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

THIS ISSUE:

Northern Lights: Windsor Alumni in Circumpolar

Classrooms

Building Bridges: Making Research Relevant to Local

First Nations Communities

First Contact: Dr. Lara Doan’s Beginning Time

Teachings

ISSUE #2FALL 2007

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:

We are well into the fall term now, and after the relative quiet of the summer, the Neal Education Building fairly hums with life. With the arrival, each

year, of a fresh cohort of talented teacher candidates and graduate students, all aspects of education are uncovered and reexamined anew. It is a wonderful process, involving dialogue and creative exploration as we share and refine our best ideas, our dreams, and our research passions.

It struck me recently that a series of ideas, experiences and research projects in our Faculty were converging around an area of crucial importance in Canadian education: policy, curricular change and sustainable practices to support Aboriginal students and their communities, as well as to promote a better understanding of Aboriginal history and ways of knowing for the benefit of our entire culture.

Out of this realization, the theme of this issue of ConnectED was born.

In these pages, you’ll meet alumni who are working with First Nations and Inuit communities in the far North of our country, as well as become introduced to some important First Nations-based educational research projects our faculty members are involved in. You’ll also read about an innovative program, here in our Faculty, designed to help teacher candidates learn more about Anishnaabe history, culture and beliefs, so that we can

begin to question our own beliefs and perhaps break the cycle of damaging stereotyping that holds us all back.

At a time when residential school settlements are finally being negotiated – albeit too little, too late – I’m proud of the contributions our Faculty of Education is trying to make, in concrete ways, to promote healing and reconciliation both within the institution and in the surrounding community and schools.

Beyond this central theme, this issue of ConnectED also highlights research Drs. Cherian and Daniel are carrying out in conjunction with the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board on an exciting new literacy program (“WoW”), and introduces readers to two groups essential to our faculty’s well-being: the Teacher Education Liaison Committee and our new Alumni Advisory Council. As well, we are thrilled to announce the establishment of a generous new award for our BEd students, the Melanie Jane Harrison Memorial Award for Aspiring Teachers.

Thank you for being a part of our community.

Stay ConnectED!

Pat RogersDean, Faculty of EducationUniversity of Windsor

D

FEATURES

Northern Lights: The circumpolar classrooms of cully Robinson ’84 and Darcy Steele ’00 2

Building Bridges: Making Research Relevant to Our local First Nations communities 5

First Contact: Dr. lara Doan’s Beginning Time Teachings 8

DEPARTMENTS

Dean’s Message 1

connectED: WoW & TElc 10

Faculty Activity 12

AlumNotes 15

GiftED 17

EDiTOR Jennifer Mactaggart

cONSUlTiNG EDiTORS Jonathan Bayley, clinton Beckford, Abby Nakhaie, Pat Rogers

cONTRiBUTORS Jennifer Mactaggart, Melodie Wilson BEd ’85, ’07, University Advancement

DESiGN/lAyOUT Hargreaves Mandal Stewart inc.

PHOTOGRAPHy John carrington (Advancement), Paul Hargreaves, Tory James (cTl),

Jennifer Mactaggart, cully Robinson ’84, Darcy Steele ’00

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. 3830 Fax: (519) 971-3612E-mail: educ@uwindsor.ca

CONNECTED

The views expressed or implied in this magazine do not necessarily reflect those of the University of Windsor or its Faculty of Education.

Proudly designed and printed in our community.

COVEREDFrom Southernmost tip to Northernmost reachesimages of two inuksuit remind us of our connection, whatever path we choose to embark upon.

Top: An inukshuk gracing Windsor’s waterfront, as part of the Odette Sculpture Park. Artist anonymous. (Photo: Paul Hargreaves, public art courtesy of the city of Windsor.)

Bottom: An inukshuk overlooking Arctic Bay, Nunavut. (Photo: Darcy Steele ’00.)

An inukshuk – meaning “likeness of a person” in inuktitut (the inuit language) – is a stone figure made by the inuit. The plural is inuksuit. The inuit make inuksuit in different forms for different purposes: to show directions to travellers, to warn of impending danger, to mark a place of respect, or to act as helpers in the hunting of caribou. An inukshuk can be small or large, a single rock, several rocks balanced on each other, round boulders or flat. inuit tradition forbids the destruction of inuksuit. [Source: http://thecanadianencylopedia.com]

4

upbringing and ways of thinking.” But for him the cross-cultural and linguistic challenges of his daily life are mitigated simply by “knowing that I can be a good role-model and a positive influence for students,” and knowing, also, that he’s constantly learning, too. In the classroom, he tries to provide structure, safety and a culturally sensitive and aware Social Science curriculum. Then, “when I go out on the land with students, I make it clear that as a Southerner I am now the student and they are the experts.”

In Robinson’s experience, and in his life, “Methodology and curriculum are important, but relationships come first.” As an administrator in a school – and a community – almost entirely of Northern Tutchone First Nations descent, his concerns travel far beyond the school doors: “In the north many of us work with families who are marginalized by culture, race and the economy. Making the system adapt to meet the needs of these families is one of the challenges that all Northern professionals face.”

But they are beset by many frustrations as they work to deliver the best possible educational experiences to their students. The curriculums they teach are foreign – Nunavut, still without its own Education Act (a proposal is currently being debated in the legislature), has adopted the Alberta curriculum and standardized testing; the Yukon uses British Columbia curriculum, with some Alberta standardized testing – and the teacher turnover, particularly in Nunavut, is very high. Success and stability are hard to come by.

In a K-12 school of 100, Tantalus School graduated fully ten grade 12 diploma students last year – an exceptional rate in a community where the value of education is downplayed, many struggle with social and health problems, and the economy is such that a diploma does not guarantee a job. The larger Inuujaq School in Arctic Bay graduated four diploma students.

One of the keys to Tantalus School’s success, Robinson feels, is found in the slowly growing critical mass of local teachers with professional certification who are staying in, or returning to, their communities to teach. The impact of these role models and cultural translators on the Northern community and its teaching success is far-reaching and extremely positive. There are nay-sayers, and worriers about the changing face of the system, but Robinson is adamant that Tantalus School has only benefited from the five educators of Yukon First Nations descent who have recently joined his faculty.

Another key, both Steele and Robinson agree, is working

5

“The year was 1984 and the class was Educational

Technology at UWindsor’s Faculty of Ed. At a time

when calculators were developing rapidly and personal

computers were the cutting edge I looked forward to what

we would encounter. With much eye rolling and many

groans I learned to make copies using a spirit-master-

duplicator; change the bulbs in overhead projectors and

thread film into a 16 mm projector. Clearly, I thought,

I would never be asked to use these antiques in the

classroom. Then, in 1986 I was teaching in my first full-

time job in a small school in a village in northern BC.

What were the technological skills I needed? Make copies

using a spirit-master-duplicator; change the bulbs in

overhead projectors; thread film into a 16 mm projector;

chop wood for the stove...”

Cully Robinson ’84Carmacks, YK

“Technology” takes many forms…An anecdote from Cully Robinson ’84

n the fly-in community of Arctic Bay, located on the northern tip of Baffin Island, in a cramped gym that – in doubling as law court and town meeting hall – redefines what most of us mean by “multi-purpose,” Darcy

Steele ’00 coaches under-14 soccer players. Last year his talented team from Inuujaq School won the Baffin Soccer Regionals; this year the young champs have their eyes on nothing less than the Territorial Games, contested in far-away Yellowknife.

Across the Canadian North, a two-hour drive north of Whitehorse, Cully Robinson ’84 works the lunchroom. Tantalus School – a K-12 school in the small town of Carmacks, Yukon – has just moved into a new purpose-built structure, and things are a bit chaotic. But as principal in this Northern community, Robinson has learned that “consistency is everything – and being visible and accessible is essential,” so he never deviates from his schedule: greet the students straight off the bus, mingle with them at recesses, lunch with them, and send them home happy at the end of the day.

For different reasons, but with similar heart, these two University of Windsor Faculty of Education graduates have dedicated a significant portion of their teaching careers to the North, and both express gratitude – despite some of the challenges and hardships borne in remote communities – for all that the North has offered them. Beginning their journeys at the Southernmost tip of the country, they have chosen to settle and teach in small communities in Canada’s Northernmost reaches.

There is an old saying that “all teaching is political.” Like many who work in marginalized communities, Robinson and Steele live that saying every day. In the interactions they have – as “foreigners” in predominantly First Nations or Inuit communities and, doubly, as foreign teachers (“agent of colonialism” as Robinson describes himself, tongue only partly in cheek) – they are always struggling to find a healthy balance, both in their lives and in the lives of their students. A balance, Steele suggests, that is “between Southern learning and traditional values.”

Steele goes on, “in many ways, teaching in Nunavut feels like you are teaching in an entirely different country.” When he arrived in the North, he was immediately confronted by things “that were foreign to my entire

FEATURED

I

Northern Lights

4

Arctic Bay, NU

The Circumpolar Classrooms of Cully Robinson ’84 and Darcy Steele ’00

Carmacks, YT

or too long, First Nations youth in Canada have experienced little but frustration and bewilderment in the clutches of a Euro-Canadian education system. Forced into an unyielding

system, their cultural knowledge, their languages, their ancestral ways of knowing and living have been summarily dismissed, again and again. This process has been enough to crush the spirit of the most tenacious and spirited of learners.

Despite recommendations and movements towards change, generations of Aboriginal students continue to reject the system and drop out – often with serious economic, social and health repercussions. For a group of University of Windsor professors with ties to Walpole Island First Nation, this ongoing rejection struck a chord, and they were moved to apply their areas of interest and expertise to try to do something.

In their work on a series of distinct but interrelated research projects, University of Windsor Education professors Anthony N. Ezeife, Clinton Beckford, and Kara Smith are each working to find ways to bring

relevance, significance and the joy of learning back to the Aboriginal students of Walpole Island First Nation. Dr. Ezeife is researching, creating and introducing an innovative, culture-sensitive First Nations-based mathematics curriculum, one that uses local, relevant examples to teach abstract concepts, such as the mix of tree species in a glade when teaching probability theory, or the angles in a turtle shell or fern leaves to teach geometric principles. Dr. Beckford is researching powerful traditional environmental knowledge, as shared and transmitted in the Walpole Island First Nation, in order to honour and share this knowledge, and to make it applicable as part of the science curricula of any school. And Dr. Kara Smith is researching the Walpole Island First Nation’s efforts to preserve its language, in the face of the overriding global culture (and local education system) dominated by English. “It is important,” Smith says about her research, “to gather examples of places where people have turned back the forces of economy to nurture their language.” Maintaining a language, keeping it spoken and “alive” is consonant with preserving an entire knowledge system.

Because of their well-documented concern for, and well-established involvement with the Walpole Island First Nation, all three researchers also joined a team

RESEARCHED

F

BuildingMaking Research Relevant to Local First Nations Communities

7

Above (L to R):Dr. Anthony N. Ezeife, Dr. Kara Smith and Dr. Clinton Beckford, three Education professors researching in collaboration with the Walpole Island First Nation.

Bridges:

to make the curriculum as relevant and culturally sensitive as possible. Where necessary, each adapts curriculum and methodology to better suit the culture, environment and needs of the Northern community. They work to change the system quietly, and from within. After years of experience, Robinson’s favourite technique for change is to “hand the head office faits accomplis every once and a while,” rather than wait for direction.

Both have real issues with the prevalence of heavily biased standardized testing that, instead of helping their students, often ends up shutting them off – if not out. Robinson is blunt about this: “we can gain some data – data snapshots, really – from standardized testing, but when it starts to drive the system, that is too much.” He advocates strongly for “growing the idea of assessment for learning.” Both admit that we do have to do some testing and gather some data, but feel strongly that educators must be extremely critical about the data and what exactly it tells us. “People want system solutions for the problems we face,” says Robinson. “And while that’s not entirely invalid – we do need a healthy system, an efficient system, a well-run system - educators must be active and critical.” In a very memorable discussion, over coffee, of the challenges of teaching in the North, OISE’s Dr. Michael Fullan advised Robinson “don’t wait for the system to reform before you start implementing change.” This is advice Robinson has taken particularly close to heart.

Both Robinson and Steele are passionate about what they do, and committed to Northern communities and students. Both feel they could be teaching “easier” cohorts, in more comfortable, and familiar Southern surroundings, with far better resources. But they also feel that they are “doing real teaching – teaching people who need tailor-made solutions to the challenges they face,” as Robinson puts it, and that makes it all the more worthwhile. In the lunch room and the gym, the classroom and the community, they are pushing themselves and their students in equal, powerful, measure.

“Come to the North with an open mind. Do not be quick

to offer judgments or quick solutions. Get to know your

students and their culture. Formal education is still in its

infancy in the North, in many respects, and this takes much

sensitivity. Perhaps the best advice I can give is a word of

wisdom that was passed on to me a few months ago: If you

choose to teach in the North, get involved in the community

you move to. See that community as your home where you

live (even if you don’t plan on staying there forever) rather

than just a place where you work for a few months out of

the year.” For more information on teaching and living in the

North, check out Darcy’s blog Way Way Up at

www.waywayup.blogspot.com.

Darcy Steele ’00Post polar bear dip,Sept 2007

More on teaching in the North from an article by Paul BergerIn the Winter 2007 Journal of Teaching and Learning Paul Berger published a thought-provoking article on teaching in Nunavut entitled “Some Thoughts on Qallunaat Teacher Caring in Nunavut.” To read the abstract or the full article, please visit www.uwindsor.ca/jtl and search under “Berger.”

Interested in teaching in Canada’s North?A word of advice from Darcy Steele ’00

1Provoke comes from the Latin provocare – to call forth, challenge, appeal, excite; to incite,

stimulate, rouse, spur on.

July 3-5, 2008

The Faculty oF Education aT The univErsity oF Windsor is hosTing a conference, July 3-5, 2008, ThaT will explore The many

provoking1 faceTs of research.

The goal of This conference is To consider The many ways in which we are called, challenged, and exciTed inTo research.

Guest speakers our guesTs will each deliver a plenary address. There will also

be a colloquium where They will Take parT in a discussion wiTh each oTher and The conference parTicipanTs.

Chet Bowers, phD patti Lather, phD University of oregon ohio state University

hanDeL wriGht, phDUniversity of British ColUmBia

please visiT The websiTe www.uwindsor.ca/prvc for more informaTion, or conTacT prvc2008@uwindsor.ca

P rovoking ResearchProVoking Communities

9

Bkejwanong Walpole Island First NationBkejwanong (“where the waters divide”) contains the unceded lands

of the Walpole Island First Nation, nearly 24,000 hectares on six delta islands

formed where the St. Clair River and the Sydenham River flow into Lake St. Clair.

The community of farmland, wetlands and forest is connected by road to Highway

40 and the nearby community of Wallaceburg to the east, and a short ride by

international ferry to Algonac, Michigan, on the west.

Population: 4,080 (as of August, 2007)

Linguistic Affiliation: Algonkian (Odawa, Ojibwa, Pottawatomi)

[Sources: www.bkejwanong.com/profile.html; www.chiefs-of-ontario.org/profiles/pr_walpole.html; sdiprod2.inac.gc.ca]

Turtle Island

University of Windsor’s Aboriginal Education CentreThe University of Windsor Aboriginal Education Centre (Turtle Island) was created

in 1992 with the mandate of ensuring services and programs to meet the needs

of Aboriginal students in a culturally supportive atmosphere. ‘Turtle Island’ is not

an island itself; maintaining a strong interrelationship with the other departments

of the University, the Turtle Island House serves as a bridge to other services on

campus.

[Source: www.uwindsor.ca/aec]

Che

rieM

ario

n(2

007)

of investigators on an interdisciplinary SSHRC-funded research project, entitled Better Futures for Bkejwanong (Walpole Island First Nation). The project grew out of a much larger longitudinal study tracking some 200 different variables affecting children born in 1994/5 (& their families) in eight economically disadvantaged communities across Ontario. One of the communities was the First Nations community on Walpole Island. When the Government of Ontario stopped funding the original longitudinal study a few years ago, principal University of Windsor investigator, Psychology professor Dr. Shelagh Towson, was aghast. She did not want to see such valuable data – and such good working relationships with Walpole Island and her co-investigators – lost, so she brought together a multidisciplinary team, composed of researchers from Education, Psychology, Nursing, Social Work and Sociology. Her team applied for a grant to extend the project, focusing specifically on the Walpole Island community. The result? They received a $200,000, three-year SSHRC grant for Better Futures for Bkejwanong. Quite aside from the raw data gathered and protected, another powerful positive of this reinvigorated project is the capacity-building component it brings to the community through the support, development and training of Bkejwanong First Nations investigators and researchers. As Dr. Towson puts it, all of these outcomes provide “a wonderful example of what we can accomplish when we build bridges between the University of Windsor and a First Nations community as well as, at the University, between different faculties and departments.” Ezeife, Beckford and Smith are members of the ongoing Better Futures team.

Between their own research projects, and the overarching Better Futures for Bkejwanong, Ezeife, Beckford and Smith have a deep and rich understanding of contemporary First Nations issues, challenges, and strengths. Across the years, they have also developed strong and positive working relationships with Russell Nahdee, co-ordinator of the Aboriginal Education Centre at the University of Windsor (Turtle Island), and Dr. Dean M. Jacobs, Director of the Walpole Island Heritage Research Centre (called “Nin-Da-Waab-Jig” – “Those who seek to find”) on Walpole Island, invaluable culture-keepers and guides. With such a strong team working together on such a powerful variety of projects and venues, a future that includes relevant, informed, culturally sensitive curricula and approaches doesn’t seem so far off.

8

Dr. Clinton Beckford’s study, “An Investigation

into the Environmental Perceptions and Philosophy

of Walpole Island First Nations: Implications for

Environmental Education and Geography Curriculum”

focuses on acquiring knowledge about First Nations

environmental understandings, and helping to find

ways to apply this knowledge to science curricula in schools. Says Dr. Beckford:

“Everything we know about the environment, everything we say about the

environment, whether it be deforestation, water pollution or climate change,

comes from the perspective of Western academic culture. But, First Nations

people have been doing this for many, many years. They have a relationship

with the environment that is natural and not forced. It’s not something that they

have to think about. It’s just part of who they are. It’s a way of life. They see

the value of preserving it because they believe the environment has intrinsic

value. We generally look at the environment as something to be used, exploited,

and conquered. So, there’s a different mindset – and my essential argument is

there’s a lot to learn from the Aboriginal experience.”

Dr. Anthony N. Ezeife’s “Walpole Island

Schema-Based Math Project” – a SSHRC-funded project

that has resulted in a University of Windsor Research

Excellence Award, as well as special recognition from

the province of Ontario – is a study focusing on the

development of appropriate culture-sensitive curriculum

materials and their implementation in an Aboriginal setting. Says Dr. Ezeife, “The

majority of students from indigenous cultural backgrounds shy away from math

and science – we need to use examples, illustrations and resources from their

environment, culture and traditions, to make math and science relevant and

meaningful to them again.”

Dr. Kara Smith’s “Better Beginnings: The Next

Generation” is an investigation that delves deeper into

the larger Better Beginnings project’s data on Aboriginal

language maintenance and preservation in the Walpole

Island First Nation. “Language,” says Dr. Smith, “is a

cultural carrier. Preserving a language means preserving

a knowledge system.”

3Three projects. Three perspectives.

For Dr. Doan, it was through her human rights work that she became “profoundly aware of the discrepancies in educational opportunities and the types of misunderstandings about the Original People that are common within the curriculum, and that are common in teaching.” And while a lot of suffering and dislocation has been dealt to Aboriginal students through education, she nevertheless sees education as the mode through which redressing these discrepancies and misunderstandings is possible, “It just seems to me that part of reconciliation, part of healing, is the role of education. We’re all part, and teacher candidates deserve to have a broader sense of the relations between the Original People of this land, and non-Aboriginal Canadians.”

So she did what she always does when confronted with injustice: she responded, immediately and thoughtfully. She applied for a grant – and received one from the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities – in order to fund the development and implementation of a pilot “urban Anishnaabe” teacher education support program for primary/junior consecutive BEd students. Beginning Time Teachings is the result. The program runs for eight two-hour evening sessions, facilitated by local Anishnaabe teachers, social workers and Ceremony Makers, as well as a two and a half day traditional camp, where students experience traditional teachings taught “on the land,” outside of a formal academic setting.

Beginning Time Teachings, Doan is quick to point out, “refers to the time of the traditional teachings, not to the fact that I work with primary/junior teacher candidates.” It is not an accident that she chose to run the program first with primary/junior candidates, however, as “it is at that level that the kids see a lot of stereotypes about who is and who isn’t Aboriginal, and that’s when teacher intervention is so meaningful – anything from the stories teachers choose to read, to how they choose to represent during playtime, makes a huge difference” to our youngest students.

One of the aspects of the course that Doan has found most impresses teacher candidates is its format

– delivered as oral teachings. For the BEd students, conditioned by years in “conventional classrooms,” this approach was initially off-putting. It was “all just listening.” This discomfort served as an extremely illustrative tool, however, highlighting the difference in Euro-Canadian and Aboriginal approaches to knowledge, sharing and meaning making, and the possibilities that can be lost when students are forced to stifle their own ways of knowing to adhere to convention. In this class, teacher candidates are asked to “just listen and participate, not take notes, not document in an archival sort of way but rather just to listen and learn and come to understand a different approach to learning – one that [eventually] became comforting and enjoyable for them.”

Beyond the format, however, the content of the course also – at heart – strives to raise awareness of contemporary issues in the local Aboriginal communities as well as raising “awareness around the history of [Aboriginal and Canadian] relationships, from before contact (beginning time), to contact, to post-contact…following the circle of resilience and strength of the Original People.” The course is consciously designed not to offer all answers – since the point is not to offer simple answers to complex relations – but instead to “enable students to feel a sense of comfort that they don’t have to know everything.” As teachers, says Doan, “recognizing that we don’t know everything, but rather that we have an interest in learning is key. What that does then is open up a space to allow students, in turn, to share their knowledge and their ways of knowing with us,” breaking the pattern of Us and Them, and opening up the possibility of reconciliation.

As one of last year’s participants, Cara Patterson, summed up: “Beginning Time Teachings taught me how to teach with respect and dignity for all children. I gained insight into the Anishnaabe culture that is invaluable to me as a teacher. I strongly recommend this course to any person who wants to be a teacher in Canada.” With Doan and her team’s support, the University of Windsor’s Faculty of Education is working to turn this recommendation into reality.

A note on terminology:

There have been, and are, many different terms used to identify the Original Peoples of the land we now know as Canada. Some terms have been imposed by others (e.g. European settlers), and others are self-described terms. In common parlance, Canada’s Original Peoples are often called “Aboriginal” or “First Nations” people. For many, however, “First Nations” does not cover people of Métis or Inuit descent. In the Anishinaabemowin language, the word “Anishnaabe” means “Original People,” and is used to refer to the people belonging to the indigenous Ojibwe people. The colonial term “Indian” is still used by some, particularly in old policy documents.

11

The Canadian Education Association offers a policy landscape page on Aboriginal Peoples that includes a solid summary of issues and many informative links. (Go to www.cea-ace.ca, choose “Focus on Literacy,” click on “Policy Landscape” and then choose “Aboriginal Peoples.”)

The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP) final report (1996) can be found at www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/ch/rcap/; the Federal government response to the report, an action plan entitled “Gathering Strength,” can be found at http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/gs/

Ontario Ministry of Education Aboriginal Education Strategy webpage (www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/aboriginal/policy.html) includes a link to the ministry’s full “First Nation, Métis & Inuit Education Policy Framework.”

or University of Windsor Education professor Lara Doan, developing an innovative, collaborative Aboriginal cultural training and education

program for teacher candidates was about “fulfilling the responsibility of relationship.” The program, entitled Beginning Time Teachings, is in place, for a second year, as an option for BEd primary/junior candidates who are interested in expanding their familiarity with the cultures of the Original Peoples (“Anishnaabe”)* of North America, while challenging mainstream conceptions of what it means to be an Aboriginal person in Canada today.

As Doan sees it, the responsibility of educators in Canada to our relationship with Original Peoples is ongoing and evolving. To her, it is essential that as caring – care-full – educators, we are equipped to “go into the schools and work with students, who may or may not be Aboriginal, with respect and dignity, and with a broader sense of the knowledge of the history that they/we may not have received in their/our previous schooling.”

Royal Commission panels, concerned community activists and educational policy makers have spent the last decade repeating themselves over and over: the Canadian

educational system is failing First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities, and this failure must be confronted and redressed. Curricula, programs and strategies must be developed to create a more responsive system – one that fosters genuine, sustainable learning opportunities for Aboriginal students, supports these students and their families socially and culturally, and one that also provides, through a culturally sensitive, integrated curriculum, learning about contemporary and traditional Aboriginal communities, cultures, histories and perspectives for all students. In short, concerned educators have been asking for a two-pronged approach to Canada’s greatest educational failure: reach out to First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities and, in so doing, better educate all Canadians.

EDUCATED

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Paul Petahtegoose (BSW, MSW), a Ceremony Maker in the local First Nations community, has worked with Dr. Doan for the past two years to develop and lead teach the content of Beginning Time Teachings, as well as to run the traditional retreat. His involvement has been central to theprogram’s success.

Above:Beginning Time

Teachings students and organizers enjoy

a laugh with Aboriginal educator, writer and

activist Lee Maracle, the University of Windsor’s

2007 Distinguished Visitor in Women’s

Studies. Front (L to R): Lee Maracle, Michelle

Cooper, Lara Doan, Pat Rogers. Back (L to R): Kathryn Mamo, Naomi Tomas, Angela Makra,

Lisa Warren, Danny Laba, Katie Harrington,

Marieke Vendekolk, Tara Austin.

First Contact: Dr. Lara Doan’s Beginning Time Teachings

For Dr. Doan, it was through her human rights work that she became “profoundly aware of the discrepancies in educational opportunities and the types of misunderstandings about the Original People that are common within the curriculum, and that are common in teaching.” And while a lot of suffering and dislocation has been dealt to Aboriginal students through education, she nevertheless sees education as the mode through which redressing these discrepancies and misunderstandings is possible, “It just seems to me that part of reconciliation, part of healing, is the role of education. We’re all part, and teacher candidates deserve to have a broader sense of the relations between the Original People of this land, and non-Aboriginal Canadians.”

So she did what she always does when confronted with injustice: she responded, immediately and thoughtfully. She applied for a grant – and received one from the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities – in order to fund the development and implementation of a pilot “urban Anishnaabe” teacher education support program for primary/junior consecutive BEd students. Beginning Time Teachings is the result. The program runs for eight two-hour evening sessions, facilitated by local Anishnaabe teachers, social workers and Ceremony Makers, as well as a two and a half day traditional camp, where students experience traditional teachings taught “on the land,” outside of a formal academic setting.

Beginning Time Teachings, Doan is quick to point out, “refers to the time of the traditional teachings, not to the fact that I work with primary/junior teacher candidates.” It is not an accident that she chose to run the program first with primary/junior candidates, however, as “it is at that level that the kids see a lot of stereotypes about who is and who isn’t Aboriginal, and that’s when teacher intervention is so meaningful – anything from the stories teachers choose to read, to how they choose to represent during playtime, makes a huge difference” to our youngest students.

One of the aspects of the course that Doan has found most impresses teacher candidates is its format

– delivered as oral teachings. For the BEd students, conditioned by years in “conventional classrooms,” this approach was initially off-putting. It was “all just listening.” This discomfort served as an extremely illustrative tool, however, highlighting the difference in Euro-Canadian and Aboriginal approaches to knowledge, sharing and meaning making, and the possibilities that can be lost when students are forced to stifle their own ways of knowing to adhere to convention. In this class, teacher candidates are asked to “just listen and participate, not take notes, not document in an archival sort of way but rather just to listen and learn and come to understand a different approach to learning – one that [eventually] became comforting and enjoyable for them.”

Beyond the format, however, the content of the course also – at heart – strives to raise awareness of contemporary issues in the local Aboriginal communities as well as raising “awareness around the history of [Aboriginal and Canadian] relationships, from before contact (beginning time), to contact, to post-contact…following the circle of resilience and strength of the Original People.” The course is consciously designed not to offer all answers – since the point is not to offer simple answers to complex relations – but instead to “enable students to feel a sense of comfort that they don’t have to know everything.” As teachers, says Doan, “recognizing that we don’t know everything, but rather that we have an interest in learning is key. What that does then is open up a space to allow students, in turn, to share their knowledge and their ways of knowing with us,” breaking the pattern of Us and Them, and opening up the possibility of reconciliation.

As one of last year’s participants, Cara Patterson, summed up: “Beginning Time Teachings taught me how to teach with respect and dignity for all children. I gained insight into the Anishnaabe culture that is invaluable to me as a teacher. I strongly recommend this course to any person who wants to be a teacher in Canada.” With Doan and her team’s support, the University of Windsor’s Faculty of Education is working to turn this recommendation into reality.

A note on terminology:

There have been, and are, many different terms used to identify the Original Peoples of the land we now know as Canada. Some terms have been imposed by others (e.g. European settlers), and others are self-described terms. In common parlance, Canada’s Original Peoples are often called “Aboriginal” or “First Nations” people. For many, however, “First Nations” does not cover people of Métis or Inuit descent. In the Anishinaabemowin language, the word “Anishnaabe” means “Original People,” and is used to refer to the people belonging to the indigenous Ojibwe people. The colonial term “Indian” is still used by some, particularly in old policy documents.

11

For further background on issues in Aboriginal educational policy, these links may help: The Canadian Education Association offers a policy landscape page on Aboriginal Peoples that includes a solid summary of issues and many informative links. (Go to www.cea-ace.ca, choose “Focus on Literacy,” click on “Policy Landscape” and then choose “Aboriginal Peoples.”)

The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP) final report (1996) can be found at www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/ch/rcap/; the Federal government response to the report, an action plan entitled “Gathering Strength,” can be found at http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/gs/

Ontario Ministry of Education Aboriginal Education Strategy webpage (www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/aboriginal/policy.html) includes a link to the ministry’s full “First Nation, Métis & Inuit Education Policy Framework.”

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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Professional Learning Series workshops (held in early November this year). Federation Day gives students a general overview of what it means to belong to a Federation, and the OTF workshops are prepared and presented by local teachers from all affiliates in order to tackle issues significant to a new teacher.

This year (2007-08), our TELC is ably co-chaired by Cathy Isabella (OECTA Secondary) and Laura Porfilio Guglietta (OECTA Secondary). Around the table, they are joined by: Marg Booze (OECTA Elementary), Heather Best (OECTA Elementary), Monique Dugal (OECTA Secondary), Paul LaRocque (OECTA Elementary), Rachelle Leonard (OSSTF), Gina Marcon (ETFO), Darin Carroll (ETFO), Jo-Anne Grozelle (UWindsor), Pat Rogers (UWindsor), Clinton Beckford (UWindsor), Simone Rickerby (RTO/ERO), and Ed King (Alumni). The 2007-08 student representatives are Rick Beer, Chris Eulenberg and Candice Farrugia.

Our sincere appreciation to this hard-working, productive and extremely positive committee.

New Website for Faculty of Education Graduate Programs

Through the hard work of Gayle Tait, Graduate Studies, Research and Continuing Education Secretary, and Jelena Magliaro, a Leddy librarian and Joint PhD candidate, our Faculty of Education Graduate Program website has been completely revamped. The new site is simple to use, packed with information and it looks great, too! For up-to-date information on our graduate programs, and handy tools for research, please visit www.uwindsor.ca/edfac/gradprogram.

Course-Based M.Ed. Degree

Thisnewdegreeisforthosewhowishtoenhancetheirknowledgeoftheory

andpracticewithoutcarryingoutamajorresearchstudy.

Twoareasofstudyareoffered:CurriculumStudiesor

EducationalAdministration.Theprogramrequiressuccessful

completionoftengraduatecourses.

For more information, please contact: Gayle Tait, Program Secretary

Graduate Studies and Research, Faculty of Education

E-mail: tattybo@uwindsor.caTel: 519-253-3000 x3803

www.uwindsor.ca/edfac/gradprogram

Below (Back L to R):2007-08 TELC Paul LaRocque, Cathy Isabella, Candice Farrugia (Student Rep), Gina Marcon, Heather Best, Marg Booze, Pat Rogers, Chris Eulenberg (Student Rep), Rachelle Leonard, Simone Rickerby, Laura Porfilio (Guglietta). Front (L to R): Darin Carroll, Clinton Beckford, Jo-Anne Grozelle, Monique Dugal. Absent: Ed King, Rick Beer (Student Rep).

CONNECTED

Wow: Researchers investigating use of technology to boost literacy

Students in Windsor and Essex County are getting a boost in their computer literacy skills thanks to a unique research project between two University of Windsor professors and the area’s Catholic school board. Education professors Yvette Daniel and Finney Cherian, and Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board Supervisor of Curriculum, Elaine Poirier, have received a $35,000 Ministry of Education grant, entitled “The Bits and Bytes of Integrating Technology: Improving Literacy and Bridging Social Inequalities,” to research a wireless writing project called WOW: Writing on Wireless. The initiative, which has put laptop computers in the hands of elementary school children in 16 schools, began in the fall of 2005 when the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board initiated a partnership with Apple Canada, designed to improve student writing achievement in selected schools. More than 230 junior students in 16 schools were provided with iBooks for use in writing activities across the curriculum. With a computer for each student, technology was moved from the isolation of the computer lab to the centrestage of individual classrooms and teachers. Drs. Daniel and Cherian will be helping to develop the implementation of the schools’ literacy curriculum as well as monitoring the program’s results. Cherian says the researchers have already seen a modest improvement in standardized test results for participating schools,

and are confident the program has something to offer other school boards interested in integrating computer technology in creative and innovative ways. [reprinted from the University of Windsor’s Daily News]

TELC – Teacher Education Liaison Committee

The Faculty of Education is privileged to be able to count on the positive and insightful involvement of hundreds of working teachers and education professionals on a daily basis. We have teachers who serve as mentors, as advisors, as associates, as sessional instructors, as friends. One particular group of volunteers that is quietly but powerfully central to our teacher education program is the Teacher Education Liaison Committee (TELC).

The TELC works in partnership with the Faculty of Education and the Ontario Teachers’ Federation,and has representation from all affiliates, the Ontario English Catholic Teacher’s Association (OECTA), the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO), and the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation (OSSTF). Three teacher candidates are elected by their peers and serve on this committee, one student for each affiliate. As well, TELC has representation from the Retired Teachers of Ontario (RTO).

The TELC assists in supporting teacher candidates in their preparation for entering the teaching profession. The committee meets monthly to plan workshops and events and to discuss relevant issues in education affecting students enrolled in the pre-service program. Two very important events that are organized by TELC are Federation Day (in September), and the OTF

Above (L to R):Dr. Yvette Daniel and

Dr. Finney Cherian, showing what they can

do with the help of a laptop…or two.

14 15

will be published as a book chapter in Canada’s Prime Ministers: Macdonald to Trudeau (University of Toronto Press); the French language version (published by Les Presses de l’Université Laval) hit the bookstores in April 2007.

Dr. Pat Rogers, Dean of the Faculty of Education, spent two weeks in Tokyo this summer on a Japanese Lesson Study tour. Along with 30 other mathematics teachers and educators from across North America, she visited elementary classrooms and met with teachers, curriculum developers and teacher educators to learn more about Japan’s innovative approach to professional development and curriculum implementation.

Prof. Karen Roland – In early 2007, as part of its ongoing commitment to social justice and equity, the Faculty of Education appointed Karen Roland as Experiential Learning Specialist (ELS), a new position integral to the teacher education program. In this role, Karen consults and collaborates with teacher candidates, faculty and school partners as an impartial resource, assisting in the development of strategies to address equity and social justice issues.

Pam Ross, instructor of Visual Arts, recently published her illustrations in Here’s Sammy, a lovely illustrated children’s book, bringing to life the metamorphosis of a butterfly. The author of the book is her sister, and fellow educator, Dana Eastman. The book was featured in the August/September 2007 issue of Windsor Life magazine.

Dr. Kara Smith – In the spring of 2007, Dr. Smith’s edited volume Teaching, Learning, Assessing: A Guide for Effective Teaching at College and University was published by Mosaic Press. A handbook, written by Education professors, for anyone who teaches at the postsecondary level, most of the chapters were penned by Dr. Smith’s colleagues at the University of Windsor Faculty of Education.

Dr. Vern Stenlund – At the end of the 2006/07 season, after four years as the Head Coach of the Windsor Lancer’s Men’s Hockey program, Dr. Stenlund stepped down. A nationally and internationally respected hockey coach with a long list of successful teams, Dr. Stenlund was himself a second round National Hockey League draft pick, and he is part of an exclusive group of

people who have both played in the NHL and earned a doctorate. In addition to his role as professor in the Faculty of Education, Dr. Stenlund will now be devoting more of his time to the Chevrolet Safe and Fun Program, of which he is the principal author, and which he delivers with Hockey Hall of Famers Bobby Orr and Mike Bossy. He was also just named Chair of Hockey Canada’s Athlete Development Committee. While Lancer’s hockey will miss Coach Stenlund, we are thrilled to have more of him around the faculty.

Dr. Shijing Xu, a new professor at the Faculty of Education, has had her recent dissertation lauded by no fewer than three highly regarded scholarly associations. In April, she was awarded the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Narrative and Research in Education Special Interest Group Outstanding Dissertation Award. In May, she received the Canadian Association for Curriculum Studies (CACS) Outstanding Dissertation Award. And in October, she accepted the American Association of Teaching and Curriculum (AATC) Distinguished Dissertation in Curriculum Award.

Dr. Zuochen Zhang – In July 2007, Dr. Zhang was awarded a Windsor International “seed money” grant in order to assist him in his international educational research, focusing on issues in Chinese educational curricula.

Dr. George Zhou, in addition to moving to Windsor to join our Faculty of Education, has been very busy researching and publishing in the past few months. Recent publications include “Online professional development for inservice teachers in information and communication technology: Potentials and challenges” in Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology (33(2)), “Pre-Service Teachers’ Confidence and Perspectives in Using Graphing Calculator Technology for Learning and Teaching,” as well as “Faculty Adoption of Educational Technology: Does Gender Matter?” in Proceedings of the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference 2007 (AACE).

Special congratulations are due to several professors in the Faculty of Education: Dr. Clinton Beckford and Dr. Kara Smith were recently granted tenure and promoted to Associate Professors; Dr. Liz Starr was promoted to Professor.

Opposite:The heart of our faculty,the Leonard & DorothyNeal Education Building

FACULTY ACTIVITY

Dr. Jonathan Bayley, Associate Dean of Graduate Studies, Research and Continuing Education, had a busy winter/spring 2007. In February – as part of the Windsor Canadian Music Festival: Artistry in Rhythm, Texture & Line – Dr. Bayley conducted two contemporary works for chamber ensemble, which were recorded by the CBC (Scott Godin’s “Slipping into madness is good for the sake of comparison,” and Linda C. Smith’s “Brush Line”). And then, in April, he served as an adjudicator at the Fredericton Music Festival, in his hometown of Fredericton, NB. Dr. Bayley has been an adjudicator at festivals across the country, but this was his first time returning “home.” In May, he presented a paper titled “Redefining Musical Improvisation through the use of Visual Stimuli” at the conference Crossing Boundaries: Investigating the Nexus of the Arts, Education, and Community in Regina, SK.

Dr. Clinton Beckford has graciously assumed the role of Acting Associate Dean (Pre-service) for the 2007/08 academic year, while Dr. Michele Tarailo ’90 is on sabbatical.

Dr. Anthony N. Ezeife has just returned from a productive sabbatical, during which he published “Culture-sensitive mathematics: The Walpole Island Experience,” a chapter in the book Aboriginal Policy Research: Moving Forward, Making a Difference Vol. III (Thompson Educational Publishing).

Dr. Larry Glassford – In 2005, Dr. Glassford wrote a biography of Arthur Meighen (teacher, lawyer, businessman…and, briefly – twice! – Canada’s Prime Minister) for the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online (www.biographi.ca). In November 2007, this biography

AnnouncEDPublishED

CelebratEDHonourED

New Alumni Advisory Council

The Faculty of Education is happy to announce the recent establishment of an Alumni Advisory Council, to advise the Dean on matters regarding alumni and community involvement, fundraising and fund allocation, and the direction of the faculty. The Council will meet three times annually – early fall, early winter, and spring. Fourteen active alumni and friends have committed themselves to this Council, and our inaugural meeting – held September 12th, 2007 – was a great success. If you would like more information on this Council, or are interested in getting involved, please contact Jen Mactaggart, Faculty Development Officer, at 519-253-3000, ext. 3830 or jenmact@uwindsor.ca.

1980s Anderson (nee Wilkie), Mary Lynn ’82 – Winner of our ConnectED alumni response draw! Ms. Anderson is Vice Principal at Indian Creek Road Public School in Chatham. Her prize: a University of Windsor book bag, and a $100 donation, in her name, to the Class of 2007 Melanie Givens & Hara Kim Memorial Awards. (The winning name was drawn by Michele Tarailo ’90, the Faculty of Education’s Associate Dean, Pre-Service and a loyal alumna herself.)

Frederick, Albert ’84 – In June 2007, Mr. Albert was named Deputy Chief of the Windsor Police Service. He has been a member of the police force since 1985.

Petro, Patrick ’89 – A teacher and counsellor at St. Michael’s Alternative High School in downtown Windsor, Patrick Petro has also played in a popular local band, Citywide Vacuum, for more than a decade. July 2007 marked the release of his first CD, Pact, with Citywide Vacuum (for a sample of the music, please visit www.myspace.com/citywidevacuum).

1990s Palazzolo, Nino ’94, ’98 – Vice Principal of Anderdon Public School in Amherstburg by day, Nino is also the “elder statesman” – and lead guitar and occasional vocalist – of the extremely successful local Ciao Band by night and weekend (check them out at www.theciaoband.com). Look out for a CD release early in 2008.

Palazzolo, Roseanne ’94 – An English teacher at Ste. Anne High School in Tecumseh, Roseanne also puts her “vocals” to work as a singer with successful local band Ciao Band. (As above, check them out at www.theciaoband.com.) Ms. Palazzolo is Nino Palazzolo’s cousin.

Urso, Gianluigi (Louie) ’95 – At the end of June 2007, respected and beloved teacher and principal Louie Urso passed away very suddenly. Louie was a loyal University of Windsor alumnus who was very involved in organizations and foundations across Windsor. The students and teaching community of Windsor and Essex County mourn his loss. The Louie Urso Memorial Bursary Fund has been set up in his name, care of the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board.

2000s

2000sSantelli, Anthony ’02 – Teacher and self-professed “political junkie,” Anthony Santelli has founded an online Canadian political magazine Sir John (view at www.sirjohnmag.ca). Modeled loosely on the U.S. celeb-political magazine, George, Santelli is hoping that Sir John’s mix of politics and style will reach out to a younger, more diverse audience of readers.

McNorton, Tricia ’03 – In April 2007, Tricia McNorton was named to the Windsor Star “Thirty under thirty” roster. No wonder: a teacher (and coach) at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic School in Windsor, she was also a centre midfielder with the pro soccer Border Stars women’s team for two seasons, and recently played in a league (and saw the sights!) in New South Wales, Australia. In her spare time, she trains for half- and full marathons.

Morrissey, Caitlin ’06 – After a year playing pro volleyball in France, Caitlin Morrissey was coaching closer to home this summer, at Tim Horton’s Kent Volleyball Camp. She will be returning to Europe for the 2007/08 pro season, however – this time playing out of Torrelavega, Spain.

Thiesen, Marcia ’06 – Like classmate Caitlin Morrissey (see above), Marcia Thiesen played pro volleyball in Europe over the 2006/07 season – initially in Austria, and then in Spain. She was back on home turf this summer, though, sharing her skills and coaching expertise at Tim Horton’s Kent Volleyball Camp.

STAY CONNECTEDWhat’s new in your life? Have you moved? Changed jobs? Earned a promotion? Have an adventure to share? Let us know so we can update our records and pass the word along to your fellow

alumni, colleagues and friends.

Please contact Jen Mactaggart via

email: jenmact@uwindsor.ca

phone: 519-253-3000 x 3830

or post: Faculty of Education, University of Windsor, 401 Sunset Ave., Windsor, Ontario N9B 3P4.

We look forward to hearing from you.

ALUM NOTES

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New FacultyThe Faculty of Education has hired five new professors. Please join us in extending a warm welcome to:

Christopher J. Greig, B.A. (Laurier), Dip. Ed. (Australian Catholic), M. Ed. (Western).A former elementary classroom teacher, Prof. Greig’s research is primarily focused on masculinities and schooling, gender and literacy, and the history of education in Ontario. He is currently involved in writing the history of boyhood in postwar Ontario, 1945-1960, and is near completion of his Ph.D. at the University of Western Ontario. Prof. Greig teaches Language Arts in the pre-service program and Fundamentals of Instructional Design in the graduate program.

Susan Holloway, Hons. B.A. (Trent), B.Ed. (OISE/UT), M.A. (Manitoba), Ph.D. (Manitoba). A former secondary school teacher of English, Dr. Holloway’s research focuses on women’s issues and diversity in Education, poststructuralist and postcolonial theories, and contemporary Canadian literature. She teaches English Methodologies in the pre-service program and Critical Theory in Education at the graduate level. Aamer Shujah, Hons. B.Sc. (Toronto), B.Ed. (York), M.A. (OISE/UT).Professor Shujah is a former elementary classroom teacher and elementary science education resource teacher with the Toronto District School Board. His research interests include multicultural and anti-racist science education, fostering critical scientific literacy, politicizing science curricula, and examining teachers’ and students’ views of the nature of science and the subsequent impact on practice. He is near completion of his Ph.D. at OISE/UT. Professor Shujah teaches science and technology in the pre-service program.

Shijing Xu, B.A. (Suzhou, China), Graduate Diploma (University of Science and Technology Beijing), M.A. (York), Ph.D. (OISE/UT).Dr. Xu was formerly Associate Professor and Associate Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Science and Technology Beijing, China. She did her doctoral and post-doctoral programs in the Department

of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning, at OISE/UT. Her research interests focus on narrative approaches to intergenerational, bilingual and multicultural educational issues and school-family-community connections in cross-cultural curriculum studies and teacher education. Her current research is on the reciprocal adaptation and learning of newcomers and the Canadian society. She is concerned about international and intercultural communication of values in education. Dr. Xu teaches courses on second language teaching and learning both in the graduate and pre-service programs.

Guoqiang (George) Zhou, B.Sc. (Liaocheng University), M.Ed. (Huazhong University of Science and Technology), Ph.D. (Alberta).Dr. Zhou was an Assistant Professor at the City University of New York (USA) before joining the Faculty of Education. He has intensive experience in science curriculum design, teaching material development, program evaluation, and professional development. His research interests include student preconception and conceptual change, the use of argumentation in science education, multicultural science education, technology and teacher education. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in science education.

New StaffThe Faculty of Education also has some exciting news about our office staff:

In May, Tanya Brogan joined us as Secretary to the Dean.

Leslie Borg has been promoted to Secretary (Practice Teaching).

Katie Magarrey, our long-term temp, has finally been offered – and has accepted – a permanent, full-time position as Program Office secretary/receptionist.

Belated congratulations are due to Program Secretary/Secretary to the Associate Dean (Pre-Service) Sylvia Allison, who was honoured by the University of Windsor President’s Achievement Award last December. Bravo!

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

Tanya Brogan

Leslie Borg

Christopher Greig

Shijing Xu

George Zhou

Susan Holloway

Katie Magarrey

GIFTED

ike all public educational institutions in today’s economy, the University of Windsor Faculty of Education relies on the generosity,

support and financial far-sightedness of alumni, community partners and friends in order to improve our programs, our environment and our support of students. We are lucky to have such a well-established and concerned body of alumni and friends who share in our vision for education, and are keen to help us realize our goals.

By the time this issue is published, the annual University of Windsor phoneathon, our largest individual fundraiser, will have drawn to a close. Thank you for your generous donations. To those of you who hesitated, please do consider making a donation if and as you can. A donation to the Faculty radiates out to affect over 1,500 people directly, and our entire

educational community, indirectly. We put every penny donated towards our three main needs:

Scholarships, both graduate and undergraduate – to support our talented, motivated students;

Graduate research and travel – to support our MEd and PhD candidates as they study and enrich our profession;

Building improvements and learning technologies enhancements – to improve the environment in which we learn, teach and do research.

Scholarships

The University of Windsor as a whole is focusing on fundraising for scholarships this year. As tuition rises, and more students aspire to higher education, we need to be able to offer more financial support to help every student reach his or her dreams. As well, the current

18

L 123

Above:Dawna & Greg Harrison

Right:Melanie Jane Harrison ’05

Ontario Government OTSS matching program matches most scholarship donations dollar-for-dollar – making it a particularly powerful time to give.

Melanie Jane Harrison Memorial Award for Aspiring Teachers

In September 2007 Dawna and Greg Harrison of Harrow, Ontario, generously established an endowed award in the memory of their daughter Melanie. The inaugural Melanie Jane Harrison Memorial Award for Aspiring Teachers, a $1,000 award for a worthy BEd student, will be conferred in February 2008. In order to boost their initial donation, the Harrisons organized a fundraising winery tour and dinner for family and friends. Much fun was had by all – indeed so much so that the hope is to make it an annual event.

Class of 2007 Melanie Givens and Hara Kim Memorial Awards update

The Class of 2007 began, last February, to fundraise to establish a joint award in memory of their classmates Melanie Givens and Hara Kim. Due to strong donations from students, faculty and friends – and an extremely generous donation from the Education Students Society – this trust was split into two self-sustaining awards of $500 each, one in the memory of each student. The first awards will be handed out in February 2008.

To make a donation to these or any other Faculty of Education scholarships, or to discuss establishing your own award, please contact Jen Mactaggart, Faculty Development Officer, at 519-253-3000, ext. 3830 or jenmact@uwindsor.ca.

Building Funds for Education

Beyond scholarships and funds to directly support students, the Faculty of Education is also realizing more and more need for funds to help with the retrofitting and renovation of our cramped Neal Education Building. The communal spaces in our Faculty desperately need not only a facelift, but also work to accommodate pedagogically and technologically appropriate interactions among students and faculty alike. And as we move into the 21st Century, issues around our Faculty’s sustainability and our environmental footprint are being seriously assessed and addressed. If you are interested in discussing the essential projects on our drawing board, and potentially donating to our Education Building Fund or a specific project, please contact Jen Mactaggart, Faculty Development Officer, at 519-253-3000, ext. 3830 or jenmact@uwindsor.ca

LEVELS OF GIVING

FOUNDERS$1,000,000

PILLARS$500,000 - $999,999

BUILDERS$100,000 - $499,999

PRINCIPALS$50,000 - $99,999

BENFACTORS$20,000 - $49,999

CIRCLES

LEADERSHIP CIRCLE$10,000 - $19,999

CHANCELLOR’S CIRCLE$5,000 - $9,999

PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE$2,500 - $4,999

GOVERNOR’S CIRCLE$1,000 - $2,499

CLUBSAMBASSADOR’S CLUB

$500 - $999

DILLON CLUB$250 - $499

CENTURY CLUB $100 - $249

STEWARD’SCLUB$1 - $99

The University of Windsor website has an online giving link that makes it especially easy to donate to the Faculty of Education. Go to: www.uwindsor.ca/donations

c O N N E c T E D F i S S U E # 2 , F A l l 2 0 0 7

ONLINE DONATIONS

CONNECTED Faculty of Education, University of Windsor401 Sunset Avenue, Windsor, ON N9B 3P4

University of Windsor Alumni Association

WHAT DOES YOUR ALUMNI ASSOCIATION DO FOR YOU?

We are at your service!

We are proud to offer a wide range of benefits and services to appeal to the ever-changing needs of our alumni, students and friends.

Join the On-Line Community (OLC) Network to connect with fellow UWindsor grads as well as alumni from institutions across Canada. Access career mentoring and travel advice from alumni around the world and set up permanent e-mail forwarding. Join today at www.uwindsor.ca/online. It’s FREE!

Other benefits and services include:• Alumni Association Mastercard• Discount insurance – auto, home, travel and small business• Group life, disability, extended health and dental care insurance• Investment and retirement planning services• Diploma framing services• Disounted Leddy Library and St. Denis Centre access

Your Alumni Association’s ongoing relationship with this carefully selected group of partners provides funding to a variety of programs in support of University of Windsor students and alumni.

Visit www.uwindsor.ca/alumniand services. Check out upcoming events, alumni success stories and update your contact information online. For more information, call 519-971-3618, e-mail alumni@uwindsor.ca or visit www.uwindsor.ca/alumnibenefits