Hamilton Campus
Categories: News
Interested in our Bachelor of Early Childhood Education or Adult Education programs? Visit one of our on-the-spot admissions tables to apply. Applicants must bring unofficial copies of transcripts or a printed copy of their mark-book, $100 for full-time study/$55 for part-time study (cash, credit, cheque accepted) and a form of government ID.
Mohawk College – Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Pathways Fair
Niagara College (Welland Campus) – Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2020, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Niagara College (NOTL Campus) – Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2020, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Adult Education, BECE
Categories: News
A group of Brock students have brought back life-changing lessons from a recent trip to Guatemala.
The group of 19 graduate and undergraduate students, along with two faculty members and one staff person, traveled to Guatemala from Oct. 11 to 21 as part of a Faculty of Education course on global education.
In Guatemala, students learned how indigenous Mayan communities are working to preserve their cultures and languages in two regions of the country. Before leaving, they prepared for with classes and resources on culture, history and current issues in these regions.
The journey challenged the views and values of many of the students.
“During our stay in Guatemala, a number of the students commented on ‘the bubble’ they viewed themselves as living in back home in Canada,” said Michael O’Sullivan, the course instructor. O’Sullivan is an Associate Professor and Associate Dean, Graduate Student Services, Research and International in the Faculty of Education.
“The students were deeply moved by the people they met and the activities in which they participated that were organized by young indigenous people, by women and by traditional knowledge keepers,” said O’Sullivan.
The itinerary included a visit to an elementary school, where students were able teach a lesson to local children and observe local teachers.
While Tiffany Harrilal, a fourth-year Concurrent Teacher Education student, saw some similarities between the elementary school they visited and schools in Canada, there were some striking differences.
“Something that I found interesting was they really do try to include a lot of Mayan Indigenous culture into the curriculum,” said Harrilal. These cultural elements included the local Mayan language and traditional teachings.
The group also visited a bilingual, cross-cultural secondary school and met with students from a local university created by the Mayan Ixil people to preserve traditional knowledge and create educational opportunities for the Ixil youth.
“It gets you out of your traditional outlook on what a school is and it should be or what you have always seen or experienced,” said Sarah Burger (BA ’16), Master of Education, of visiting the schools and Ixil university.
“I definitely think its going to inform the way I teach or how I think about teaching because there are so many ways to conduct a lesson or to engage with your students,” agreed Harrilal.
Despite language barriers, students were able to immerse themselves in Mayan culture, even sharing home-cooked dinners with Mayan families. In some cases, double translation from English to Spanish to a local Mayan language was necessary to communicate with community members. Through these conversations, students better understood the efforts of Mayan communities to recuperate their traditional values.
The group also toured Mayan chocolate and weaving cooperatives using traditional techniques, attended cultural performances and participated in a traditional Mayan smoke ceremony and lessons on Mayan teachings.
“I think that social responsibility came in,” said Burger of the larger themes she observed during the trip. Making a positive impact on an individual basis, such as through her purchasing decisions, is something she’ll take away from her time in Guatemala.
Harrilal echoed similar ideas when reflecting on her experience.
“What I noticed on the trip is that we forget how connected we are to people,” she said.
Harrilal also found herself making connections between the challenges facing Mayan communities and Canada’s Indigenous communities.
“Seeing those connections, you would think that hearing that Mayan Indigenous peoples are facing the same things would be disheartening, but it was so empowering” said Harrilal.
She was encouraged by seeing people of all ages working to rescue Mayan cultures, histories, teachings and knowledge. She hopes to bring Indigenous knowledge into her classroom as a teacher and to be an ally in the work of preserving Indigenous cultures in Canada.
Experiential Education, Guatemala
Categories: News
The Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) will begin a legally constituted strike action on Tuesday, November 26, 2019. It’s the Faculty’s understanding that this strike action will take the form of a partial withdrawal of services and that these actions don’t currently include a withdrawal of associate teaching services.
Teacher candidates who are on practicum and students who are participating in structured experiences are expected to appear at their designated assignments. Teacher candidates who are on practicum should consult with their Associate Teachers on the appropriate protocol for crossing picket lines (if applicable) and other in-school protocols.
As more details becomes available, Brock staff and Faculty will communicate to students through this page and by email.
Associate Teachers, OSSTF, Placements, Teacher Candidates
Categories: News
The Ontario Teachers’ Federation (OTF) has communicated that the Elementary Teachers’ Federation (ETFO) will be on legal strike on Tuesday, November 26, 2019 if a settlement is not negotiated before that date. During the strike, teachers will withdraw partial services and this withdrawal of services does not currently affect teacher candidates.
Associate teachers will still host preservice teachers in their classrooms. Teacher candidates can continue to attend structured experience days or practice teaching but should not take part in those activities that associate teachers are not participating in.
As more details becomes available, Brock staff and Faculty will communicate to students through this page and by email.
Associate Teachers, ETFO, Placements, Teacher Candidates
Categories: News
Brock Education: A Journal of Educational Research and Practice recently entered an exciting new chapter under the leadership of its new editor-in-chief, Trevor Norris.
An Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education, Norris succeeds Dolana Mogadime in leading the journal, which is run by the Faculty of Education. Norris was previously the Journal’s associate editor and has also served as the editor of Professing Education, a journal published by the Society of Professors of Education.Read more
Brock Education Journal, Dolana Mogadime, Julian Kitchen, Trevor Norris
Categories: News
Crossing the stage at Convocation on Oct. 18 marked the beginning of a unexpected adventure for Jaime Barratt.
The new Master of Education (MEd) graduate is travelling about 15,000 km to complete a PhD at the University of Queensland (UQ) in Australia.Read more
Convocation, Fall Convocation, MEd
Categories: News
For Larry Nie, receiving the Spirit of Brock medal at Brock University’s Fall Convocation on Friday, Oct. 18 capped off two life-changing years as a student in the Faculty of Education.
Nie, who graduated on Oct. 18 from the Master of Education, International Student Program, first came to Brock from China in August 2017 to enroll in the Masters Preparation Certificate in Education (MPCE) program.Read more
Convocation, Fall Convocation, MEd ISP, MPCE, Spirit of Brock
Categories: News
Learn more about Brock’s Consecutive Teacher Education Program (BEd), including:
Register online today or just join us on:
Consecutive Teacher Education
Categories: Events, News
Faculty of Education Professor Louis Volante has edited a new book comparing socioeconomic inequality and student outcomes across several Western industrialized nations, including Canada.
Socioeconomic Inequality and Student Outcomes was a collaborative venture between Volante and his three co-editors: Sylke Viola Schnepf from the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre in Italy, John Jerrim from the Institute of Education at the University College London in England and Don Klinger from the University of Waikato in New Zealand.Read more
Faculty publications, Louis Volante
Categories: News
