indigenous people from their lands, the place of persons of African descent within this national narrative is not only important to discuss, it’s a necessity.

While much of the ways we discuss Black Canadian history emphasizes a relationship to the Underground Railroad, the place and presence of Black lives in Canada is far more extensive than this historical phenomenon. As such, Black history continues to be an important political project for scholars and community activists in Canada.

Beats, rhymes and education: U of T's Marcus Singleton channels the spirit of hip hop into the classroom

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 06 Feb 2020 16:35:56 +0000

Beats, rhymes and education: U of T's Marcus Singleton channels the spirit of hip hop into the classroom

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 02/06/2020 - 11:35

Cutline

Marcus Singleton, a hip hop artist who is wrapping up a master's degree in education from U of T, wants to continue a tradition of artists who devote themselves to education in the classroom and beyond (photo by Marianne Lau)

Topic

Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

U of T Scarborough

Youth

Hip hop saved Marcus Singleton’s life.

The music, the lyrics and the culture of hip hop were a way for the Chicago-born Singleton to think and talk about the violent, unpredictable life of his hometown.

Now, graduating with a Master of Education from the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) this spring, Singleton is using his love of hip hop to give back by building a language arts, history and leadership development curriculum around the art form.

Growing up in Chicago’s South Side in the Englewood neighbourhood, Singleton was deeply influenced by so-called “conscious” MCs of the 1990s, including Rakim and KRS-One. He was also influenced by a number of Chicago artists like Common, Akbar (who was born and raised in the Bronx) and GQ the Teacher (who moved to Chicago by way of Belize and New York). And when he began making mixtapes under the pseudonym Iomos Marad, Singleton wanted to employ a rap style like KRS-One, Posdnuos of De La Soul and Mos Def.

“I love what they’re saying, what they were talking about,” says Singleton. “I think content is the key. I know some people say they want to listen to music just for leisure, but I like listening to music just to learn.

“I always say that artistry and activism go hand in hand. I think you can't have art without activism.”

Singleton later pivoted from that passion, and years of experience, into building a hip-hop leadership development curriculum, which he further developed during his time at OISE. His hip hop-based curriculum seeks to empower students to be activists and leaders in their communities.

It’s a unique academic profile that has resonated with the OISE community. Rosalind Hampton, an assistant professor in OISE’s department of social justice education, has worked with Singleton in several courses and within the Black Studies cohort of students whose work she supervises. Singleton is a strong student and talented artist, Hampton says.

“He was already an experienced hip-hop educator and strong writer when he entered the MEd program, and has continued to build on these skills and experiences throughout his coursework,” she says.

“He is driven by strong personal and professional commitments to supporting emancipatory educational opportunities for Black youth, and intends to continue this work through research at the doctoral level.”

To Singleton, a hip hop-based curriculum begins with a created space where a student’s voice is heard more than a teacher’s. Such spaces help students look at their academics, community and the world with a critical lens while learning about social justice through historic events, according to Singleton.

Within Singleton’s curriculum, students can creatively and artistically express what they might be going through academically or personally without judgement.

“We don’t, as educators or as teachers, tap into the knowledge students bring into the classroom,” Singleton says. “We forget all of that and dump a bunch of information in their head and then say ‘Here, take this test and regurgitate the information back.’”

By contrast, Singleton prefers a classroom where there’s no hierarchy structure, “where the classroom can be transformed into a community of learners where we – the teacher and students – can learn together.”

Now that his degree is complete, Singleton wants to continue a tradition that you don’t always hear about: artists who devote themselves to education – whether it’s in a classroom or elsewhere.

“I love the classroom because you can do so much within the classroom. But whether I will be teaching in a formal or informal space, I believe both spaces are important and valid for the work I want to do,” he says, adding that he wants “to push the envelope of academia to a place where community is not excluded.”

On Feb. 6, Singleton – under his Iomos Marad alias – will share his insights and his story on a panel of musicians, community builders and entrepreneurs at U of T Scarborough during Humanz of Hip Hop, part of Hart House’s ongoing focus on hip-hop education.

Singleton’s connection to hip hop runs deep. As a teen, Singleton found the music he loves through word of mouth and people in his community. He began to compose poems as a way to cope with violence and poverty in his neighbourhood.

His mother helped spark a spirit of activism and it inspired his 2003 debut album Deep Rooted, a commentary on life on the South Side. Singleton followed up that record with his EP Go Head. In hip-hop circles, these two albums are still regarded as masterpieces – Singleton’s methodical flow matched with soulful music samples and booming drum rhythms.

Singleton recorded and performed live for years, all while earning a bachelor’s degree at Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, Minn. As he and his wife, a U of T alumna, were figuring out a place to live – the U.S. or Canada – Singleton was looking ways to take his education further. His wife suggested OISE.

Now, as a permanent resident of Canada who is ready to receive his master’s degree, Singleton is ready for his next step – and all the work that entails.

“In the words of Dead Prez, it’s bigger than hip hop,” he says.

U of T grad Emily Wright draws on experiences – and service dog – to teach students about empathy, homelessness

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 05 Jun 2019 17:11:48 +0000

U of T grad Emily Wright draws on experiences – and service dog – to teach students about empathy, homelessness

Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 06/05/2019 - 13:11

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"I wouldn't have been able to do this program without having her support and having her at my side," says OISE grad Emily Wright about her dog Kailey, which will receive a special certificate from the school (photo by Romi Levine)

Topic

Diversity and Inclusion

Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

When Emily Wright crosses the stage at University of Toronto’s Convocation Hall on June 20, she’ll have her biggest supporter by her side – Kailey.

Covered in a mop of white and grey shaggy hair and standing about a foot off the ground, Kailey is Wright’s service dog. They’ve been together through every lecture, presentation and placement during her two years in the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education’s master’s of teaching program.

During the ceremony, Kailey will also be receiving a special honour – a certificate acknowledging her time at OISE.

“She might not have written the essays and done the actual typing and work, but I wouldn't have been able to do this program without having her support and having her at my side,” says Wright.

Wright got Kailey as a puppy six years ago. About a year later, Wright began to notice that after meals, Kailey would act strange, pawing and bothering her. Perplexed, she consulted a trainer, and then proceeded to go to a doctor.

“I got diagnosed as diabetic. And that's when I realized that my dog was actually alerting me to changes in my blood sugar,” she says.

She decided to work with trainers in order to certify Kailey as a service dog, providing diabetes and mental health support.

“She will alert me to oncoming panic attacks before they actually happen so I'm able to situate myself in a position or a place that I'm safe,” Wright says. “She does something called pressure therapy where she gives a hug on my chest to help me regulate my breathing.”

Kailey has been instrumental both in Wright’s personal life and during her training to become a teacher. Wright says bringing Kailey into classrooms is a meaningful way to teach children about empathy.

“When I start to point out things like, ‘It's too loud in the classroom' and ‘Look at Kailey, her ears are up, what do you think that means?', the kids start to pay attention to that body of language and behaviour.

“Next time it's loud, one of the students will stop and say, 'Everyone look at Kailey, let's be a little bit quiet.’”

Kailey in the classroom (photo courtesy of Emily Wright)

Wright’s journey to this point has been far from linear, but the twists and turns, steps backward and forward, have shaped the way she sees the world – offering a unique perspective to her classmates, teachers and students.

“There was a time and place where I didn't know if I would be able to graduate college,” says Wright. “To think that I'm now having a master's degree with my certification to teach and did that with As and A-pluses – that feels like an amazing accomplishment and it makes me realize that I am in the right profession and not to give up on myself or my dreams.”

In 2014, Wright wrote a deeply personal account of her early life for Toronto Life. In it, she spoke about what she refers to as an “idyllic” life at home in an affluent Toronto neighbourhood. But at the private school she attended, she was the victim of vicious bullying. That led her to switch schools several times and gravitate to friends who introduced her to drugs.

When her addiction became out of control, her family enrolled her in rehabilitation programs. But following a series of relapses, and after being kicked out of a sober house, she found herself on the street.

After a violent encounter, Wright said she decided to turn her life around.

“It took being beaten and robbed for me to reach my breaking point. I never touched drugs again,” she wrote in Toronto Life.

Eva’s Phoenix, a Toronto-based facility for youth experiencing homelessness, helped her get back on her feet. Through a job placement, she found her calling: working with kids. She eventually completed high school, going on to study at George Brown College and Ryerson University before coming to U of T.

“My passion is teaching, especially about social justice issues, and I wanted to become more skilled both academically and practically in my ability to teach young children,” says Wright. “So I came to OISE to find something new about myself and hopefully be able to use that in the classroom with the students that I teach.”

Teachers shouldn’t shy away from teaching children about difficult subjects like mental health and homelessness, says Wright.

“If we want to make well-rounded students and children who are going to be great adults, we need to provide them with the opportunity to be aware of these issues and form their own opinions about them.”

Wright and Kailey took special graduation photos to commemorate the milestone (photo courtesy of Emily Wright)

Her major research paper focused on homelessness in children’s picture books – looking at how people who experience homelessness are portrayed and the stereotypes that are being employed.

She found that people depicted as experiencing homelessness in picture books were mostly middle-aged white men who were dirty with rips in their clothing, pushing a shopping cart and carrying bags. Kids were also depicted helping homeless people primarily in the winter time.

She suggests providing students with a more nuanced view of homelessness.

“We can have a better idea of what it means to experience homelessness, whether that's living on the streets, sleeping in a shelter or the hidden homeless population, which are people who are couch surfing or staying at different friends’ places – so they get to understand that there's a broad variety of different ways of experiencing it.”

Wright says she’s thankful for the OISE faculty members who shaped her approach as an educator.

“I feel grateful to call them not only professors, but people who are part of my support team and people who care about me,” she says.

One of the faculty members who made a big impact was Shelley Murphy, a lecturer at OISE in the department of curriculum, teaching and learning.

“Shelley Murphy is an amazing professor whose focus on mental health and mindfulness has not only helped my personal practice, but has helped me in my professional practice in what mindfulness looks like and what vocabulary and words I need to provide to my students so they can experience empathy but also explain their emotions and feelings,” says Wright.

In turn, Murphy says she has learned a lot from Wright – and Kailey too.

“She's a deep and critical thinker, especially when it comes to issues of social justice and access and equity,” says Murphy. “She gave us all an opportunity to learn more about what she knows about homelessness, about mental health, about access.”

In September, Wright will begin teaching with the Toronto Catholic District School Board.

“I'm really excited to get into the classroom and start doing some supply work and make some new connections in different schools,” she says.

Beyond the classroom, Wright participates in public-speaking engagements and advocacy work around social justice issues, including mental health and homelessness. She’s worked with the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research on curriculum development, and is currently working on curriculum with Raising the Roof, a national charity that aims to end homelessness.

“I'm adding to my repertoire of what I can do and how I speak and about those experiences,” says Wright. “I don't just have to be the person who is speaking about homelessness all the time, but I can now be the person who speaks about accessibility, inclusion and education all in one.”

Over 200 U of T researchers to take part in massive education conference taking place in Toronto

noreen.rasbach — Thu, 04 Apr 2019 15:47:44 +0000

Over 200 U of T researchers to take part in massive education conference taking place in Toronto

noreen.rasbach Thu, 04/04/2019 - 11:47

Cutline

More than 14,000 people will descend on Toronto for the American Educational Research Association annual meeting, a conference about education research (photo by Michael DiPaul)

Topic

Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

Research & Innovation

Toronto is playing host to the American Educational Research Association (AERA) annual meeting, the largest gathering of scholars in the field of education research.

The five-day conference, which begins Friday, showcases groundbreaking education research and innovative studies in a variety of areas, from elementary through to post-secondary education.

More than 14,000 participants are expected to be in attendance, including researchers, policy-makers, practitioners and students. More than 200 scholars from the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) will be among them, exploring ideas that will shape tomorrow’s education practices and policies. This will be the largest contingent that OISE has ever brought to the conference.

That it will be held in Toronto makes this year’s event especially meaningful for OISE.

“Having AERA here in Toronto is a wonderful opportunity for scholars around the world to visit our city and learn something about our unique community,” says OISE Dean Glen Jones. “I’m looking forward to seeing our extraordinary faculty and students share their research and represent OISE as the top education institute in Canada.”

The conference provides an important opportunity for scholars to showcase their work and network with colleagues in their field. For many OISE faculty, AERA also offers an unparalleled professional development opportunity for their students. The fact that it is in Toronto this year means that many OISE students will be able to attend.

Since finding out nearly two years ago that the 2019 conference would be held in Toronto, Associate Professor Ann Lopez has been working with her student Desiree Sylvestre to prepare.

“AERA is a wonderful opportunity for students to learn from and engage with world-renowned researchers in a professional capacity that they do not normally get to experience in the classroom,” says Lopez. “Presenting research, attending presentations, and meeting with other scholars allows them to build skills that are crucial to their development as doctoral students.”

Sylvestre, a PhD student in OISE’s department of leadership, higher and adult education, will be presenting her paper on Black parental involvement in Toronto’s urban schools. She’ll also be participating in a panel on anti-oppressive education in Canada as the only student among a group of professors.

“Dr. Lopez has been tremendous in supporting and preparing me for this conference,” Sylvestre says. “It’s a very privileged position to be on a panel with experts in this field and to feel that I am ready enough to take up that space and represent OISE doctoral students at the AERA."

Over the week, OISE is expected to become a hub for international visitors. When they’re not attending AERA sessions, many faculty members will be hosting special meetings, receptions and events in and around OISE.

“This is an opportunity for us to showcase the institute and the world-class research happening within OISE every day,” says Jones.

Associate Professor Carol Campbell will be hosting a meeting for board members of the International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement (ICSEI), an organization that brings together researchers, policy-makers and practitioners to share new knowledge and best practices for improving schools and education systems.

“On our board, we have international leaders in educational research, policy and practice – many of whom have connections to OISE,” she says. “Quite a few of our members will be attending AERA, so this is a great opportunity to bring together those who are familiar with OISE, as well as those who have not had a chance to visit our world-renowned institution.”

On the first day of the conference, attendees will have the opportunity to tour the Dr. Eric Jackman Institute for Child Study (EJICS) housed at OISE. Visitors will learn about the missions and activities of the Institute and its unique laboratory school that functions as both an elementary school and teacher education and research centre.

“We want to share the possibilities of combining a teacher education program with a laboratory school and a research centre,” says EJICS Director Rhonda Martinussen. “We hope guests will learn about our history, our approach to education that places the child at the centre, and how research enhances and informs the components of the institute.”

The theme for this year’s conference, “Leveraging Education Research in a ‘Post-Truth’ Era: Multimodal Narratives to Democratize Evidence,” highlights the importance of evidence-based policy-making and practice in education.

In an era where many policy decisions are being driven by personal beliefs and preference, it is essential to continue placing research at the forefront of education decision making, says Jones.

“I think reinforcing the importance of evidence and good scholarship and how they can actually contribute to public policy to better educational practices is a really important conversation to have,” he says. “It’s vital to reiterate that using research and evidence is the best way to inform policy conversations about education reform and change.”

U of T librarian’s online resource helps Ontario teachers find Indigenous course material

Romi Levine — Thu, 19 Jul 2018 16:17:07 +0000

U of T librarian’s online resource helps Ontario teachers find Indigenous course material

Romi Levine Thu, 07/19/2018 - 12:17

Cutline

U of T outreach librarian Desmond Wong works with Indigenous students, faculty, and staff throughout the year (photo by Johnny Guatto)

Topic

Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

U of T Libraries

After hearing about the cancellation of upcoming writing sessions to look at ways of introducing more Indigenous content into the Ontario school curriculum, a University of Toronto outreach librarian decided to create an extensive online resource of Indigenous education materials.

Desmond Wong, who is based at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) library, specializes in Indigenous initiatives. While he is not Indigenous himself, he has extensive experience working with Indigenous communities at U of T and across Canada.

Read the CBC article about the online resource for Indigenous education

The resources Wong is compiling don’t just benefit Indigenous students, OISE Assistant Professor Jeffrey Ansloos told the CBC.

“They lift the entire community up, so I think it's something that we need to care about, not just because it's helping some Indigenous kids or families, but it's something that can really transform our entire community,” said Ansloos, who specializes in Indigenous mental health and social policy, in the CBC interview.

Infusing Indigenous Perspectives in K-12 Teaching is free and available online.

U of T News spoke with Wong about what went into compiling the resource and the importance of Indigenous education.

Why did you decide to create this online resource?

I heard about the cancellation of the TRC writing groups once they were announced. I have been very fortunate to work with, and be connected, with a lot of Indigenous educators who are involved in this process.

I thought about actions and what I could do to contribute to this process. I thought as someone who works in this area, as a librarian who is familiar with the resources, I wanted to put together a list that would be available to teachers so they would be able to take the materials into their classrooms, talk to their students and continue this work.

It was also really important to me that the materials were free because I know that teachers already spend a lot of their own personal money on bringing education materials into the classroom and, depending on the school board, whether or not there's support for this kind of thing, it could be highly dependent.

How did you compile the list?

On a regular basis I work with Indigenous students, faculty and staff so I was already aware of all of these resources. These resources are ones that have been recommended to me by faculty before, outside of the context of making this list. There are things I have personally watched that have really pushed me in terms of the way I think about Indigenous education, and I really tried to focus on curating materials and collecting materials that were created by Indigenous artists and authors and educators so authentic Indigenous voices would be represented.

What are some of the different kinds of materials included in the resource?

I try to focus on Indigenous creators for the list. There are quite a few different media on the list, including audio-visual, cartographic materials, different applications, and podcasts. What was especially important for me was the massive open online courses as well as the education networks and the teacher lesson plans and documents.

The reason I included the podcasts and the online courses was because, although most of these are resources to bring into the classroom, some of these are directed at teachers for their own learning so they can better understand Indigenous issues – so they can seek from a place of knowledge, or at least a place of better understanding, when they're teaching these materials and they're teaching their students.

How have colleagues inside and outside the university responded to the resource you created?

My colleagues have been really, really supportive. They've been really encouraging like they have been since I came to U of T. They have all told me that they think it's a really good idea. I hope people who do find this list and are looking at the materials can make good, meaningful use out of it and bring these conversations to their friends and their families.

The list is really just a beginning point. Of course, there are more than 50 freely available online items that are created by Indigenous people. I would really encourage people to explore Indigenous literature, to explore Indigenous films and audio-visual material, podcasts – there's so many different types of media that Indigenous artists and creators are pushing the boundaries of and making such intentional contributions to Indigenous education, to their communities.

Why is it important to teach students across Ontario about Indigenous history and culture?

For too long, for the entire history of what is now Canada, Indigenous students, Indigenous Peoples, haven't been celebrated or acknowledged for the knowledges and the gifts that they carry. And they really deserve to be celebrated because these cultures and these languages are beautiful and they come from this land and they're deeply rooted in the land we currently live on and the land we currently stand on.

For non-Indigenous students like myself – I am a settler – it is really important that we acknowledge people, but also that we understand the type of relationship we have and our obligations as settlers in relationship to the Indigenous Peoples of this land.

I know when you better understand Indigenous Peoples' relationship to the land, when you better understand issues of sovereignty and language revitalization and cultural responsibility, there comes this really deep sense of gratitude for Indigenous Peoples and the knowledges they carry because it's really profound how deep those responsibilities are.

Education

Learning rewired: U of T researcher sparks kids’ interest in tech with animatronic critters

U of T's Data Sciences Institute partners with UNICEF to drive innovation in learning

Digitally immersive, land-centred space at OISE to support Indigenous research

U of T’s Jennifer Brant on how Canadians can mark the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

​‘How powerful is place?’ U of T hosts major global academic summit with Times Higher Education

Schooling the system: U of T historian Funké Aladejebi explores Black women's experiences in education

Beats, rhymes and education: U of T's Marcus Singleton channels the spirit of hip hop into the classroom

U of T grad Emily Wright draws on experiences – and service dog – to teach students about empathy, homelessness

Over 200 U of T researchers to take part in massive education conference taking place in Toronto

U of T librarian’s online resource helps Ontario teachers find Indigenous course material

Read more about Desmond Wong

Read the CBC article about the online resource for Indigenous education

‘How powerful is place?’ U of T hosts major global academic summit with Times Higher Education