York profs offer expertise on pandemic responses for homeless population
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Two York University professors have written chapters for a new book that explores homelessness and pandemic planning.
Stephen GaetzJanet Mosher
Stephen Gaetz, director of the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness and professor in the Faculty of Education, and Janet Mosher, professor at Osgoode Hall Law School, contributed to the newly published book Pandemic Preparedness and Homelessness: Lessons from H1N1 in Canada.
York University alumna Kristy Buccieri, who received her PhD from the Faculty of Education, also contributed as one of the book’s editors.
The book looks at the threat to the health of homeless individuals and the security of the social infrastructure they rely on for support in the event of a pandemic outbreak. Pandemic Preparedness and Homelessness brings together the work of Canadian researchers to explore how our current responses to homelessness impact on the vulnerability of homeless populations in the event of a pandemic.
During the 2009 and 2010 H1N1 influenza outbreak, a team of Canadian researchers from across the country undertook an analysis of the impact of the outbreak within the context of homelessness, through surveys and interviews with front-line workers, policy-makers, and persons with lived experience. This book details the findings of this multi-site study, including chapters on the challenges of pandemic planning in the context of homelessness, accessing justice amid threats of contagion, and the health and wellness of homeless individuals in Canada, drawing on a large national data set.
This volume also features case studies of how the four Canadian cities of Victoria, Calgary, Regina and Toronto prepared for, and responded to, the H1N1 outbreak in relation to homeless citizens.
The book will be available for purchase from York’s bookstore, and also for free download from the Homeless Hub, as of Oct. 13.
Professor Heather Lotherington awarded prestigious ACU Titular Fellowship
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York University Faculty of Education Professor Heather Lotherington has been awarded a 2016 Gordon & Jean Southam Fellowship to participate in a research visit to Curtin University in Australia.
Heather Lotherington
The award is one of the many prestigious Titular Fellowships that the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) provides to academics from various disciplines to visit prominent institutions across the Commonwealth between October 2016 and September 2017.
Lotherington’s research focuses on language, literacy and technology in super-diverse social contexts. In particular, she is interested in how emerging digitally mediated multimodal forms of communication are changing educational practice in mobile contexts.
During her visit to the School of Education at Curtin University, Lotherington will work with Associate Professor Kay O’Halloran. Her pilot study of mobile applications for English language learners will explore the use of new and emerging technologies for language learning in culturally diverse educational contexts, and the relationship between technological and pedagogical design within emergent mobile applications.
Lotherington’s collaboration with O’Halloran will focus on multimodal theory and analysis for the pilot project, resulting in a book chapter and data to explore multimodal theories.
“We are thrilled to see this international recognition of Heather’s research through this support and wish her all the best for the fellowship,” said Lyndon Martin, dean of the Faculty of Education.
ACU Titular Fellowships, funded by the Association of Commonwealth Universities’ Development Fellowships Fund, aim to enable the universities of the Commonwealth to develop the human resources of their institutions and countries through the interchange of people, knowledge, skills and technologies.
Titular Fellowships are open to the academic and professional staff, or the nominees, of ACU member universities.
New faces: Two new faculty members join the Faculty of Education
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The Faculty of Education welcomes two new faculty members: Bryan Smith, a sessional assistant professor interested in social studies learning and curriculum theory; and Jennifer Wemigwans, a sessional assistant professor specializing in the convergence between education, indigenous knowledge and new media technologies.
“We are delighted to welcome Bryan and Jennifer,” said Lyndon Martin, dean of the Faculty of Education. “Both bring exciting new dimensions and perspectives to the kinds of social justice issues the Faculty is concerned with. Their important and timely research will infuse their teaching and ensure we offer students relevant and engaging learning experiences.”
Bryan Smith – Smith’s research interests include social studies learning (history, geography and citizenship), anti-racism and decolonization theory and pedagogy, curriculum theory and the role of custom-built mobile applications as tools to facilitate critical interventions in social studies classrooms. His current work explores the development of place-based mobile applications and their potential for building critical understandings of how place teaches history and shapes historical consciousness for students and teachers. Building on theories of place and critical toponymy, this research seeks to bring into critical consciousness the role of place-names and artifacts of the “everyday landscape” in framing taken-for-granted narratives of our communities.
Previously, his research explored how RNMobile (Canadian Association of Foundations of Education 2015 Online Learning Tool award) might help introduce teacher candidates to the history of residential schools and the power of oral histories in (re-)telling histories of Canada. He was recently published in the Journal of Curriculum and Pedagogy and the Citizenship Education Research Journal. He is also working with colleagues to co-edit two forthcoming books.
Prior to York, Smith was at the University of Ottawa where he taught social studies teacher candidates. There, he was a member of the Virtual History Lab where he participated in a SSHRC-funded research project exploring the use of technology in facilitating the development of history pedagogy skills for teacher candidates.
Jennifer Wemigwans – Wemigwans is Anishnaabekwe (Ojibwe/Potawatomi) from Wikwemikong First Nation and is president of Invert Media. She is a new media producer, writer and scholar specializing in the convergence between education, indigenous knowledge and new media technologies. Her research examines how online indigenous knowledge sites serve indigenous resurgence by contributing to the efforts and goals of indigenous nation-building, and therefore represent a new cultural form and social movement online that delivers new capacity for indigenous communities.
Currently, her research work is under peer review for publication with the University of Regina Press. She is also collaborating on a SSHRC Partnerships Development Grant award (2016-19), “Indigenous knowledge and pedagogies in online learning environments: gaining insight into wise practices for web-based Indigenous education innovation,” as well as producing an international indigenous digital-based project that explores timekeeping methods and calendars from diverse indigenous communities.
This past year, Wemigwans completed her PhD in the Department of Social Justice Education at OISE University of Toronto, where she researched the impact of indigenous knowledge online.
Summer Institute explores meaning of educational success
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The Faculty of Education’s annual two-day Summer Institute explored the topic of “Re/defining Educational Success: Purposeful Advocacy for Change.” The conference took place at the Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Building at York’s Keele campus and featured a full-day program on Aug. 25 and a half-day program Aug. 26. The annual event was presented by the York Centre for Education & Community (YCEC).
Renu Mandhane, director of Ontario Human Right Commission, was a featured keynote speaker
The Summer Institute brought together educators, youth, parents and community members to explore and share insights on how to redefine, challenge and build upon theories and practices in relation to what educational success can mean for students. The event presented a variety of keynote speakers and workshops, including featured keynotes Renu Mandhane, director of Ontario Human Right Commission, and Shaheen Azmi, director of Policy, Education Monitoring & Outreach, who focused on the use of human rights data; and Donna Quan and Roula Anastasakos from the Ministry of Education and Toronto District School Board who looked at unlocking student potential through data.
“The title of this year’s Summer Institute came out of multiple conversations and meetings with our planning committee on how the concept ‘success’ needs to be reconceptualized,” said Salima Kassam, a seconded faculty member and one of the co-chairs of this year’s organizing committee. “We know that historical and present groups of students are not succeeding in our school systems; the conference is a space for multiple stakeholders to think about what’s working and where we need to do better in the name of student achievement and well-being.”
According to Antonino Giambrone, co-chair of this year’s organizing committee, a large part of the collective goal as a committee was to co-create a space where community workers, classroom teachers, students’ families, young people, ministry officials and academics could come together to identify and disrupt the conditions that impede student learning and well-being, and identify and build on those conditions that enhance student learning and well-being. Regarding the focus on data and redefining education success, Giambrone said, “Accessing multiple forms of data can support these conversations, and can help those working in (formal and informal) education contexts better respond to disparities that are clearly reflected in the current available data on student achievement and well-being. We hope this year’s institute was a provocation for participants to find ways to act in response to marginalization and its impact on young people in communities and schools. ”
The ninth annual Summer Institute again featured exchanges among educators, policy makers, community members and youth.
“That we continue to bring these participants together to discuss issues in education speaks to the commitment of the Faculty to engage the respective communities in grappling with issues that will enhance the education of students,” said Professor and current Jean Augustine Chair in the Faculty of Education, Carl James. “This year the presentations by Renu Madhane, Shaheen Azmi, Donna Quan and Roula Anastasakos set out how we might grapple with equity and inclusivity by gathering and using data – particularly race data which they have indicated is vital to effectively address the needs and interests of today’s diverse student population.”
Participants took away multiple approaches that they could apply to their advocacy in community and school contexts. Importantly, the call for specific forms of data, particularly demographic data in relation to student achievement and well-being, lent to practical approaches to facilitating data-driven dialogue and accessing further data that includes student voice and pedagogical documentation.
Calls for re-defining “success” support the need for multiple forms of data to understand young people’s experiences in schools and beyond, and begin to address some of the systemic barriers that impact students in their schools and communities. Workshops provided concrete ideas of responding to such data, including ways to create the most effective climate for student learning and engagement.
They also addressed the importance of language with respect to issues of identity, and how language in school and community advocacy might be used in ways that affirm and value student experiences, specifically those of historically and presently marginalized individuals and groups.
The viewpoints articulated during this period of discussion surfaced varied needs across scholarly communities. While Canada is no stranger to funding agency policies, or for that matter, institutional policies, the Tri-Agency mandate introduces a framework with an unprecedented disciplinary reach and a corresponding range of implications for York University.
With the aim of supporting community members with policy compliance and to continue these valuable conversations, a campus-wide steering committee will convene in the fall to strategize how best to move forward in this area.
The committee also wishes to foster campus dialogue around emerging opportunities afforded by developing models in scholarly communications. This may include discussions towards finding sustainable publishing practices, demystifying the legal landscape for authors, and developing a scholarly culture that is mindful and strategic in its uses of multiple modes of dissemination.
The Open Access Open Data Steering Committee will engage in broad stakeholder discussions to advance the following goals:
To coordinate campus-wide education on open access and data management particularly in light of Tri-Agency Open Access Policy requirements and the Tri-agency Statement of Principles on Digital Data Management.
To articulate a framework and coordinated service models that support faculty with these requirements.
To create a wider forum for discussion and consideration on changes to the system of scholarship, sustainability of current economic models of scholarship, access to publicly funded research, issues surrounding authors rights in the digital age, and new scholarly distribution systems and other connected open movements.
The committee consists of the following membership, and will report back to the community through the Office of the Provost and the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation:
• Joy Kirchner, University librarian – co-chair • Sushanta Mitra, associate vice-president, Research – (co-chair) • Bob Gagne, chief information officer, University Information Technology • Andrea Kosavic, digital initiatives librarian/acting associate University librarian, Digital Services • Patricia Lynch, representative, Copyright Office
Two associate deans of research:
• Carys Craig, Osgoode Hall Law School
• Sylvie Morin, Faculty of Science
Seven faculty members representing diverse areas including one Academic Policy, Planning & Research Committee (APPRC) member:
• Faculty of Environmental Studies: TBD
• Faculty of Education: Karen Krasny, associate professor
• Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS): Mark Hayward, assistant professor, Department of Communications Studies
• LA&PS: Markus Reisenleitner, professor, Department of Humanities
• LA&PS: Susan McGrath, professor, School of Social Work
• Faculty of Health: Chris Ardern, associate professor, School of Kinesiology & Health Science
• APPRC: Logan Donaldson, Faculty of Science
York community members can anticipate further communications and outreach on behalf of the committee as meetings begin.
Prof helps develop SoundSpace Online, the go-to site for hearing loss resources
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Connie Mayer
Faculty of Education Professor Connie Mayer, with a team at the Ear Foundation headed by Dr. Sue Archbold, played a key role in the development of an innovative web-based platform developed as the “go-to” destination for online information, resources and learning about hearing loss.
SoundSpace Online, which is the only website of its kind, was launched at a conference in Nottingham, U.K. earlier this summer and is available through the Ear Foundation.
“Hearing loss has a huge, unseen impact on communication whether in childhood or in adulthood,” said Mayer. “Today’s technology can transform this, but all too often the latest information is hard to find. That’s where SoundSpace Online comes in, bringing together the wide range of information and practical resources available on hearing loss, and its impact on the lives of deaf children, young people and adults and its management.”
The site is an evidence-based, comprehensive resource for anyone concerned with issues and questions of hearing loss in a range of areas, including medicine, audiology, education, linguistics and psychology.
SoundSpace Online
SoundSpace Online has eight main sections which offer insight on hearing loss, hearing technologies and scientific medical advances before moving onto the implications of hearing loss on specific groups: special needs, early childhood, school years, higher education and adulthood. Section 1 is available now at www.soundspaceonline.com.
The website was developed in collaboration with people with hearing loss and users of hearing devices, along with their families, friends, industry partners, and professionals and experts from many different disciplines including audiology, education, medicine, e-learning and social work.
SoundSpace Online is supported by Cochlear, the National Institute for Hearing Research (NIHR), Oticon Medical, The University of Nottingham, Medilink and is partly funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
“Our hope is that people will also use the site to network and to increase the mobilization of knowledge to address issues of importance in the field of hearing loss,” said Mayer.
York staffer gets kudos for help steering Ontario curriculum
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Lindsay LaMorre
Lindsay LaMorre, York’s community practicum coordinator in the Faculty of Education, was recently recognized by Ophea for her outstanding contributions to the organization during the 2015-2016 teaching year.
Ophea is a not-for-profit organization with a mandate to support schools and communities through quality programs and services, partnerships and advocacy. Their vision is that all children and youth value and enjoy the lifelong benefits of healthy, active living.
The organization recently recognized and thanked LaMorre for playing a significant role in helping Ophea achieve one of their key strategic goals to enhance the capacity of leaders to foster, healthy, active living.
As a member of Ophea’s Curriculum Advisory Council (CAC), which is made up of approximately 15 educators, administrators and public health staff, LaMorre played a significant role this past year by reviewing the Elementary Human Development and Sexual Health lesson plans; providing feedback on the Inquiry-based Learning Guide; and helping to develop concepts for the All About H&PE fundamental principles posters.
“We value and appreciate the significant contributions that Lindsay has and continues to make to our organization,” said Heather Sears, president of Ophea. “Lindsay is a significant asset to Ophea and draws upon her considerable experience, background and networks in helping to guide Ophea’s work.”
“Congratulations to Lindsay,” said Lyndon Martin, dean of the Faculty of Education. “We are thrilled to see this recognition of her work and the contribution she makes to our wider community.”
York U hosts Success Beyond Limits program for Grade 8 grads
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On the evening of Friday, Aug. 5, Success Beyond Limits (SBL) held a special graduation ceremony to celebrate the accomplishments of 102 Grade 8 graduates from Oakdale Park and Brookview Middle Schools in the Jane/Finch community.
Success Beyond Limits, which is hosted by York University’s Faculty of Education, is a collaborative, youth-led, community based movement that provides youth with holistic supports to complete their education and experience success in their lives. Their mission is to improve educational outcomes, expand possibilities, and support youth in Jane and Finch along their individual paths to success.
The ceremony was the culmination of SBL’s highly successful summer Grade 9 prep program, which gives students an opportunity to earn their first high school credit before entering secondary school this fall.
More than 200 guests, including the parents and friends of the graduates, mentors, and members of the York community, attended the event held at Osgoode Hall Law School in the Moot Court Room.
Now in its seventh year, the highly successful summer program, which ran July 4 to Aug. 12, included morning classes with a focus on math and English taught by five Toronto District School Board teachers, many of whom are graduates of York’s Bachelor of Education Program. Students also participated in activities led by 25 SBL mentors, and included recreational and arts-based activities as well as workshops tailored to student interests.
“Our focus is to provide an environment that fosters educational success utilizing mentorship, a culturally relevant and responsive curriculum and teachers reflective of the students,” said SBL staff member Tesfai Mengesha. “We operate a six-week program that offers youth employment, community engagement, and relationship building within a post-secondary environment.”
Additional highlights of the program included:
a Parent Night at Osgoode Hall Law School attended by 60 participants and their families;
a Career Day with 10 presenters representing various professions;
three chartered school buses that provided daily transportation from Brookview, Oakdale and Firgrove Public Schools to York University;
a nutritious breakfast and lunch everyday; and
an annual track and field meet.
“SBL is an amazing summer program that is very important to the youth because it is a place where you can have fun, learn, and build relationships with others in the community,” said Amina, a former participant who is now a mentor in the program. “The program exposed me to new activities such as Samba and mock trials. I’m very happy I was a part of SBL for summer 16!”
Faculty of Education delivers inquiry-based learning programs in Beijing
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The Office of Professional Learning in the Faculty of Education partnered with York’s Asian Business & Management Program (ABMP) to provide a unique training program on inquiry-based learning for over 80 teachers and administrators in Beijing, China, this past June.
The Beijing Institute of Education (BIE) engaged York’s University Faculty of Education and ABMP to develop and deliver this unique professional learning opportunity.
The learning goals for the programs were to have the participants achieve the following:
understand theories, purposes and practices of inquiry-based learning;
foster engaging, trusting and inviting learning environments that promote student voice, leadership, critical inquiry and curiosity;
critically explore pedagogical strategies used in inquiry-based learning and assessment and evaluation practices that are linked to expectations, and meet the individual needs of students; and
critically explore fair, equitable, transparent, valid and reliable assessment and evaluation processes that honour the dignity, emotional wellness and cognitive development of all students.
The BIE will later conduct research to determine the impact that the training program had on the professional practice of teachers in their classrooms in China.
The training was led by York instructors Marc Husband and Jilian Stambolich. Prior to his York University Faculty of Education appointment, Husband worked for 15 years as a middle school teacher and later an elementary (K-8) instructional leader in mathematics/numeracy at the Toronto District School Board. He is also a second-year doctoral student in the Faculty of Education, with interests in working collaboratively with teachers to explore the practices involved in the teaching and learning of mathematics.
Stambolich has served as a classroom teacher for the York Region District School Board, a professional learning instructor for the York University Faculty of Education, and a facilitator to a variety of schools and districts both locally, provincially and abroad. She leads courses for teachers and administrators on topics such as inquiry-based learning, arts integration, pedagogical documentation and music education.
Husband and Stambolich were delighted to share their expertise in inquiry-based learning, along with the most current research around best practices, with the teachers in China.
Over the past year, York/ABMP has delivered 10 training programs primarily focused on varied instructional strategies to enhance student engagement and learning in Beijing. The response to these programs, according to the evaluations, has been overwhelmingly enthusiastic and positive in terms of the growth of the participants’ professional practice and mindset about teaching and learning.
Stambolich and Husband also provide instructional leadership for teachers in Ontario. This summer, Stambolich will instruct the 21st Century Learning: Creating an Inquiry-based Classroom certificate module; Husband has just completed teaching the Math for Teaching & Learning: A Collaborative Inquiry module.
For more information about professional learning programs in the Faculty of Education, visit edu.yorku.ca/profdev.
Three York University faculty appointed to the Order of Canada
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The Member of the Order of Canada medal
Three York University professors are among a group of individuals with connections to York University appointed to the Order of Canada.
Faculty of Health Distinguished Research Professor Ellen Bialystok, Faculty of Education Professor and alumnus Stephen Gaetz (MA ’85, PhD ’90), and Osgoode Hall Law School Professor David Vaver are among the 113 new appointments to the Order of Canada, which is the country’s highest civilian honour.
“On behalf of myself and the entire York community, I congratulate these York faculty members, alumni and honorary degree recipients on this most deserved honour,” said Mamdouh Shoukri, York University president and vice-chancellor. “It is gratifying to see each of these individuals being recognized for his or her unique—and diverse—achievements. All are Canadian leaders of truly outstanding impact, innovation and engagement, and they reflect the best that York brings to the nation and to the world.”
The new appointees include one companion (C.C.), 27 officers (O.C.) and 85 new members (C.M.). These appointments were made on the recommendation of the Advisory Council for the Order of Canada and announced June 30 by the Office of the Governor General of Canada.
Ellen Bialystok
Ellen Bialystok was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada for her contributions to understanding of the cognitive benefits of bilingualism, and for opening up new avenues of research in her field. Bialystok is a Distinguished Research Professor of Psychology and Walter Gordon York Research Chair of Lifespan Cognitive Development at York University. She is also an Associate Scientist at the Rotman Research Institute of the Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care.
Her research uses both behavioral and neuroimaging methods to examine the effect of experience on cognitive processes across the lifespan, with most attention on the effect of bilingualism. She has published extensively in the form of books, scientific articles, and book chapters. She is a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Society for Experimental Psychology, American Psychological Society, and other professional organizations. Among her awards are the Canadian Society for Brain Behaviour and Cognitive Science Hebb Award (2011), Killam Prize for the Social Sciences (2010), York University President’s Research Award of Merit (2009), Donald T. Stuss Award for Research Excellence at the Baycrest Geriatric Centre (2005), Dean’s Award for Outstanding Research (2002), Killam Research Fellowship (2001), and the Walter Gordon Research Fellowship (1999).
Stephen Gaetz
Stephen Gaetz was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada for his leadership in providing evidence-based research to policy makers and practitioners in the movement to prevent and reduce homelessness in Canada. As a professor in the Faculty of Education at York University and the director of the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness and the Homeless Hub, Gaetz has garnered international attention for his work on homelessness.
Gaetz has played a leading international role in knowledge mobilization in the area of homelessness. York University played host to 2005’s Canadian Conference on Homelessness – the first research conference of its kind in Canada. In addition, York University now hosts the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness and the Homeless Hub, the first comprehensive and cross-disciplinary web-based clearinghouse of homelessness research in the world. The focus of this network is to work with researchers across Canada to mobilize research so that it has a greater impact on homelessness policy and planning.
David Vaver
David Vaver was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada for his leadership in intellectual property law as a scholar and mentor. He is among Canada’s foremost leading authorities of Intellectual Property Law. His influence on the academy led to scholars from around the world to honour him with their own contributions in a festschrift in 2010, The Common Law of Intellectual Property: Essays in Honour of Professor David Vaver (an honour that has not been bestowed on many.
Vaver’s coining of the phrase, “user rights” in his book Copyright Law, has transformed the international language and perspective of balance in copyright, where users enjoy rights alongside copyright’s traditional stakeholders of owners and authors. In 2012, he was awarded the Pattishall medal for Teaching Excellence for Trademark and Trade Identity. He founded and served as editor-in-chief, for the Intellectual Property Journal (1984-98, 2010-15) and has regularly advised the Canadian government in various roles typically culminating in a road map for reform, or outright reform, in various areas of intellectual property.
Joining them are York University alumni Isabel Bassett (MA ’73, LLD [Hons.] ’01), Gregory Belton (BA ’80),Mary Cornish (LLB ’74, LLD [Hons.] ’15), Dennis O’Connor (LLB ’64, LLD [Hons.] ’07), Kathleen Taylor (JD ’84, MBA ’84, LLD [Hons.] 14) and Warren Winkler (LLB ’62, LLM ’64, LLD [Hons.] ’12).
Bassett was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada for her community engagement and commitment to the advancement of women and public service, notably in educational broadcasting. Belton was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada for his active support and promotion of youth development programs, particularly through the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award and for his philanthropic generosity in the fields of youth services and the arts.
Cornish was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada for her leadership in advancing pay equity and for her long-standing commitment to social justice. Taylor, who is a Bryden Award recipient and member of the Schulich School of Business Dean’s Advisory Council, was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada for her contributions to the hotel and financial services sectors and for her community engagement, most recently as the Chair of the SickKids Foundation.
O’Connor was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada for his service to the legal profession and for his commitment to justice as a commissioner of the Walkerton and Arar inquiries. Winkler was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in recognition of his contributions to the advancement of Canadian labour law and for making the justice system more effective and accessible as a former chief justice of the Ontario Court of Appeal.
During the 2009 and 2010 H1N1 influenza outbreak, a team of Canadian researchers from across the country undertook an analysis of the impact of the outbreak within the context of homelessness, through surveys and interviews with front-line workers, policy-makers, and persons with lived experience. This book details the findings of this multi-site study, including chapters on the challenges of pandemic planning in the context of homelessness, accessing justice amid threats of contagion, and the health and wellness of homeless individuals in Canada, drawing on a large national data set.
