Susan Tilley, a professor in Brock’s Faculty of Education, has been elected the new Secretary-General of the International Society for Teacher Education (ISfTE).
In her three-year term, Tilley will lead the independent organization dedicated to improving teacher education.
The international group of teacher educators works to accomplish its mission through an annual seminar and the Journal of the International Society for Teacher Education (JISTE), among other initiatives.
In her new role, Tilley hopes to increase access to ISfTE initiatives.
“One of ISfTE’s aims is to encourage and support those who may not otherwise have the resources to participate,” she said. “It’s important to me to be able to engage in conversations with people who may not always be included at the table.”
In an effort to do just that, the Society introduced the Leora Cordis Trust in 2001. Named in honour of a founding member of the Society, the trust provides support to individuals, such as graduate students or those from countries with limited resources, who may need financial assistance to participate in the annual seminar.
Tilley will represent ISfTE when the organization’s annual seminar is held at Brock in 2019. The Faculty of Education previously hosted the seminar in 1997.
“Through ISfTE seminars, I’ve made connections with scholars around the world and have had opportunities to visit international universities to present my research and work collaboratively with others in the field,” said Tilley, who joined the Society in 2001. “In the Secretary-General role, I am able to make a contribution outside of my local context to an organization that has contributed to the enrichment of my research program and pedagogy.”
The annual seminar provides an international forum for students, scholars, teacher educators and community members to discuss issues in teacher education and educational research.
With a collaborative structure, the event encourages delegates to further develop research for scholarly publication. During the five-day program, participants share their work with small paper groups made up of colleagues from around the world. The members of these groups provide valuable feedback based on their diverse areas of expertise and backgrounds.
The seminar has been hosted in a variety of countries since its inception in 1981. In 2018, it will be held in Japan.
Associate Professor Leanne Taylor and Professor Vera Woloshyn of the Faculty of Education will be the conveners of the 2019 seminar. Taylor and Woloshyn also serve as the co-editors of JISTE.
Details on the 2019 seminar will be released in 2018.
