News and events

  • Celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. William Purkey

    Friday, April 12, 2024 | By

    With profound sadness, we announce the passing of Dr. William Purkey, esteemed educator, author, and the pioneering founder of Invitational Education, at the age of 95 on 7th of April, 2024. Dr. Purkey’s innovative vision and compassionate approach to education have left an indelible mark on the field, influencing countless educators and students across the globe.

    Dr. Purkey’s legacy is particularly felt at Brock University (Faculty of Education), where he had significant connections through his collaboration with Dr. John Novak, co-creator of the Invitational Education movement. His numerous visits to our campus have been inspirational, fostering a strong bond with our Faculty of Education and contributing to enriching our academic community.

    In 1982, Dr. Purkey was pivotal in establishing the International Alliance for Invitational Education (IAIE), an organization dedicated to developing and implementing invitational strategies to enhance life in schools, families, and workplaces. His work has guided our educational practices, emphasizing respect, trust, optimism, and care as fundamental principles for nurturing potential in every individual.

    A testament to his enduring impact, the Journal of Invitational Theory and Practice, the flagship publication of the IAIE, is proudly housed by Brock University. This journal serves as a critical platform for sharing research and insights on the principles of Invitational Education, further cementing Dr. Purkey’s connection with our institution and his substantial influence on educational theory and practice.

    Dr. William Purkey

    As we mourn his loss, we also celebrate Dr. Purkey’s remarkable contributions to education. His legacy will continue to influence our approach to teaching and learning, inspiring us to create inviting and inclusive environments that empower every student to thrive.

    In memory of Dr. Purkey, we extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and the many lives he touched. We are reminded of his enduring message that education is not just about imparting knowledge but inviting each individual to discover their worth and potential.

    As we reflect on Dr. Purkey’s impact, we encourage the Brock University community to honour his memory by embracing the principles of Invitational Education in our classrooms, our relationships, and our lives. His vision for a more positive and welcoming world is a guiding light for us all.

    Let us remember Dr. William Purkey as a visionary leader whose life’s work continues to inspire a brighter future for education. – Rahul Kumar, on behalf of Dr. John Novak and Dr. Tony DiPetta

  • Short listed candidates presentation schedule – Dean of the Faculty of Education

    Tuesday, April 09, 2024 | By

    The process to search for a Dean, Faculty of Education was launched last fall and is proceeding under the Policy on the Appointment of Academic Administrators. The Advisory Committee has interviewed a long list of candidates and agreed upon a short list. Candidates will be visiting Brock during the week of April 15. This second round of interviews will include opportunities for engagement, as well as public presentations.

    Please see the following post on the Provost’s Office website announcing the candidate presentations for the role of Dean, Faculty of Education, which will take place from April 17 to 19.

  • The latest issue of the Brock Education Journal is now available

    Friday, February 23, 2024 | By

    The Faculty of Education is please to announce the next issue of the the Brock Education Journal is live:

    VOL. 33 NO. 1 (2024): SPECIAL ISSUE: EXPANDING LANDSCAPES OF ACADEMIC WRITING IN ACADEMIA

    Cover art & design by Peter A. Vietgen, Art Director, Brock Education

    .

    View the journal here.

  • Global Affairs Canada’s International Development Week

    Thursday, February 08, 2024 | By

    In celebration Global Affairs Canada’s International Development Week (February 4 -10, 2024) and this year’s theme highlighting the 17 United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, here are some of the ways that the Faculty of Education’s work is helping the world move closer to having quality education, gender equality, innovation, justice and sustainable communities: View the PDF presentation.

     

  • Student participants needed for Brock Equity Census focus group

    Friday, September 08, 2023 | By

    Brock is hosting a student focus group next week that will help inform the University’s upcoming Equity Census. This is in addition to focus groups currently under way with Brock faculty and staff.

    The Equity Census — a short, voluntary and confidential survey — is part of Brock’s continual journey and commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI). As a part of Brock’s ongoing efforts, the University is working with MNP to develop an Employee EDI Strategy.

    The student focus group session, which will inform how the census is communicated, carried out and reported on,  will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 12 at 3 p.m.

    Participants can register on the Equity Census web page.

    Participants will be contacted directly with meeting details by consultants from MNP, and an interview guide will be sent in advance of the focus group session.  Participants do not need to prepare anything in advance of the focus group session.

    What is shared with MNP will remain anonymous and confidential.

    More information on the Equity Census will be provided in the coming weeks.

    Tags:
    Categories: Events, Uncategorised

  • Acts of hate have no place in our community

    Friday, June 17, 2022 | By

    Hate, in all its expressions, is unacceptable. The Faculty of Education stands in solidarity with those who experience such hatred and is committed to eradicating anti-Black racism and anti-2SLGBTQIA+ discrimination and oppression.

    The anti-Black racism and anti- 2SLGBTQIA+ acts at Harriet Tubman Public School earlier this week highlight that we must continue to work to confront hate in all its forms. The Harriet Tubman Public School, named for an anti-slavery leader and educator, is an exemplar of diversity, equity and decolonization. The Faculty is proud that many of our Teacher Candidates experience such an inclusive educational community in their program. As educators, we see the power of education to cultivate diverse, equitable, anti-racist, anti-homophobic communities.

    Please the statement below for Brock’s response to these events and resources for students and staff:

  • Brock Mathematics Education Seminar Series

    Friday, April 29, 2022 | By

    Bodymarking: Interpreting Students’ Embodied Experiences in the Mathematics Classroom

    Presented by Dr. Joshua Markle, PhD.
    Friday May 06, 2022, at 2 p.m.
    Register here  (MS Teams or Lifesize link will be emailed to you prior to event.)
    Inquiries about seminar: Dr. Steven Khan (skhan6@brocku.ca)

    The work described in this presentation sits at the intersection of two critical areas of research in mathematics education: spatial reasoning and embodiment. Spatial reasoning has been identified as integral to both general mathematical capability and the potential for individuals to flourish in life beyond formal mathematics education. Research on the body in mathematics education points to the constitutive role the body plays in the development of mathematical understanding, the importance of understanding students’ experience of the body in the mathematics classroom, and how our senses, such as sight and touch, are integral to how we know and do mathematics. In this presentation, I discuss the development and use
    of a tool for observing and describing everyday classroom actions, such as gesture and gaze, to offer an interpretation of how students use the body to both sense and make sense in a spatial reasoning activity.

    Bio

    Josh is an Assistant Professor (LTA) of mathematics education in the Faculty of Education at Brock University. His research explores students’ experiences in classroom mathematics and is oriented by three key themes. The first is a focus on how spatial reasoning skills are developed and used in mathematical problem solving and posing. The second explores the role of embodiment and the experience of the body in coming to know and do mathematics. And a third, all-encompassing theme investigates how mathematics can enable students to flourish, both within and beyond the classroom. His work is grounded in theories of embodied cognition, such as enactivism, and he primarily draws on interpretive traditions as research methodologies.

  • (Online) Math Ed Seminar Series @ Brock

    Thursday, March 04, 2021 | By

    Computer Programming in Mathematics Education: Some Results from a Literature Review and an International Scan

    Thursday 4 March 2021 @ 12:00
    Location: https://call.lifesizecloud.com/7273386

    Dr. Laura Broley, Post-Doctoral Fellow
    Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Brock University

    Abstract: A recently conducted scan of the place of computer programming in curricula around the worldconfirms the international move towards its integration into K-12 education and highlights the variety ofapproaches taken so far: e.g., integrating programming as part of a subject to study on its own, as an element ofa particular subject, or as a cross-curricular competency. In this talk, we place Ontario’s curriculum within thisinternational context, through its integration of coding in elementary mathematics that began in September 2020.Based on a literature review, we consider various perspectives that might explain this integration: from the mostrecent trends in “Computational Thinking” or “Digital Literacy,” to Seymour Papert’s pioneering work from the80s, which showed how programming could be a source of power to learn, do, and think about mathematics.Interestingly, it turns out that Brock Department of Mathematics and Statistics’ 20-year implementation of MICAcourses aligns with the latter. To complement the theories, we also synthesize some concrete ways in whichK-12 teachers might bring the power of programming to their students.

    All undergraduate (including teacher candidates) students, graduate students, and faculty, from theDepartment of Mathematics and Statistics and the Faculty of Education are welcome!

    For information, contact: Chantal Buteau: cbuteau@brocku.ca or Steven Khan: skhan6@brocku.ca

  • Black History Month

    Thursday, February 11, 2021 | By

    Resources

    Events

    Details and registration for events can be found here on Experience BU: https://experiencebu.brocku.ca/organization/african-heritage-month/events

    Virtual Symposium: Activism and Solidarity Post-Script to the “Scholar Strike Canada” Keynote

    Watch Professor Handel Kashope Wright deliver the keynote at the Virtual Symposium: Activism and Solidarity Post-Script to the “Scholar Strike Canada” on October 29, 2020. Dr. Wright is the Director of the Centre for Culture, Identity & Education at the University of British Columbia. Keynote Title: “The Urgency of Black Studies and the Insufficiency of Anti-Racism”.

  • Redesigned MEd Program launched

    Monday, October 05, 2020 | By

    The Faculty of Education is pleased to announce that a redesigned Master of Education program will begin in September 2021 with new flexible programming options. The admission requirements remain the same as well as the number of courses needed to satisfy the degree requirements.

    For students in the course- and research-based pathways, the Faculty of Education is offering a master’s program that leads to a general MEd degree to replace the current MEd with Fields of Specialization. This change allows maximum flexibility for students. While the number of courses needed to graduate remains the same, students are required to take only two courses: a research course (EDUC 5P92) and an exit course (culminating paper, major research paper or thesis). Students can choose the specific courses they wish to take throughout the rest of their program. This program change gives students the freedom to design their program to meet their needs and interests.

    The MEd program also has six optional subject concentrations for students who would like more structure to their program or to study a subject in depth. The program continues to offer a wide range of courses that meet the diverse interests of our students, but in the redesigned program they are arranged in subject-specific clusters:

    • Administration, Leadership and Policy
    • Adult and Postsecondary Education
    • Curriculum Studies
    • Educational Psychology: Teaching, Learning and Wellness
    • Pedagogy
    • Social Justice, Power and Politics in Education

    What does this change mean to students in the ISP?

    • Students in the ISP will not experience any changes to the programming. They will have a choice to enroll in one of two fields of specialization for their full-time studies and they will have access to the additional enrichment opportunities. They will enroll in eight courses specific to their field of specialization and the required research and exit courses. While this pathway is primarily course-based, some students qualify to complete their degree with a research project (MRP option).
    • The ISP program is being discontinued and is no longer accepting applications. The last ISP cohort will run January-December, 2022.

    What does this change mean for students enrolling in the course- or research-based pathway starting in the 2022-2023 academic year?

    • With only two required courses – an introductory research course (EDUC 5P92) and an exit course at the end of their program (EDUC 5Q97 for course-based students, EDUC 5K95 for research-based students completing a thesis, and EDUC 5D91 for research-based students completing a major research project) — students can choose the offered courses that interest them
    • Students in the course-based and research-based MRP pathway could take one concentration, two concentrations or no concentrations – it is completely up to the student. Students in the research-based thesis pathway can only take one optional concentration due to the nature of their program (5 half-credits, and the thesis).

    What does this change mean for course- and research-based pathway students who started their program in an FOS?

    • Current students who will be continuing in the program during the fall 2021 and beyond can participate in the redesigned program or choose to stay in their original field of specialization.

    Updated September 10, 2021. 

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