in FocusS P R I N G 2 0 0 5

editionEDUCATION

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Education for New Times

3 Roger Slee: The Upbeat Dean

4 The Dean and Associate Deans

6 Office of First Nations and |

Inuit Education

7 Slinging to Singapore

8 Autism

8 James McGill Professor

9 Development and Alumni

Relations

10 Successful Graduates

\ T H I S I S S U E

Students using the

Wireless Education

Laptop Lab: an

Education project

for New Times

Roger Slee

Dean

Faculty of Education

Dear Graduates and Friends,

It is such a privilege and honour to be writing my first In Focus letter to you. A fewweeks ago I received an email from a colleague congratulating me on the first anniver-sary of my arrival at McGill University – one and a half winters, by my calculation!

That it is one year already is surprising to me, and it has been an eventful one, indeed.I feel particularly fortunate to have been invited into, welcomed and supported by

the McGill community. I do not take this for granted and will continue to apply myselfto the McGill Education Project as we build on the strengths and achievements of the Faculty, its graduates and friends over the years.

An attempt to chronicle ambitions for the next five years, or highlights of this pastyear, would make this too long a letter. Let me provide, instead, a vignette that capturesthe essence of the Faculty of Education at McGill University.

In July last year, the Faculty hosted an International Colloquium on InclusiveEducation. This comprises a group of scholars who have been meeting around the worldfor well over a decade now. For me, this seemed to be the perfect opportunity to show-case the work of our graduate students, so I invited them to present papers to our international guests on the Sunday prior to the formal commencement of proceedings.For the duration of the conference, my colleagues from leading universities around the world would remark on my luck to be in a Faculty with such a strong cohort of students. They’re absolutely correct; our Faculty is distinguished by its students. Forme this is doubly gratifying, as many of our students will form the educational bridgeto the future.

Reassured by the calibre of our students, we must continue to ensure that our programs and teaching are equal to the demands of education for new times. Education is a major undertaking that demands collaborative effort to secure success for all children. My aim is to ensure that, through the McGill Education Project with threeresearch clusters – Learning Sciences for New Times, Health and Lifestyle, and Diversity and Inclusion to Build Social Capital – the Faculty of Education will engage with this challenge.

My thanks go to all of you, our graduates and friends of the Faculty, who assist us in this determination.

Roger SleeDean

FACULTY OF EDUCATIONNEWSLETTER

Spring 2005

EditorAnne FarrayFaculty of Education

Editorial AdvisorHelen DyerCommunications Associate,Development and Alumni Relations

WriterPatrick McDonagh

ContributorsRoger SleeJamshid BeheshtiCathrine Le MaistreRoy LysterSpencer BoudreauDeborah Dimitruk

DesignerMcGill InstructionalMultimedia Services

PhotographersLewis Wosu \Jim HarrisMedia Services, Faculty of Education

ProofreaderJane Jackel

Faculty of EducationMcGill University3700 McTavish StreetMontreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 1Y2

www.mcgill.ca/education/

Cover photo by Jim Harris

E D U C A T I O N 3

Meet the Dean’sOffice Staff

We invite any of you whohaven’t yet had the opportu-nity to visit to drop in andmeet the Dean’s Office staff.

We are:Susan Reichman,Administrative Coordinator to Dean Roger Slee and the Assistant to the Dean and Area PersonnelRepresentative, Anne Farray.Carole Grossman, FacultyResearch Coordinator working with Associate DeanRoy Lyster. Jennifer Coutlee,Administrative Coordinatorfor Associate Dean Jamshid Beheshti andAssociate Dean Roy Lyster.

Managing the Student AffairsOffice is Christine Zilberman,our Senior Student AffairsOfficer. Deborah Dimitruk isthe AdministrativeCoordinator for AssociateDeans Spencer Boudreau andKate Le Maistre.

And not to be forgotten, ourFinancial Officer is SusanMaocheia, who recently started her maternity leave…we wish her well with her new baby boy!

Drop in soon, we’d love to get acquainted.

Roger Slee laughs easily and infec-tiously – you imagine the new Deanof Education could turn a staid busi-ness meeting into a thigh-slappinggood time. Perhaps it is his openness,

his interest in what the world has to offer,and his commitment to sharing that open-ness through an inclusive educational envi-ronment. Maybe it’s his good sense of timing– a necessary quality for a dean who moon-lights as a drummer. But all are qualities thatone can expect to characterize his time at thehelm of the Faculty of Education.

Slee arrived in Montreal to take up hispost on January 17, 2004. “It was prettybrutal for someone from warmer climes,” hesays of the temperatures hovering aroundminus-30 Celsius that greeted him. After all,he had just come from Australia, where hehad been dean of education at the Universityof Western Australia in Perth and had spentthree years as deputy director general in theMinistry of Education in Queensland.

Before academia and administration, Sleewas a high school teacher. He was onceasked to devise a teaching unit for childrenwho were being thrown out of school forbeing disruptive. “I found an increasing ten-dency to pathologize these kids in order to get more resources to deal with them or tomedicate them,” he says. “I wasn’t convincedthat this approach brought them into successful education trajectories; rather, itpushed them to the sidelines – and also

conveniently took out of the frame the needto look at what schools and teachers do thatmay lead to indiscipline and disruption.”The experience prompted him to explore theissues in more depth, leading him to thegrowing field of disability studies, with itsinvestigations of class, race and gender. “In Australia, two reliable indicators of edu-cational failure are aboriginality and pover-ty,” he notes. “I suspect it’s probably thesame in this country.” Today, Slee is an inter-national authority in inclusive education,and a founder of the International Journalof Inclusive Education.

Slee had been pondering a return to aca-demia when he was invited to apply toMcGill. “The University is experiencing atime of renewal and opportunity, and Ithought it would be exciting,” he says. “I likeMcGill’s focus on excellence in research and teaching, and I was struck by the goodwill and enthusiasm within the Faculty.”

He has been quick to make an impact.The McGill Education Project, one of his ini-tiatives, will enhance the Faculty’s engage-ment with schools and the Ministry ofEducation in Quebec, with other faculties atMcGill, and with other institutions interna-tionally. “We want to be providing leadershipfor the future. What kinds of things shouldwe be doing in order to confront thedemands of new times, rather than simplyfollowing what education faculties have conventionally done?” he asks. “We need tobe right at the front of research into the best ways of preparing good teachers.” TheFaculty has also established a number ofresearch objectives, which include building an international research reputation in inclu-sion and diversity, leading the way in healthand wellness in education, and exploringways to bring new digital literacies into theteacher education curriculum.

Back row (l to r):

Deborah Dimitruk, Susan

Reichman, Eva Koutoulas

(replacing Susan Maocheia),

Jennifer Coutlee.

Front row (l to r):

Carole Grossman-Canzer,

Anne Farray, Christine

Zilberman

Photo: Lewis Wosu (Media Centre) (continued next page)

“I like McGill’s focus on excellence in

research and teaching, and I was

struck by the good will and enthusiasm

within the Faculty.”

Roger S lee

The Upbeat Dean

4 E D U C A T I O N

Dr. Roger Slee succeeded Dr. Ratna Ghosh as Dean of the Faculty ofEducation in January 2004. His mandate is to oversee and direct theUniversity’s new vision for the Faculty. It is expected that, with the imple-mentation of the McGill Education Project, the Faculty will emerge as an international authority on educational research for “new times.” To thisend, Dean Slee has appointed four Associate Deans to support him in carrying out the Faculty’s business. In the past, there were three AssociateDeans in the Faculty but, in addition to revamping their portfolios, a newposition, Associate Dean (Research and Graduate Students), was created byDean Slee to facilitate the ongoing development of successful research pro-grams and the coordination of graduate student life across the Faculty.

At the Departmental level, there are three Chairs, as before: Dr. Hélène Perrault(Kinesiology and Physical Education), Dr. Steve Jordan (Integrated Studies in Education),and Dr. Susanne Lajoie (Educational and Counselling Psychology). The Graduate School of Library and Information Studies, which is also affiliated with the Faculty, hasrecently appointed a new Acting Director, Dr. France Bouthillier.

Roy LysterA S S O C I A T E D E A N ( R E S E A R C H A N D G R A D U A T E S T U D E N T S )Roy Lyster is associate professor of secondlanguage education in the Department ofIntegrated Studies in Education. Hisresearch and teaching interests range fromeducational sociolinguistics and cross-cultural pragmatics to second languageacquisition and studies of inter-languagedevelopment. His research on the effective-ness of form-focused instruction and feedback in second language learning hasappeared in journals such as Studies inSecond Language Acquisition, LanguageLearning, Applied Linguistics, CanadianModern Language Review, CanadianJournal of Applied Linguistics, Journal of Multilingual and MulticulturalDevelopment, Modern Language Journal,and International Journal of EducationalResearch. He was convener of theScientific Commission on ImmersionEducation for the InternationalAssociation of Applied Linguistics (1997-2003) and is currently co-president of the Canadian Association of AppliedLinguistics. Holder of graduate degreesfrom the Université de Paris 7 and theUniversity of Toronto, he was co-recipientwith Leila Ranta in 1998 of the Paul

Pimsleur Award for Research in ForeignLanguage Education. His mandateincludes overseeing the Committee onResearch and Graduate Students and theEducation Research Ethics Board. In addition, his office has formed a StudentWorking Group for Doctoral Studies in Education which will contribute to theestablishment of a cross-faculty culture of doctoral studies and a seminar series ondoctoral studies in education. In his newportfolio, Professor Lyster is rapidlybecoming known as the Faculty’s “statisti-cian” as he lobbies to ensure that formulasused to allocate fellowships and otherawards fairly reflect the Faculty’s overallsuccess in research productivity.

Slee also wants to raise theFaculty’s profile in the McGillcommunity. “When theUniversity thinks about improv-ing the quality of teaching andevaluation, we ought to be providing leadership,” he says.“We must be trans-disciplinaryin our work at McGill – especially as formal, discipline-bound knowledge is not howknowledge works in the world today.” Currently, forexample, the Faculty ofMedicine is revising its under-graduate curriculum, and professors from Education areworking with them to evaluatethe new curriculum.

Since arriving in Montreal,Slee has found a groove, andnot just academically. While hewon’t be quitting his day job,Roger Slee, rhythm and bluesdrummer, has pulled together aband of academics from NewYork to Vancouver to play theodd gig. “It’s been good fun,”he says. “We’re looking forwardto dusting ourselves off for thisApril’s educational researchconference.”

After one year in the Dean’schair, Slee is enthusiastic about the future. “We haveestablished two CanadaResearch Chairs, for which wewill be hiring; we’ve had majorinnovation grants awarded to the Faculty; we’ve made sig-nificant inroads in developing connections with Montrealschool boards and the Ministryof Education; we’re hiring new faculty; we’re hosting theinternational colloquium oninclusive education, with people from all over the world,and are building strongresearch groups that will putMcGill on the map in thatfield,” he enthuses. “I’ve reallybeen having fun.”

(continued from page 3)

I n t roduc ing the New Academic Team in the Dean’s Of f i ce : The Dean and Associate Deans

E D U C A T I O N 5

Cathrine (Kate) Le MaistreA S S O C I A T E D E A N ( A C A D E M I C P R O G R A M S )Kate Le Maistre came to Canada fromBritain to her first job as a high school science and mathematics teacher inManitoba. She moved to Montreal to workas a teacher and, later, a consultant. She has been in the Faculty of Education since1977, first as a student and research assistant and, since 1988, as an instructor.She has taught content and methodologycourses in Science, Mathematics, andComputer Technology to pre-service and in-service elementary and secondary teachersand supervised master’s students in thesefields. Currently, she has a team of doctoralstudents who are researching teacher induc-

tion, support andmentoring. Herwarmest memoriesof time spent atMcGill include herterm as UniversityMarshal, herinvolvement withthe University ofAlabama in theIntegrated Scienceproject, and in the revision and

implementation of revisions to Bachelor of Education programs. But the warmest of all, and the source of greatest satisfaction,are the many former students who havebecome excellent teachers and leaders in their profession. Appointed as AssociateDean in June 2004, her mandate includesoverseeing the two-year CREPUQ review of teaching programs in the Faculty.

Professor Le Maistre has played a pivotalrole in events involving large numbers ofpeople. This past spring, she was the mastermind behind the re-introduction ofthe University’s Convocation ceremonies on lower campus, where they were held in a huge tent on the West Field. She is volunteer co-chair of the program com-mittee for the 2006 National Council ofTeachers of Mathematics AnnualConference in St. Louis, where they anti-cipate 18,000 registrants.

Jamshid Beheshti ASSOCIATE DEAN (ADMINISTRATION)Professor Jamshid Beheshti is charged withoverseeing the administration and function-ing of the Faculty, a mandate that covershuman resources, the physical and comput-ing facilities, and the Faculty’s continuingeducation programs. Dr. Beheshti holds abachelor’s degree from Simon FraserUniversity and master’s and PhD degreesfrom the University of Western Ontario.He has taught at the Graduate School ofLibrary and Information Studies at McGillUniversity for 20 years, and was theSchool’s Director for the past six years.

His areas of teaching include informa-tion technology, information retrieval, systems analysis, and bibliometrics. He hasalso taught at the University of WesternOntario, University of West Indies(Jamaica) and Kuwait University. Dr. Beheshti is the principal investigator ona three-year study, funded by the SocialSciences and Humanities Research Councilof Canada (SSHRC), on “A Virtual inter-face for children’s Web portals.” He is a co-investigator on two other SSHRC-fundedstudies dealing with designing Web portalsfor children and designing visualizationtools for undergraduate students. His publications have appeared in the Journalof the American Society for InformationScience and Technology, InformationProcessing & Management, and Educationfor Information, among other internationaljournals. He has also been involved in several CIDA international aid projects andhas presented numerous papers at academicand professional conferences in Canada, the United States, Europe and the Far East.

Spencer BoudreauA S S O C I A T E D E A N ( T E A C H I N G ,L E A R N I N G A N D S T U D E N T S )Spencer Boudreau is responsible for thecontinuing enhancement of the quality ofteaching and the monitoring and supportfor undergraduate students. Dr. Boudreauis a member of the Department ofIntegrated Studies in Education and, withcolleagues from his Department and otherfaculties, he has researched the school-to-work transition in different professions.This research relates to his interest in the field experiences of Education studentsand the induction and mentoring of new teachers. Dr. Boudreau has also conductedresearch and published in the area of children’s spirituality, high school religiontexts, and the history of Catholic education in Quebec. He has been involvedin promoting inter-religious dialoguethrough education for many years inQuebec and was commended for his workin fostering Christian/Jewish relations bythe National Religious Department of the Canadian Jewish Congress. He is regu-larly consulted by the Ministry ofEducation’s Religious Affairs Committee onthe subject of religious education in publicschools. Dr. Boudreau has a BA from Don Bosco College in New Jersey, U.S.A.,a BE and MA from the Université deSherbrooke, and a PhD from ConcordiaUniversity. During his graduate studies Dr. Boudreau did field work in India,Nepal and Sri Lanka.

: The Dean and Associate Deans

6 E D U C A T I O N

“Our virtual campus is thenortheastern corner of the continent,” says

Michael Doxtater. “We have up to 1.5million people of Native ancestry, con-fronted with changes to their lives whichhave created all kinds of problems. Our mission is to create a teaching pro-

gram that will help Native teachers to provide an environmentfor nurturing the creativity and gifts of individuals to help themsolve those problems.” Since August 2004, Doxtater has beenthe Director of the Office of First Nations and Inuit Education(OFNIE). He is the first Native director in its history.

“Most teacher training is based on Western pedagogicalideals,” he explains. “Finding a way to change that into a more indigenous, knowledge-based pedagogy is the long-rangeplan.” But the benefits of such a pedagogy could be global.“Indigenous knowledge concerns building sustainable life systems, which will be important to addressing a lot of theworld’s environmental problems.”

Doxtater spent much of his early life working on farms andchopping wood to earn money. “We were dirt poor, growing upin affluent southern Ontario,” he recalls. He has traveled far fromthose years; he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from McMasterUniversity in Hamilton, Ontario, then a Master of Science degreeand a Doctorate in Education from Cornell University. He taught at Sir Wilfrid Laurier before coming to McGill in 2004.Doxtater also holds a certificate from the Manitou Arts Foundationin Toronto and an American Indian Music Certificate from theOklahoma College of Liberal Arts, Chickasha, Oklahoma.Doxtater’s work, whether in the media, film, community activismor academia, shares a common theme of organizing people toachieve a goal. Cooperative organizational models also have an indigenous heritage, with precedents set by Alexis deToqueville and Lewis Henry Morgan to show that the organiza-tional models used to develop liberal democracy in the new world were based on Native examples. “The basis of organization-al learning comes from that tribal setting, using local knowledgeand resources to answer problems and satisfy local needs.” The mission of OFNIE is to recreate and nourish that ability.

The Jack Cram Memorial Prize was established in 1987 bystudents, colleagues and friends of the late Dr. Jack Cram, former Director of the Centre for Northern Studies

and Research and the Certificate Program in Native andNorthern Education. This $2,500 prize is given in memory of Dr. Cram’s outstanding contribution to Native and northerneducation. Two scholarships are awarded annually, one to a student in the Kativik Teacher Education Program and theother to a student in the Nunavut Teacher Education Program.The scholarships are awarded for further study in the Faculty of Education by the Committee on Student Standing on the recommendation of the Directors of the two programs andthe Director of the Office of First Nations and Inuit Education.This year’s winners are Mary Baron from Kativik and EunicePanigayak from Nunavut Territory.

Eunice Panigayak Eunice Panigayak is a full-time studentin the Nunavut Teacher EducationProgram in Taloyoak, Nunavut, which isaffiliated with McGill University. Eunicereceived her Certificate in Education for First Nations and Inuit from McGilland her Teaching Diploma from NunavutArctic College in October 2004. Eunice is

currently taking courses to complete her Bachelor of Education degreein Taloyoak through the Nunavut Arctic College/McGill UniversityTeacher Education Program.

Upon completion of her Bachelor of Education degree, Eunice willteach in the Netsilik Region.

Mary BaronMary Baron is a senior staff member of Ulluriaq School in Kangiqsualujjuaq.A graduate of the McGill Certificate in Education for First Nations and Inuitprogram, she is now completing her BEd for Certified Teachers.

Mary was a kindergarten and primaryschool teacher for several years,

teaching in Inuktitut, the language of instruction for Inuit studentsfrom grades 1-4 in Kativik School Board schools. After graduating fromthe certificate program she became the local teacher training counsel-lor and mentor to new Inuit teachers and trainees in her school. She has made valuable contributions not only to the training of Inuitteachers in the Kativik-McGill University Certificate program, but also in the development of the Inuktitut mathematics program used in Kativik schools.

Office of First Nations and Inuit EducationMichael Doxtater, Director Jack Cram Memorial Prize

E D U C A T I O N 7

When education is so important to youreconomy, you trade ideas. In Singapore,a city-state of four million people,

education has a very high priority because brainsare the country’s main resource. This past year hasseen the beginning of an exchange of expertisebetween McGill’s Faculty of Education andSingapore’s National Institute of Education atNanyang Technological University. “Singapore isbecoming a key centre for education reform and research,” says Roger Slee, McGill’s Dean ofEducation. “Their government has made a phenomenal investment in their new Centre forResearch in Pedagogy and Practice.”

Singapore is currently in the process of chang-ing its school curriculum to place a heavier emphasis on technology. “Currently, they are verywell supplied with computing technology, but as most of it is in labs rather than classrooms, stu-dents have only episodic exposure to the techno-logy,” says Robert Bracewell, associate professor inEducational and Counselling Psychology. But soonthese classrooms will be filled with shiny new computers – and Bracewell has spent eight yearsstudying what happens when computers appear in the classroom. “The presence of computers setsup a different dynamic: students expect them to be used,” he says. “So teaching practices probablyhave to change. Teachers have to give up some of their authority, to release agency.” This can be achallenge. Teachers tend to perceive the computeras akin to a television, sending information out to students – indeed, much as a teacher might also.But students approach it as a tool for doing things.Their conceptions of the technology are shaped by computer games and interactive software suchas drawing programs.

For three weeks in November 2004, Bracewellmet with teachers, professors at the NationalInstitute of Education, and people from theMinistry of Education to help them anticipate thechanges the new technology will bring. “Now weare pursuing what should be done next. Theircomputer technology and education group is inter-ested in some of the software developed here as a vehicle for teaching. And we’re talking with theCentre for Research on Pedagogy and Practiceabout some ideas in educational theory.”

The initial link with the Centre for Research in Pedagogy and Practice was forged by Slee, whoinvited its dean, Alan Luke, to McGill in early

2004 to provide an outside perspective on theFaculty. They agreed to exchange expertise.Bracewell is the first McGill professor to visitSingapore, but he won’t be the last. Slee himselfwill be co-teaching in the inclusive education master’s program, and Professor Susanne Lajoie’sBio-world tutorial program, an interactive softwarefor teaching biology and which can be adapted for various purposes, has drawn the attention ofthe Singapore researchers. Professors fromSingapore, meanwhile, visited McGill last summerand will be returning in the spring, tying their visits to the American Educational ResearchAssociation conference in April and to a June conference on intelligent tutoring systems. “We’retrying to develop links to keep them coming here,and even teaching programs,” says Slee. “I’m keen to participate in that kind of research; it willhave a lasting effect.”

The Singapore exchange is not the Faculty’s firstcross-cultural engagement, but it does signal a direction for future initiatives.Currently, other programsinclude one coordinatedby Susanne Lajoie andrun under NAFTAauspices, whichinvolves exchang-ing graduate studentsbetween theUniversidadNacionalAutonome deMexico, theUniversity of NewMexico, theUniversity of California atLos Angeles and the Universityof British Columbia. Other graduate studentexchanges are in the works.

As for the Singapore venture, the Faculty ispreparing to build on the initial contacts. “The next step will be to figure out what jointresearch programs we can put in place,” saysBracewell. “We need to define common objectivesthat we can take a look at in Singapore and here.Then we will develop some truly cross-culturalcomparative education.”

“We need to define

common objectives

that we can

take a look at in

Singapore and

here. Then we

will develop

some truly cross-

cultural compara-

tive education.”

–Robert Bracewell

Cross -Cu l t u ra l I n i t ia t i ves :

Slinging to Singapore

8 E D U C A T I O N

In February 2005, the Ontario Supreme Courtordered the province to provide treatment forthree autistic children, in stark contrast to a fall 2004 decision by the Supreme Court ofCanada refusing to order British Columbia to

provide the same treatment. The cases havebrought to the fore issues and controversies con-cerning the treatment of children with autism.

Applied Behavior Adaptation is an intensivebehaviour modification technique, also knownas Lovaas therapy after its primary developer,UCLA psychologist Ivar Lovaas. One majorconsideration for provincial governments is thetherapy’s price tag, which can run as high as$60,000 a year per child. “In terms of socialpolicy, should society support this help? I thinkthe answer is ‘Yes,’” says Jake Burack, a profes-sor in Educational and Counselling Psychology.“But should ABA be the mandated form oftherapy?” Therein lies much of the controversy.What is the best treatment for autistic children?

In 1987, Lovaas published BehavioralTreatment and Normal Educational and Intel-lectual Functioning in Young Autistic Children,arguing that he had, essentially, cured a numberof children with autism. “No major figure in autism now buys this argument that he curedautism,” says Burack. But the paper made a big splash, and since then ABA has maintaineda strong and vigorous squad of supporters.

Lovaas’s ABA is, fundamentally, an intensivebehaviour modification therapy. “While notspecifically designed for autism, the principles ofmodification work pretty well,” says GraceIarocci, PhD’00, who is now an assistant profes-sor of psychology at Simon Fraser University.“Modification gets kids focused on tasks andadjusts their behaviour so they are more suscepti-ble to learning.” But, she notes, there is no elixirfor certain success. “The best therapeuticapproach is to take strategies and adapt them toan individual’s needs, because there is no onemagic treatment. Parents, teachers and cliniciansare really hoping to find that one treatment thatworks – and they are struggling with the fact thatthere is no single answer to the question of inter-vention, except that early intervention is better.”

Claims of unmitigated success for anyapproach thus need to be taken with many teaspoons of salt. “The success of interventionprograms is very difficult to prove,” says

Burack. “There are ethical problems with studies: how can you intervene with some kidsbut not others? In addition, there are manyvariables that you cannot get around.”

Autism research has undergone a boom inthe past 15 years. Part of this explosion of inter-est is due to an energetic and involved parentsnetwork, in both the United States and Canada,as well as an increase in research funds, some of which are often raised by these parent groups.But the media has also had an impact. “RainMan was huge and really changed people’sthinking about autism,” says Burack. “And thenthere is the romanticized notion of a savant or a kid in a bubble – and if you could only getthrough to him somehow….”

One consequence of the research and thera-py boom is that something akin to an autismindustry has also developed. “A lot of peoplehave made a fortune from it,” says Burack.“Making money may not be the only motive,but it certainly happens.” And when there is cash to be made, people are willing to insiston the superiority of their products.

Says Iarocci, “Sadly, the polemics detract froman open-minded approach. We have a big bag of tools: we should draw from that bag. Interven-tion research should be open to a variety of techniques that could become fairly useful as welearn more and more about autism.” She alsopoints out that, at the same time, we must elimi-nate intervention strategies that have been provenineffective, such as facilitated communication.

“When we study interventions, we shouldask, ‘Why does something work?’ not ‘Whichone is better?’” she says. “If something is effective, what are the underlying processes taking place? But unfortunately, people are try-ing to push different approaches to autism andstudies are done with the goal of proving or disproving an approach rather than analyzingthe mechanisms of intervention.”

The answers that do exist provide a goodfoundation for therapies: intervene early, and adapt the therapeutic tools to the individ-ual. And this means working on developing a clear agreement about what constitutes autism,so that it can, in fact, be diagnosed early enoughfor intervention, and with sensitivity to the fact that the autistic child is not simply a behav-ioural science project, but an individual being.

James McGillProfessorship awardedto Claudia Mitchell(Dept of IntegratedStudies in Education)

Dr. Claudia Mitchell was awarded a James McGillProfessorship, for a seven-year term, beginning inJanuary 2005. The prestigiousand coveted James McGillProfessor award is bestowedupon outstanding senior professors at the University,and carries with it the distinction of a Tier I CanadaResearch Chair. There are currently two other holders ofthe James McGill Professoraward in the Faculty: formerdean Dr. Ratna Ghosh and Dr. Susanne Lajoie, Chair ofthe Department of Educationaland Counselling Psychology.The honour recognizes excep-tional scholarly accomplish-ments and future potential for influence on the Universityand society at large. For the 2005 year, the Universitybestowed this honour on 19 senior members of its pro-fessorial staff. Dr. Mitchell has been with the Departmentsince 1989, and teaches bothundergraduate and graduatecourses. Her areas of researchinclude gender equity, AIDS and the media, girls’education, school-basedmanagement, language and literacy, cultural studies,and teacher education.

Autism

E D U C A T I O N 9

In Memory of Dr. Phyllis Shapiro

Colleagues, students andfriends of Phyllis Shapirohave expressed the wish to help establish a memor-ial to honour this dedicat-ed and exceptional teacherand friend of McGill.

The Faculty ofEducation is inviting giftsto create the PhyllisShapiro Teaching Award.The award, recognizingexcellence in elementaryteacher education, will begiven to an outstandingstudent on completion oftheir first year. Gifts will be matched by theUniversity and will also be used to fund the biennial Phyllis ShapiroEducation Oration.

Donations may be sent to:The Phyllis Shapiro Teaching Awardc/o The McGill Development Office1430 Peel StreetMontreal QC H3A 3T3Attention: Angela AlstonCheques should be madeout to McGill University.

For more information, contact Angela Alston at514-398-4506.

In Memory of Dr. David Montgomery

Colleagues, students andfriends of the late Dr.David Montgomery inviteyou to join them in estab-lishing a fund in his memory. Your gifts will bematched by the Universityand tax receipts will beissued for all donations.Please send cheques (made out to McGillUniversity) to:

The David MontgomeryMemorial Fundc/o The McGill Development Office1430 Peel StreetMontreal QC H3A 3T3Attention: Angela Alston

For more information, contact Angela Alston at514-398-4506.

Edith Louie, BEd'96,

poses with

Dean Roger Slee at a

Faculty of Education

event in Toronto

on January 25, 2005

Students at EdUS

Welcome Back BBQ –

September 2004

A planned gift is a charitable donation arrangedduring a donor’s lifetime but not available toMcGill until sometime in the future. The mostcommon type of planned gift is a bequest, but it is just one of many types.

A bequest to McGill University may serve toreduce, by means of a tax credit, the income taxpayable by the donor’s estate. A planned gift may eliminate or reduce tax on capital gains whenappreciated property is given.

McGill University, Bequests and Planned Gifts,1430 Peel Street, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 3T3plannedgifts.dev@mcgill.catel.: (514) 398-3560 • fax: (514) 398-80121-800-567-5175www.mcgill.ca/alumni (click on “Giving to McGill” then on “Planned Giving”)

How does aplanned gift

work? Is there any

financialbenefit

to the donorwho makes

one?

For MoreInformation

The Gift of a LifetimeThe Gift of a Lifetime

Bequests and otherplanned gifts forMcGill University

Development and Alumni Relations

Save the Date!HOMECOMING 2005

September 29 to

October 2 2005 is

Homecoming weekend.

Check the

Homecoming website at:

www.mcgill.ca/

homecoming

10 E D U C A T I O N

Successful Graduates

Noel Burke, BEd’84, MEd’86

“I didn’t really enjoy school as akid, so I got into teaching to tryto make it more exciting andinteresting for students, and tokeep them in school,” says Noel Burke, BEd’84, MEd’86.“I’m still struggling with that.”These days, though, the struggle is not as a teacher butas an assistant deputy minister;for the past three years Burkehas been working to ensure thatthe policy and programs of the Quebec Ministry of Educa-tion are adapted to meet the needs of the English-speakingcommunity.

Burke began his teachingcareer in the 1970s. At thetime, a teacher shortage meantthat one could work without a

certificate. When that systemchanged, he says, “I had tobecome qualified.” He receivedhis BEd and pursued his MEdin Administrative and PolicyStudies while teaching at theKahnawake Survival School. “It was a fabulous experience,”he says. “The Mohawk peoplereally define the concept of ‘collaborative effort.’”

His current job focuses heavily on curriculum reform in Quebec schools, which, he hopes, will address his long-term mission: to help makeschool more interesting andeffective, and keep the studentsinvolved. He also retains histeaching chops as an adjunctprofessor at McGill, givingclasses in leadership and changein the Centre for EducationalLeadership. “Being in the classroom is like being a theatreactor: if something succeeds orflops, you know right away,” he says. “But administration islike film. You can rehearse andrehearse until you think it’sright, but you still don’t know if you’ve succeeded untilmonths later.”

Mr. Burke is married toLynn Collins, BSW’80, and has

two children – a daughter,Hailey, aged 17, who attendsCEGEP, and a son, Liam, aged7, who is in grade 2.

Ken Robertson,BEd’80, MA’88

“I think of strategic planning asa map rather than a blueprint,”says Ken Robertson, DirectorGeneral of New Frontiers SchoolBoard (NFSB) in Chateauguaysince 2002. “We’re on a journeyrather than a construction site and, as with any journey,you make side trips to differentplaces. You have flexibility.”

Flexibility and a penchantfor diversity have markedRobertson’s career, which hastaken him from Sept Iles, wherehe taught 12 subjects, includinghome economics, introductionto technology, biology, Englishand drama – “I was a true secondary generalist” – toQuebec City and Montreal as ateacher and administrator, andthen to Alberta, where he com-pleted a PhD and worked forthe provincial government.

On the latest leg of his jour-ney, he took new initiatives to

the Chateauguay valley. One isthe involvement in an exchangeleadership program with theLester B. Pearson School Boardand an institution in Britain,coordinated by McGill’s Centrefor Educational Leadership.Another is the participation byNFSB schools in the provincialgovernment’s CommunityLearning Centre pilot project,which will encourage schools to take on more comprehensiveand integrated roles in theircommunities. The NFSB is col-laborating on two other McGillprojects involving the develop-

ment of inclusion models andthe use of laptops in elementaryschool classrooms.

“I absolutely love what Ido,” Robertson says of his current job. But the thrills of

The Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education was well represented at the 2004summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. Whynter Lamarre, a student from Dorval,Quebec, represented Canada at the Olympics for the second time, as goaltender on the

women’s water polo team. Andrew Willows, a student from Pointe Claire, Quebec, participatedin kayaking. Recent graduate Samantha McGlone (Kinesiology ’02), from Montreal, competedin the triathlon. In the coaching arena, Patrick Oaten (Physical Education ’96) was head coachof the women’s water polo team. Finally, Mike Homsey (Physical Education ’81) was one of thebasketball officials. Our congratulations to all for achieving this level of excellence and forbeing fine ambassadors for Canada.

Faculty of Education Olympians: Greece 2004

administration don’t matchthose of the classroom. Today,that classroom experience takes place at McGill, where heteaches courses in managingchange through the Centre forEducational Leadership. “I’m a teacher first and foremost,”he says. “I get into a classroom as often as I can.”

Caitlin Hanford,BEd’78

Montreal had a lively coffee-house scene in the mid-1970s,recalls Caitlin Hanford, whowas an art education student byday and a singer by night, atvenues such as Santropol andthe Yellow Door, as the otherhalf of a duo with LindaMorrison. One night, at theYellow Door, she caught a showfeaturing Chris Whitely; twoyears later, after graduation, shejoined him in Toronto andbecame a supply teacher. “If Ihadn’t gone to the show thatnight, I might not even be inCanada today,” says theWashington State native.Today, married and with a fam-ily, they continue their fruitful

musical collaboration, co-writ-ing and performing with theAdobe Brothers, while Hanfordteaches K-6 at an inner cityschool with the Toronto andDistrict School Board.

But Hanford is best knownas a founding member ofCanada’s country-vocal super-group Quartette, sharing stageand studio with Sylvia Tyson,Cindy Church and GwenSwick (who joined after ColleenPeterson died of cancer in1997). “We formed Quartettein 1993 to play a gig atHarbourfront, and 12 yearslater we’re still playing,” shesays. “I’m the only person inthe group with a day job, which

limits our touring capacity. Butfrom the get-go, we agreedQuartette was a side project,and they all respect that I’m ateacher,” she says. In 1997,Hanford released her debut soloCD, Bluer Skies, and recentlyformed the Marigolds, blend-ing her voice – “As near tocountry perfection as anyonecan get,” says the Toronto Star– with those of Swick and Suzie Vinnick. A Marigoldsalbum is in the works.

To catch Caitlin in action, check out Quartette’stour information at www.quartette.com – andwatch your local entertainmentlistings for the Marigolds.

E D U C A T I O N 11

Dr. Judith RinkVisits McGill

Dr. Judith Rink, renownedscholar from the University ofSouth Carolina, presented theinaugural Jennifer Wall Lectureon March 8, 2005. Members ofthe Faculty and students ofMcGill and other members ofthe educational communityattended the event.

Dr. Rink is one of the world’smost influential figures inphysical education pedagogy,and an expert on outcome-based education. She chairedthe task force that establishedthe national content standardsand assessment material forphysical education programs inschools in the United States.She is well known for herextensive research on teachereffectiveness, instruction andteacher education. Her text-book Teaching Physical

Education for Learning is aclassic in teacher preparationprograms.

The lecture was hosted by theDepartment of Kinesiology andPhysical Education and was thefirst in a number of eventsdesigned to recognize theUnited Nations’ declaration ofthe International Year of Sportand Physical Education 2005.The lecture was made possibleby a generous donation fromMs. Jennifer Wall, a former fac-ulty member of the PhysicalEducation department’sTeacher Preparation Program.

Xu Zhao, MA’03, graduated from the Department of Integrated Studies in Education. She is currently asecond-year doctoral student at the Harvard Graduate School of Education in Cambridge, Massachusetts,where she is studying ways in which literacy and history can be used as educational vehicles to promotesocial awareness and help immigrant children construct authentic identities in conflicting cultural values.Her research interest covers both social and cognitive development in a cultural context, with a focus onthe socio-cognitive development of immigrant children. She has a Master of Arts from the Culture andValues in Education program at McGill. Her studies in this area exposed her to the philosophical and soci-ological frameworks in the field of culture and identity. Her current training in psychology is furtherpreparing her to undertake interdisciplinary research on this topic. The Faculty wishes her every success.

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Montreal, Quebec, CanadaH3A 3T3

It is with great sadness that we share with you news of the untimely death of Dr. David Montgomery onNovember 3, 2004, while jogging near his home. David and his wife, Carol, lived in Summerston, Ontario.David joined the Department of Physical Education in 1974, after receiving a Master’s and PhD in ExercisePhysiology from Purdue University. He immediatelybegan a research program which investigated physiolog-ical issues and mechanisms in hockey and enduranceactivities. This attracted many graduate students, and David was thesis advisor to 60 master’s studentsduring his 31-year career at McGill.

His passion for the Montreal Canadiens organization was well known, and one of his greatest pleasures wasassessing players for his beloved Habs. As an athlete,David ran countless marathons, including the Iron ManTriathlon (which led to a book on how to train for suchevents), played hockey with three teams, and joggedregularly. At the memorial service for Dr. Montgomery atthe McGill chapel in late November, he was rememberedby students, friends and colleagues as a dedicated and unassuming professional. He fostered a self-directedand hard-working attitude in his students, but his doorwas always open to provide assistance when necessary.He gave freely of his time and was so positive andencouraging with his comments that students, and col-leagues, felt renewed and optimistic after chatting withhim. His enthusiasm for exercise physiology, his curi-osity, his work ethic and his genuine warmth made himan outstanding role model and mentor. He will be sorelymissed by the McGill community as well as colleagues in exercise physiology and sport medicine.

by Professor Greg Reid

Dr. Phyllis Shapiro, DipEd’56, was an exceptional teacher, anoutstanding ambassador, and a distinguished educator in thetruest sense of the word. While erudite, scholarly and sophis-ticated, she was always unassuming. In all aspects of her life,Phyllis profoundly touched so many of us with her positive,professional manner.

Phyllis Shapiro received her Diploma in Education from Mac-donald College (now McGill’s Faculty of Education) and her BAfrom Sir George Williams University (Concordia). She earned aMaster’s and a Doctorate in Education from Boston University.

Professor Shapiro was a “teacher’s teacher” who loved to go out in the field to supervise literally hundreds of her studentteachers in the last decade. A genuine “super” role model, she was an inspiration to all who came in contact with her. Dr. Shapiro’s gentle, yet bubbly, caring manner and excellent professional training as a Reading and Language Skills specialist endowed her with unusual insights, making her anextraordinary ambassador for McGill in the classroom, as well as in her extensive travels abroad. Dr. Shapiro’s scholarlyrecord is evidenced by her numerous publications.

Phyllis’s passion for life was obvious in her daily interactionwith all of us. Her laugh and good humour were infectious. She promoted high standards of excellence in education, not only through her superior teaching, both graduate andundergraduate, but also through numerous behind the scenes initiatives. Dr. Shapiro personally sought out colleagues to take on leadership roles, and few could resist her convincingmanner. In fact, Phyllis possessed the uncanny knack of gentlypersuading even would-be contributors to donate time as well as money to worthwhile scholarly causes!

Dr. Phyllis Shapiro was one of the most dedicated educators inthe Faculty of Education. She was always so proud of her McGillconnection. We were fortunate, indeed, to have her with us.

There is little wonder that her Faculty has seen fit to honour herby inaugurating the Phyllis Shapiro Teaching Award and thatthe University has established a biennial “Education Oration” inher name, in order that her legacy will live on at McGill. PhyllisShapiro passed away on November 21, 2004.

by Professor Helen Amoriggi

A Celebration of the Life of Phyllis Shapiro

Professor David Lloyd Montgomery (1948-2004)

In Memoriam