CONNECTEDF A C U L T Y O F E D U C A T I O N

U N I V E R S I T YO F W I N D S O R

Education’s ‘Team Singida’

The M.Ed Final Project Seminar

Research

through Music

“Make a Difference”

Dr. Patrick

Solomon’s Legacy

ISSUE #4WINTER 2010

f a c u l t y o f e d u c a t i o n F u n i v e r s i t y o f w i n d s o r

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EDUCATION

a M e s s a G e f r o M t H e d e a n

u n i v e r s i t y o f w i n d s o r

f a c u l t y o f e d u c a t i o n

ear friends in education: it is good to be in touch again after a long hiatus following the move of our founding editor, Jen Mctaggart. Through this

issue of connected, i am delighted to introduce our new editor, dr. Kara smith. some of you will know her as our very creative language arts professor and researcher in language maintenance.

The pages of this issue of connected are filled with accounts of the passion teachers have for their craft – the kind of passion that touched the hearts of our teacher candidates and took them to an orphanage in tanzania to find ways to assist child victims of the aids pandemic; the passion that drives terry sefton to explore alternative methods for disseminating new knowledge through the medium of music; and the passion for complexity science that resulted from darren stanley’s converging interests in nature and math and led him to advocate a less prescriptive way for teaching math.

Passion for reading and books is also what motivated literacy activist Henry Johnson (a Book of My own)

in 1998 to do something for the children in windsor who were without ‘a book of their own’. and the passion for reading is what moved author christopher Paul curtis, who grew up without books about ‘him,’ to write children books about ‘growing up black in detroit and windsor.’

finally, a passion for his community was why one man, dr. Patrick solomon, became known as the ‘urban diversity teacher.’ i was privileged to call Patrick a friend – his influence on our community of scholars has been profound.

in short, this issue allows us, yet again, to share our work, to show our passions and to connect with you, our great supporters.

Thank you for being a part of our community.stay connected!

Pat rogersdean, faculty of educationuniversity of windsor

D

features

Education’s ‘Team Singida’:an orphanage in tanzania Moves theMinds and Hearts of teacher candidates 2 The M.Ed Final Project Seminar:Merging research into practice 5 Research through Music:dr. terry sefton Models a Passion for learning 6 “Make a Difference”:one reader at a time 8 Dr. Patrick Solomon’s Legacy:a Master Mentor is remembered 16

dePartMents

dean’s Message 1 recommended Books 6

a Book of My own 9 connected to community 12 noted dates 13 Honoured 14 Gifted 15 remembered 16

editor Kara smithconsultinG editors abby nakhaie, Pat rogers

contriButors Kara smithJohn carrington

desiGn/layout Hargreavesstewart inc.

PHotoGraPHy Paul Hargreaves, John carrington

if you would like to be included on future mailings of connected, have questions or concerns, or would like to send a letter to the editor, please contact:

editor, connectedfaculty of education, university of windsor401 sunset avenue, windsor, on n9B 3P4Phone: 519-253-3000 ext. 3830fax: 519-971-3612e-mail: educ@uwindsor.ca

CONNECTED

The views expressed or implied herein do not necessarily reflect those of the university of windsor or its faculty of education.

Proudly designed and printed in our community.

COVERED

Lights, camera...internationally acclaimed novelist christopher Paul curtis was kind

enough to break away from his busy writing schedule to pose for

our cover photograph. in order to minimize the demands on his

time, we created a makeshift photo studio in a nearby faculty of

education classroom that was not being used at that moment.

“christopher was an excellent subject,” said photographer Paul

Hargreaves. “He was extremely open and affable, and he intuitively

understood the double entendre in visual narative we were trying

to convey – the man/writer behind the novel, and the relationship

between the grown-up author and the young man represented on

the book’s cover – the literary persona whom he had sought in vain

during his childhood readings.” The full story appears on page 8.

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Education’s ‘Team Singida’:An Orphanage in Tanzania Moves the Minds & Hearts of Teacher Candidates

ast year, tHe faculty of education’s ‘teaM sinGida’ travelled to an orphanage in a remote area of tanzania to renovate the children’s dormitories. The team, consisting of research leadership chair nombuso

dlamini, associate dean clinton Beckford, associate professor andrew allen, toronto head teacher dr. chris clovis and Ph.d. candidate Barat wolfe, selected nine teacher candidates to help dig out a septic system and repair kitchen storage units at the Kittitimo cha Malezi orphanage so that limited supplies of rice and flour could be stored off the ground. Previously, rodents and insects would infest food stores leaving residents without rations and spreading disease.

The teacher candidates engaged the children at Kittitimo cha Malezi in music, sports, and arts activities, and learned the children’s languages while the work was underway. Jennifer st. laurent, who has taught for several international aid organizations, felt she had learned from the children there, “That old saying from ‘The King and i’ is really true: ‘if you teach, by your pupils you will be taught.’ The children have so many stories. i have learned more about resilience and organization in this short time than ever before.”

Gabriel Keresztes documented the trip. “This was an exceptional learning opportunity for us,” says Keresztes, “it was amazing to be able to make a difference for these 40 children and perhaps others who live in the area.” with tanzanian colleagues Grace Puja, university of dar es salaam (udsM), and Zena Mnasi, institute of

social work, team singida has secured a $66,000 social science & Humanities research grant (ssHrc) to collect the stories of the vulnerable children, over half of whom have lost their parents through the aids pandemic and other related diseases. The windsor research will be of vital interest to african educators who need to discover how children, like the ones at Kittitimo cha Malezi, find their way to schools and what help they need to succeed in life. “There are more boys than girls at the orphanage,” dlamini says, “because, sadly, girls have the potential to

contribute income to households, particularly through the sex trade.” By uncovering how some girls and boys made it to the school, the paths they took, and their stops along the way, educators and officials in the area may be in a better position to assist other homeless children in making it. also, the children’s histories (the regions they came from, their parents, their relatives) will be lost if someone does not take the time to document them. team singida, university of windsor, is helping

in this way to provide the research assistance Kittitimo needs.

The faculty of education’s interest in tanzania began in 2004 with dr. chris clovis, former professor of science education, now a lead teacher at Pope John Paul ii catholic secondary school in toronto. clovis headed up the faculty’s first attempt to establish a project in tanzania, designed to contribute to the government’s efforts to increase access to education for all. it was through the collaboration with dr. Grace Puja, udsM, that the team learned about and decided to focus their efforts on the Kittitimo cha Malezi orphanage, one of the most vulnerable populations in tanzania.

FEATURED

LAbove: Research Leadership ChairNombuso Dlamini,

discusses the program at a faculty meeting

in Windsor.

Facing page:Eugene Amoako prepares for the Singida sun and

spirit.

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Team Singida: Jennifer St. Laurent, Sarah Abdul Bari, Diane Ritchie, Eugene Amoako, Gabriel Keresztes, Jihan Jones, and Colin Brooks.

for dlamini, “There is resilience, strength and hope in these children, who hugged our teacher candidates and cried when we had to leave. There is not enough knowledge about their world and their situation and not enough opportunity to hear their little voices.”

for dlamini, documenting diaspora children’s voices is close to her heart. as a south african whose early years were spent traveling because of apartheid, the idea of place-based identity is foreign to her.Her focus then has been to document ways in which migrants (mainly women and youth), make sense of who they are in the absence of an “owned sense of space”.

today, she and her husband errol have three adopted sons from south africa; with their daughter nothando, they

are ongoing proponents for student support across developing communities and nations.

team singida’s research will also document the teachers’ voices - learning about the barriers they encounter as they work to enrich the experiences of the children they teach, especially orphans and other vulnerable children. such knowledge is important for educators globally because stories like these may uncover strategies available

to serve many migrant youth and help teachers learn how to engage migrant and immigrant children here in canada.

f a c u l t y o f e d u c a t i o n F u n i v e r s i t y o f w i n d s o r

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one to watcH:in January, 2010, dr. s. nombuso dlamini moved to york university’s faculty of education where she has been appointed to the Jean augustine research chair in education in the new urban environment. The chair is named after the first black woman elected to the canadian parliament.

Above: Gabriele Keresztes and Marco Fanaro prepare a pit to house a new septic system while University of Windsor Associate Dean Clinton Beckford looks on. Inset below: Teacher Jennfier St. Laurent interacts with a group of local children during an impromptu class.

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o many full-time practicing teachers and principals, the new M.ed. final Project seminar, 80-795, is a gift. “The new course-based stream in education was exactly what i needed,” raves graduate Jennifer

Mills, “the practice-based research allowed me to complete in a timely fashion; with work and kids, i don’t think i could have managed a thesis without the same structure.” for professionals in the M.ed. course-based stream, the final project seminar provides an opportunity to develop a single project of relevance to classroom or administrative practice evolving from current research in the field. “it is a culmination of knowledge, inquiry skills, and reflective problem solving,” states former associate dean of graduate studies dr. Jonathan Bayley. at the end of the seminar, or capstone class, teachers celebrate their line of inquiry by showcasing their work to local professionals.

Because of the capstone class, Monique dugal, special

education head at catholic central High school and one of the first graduates of the course-based stream, is now invited to give presentations to teachers across ontario. dugal, whose presentation on teaching and learning methods for at-risk students was created for her final project says, “My involvement in the capstone project helped me find a way to break down the teaching process for colleagues, so that they could re-invent ways of assisting disenfranchised students; it allowed me to help colleagues find different teaching approaches for students who simply don’t learn the same way as everyone else. it developed my own professional capacity to a new level.”

“The final project seminar is a way of formally recognizing the ongoing link that research at the faculty of education, university of windsor, has with practice here in south-western ontario,” states course instructor dr. Geri salinitri. to learn more about the M.ed. course-based stream at the university of windsor, go to: http://www.uwindsor.ca/edfac/gradprogram

TThe M.Ed. Final Project Seminar:Merging research into practice

“My involvement in the capstone project helped me find a way

to break down the teaching process for

colleagues, so that they could re-invent ways

of assisting disenfranchised

students.”

– Monique Dugal, special education head at Catholic Central High

School.

Monique Dugal and teachers bringing Masters research

into the classroom.

sK terry sefton wHat sHe does, and her first response is “i’m a musician.”

“it’s who i am,” says the professor who teaches music in the faculty of education at

the university of windsor. Before coming to windsor, she played for more than 30 years with orchestras in canada and the uK, including 25 years with orchestra london (ontario), and even though she lives in windsor now, she says that playing with orchestra london is “like a bad habit that i can’t give up.”

not that she’d ever want to. Music and the arts are at the core of her work as a professor. in fact, she sees a lot of overlap in being an artist and being a teacher.

“it requires courage to take the kind of risks in the arts that produce great work, and it also takes courage to teach in a way that makes a difference in the lives of your students. i agree with canadian composer r. Murray schafer who once said: ‘teach on the verge of peril’.

“The arts bring greater dimension and fulfillment in people’s lives, and at their best, the arts challenge us to see and hear and think differently about the world around us. education, in its broadest sense, is the construction of meaning in society,” she says. “arts and education create impetus for each other.”

although some of the teacher candidates for the primary and junior divisions, whom she teaches, have no music background and profess not to be musical, dr. sefton strives to give them the courage to use music in the classroom.

A

FEATURED

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Researcher and cellist Dr. Terry Sefton uses the musical arts as a vehicle for research.

Research through Music:

Dr. Terry Sefton Models a Passion

for Learning

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a graduate of McGill university, she began her career in music in Montreal with the canada symphony orchestra, a federally-financed project that gave musicians a step into the profession by touring the concert halls in towns and small cities to bring live performances to those communities. she went on to study with cellist william Pleeth in Britain, where she also played with the BBc radio orchestra before returning to canada.

sefton taught for the Thames valley Board of education while completing her graduate degrees at university of western ontario and university of toronto, and moving into higher education.

she remains a student of the sociology of education, examining how people learn, and believing that education goes beyond the classroom. for sefton, of course, that means art and music, and this has caused her to consider the question, “How do you get to the point in your life at which you can make the claim, ‘i am an artist’?”

she says you have to wonder what motivates people who want to go to graduate school to be an artist or a musician. in part, the increasing number of artists who take graduate degrees reflects a change in museum practices; curators are interested in the work of artists who are grounded in theory and are able to speak articulately about their work. Musicians are also highly educated, typically with a couple of degrees. They spend their lifetime in preparation, including 10,000 hours of practice, yet the average professional musician makes less than $25,000 a year.

sefton has been exploring that question with dr. Zbigniew Pasek (faculty of engineering), an expert in organizational theory. They have found that the motivation that drives musicians is not financial.

“Motivation varies from person to person, yet in our research, orchestral musicians talk about the rich experience of creating and performing, about how they value working with their colleagues, and playing repertoire by the creative minds of the past as well as the present,” she says. The lack of financial reward is part of a larger complex of social attitudes and governmental funding practices that keep most arts organizations in a state of financial subsistence.

sefton has been rehearsing with a colleague, dr. Jonathan Bayley, associate dean of research, Graduate studies and continuing education, faculty of education. They first crossed paths at McGill where they both earned their undergraduate degrees in music performance. “when i arrived in windsor a few years ago and met dr. Bayley again, we started playing together, working on contemporary repertoire for flute and cello, as well as trios for flute, cello and piano. it’s been a lot of fun, plus it

has provided some real balance to our teaching and administrative work.”

sefton explained that creative activity, such as performance, is recognized by most universities as a form of scholarship. it is complex, critical, and original, and engages the performer at all levels of scholarly work. However, sefton and Bayley teach in the faculty of education where the focus is on preparing educators, not on preparing performers. so, as they have been working together, rehearsing and

preparing for public performance, they have also been discussing the particular context in which they work, and how disciplinary boundaries can constrain certain kinds of action and thought.

in april, 2009, they presented a paper that explored some of these issues, along with video of their rehearsals, at the annual conference of the american educational research association (aera) in san diego with great success.

with more than 26,000 members, aera is a prominent international professional organization, with the primary goal of advancing educational research in psychology, statistics, sociology, history, economics, philosophy, anthropology, and political science.

The presentation pulled from every part of sefton’s identity and working life – as a musician and a scholar and an educator. “i want to do more than write about it; i want to make a place for the performing musician as research, as producing meaning, regardless of the disciplinary context, and expand some of the institutionalized ways of thinking about where the arts belong. it feels risky – but that’s usually a good sign in my world.”

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“How do you get to the point in your life at which you can

make the claim, ‘I am an artist’?”

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HristoPHer Paul curtis loved readinG when he was growing up in flint, Michigan, and yet, he could “never find books that were about him”, books that were about a young african-american boy living in the mid-west.

what did he do? He wrote the books himself, from his experiences, and later during breaks on the assembly line at fisher Body Plant #1.

last June, the five-time award winning children’s author received the highest honour possible from the university of windsor at the faculty of education’s convocation - an Honourary doctor of laws, Honoris causa, for his exceptional contributions to children’s literature.

Having written internationally-renowned novels such as The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963, and Bud, Not Buddy,

about a precocious boy in the 1930s who begins a search through Jazz clubs to find his estranged father after his mother dies, curtis has consistently remained grounded to his roots in the windsor-detroit community. He cares deeply about being a mentor for boys and girls like him. He makes frequent appearances in elementary classrooms in the area, promoting african-american literature; he is a role model for young writers; and in 2001, he donated a new children’s wing to the windsor Public library where he wrote daily for years. today, the grandson of pitcher “earl ‘lefty’ lewis” and band leader Herman e. curtis sr. can be found writing in the west wing of the university of windsor’s leddy library.

what motivates such creative talent? “for me,” curtis says, “the teacher that made a difference in my life was my third grade teacher, Miss suzanne Henry.”

CDr. Curtis captures his unique cultural

world, one word at a time.

FEATURED

what did she do that was so special? He told new teachers in his June address, “The main thing she did was to provide me with encouragement; she made me feel special, and that really mattered...she told me i was ‘room c citizen of the day’ and she put a gold star on my forehead.” it just takes one person to make a difference in a child’s life; to turn that life around. you never know when it will be, or who it will be, but it could be you that motivates.

dr. curtis advises new teachers of the power they hold, “i wore this [gold star] today to show you the effect you can have in someone’s life, to make a grown man cry after all these years! your profession is one of the few where you can make a difference in the world!”

dr. curtis will be holding readings of his latest novel, Elijah of Buxton, this coming year across north america.

Christopher Paul Curtis spotted again with

“A Book of My Own” new teachers from the faculty of education donated over 2,500 books for the windsor-essex ‘a Book of My own literacy campaign’ to establish a lending library at the Glengarry Homework club in downtown windsor! The Glengarry Homework club is voluntarily staffed by the university-community Partnership for community development, research and training at the university of windsor. This past March, when the club mentioned that they were hoping to set up a lending library, initially hoping to receive possibly 500 books, teacher candidates from the university of windsor enthusiastically responded to the call, donating more than three books per student and assisting with the storage and delivery of the new library!

to celebrate the success of this year’s ‘a Book of My own literacy campaign’, dr. christopher Paul curtis was invited to the annual General Meeting (aGM) on september 9th as the special guest speaker. dean Pat rogers and the faculty of education were honoured at the aGM with a certificate of recognition for the faculty’s special contribution to the 2009 literacy drive. The windsor-essex branch of ‘a Book of My own’ is run by the former north york principal Henry Johnson with the aid of windsor’s social service agencies, and canwest’s raise-a-reader stars. ‘a Book of My own’ is always looking for new children’s books to distribute, gently-used books to sell at its annual June book sale, and volunteers to assist with the distribution. read more about the windsor-essex literacy campaign at: http://www.abookofmyownliteracycampaign.ca/

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“Make a Difference:”

One Reader at a Time

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RECOMMENDED

don’t have a lot of time to read, but want to refresh your teaching mindset? start by browsing this shortlist of books that are of interest to our faculty and sessional instructors. we asked:

wHat Have you read lately tHat May Be of interest to otHer educators?

tHree cuPs of tea: one Man’s Mission to fiGHt terrorisM and Build nations one scHool at a tiMeGreg Mortenson. reviewed by Glenn rideout

“Here, we drink three cups of tea to do business; the first you are a stranger, the second you become a friend, and the third, you join the family, and for our family we are prepared to do anything – even die.” Haji ali, Korphe (northern Pakistan) village chief.

Greg Mortenson had just failed to summit K2 in northern Pakistan. He was lost, separated from Mouzafer ali, his Balti porter and guide, and cold and hungry from a night spent on a glacier ledge. to complicate matters, he then took the wrong fork in the path and wandered into the village of Korphe. Here villagers, including its nurmadhar (chief ) Haji ali and his family, rescued him and nursed him back to health.

a strange thing happened during his stay in Korphe. Greg Mortenson saw children scratching in the clay with sticks, trying to learn to read and write, with no school and virtually no support. Before he left the village, he had shared in the third cup. Greg had promised Haji ali and the villagers that he would return and build a school.

from this point forward Three cups of tea, co-written by Mortenson and david oliver relin, unfolds in a high spirited tale of logistical strategy, grass-roots fund-raising, and socio-political intrigue the likes of which north american educators, in the worst of times, have never

encountered. a culturally sensitive account of the poverty of northern Pakistan’s Karakoram valley (the source of K2’s name) unveils the immense peace-making potential of Mortenson’s schools for both girls and boys, in comparison to the fundamentalist islamic madrassas, many which are financed by the taliban to train and recruit new members. Mortenson emphasizes continually throughout the book that his mission is not to fight terrorism. it is, in the words of book’s subtitle, “one Man’s Mission to Promote Peace…one school at a time.”

Mortenson returned to Korphe a year later with cash and supplies to build the school. Then, as has been well chronicled in the north american media in recent years, seventy more and counting followed in both northern Pakistan and neighbouring afganistan. This book emphasizes the importance of education for all children and is inspiring and hopeful in its tone. Millions of others, who have kept this book in the top-five of the new york times non-fiction best-seller list, and who have donated to Mortenson’s central asia institute, apparently agree that education may be peace-making’s best chance.

Music and tHe younG MindMaureen Harris. reviewed by Jonathan Bayley

i highly recommend this exciting new resource! an excellent, well-researched, and clearly presented guide for educators and students, it addresses elementary music education, where the focus is on cognitive engagement, and

the intellectual development of the child. i read every page with pleasure, reflecting on my own practice as a postsecondary music educator. Music and the young Mind is a must-read for all teachers and students wishing to become music teachers. it connects research to practice in a logical and meaningful way and makes a wonderful, comprehensive resource for college music education classes that focus on early childhood.

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Hard tiMescharles dickens (1854). reviewed by christopher Greig

each september i ask the Bachelor of education students whether or not they have read charles dickens’ Hard times. and, inevitably each september i am disappointed to find out that only one or two students have read this stimulating work. This trend is a shame as the book is deeply relevant to our current social and

educational context. in Hard times, dickens provides a merciless and close up look at schooling during a time of profound social, political and economic change. situated in a culture that was becoming increasingly industrial and capitalist, dickens worried about how the system of public schooling in england was being co-opted by these larger economic and political forces. central to his concern was the notion that students were being looked upon by schools as a form of human capital, not as human beings. fast forward 150 years, and we find ourselves faced with our own hard times. situated in a time of profound social, political and economic change, and shaped by the relentless needs of globalization, schools once again find themselves under pressure to see students less as human beings and more as a source of human global capital. all of which makes Hard times relevant to today’s educator. schools, dickens suggests, ought to be places where we invest our capital in order to help create students who are human. not the other way around. in short, i invite you to read Hard times because the work brilliantly shows the consequences to individuals and societies alike when established institutions and individuals fail in their obligation to see - with compassion, empathy and understanding- students as something other than deeply autonomous human beings.

Have a favourite read you’d liKe to sHare witH otHer educators? let us Know at: educ@uwindsor.ca

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new

ele

men

tary

-e.C

.e. p

ro

gr

am

in september 2010, the ontario government will begin providing full-day learning programs for four- and five-year olds, greatly increasing the need for elementary and early childhood teachers.

to meet this need, lambton college and the university of windsor are offering a unique, new program in sarnia that will allow you to earn both your education degree and ece diploma at the same time.

This two-year program will prepare you for a rewarding career as a teaching professional. for more information on the program or the application process, please contact:

lambton college:info@lambton.on.ca519-541-2403 or519-542-7751 ext. 3261

university of windsor:educ@uwindsor.ca519-253-3000 ext. 3804

new opportunitiesin early learningBe prepared with our new elementary-e.C.e. program

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want to develop students’ critical thinking skills? talk to education professor susan Holloway. dr. Holloway engages Grades 5 to 8 students to develop their visual critical thinking skills through photography.

students are given digital cameras and taken out to natural settings where they take photographs of nature. Preparation for the picture takes place in their english, math and science classes as well as through visits from professionals to introduce photographic techniques and elements of design.

after the pictures are taken, each student must select only one photograph to exhibit in a gallery showing. This forces them to think critically as they justify why they selected that photograph.

“one teacher told me that perhaps 10% of these children would normally do a homework assignment, but 100% did every assignment as this project progressed! They were

excited and motivated. They listened and questioned the professionals from the community. Photography evens the field for those students whose first language is not english,” says Holloway.

Holloway hopes that the project will provide some insight into how english language learners from lower socio-economic backgrounds are engaged in experiential learning, and if ecology and arts programs give these students access to the environment and multi-modal literacies in ways they might not otherwise experience.

Holloway emphasizes critical literacy at the faculty of education when she is preparing future teachers to teach english language arts.

“if teacher candidates can accept that their pre-conceptions could be challenged, they will be more open to understanding their students’ diverse thought processes,” dr. Guoqiang (George) Zhou states. innovation comes from looking at a problem or situation from an alternative viewpoint. That is why it is important for community educators to recognize patterns of thought that may be different from their own.

in such an environment, students with different life experiences and cultural backgrounds feel unthreatened when they present their ideas. This way, innovation and new thought is recognized.

Zhou works with chemistry and physics teacher candidates to help them learn to appreciate science through a process of argumentation. according to this model,

teachers begin teaching where the students’ minds are. first, teachers assess how their students are learning and how they are thinking about a problem, then, base their teaching strategies upon this knowledge of their students’ thought processes. students and teacher work together from this base point to move learning forward.

CONNECTED TO COMMUNITY

C H A L L E N G I N G T H E N O R M

T A K E A P I C T U R E !

Above:Dr. Guoqiang

(George) Zhou, Associate Professor

of Science Education methodology.

Centre:Dr. Susan Holloway, Assistant Professor

of English Education methodology.

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university of windsor education professor darren stanley authored a recent monograph for the what works? research into Practice series, produced in partnership by the ontario literacy and numeracy secretariat (lns) and the ontario association of deans of education (oade).

“The idea is to provide succinct summaries of research implications for our communities of principals and teachers,” says lns coordinator Heather Berkeley.

dr. stanley’s article, “what complexity science tells us about teaching and learning” outlines a way of being less prescriptive in the classroom and more successful with students.

The professor of mathematics education takes cues from nature to explain the concept of complexity science: “when birds fly around in a large flock, which is the leader?” he asks. “The shapes, patterns and flow in nature are complex. so is the make-up of students in a classroom. complexity science principles allow teachers to think about and imagine ways in which their classrooms can be healthy, inclusive families of learners.” stanley’s research examines what he calls, “healthy learning organizations,” creating new possibilities for mathematics education, in particular.

for more information on complexity science in mathematics, please go to dr. stanley’s article on the lns website: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/complexscience_en.pdf

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C O M P L E x I T Y S C I E N C E W O R K S

Dr. Darren Stanley, Acting Associate Dean, Graduate Studies, Research and Continuing Education.

ontario’s literacy and numeracy secretariat (lns) disseminates cutting edge research, such as dr. stanley’s, to increase students’ achievement in reading, writing, and numeracy across ontario. The secretariat was founded in 2004 by internationally renowned community educator avis Glaze. what works? research into Practice, is one of many initiatives promoted by dr. Glaze, to share current research on instruction and learning with teachers – other initiatives include: inspire, an online journal; board and school-based workshops; and local short courses and on-line learning on how to use current research in our daily teaching practices. Mary-Jean Gallagher, former director of the Greater essex county district school Board (GecdsB) is the current ceo and chief student achievement officer of the lns. Both Glaze and Gallagher are recipients of the university of windsor’s Honorary doctorate of laws for their outstanding contributions to education. read more about the lns at: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/

Monday, March 22, 2009 Primary-Junior animation academy awards, 1101, 12 noon-1:00 p.m.spring, 2010 saGe (sexuality and Gender education committee ) anti-discrimination

film showings, faculty of education, university of windsorThursday, april 28, 2010 windsor-essex science olympiad, faculty of education,

university of windsor {www.uwindsor.ca/scienceolympiad}april-May, 2010 new arts curriculum training across windsor and essexJune 21- July 31, 2010 inservice summer courses

DATED

HONOURED

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Maureen Harris, M.ed., arct, received the ‘Hugheen ferguson teacher of the year award, 2009’ from the canadian federation of Music teachers, and is one of this year’s honoured recipients of the Prime Minister’s distinguished award for excellence in teaching!

Ms. Harris, the creator of the early childhood music education programs ‘Montessori Mozarts’ and ‘Mozart and the young Mind’ is considered an international authority on early childhood musical learning. Her publications include: ‘Montessori, music and math’ in Listen to their

Voices: Research and Practice in Early Childhood Music Education, published by the canadian Music educators association, and ‘Montessori Mozarts’ – an instructional book for Montessori educators and parents. Her latest publication, Music and the young Mind: enhancing Brain development and engaging learning (commissioned by Menc – The national association for Music education), a comprehensive early childhood music education book for music graduates and ece graduates, was launched in 2009 at the world forum foundation conference in ireland. Ms. Harris is currently working on ‘Music-making at Home,’ a guide for parents and care-givers. Ms. Harris teaches music education in the university of windsor’s faculty of education.

CFMTA 2009 MUSIC TEACHER OF THE YEAR AWARD

CObb COUNTY SCHOOLS’ TEACHER OF THE YEAR

WINDSOR ARTS TEACHER DESIGNS CTF POSTER

Jennifer Gates, B.a.(92), B.ed.(07), M.ed.(09), was named ‘cobb county’s teacher of the year’ in Georgia, u.s.a. for her work with exceptional children. Her students attained the highest grade level scores in the state. The key to her success as a practicing special education teacher? Her classes with university of windsor’s special education professor, dr. elizabeth starr, and social science education professor, dr. larry Glassford.

of starr’s education classes, Gates exclaims, “ i have used every special education instructional strategy dr. starr ever mentioned or hinted at, let alone taught us. i’ve bought new books, used the old ones, keep the notes at school, worked all the websites. it’s all in the tool bag, and

i use all of it all the time in some way. dr. starr made a positive, lasting impact on me.” and of dr. Glassford, “dr. Glassford’s constructivist approach to planning and curriculum kept my students motivated every minute of the day.”

The former national cBc journalist came back to the university of windsor to complete an education degree because she was passionate about teaching. she loved children and wanted to make a difference. Gates says of her students now, “ i was so proud of my cobb country students- especially the students openly referred to by the board as some of the ‘worst they’ve seen.’ i feel that my students are loved and guided well now.”

neli Brady, B.a., B.ed.(84), designed the visual that won the 2008 canadian teachers’ federation (ctf) ‘world teachers’ day’ poster contest. ctf President emily noble said of the a.v. Graham school teacher’s design, “we were ‘wowed’ by the integrity of the message!” The poster is now visible in all schools across canada. Brady says she always tells her students that “art can make a difference. it’s another way of communicating. ”when she saw the inaugural request for submissions to ctf she thought, “why not lead by example?” Ms. Brady teaches music education in the university of windsor’s faculty of education.

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GIFTEDWINDSOR ROOTS NOT FORGOTTEN

“My experience on those teams gave me self-confidence that has served me all my life. If it wasn’t for that teacher going the extra mile for me, I may not have had the wonderful life that I have enjoyed...”– Angela (Capannelli)

Bates, B.Ed. (79).

angela (capannelli) Bates, B.ed. (79) graduated from the university of windsor 30 years ago and has lived in

different parts of the united states for most of that time, including southern california for the past 11 years. But her loyalty to windsor remains firm.

Bates has continued to send donations to the faculty of education trust - $1,000 a year- for most of the past decade. donations create valuable endowed scholarships for future teachers, and support projects to strengthen teacher education at the faculty of education.

“My parents were hard working immigrants who believed strongly in the value of education. all four of their children earned university degrees, “ says Bates, “our family now

includes an attorney, an engineer, an architect and myself.”Bates also holds a firm belief in the value of teaching and the uncommon influence teachers can have on people’s lives. Bates’ grade 5 teacher, at our lady of lourdes school in windsor, Pat Pupulin, encouraged her to play on the school’s sports teams. Pupulin visited Bates’ parents and promised them that no harm would come to their daughter.

“My experience on those teams gave me self-confidence that has served me all my life. if it wasn’t for that teacher going the extra mile for me, i may not have had the wonderful life that i have enjoyed,” she says.in the early 1980s, few teaching positions were available. Bates taught in short-term contract positions at schools such as l.a. desmarais, Belle river and Brennan.

“i had an opportunity to take a vacation in california for a couple of weeks. Those weeks turned into a year, then i met my husband and that was it,” Bates says.

Bates’ education career has included: a supervisory role in national sales for a medical device company; managing a cardiologist’s practice; and a licence as a california real estate agent. Bates says the skills she learned in teaching – to organize, communicate, and manage large groups, have contributed to her success. angela Bates loves learning, and often takes courses for interest. a windsor education lasts a lifetime!

Cartoon created by Windsor Education Professor Wayne Tousignant.

c o n n e c t E D F i s s u e # 4 , w i n t e r 2 0 0 9

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REMEMBERED

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Dr. Patrick Solomon’s Legacy to our Communities:A Master Mentor is Remembered

ducators across ontario were saddened by the passing last year of influential york university education professor Patrick solomon.

a passionate advocate for equity, diversity and social justice throughout his life, solomon was known for his pioneering work in the urban diversity teacher education initiative at york university for which he was awarded the first annual exemplary Multicultural educator’s award by the canadian council for Multicultural & intercultural education (ccMie) in 2003.

dr. solomon was an inspirational mentor and model to many faculty at the university of windsor. andrew allen knew him as a teacher who made everyone feel special.

“dr. solomon had a disdain for inequity,” says dr. allen. “He actively recruited leaders to promote equity and diversity in education and in communities. He sought out marginalized voices, people in the working class and from minorities that are under-represented in teaching and teacher education. He helped us create networks and gave agency to people who did not have the social connections,” says allen.

“Patrick always talked about community-based teaching, the importance of breakfast and after school programs. He believed teachers should study the community where they worked before they stood in front of a class. They should understand the culture, the nature of poverty, and the challenges and decisions their students struggle with in order to get to that class.”

for solomon, teachers are not meant to be tourists in the neighbourhoods they teach. They should be an active part of the community. The urban education Program at the windsor faculty of education is rooted in dr. solomon’s ideals and teaching (see connected, spring 2007).

windsor education professor lara doan was a research assistant for solomon when she was doing her graduate work at york. “He taught and demonstrated that the underlying principles of scholarship are ideas that are lived. your teaching, your research and your humanity are not mutually exclusive,” dr. doan said. she says solomon influenced education policy and curriculum development through his research. “teachers and principals who were teacher candidates of dr. solomon’s today share his influence in their school communities, with their students and in the neighbouring communities as well.”

E

D AV I D I N V E R A R I T Y : I N M E M O R I U M

Junior-intermediate candidate and visual artist david inverarity of Harrow passed away this past school year. He will be remembered by his class of 2009 as a friendly, colourful and engaging teaching colleague. The faculty

of education student society donated $722.00 ($1.00 per student) to the windsor-essex ‘a Book of My own literacy campaign’ in memory of david.

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CONNECTED faculty of education, university of windsor401 sunset avenue, windsor, on n9B 3P4