News and events

  • Distinguished Speaker Series returns

    The Faculty of Education is pleased to welcome Veronica Pacini-Ketchabaw, professor of Early Childhood Education at Western University in Ontario as their first guest in the Faculty’s Distinguished Speaker Series for 2017.

    Pacini-Ketchabaw will draw on her current research within the Common World Childhoods Research Collective, and will speak to the need to unsettle the dominance of EuroWestern knowledges in her presentation: “Common World Childhoods: Children’s Entangled Relations with the More-than-Human”.

    She reimagines what might be possible in early childhood education at a time of ecological crisis. As Donald Trump begins to dismantle the Environmental Protection Agency in the United States, Professor Pacini-Ketchabaw’s talk is particularly timely.

    The talk will take place on Thursday, February 9, in room WH 202 from 12-2 p.m.

    About Pacini-Ketchabaw: Veronica Pacini-Ketchabaw is a Professor of Early Childhood Education in the Faculty of Education at Western University in Ontario, Canada. Her research explores conceptual and methodological framings that open up new modes of thinking and being in the world. Recent publications include Encounters with Materials in Early Childhood Education (Routledge, 2017), and Unsettling the Colonial Places and Spaces of Early Childhood Education (Routledge, 2015).  She is currently working, with her colleague Affrica Taylor, on a book entitled Children and Animals: Common World Ethics for Entangled Lives (Routledge) that experiments with multispecies ethnographies and multi-sensory and affect-focused methods to respond to colonial and ecological legacies.  She is a co-editor of the open access Journal of Childhood Studies and the Bloomsbury book series, Feminist Thought in Childhood Research.

    Categories: News

  • Tech Ed students back in the classroom

    January 2017 marks the beginning, or rather the return, of the Faculty of Education’s Technological Teacher Education Program.

    The program went through a temporary hiatus while curriculum updates were inserted and a targeted group of students were identified.

    “Our goal was to build a successful and sustainable program,” said Steven Khan, program coordinator. “[We want it to] help in the formation of Technological Education Teachers who are able to positively impact on students’ learning and to meet the demand for such teachers in the Province and elsewhere

    In addition to alterations to ensure the program is consistent and current, emphasis has been placed on providing candidates the ability and freedom to participate in the program while limiting the number of in-person classes.

    Students will benefit from more online courses and sessions delivered through Brock’s Learning Management System, Sakai, allowing them to continue their day-to-day careers during the program’s four-month study period, something that has proven to be of critical importance to those working in the trades.

    “We are hopeful that participants will appreciate the thought and effort that has gone into bringing a stellar team of instructors and advisers together with many years and varied experience in Technological Education to guide them through this process of becoming a teacher in today’s classroom,” said Khan. “From our other programs we know that they are going to find it extremely challenging and we hope that, like our other programs, they will all find it a rewarding and enriching growth experience.”

    The increased integration of Technological Teacher Education with other Teacher Education programs will benefit not only the future of Tech Ed, as candidates bring a great amount of knowledge and experience in fields like science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics, but also prospective middle-school teachers who will have a chance to learn from those experiences as well.

    Khan offered his thanks to those who worked on the program before its hiatus saying that, “the new Technological Teacher Education program owes debts of gratitude to Bob Moulton, who served as the previous Program Coordinator, and Dr. Tony DiPetta. Both were responsible for the work in researching, designing and promoting the new program and providing leadership in the previous program as well as during this transition to the revised program”.

    Find out more about the Technological Tecaher Education program.

    Categories: News

  • Teacher candidate career information day

    On Wednesday, January 18 hundreds of students descended upon Brock’s Hamilton campus for an ever-important career information day.

    The event, exclusive to Brock teacher candidates, offered students the opportunity to speak with representatives from a range of Ontario school boards, private schools, First Nations boards, out-of-province, and international schools and have questions about applications, interviews, and other topics relevant to the future teacher job search.

    In addition to the school boards there were representatives from graduate programs, other degrees, and additional qualification courses to offer students additional or alternate next steps to their academic careers.

    For those students looking to have their resumes stand out amongst the throngs of hopeful teachers across the province and worldwide, Brock Career Services was on site to review and advise students’ resumes.

    Categories: News

  • IRC Makerspace event

    Makerspace is a huge buzzword in education, but many teachers do not know what it is or how to get started. As Makerspaces are popping up in classrooms and libraries across the country, the maker movement is giving students and teachers the time and space they need to tinker, learn, imagine, and create.

    On January 14, 2017, the IRC, in collaboration with the Faculty of Education, will be hosting our first Makerspace event. It will be a hands-on learning experience giving attendees an opportunity to explore a variety of high-tech and low-tech centres, promoting creativity, innovation, collaboration and 21st Century learning skills needed for teaching students for future careers that may not yet exist.

    After a fun day of hands-on Maker experience, you’ll leave ready to bring Maker ideas into your classroom. We’ll bring all of the supplies (and lunch); all you need to bring is your creativity and curiosity!

    REGISTRATION:

    A Hands-on Learning Experience
    Saturday, January 14, 2017
    8:15 am – 3:30 pm
    $15 (includes lunch)

    Please email swelbourn@brocku.ca to register

    $15 cash registration fee to be paid in person at the IRC in St. Catharines or Hamilton Campus prior to the event to confirm your spot.

    Categories: News