Dr. Helen DeWaard (Contract Lecturer, teaching Critical Digital Literacy courses in the Faculty of Education) has successfully defended her PhD dissertation, Media and digital literacies in Canadian teacher educators' open educational practices: A post-intentional phenomenology. Helen was supervised by Dr. Michael Hoechsmann.

Helen explains that her research “delved into the lived experiences of fourteen teacher educators from across Canada in their endeavours to infuse media and digital literacies into their open educational practices. Through the use of a post-intentional phenomenological framework and methodology, with a crystallization approach to data analysis, the research revealed the complex navigations teacher educators make to support student learning with open web resources for communication, creative production, collaboration, and criticality. Using a navigational gyroscope as a metaphor, the research suggests that teacher educators stabilized their view of the horizon while locating a view of the end goal for themselves and their students, and grounded themselves in order to provide foundations for student learning, as they navigated the multiple, complex, contextual, and rapidly moving elements swirled around them.”

Helen produced her dissertation in two formats, reflecting her open educational practice as a researcher and a scholar. Her dissertation can be accessed as a public document created with Scalar software that was shared “live” as it was being written, and as a PDF manuscript archived in the university library.

Congratulations, Helen!

Dr. Seth Agbo (Associate Professor, Orillia) has published a new book that is described as a “comprehensive guide for instructors and graduate students on preparing scholarly manuscripts for peer-reviewed journals, theses, or dissertations in the humanities and social sciences” (Routledge, 2024).

The Scholars’ Publication Sourcebook Preparing Academic Manuscripts for Journals in the Humanities and Social Sciences is a 160-page practical guide that outlines each stage of a manuscript preparation, from identification of a topic to final publication. It draws on expertise from journal editors, editorial board members, peer reviewers, and research methods instructors. Case studies from various fields, including sociology, psychology, political science, business studies, policy research, and public health help to illustrate and understand the complex world of academic publishing.

The book will be of wide interest to scholars, graduate students and instructors alike, who are seeking insight into the publishing process in high-impact journals, theses, and dissertations.

Congratulations to Bonnie McDonald (Administrative Assistant, Graduate Studies and Research Office, Faculty of Education and Contract Lecturer, Gender and Women’s Studies Department) and Mohit Dudeja (PhD student, Faculty of Education and Contract Lecturer, Gender and Women’s Studies Department) for being recognized as “WellU Champions for Mental Health.”

Lakehead’s “WellU Champions for Mental Health” initiative highlights Lakehead staff and faculty members who go above and beyond to support student mental health. Champions are nominated by students for showing compassion, encouraging a sense of belonging, inspiring health-promoting behaviours, and promoting student well-being.

Bonnie shares that “mental health is acknowledging and recognizing that life can be rewarding while also challenging. Mental health can change from day to day and can be affected by different situations and environments. It is acknowledging that we do not always think the same or experience life the same as the person next us, and therefore we have to exhibit forgiveness and grace. Although I have a large class, I encourage students to reach out to me if they are experiencing difficulties. I attempt to touch base with students who have indicated they are struggling. I offer alternative deadlines, reach out to student services and am willing to advocate on their behalf (if and when it is appropriate). As an instructor, it is not only my job to ensure success in my course, but to promote the love of learning in a supportive environment.”

Mohit says “I see mental health as a state of equilibrium where individuals can navigate the complexities of life with a sense of self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and the ability to form meaningful connections with others. I am dedicated to staying attuned to the well-being of my students, which involves being receptive to their concerns, promoting self-care practices, and facilitating discussions about mental health in a manner that respects cultural sensitivities. The goal is to create an atmosphere in which students feel at ease seeking support, both within and beyond the academic realm. Ultimately, mental health is a collective journey, and as an educator, I am committed to fostering a community that recognizes its significance.”

Pictured below: Bonnie McDonald (left) and Mohit Dudeja (right).

The Faculty of Education's January 2024 Education Exchange newsletter is now published.

This issue features a profile on the Humanities 101 program, a review of MEd student research on generative AI, alumni profiles, Faculty news, research and awards, the launch of the Anishinaabemowik digital archive of
Indigenous languages program documents, and more.

To access this issue, click here.

Dr. Ellen Field (Assistant Professor, Orillia) has recently participated in a number of interviews, panels, and roundtables, some in conjunction with the United Nations Climate Change conference held November 30-December 12, 2023.

In one interview with CBC News, Ellen spoke about climate anxiety as experienced by many youth—and what can be done to address it.

She explained that while there’s no singular definition of climate anxiety, “it can be understood as heightened distress, related to the climate crisis. This can be characterized as a constellation of strong interconnected emotions, like worry, fear, sadness, anger, and powerlessness. People may experience it in different ways, based on… whether they’ve experienced climate impacts previously... as well as their own sense of agency or ability to be resilient in the face of the crisis.”

Noting that strong emotional responses to climate change are understandable and appropriate, considering the scale and urgency of the crisis, as discussed in her paper with Dr. Lindsay Galway, she turned attention to how young people experiencing climate anxiety can feel empowered.

Talking about the crisis, and spending time in nature can help to offset feelings of powerlessness, she said. Equally important was getting involved in actions through their schools.

“Schools—where young people spend the majority of their time—have a significant role to play. Teaching students about the crisis and the solutions available to us is important, as well as getting them involved in actions that are going to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This can help young people feel that they’re part of the solution and that their school, and larger community, is taking action.”

In another interview, Ellen discussed the “gaps of inconsistency” in climate change education across Canadian schools. 

Emerging from her research on climate change curriculum and policies across Canada, she notes that across jurisdictions, there’s inconsistency where the topic shows up in the curriculum. Predominantly, climate change is covered in science units, but sometimes it’s in social studies. Further, it often turns up as a topic in elective senior high school level classes, which means students can opt out of them.

Citing another research study that analyzed climate policies at the school board level also released this year, Ellen explained that only four school boards of the nearly 400 across Canada currently have climate action plans.

“Improvements require action from the top, by policy-makers and school board decision-makers alike. If we’re in this moment that we need to halve our emissions by 2030, we need to make sure that every institution is doing what they can. School boards in particular have a role to play.”

An accompanying website has been built to support school boards engaged in creating climate action policies, which includes highlighting strengths of existing policies, resources for planning, recommendations for policy-makers, and a superintendent pledge.

Dr. Michael Hoechsmann (Professor, Faculty of Education, Orillia) has written a review of David Crighton’s Orillia-based artwork, published in Orillia Matters. David Crighton’s artwork is currently featured at Hibernation Arts Gallery in Orillia, and his work can be viewed on his website.

Michael writes that “David Crighton’s artwork tells the story of cities, large and small. More a surveyor or architect than a cartographer, Crighton gets into the bones of a city, its buildings, businesses, venues, and homes. Brick by brick, he documents the structures in which life is lived and culture is made in southern and central Ontario...

"These images, and the buildings depicted, are for audiences to admire, and they improve with time as they move indelibly from chronicle to nostalgia. In the process, they become part of our collective memory, commemorations of moments already experienced, or aspirational and vicarious glimpses into the potentials of the urban landscape… This work evokes nostalgia. And yearning. It is wistful, yet desirous. It is playful and artistic. And it is breathtakingly straightforward, a reflection of time standing still, of the bones of cities revealed.”

Below: “French's Fry Shack. Orillia” by David Crighton.

PhD student Mohit Dudeja was featured in a news article as part of the CBC's Making Their Mark, which explores the experiences of international students living in Thunder Bay.

In the article, "This international student in Thunder Bay, Ont., paid an unexpected price to study there: his mental health," Mohit shares some of the social and financial challenges he has experienced since he arrived in Canada from Delhi.

Gisella Scalese, Education Librarian, recently completed a two-year term as Co-President of the Ontario Teacher Education Library Association (OTELA). OTELA supports academic libraries in Ontario universities that offer both undergraduate and graduate education programs. OTELA members meet in person once yearly, and share information in virtual meetings held throughout the year.

"OTELA and its membership has been integral to my work as an Education Librarian at Lakehead University," Gisella says. "OTELA has fostered a community of librarians that are excited to share information with each other about teaching resources, collection building strategies, and ideas for connecting our students with these resources. During my term, we held an information-sharing meeting on systematic and scoping reviews for Education. I have held executive positions of Secretary and President in previous years and was honoured to be elected as Co-President from May 2021 to May 2023. I shared this role with Chelsie Lalonde at Ontario Tech University." 

The OTELA annual meeting is hosted at a different university campus each year. Lakehead University Library, on the Thunder Bay campus, hosted the OTELA meeting in 2019, and the Library is pleased to be hosting the upcoming 2024 meeting on the Orillia campus. The meeting will be organized by Chris Tomasini, Orillia Campus Librarian, and the new incoming OTELA Executive.

Dr. Gerald Walton (Professor, Faculty of Education, Thunder Bay) has received a Contribution to Teaching award for the 2022-2023 academic year.

The Committee noted Gerald’s commitment to excellence in teaching and dedication to fostering a positive and inclusive learning environment. In particular, they recognized that Gerald’s teaching “stands out for its adherence to humane educational principles, as well as advocacy for the needs of all learners.” They further noted that Gerald’s efforts to create a sense of belonging among students has not gone unnoticed, as the students who nominated him spoke of his “unwavering support in all dimensions of academic life, going above and beyond to ensure their success.”

Gerald explains that “it is a big honour me that I was nominated by international students. Apart from guiding them on how to achieve at the graduate level, I felt it was important to validate challenges that many experience such as language barriers, culture shock, loneliness, homesickness, and even racism, that I have never had to face in my studies. I admire their courage to leave their home countries to study here and I said so a few times in class. I hold students to high standards, but I also wanted to recognize the hurdles that many, perhaps even most, international students face. It's wonderful to receive such praise in the form of a nomination for this award.”  

Congratulations, Gerald!

Photo credit: Mr. Ankit Siwach