News and events

• Brock Learning Lab shares resources for online learning

  Tuesday, April 14, 2020 | By Tarryn Landman

  

  In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, parents of Ontario’s K-12 students have found themselves trying to teach math, reading and other subjects at home.

  With the latest news from the province, students will be learning at home until at least May 4 through a new teacher-led program.

  Finding appropriate resources and advice can be a challenge for parents trying to support learning at home.

  To help the parents of students they tutor each week, the team at the Brock Learning Lab (BLL), which is part of the University’s Faculty of Education, have posted resources on its Facebook page when schools first closed in March. This informal outreach with a small group of local families has now become a toolkit of online resources available to families across the province.Read more

  Tags: Brock Learning Lab, COVID-19
  

• Education Associate Professor nominated for local arts award

  Tuesday, March 10, 2020 | By Tarryn Landman

  

  Kari-Lynn Winters, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education, is being recognized for her commitment to engaging the St. Catharines community through arts education activities.

  Winters was nominated for the Arts in Education Award by a group of Brock University students and her colleague Shelley Griffin, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education.

  “I just feel honoured to be nominated,” said Winters. “It’s touching when your students think so highly of you that they’re willing to take the time to write the letters.”

  For Winters, her work at Brock and in the community brings together her passion for education and her love of the arts.

  “I think the arts are what make us human,” she said. “It’s our way to connect with each other.”

  Winters teaches drama, language arts and dance in Brock’s Teacher Education programs and supervises graduate students in the Faculty of Education. As a graduate supervisor and researcher, she works with students and other faculty members to conduct research studies throughout St. Catharines.

  In her classes at Brock, Winters helps teacher candidates learn the elements of an artform, such as dance or drama, and strategies for using these elements to teach other subjects. Teacher candidates might use movement and storytelling to design a math lesson, for example.

  “I just try to create an artful space where students can explore with one another and actually learn together,” said Winters. “By the time they leave, they feel like they’re part of a bigger community. I think they’re just open to exploring new ways to teach.”

  These new ways of teaching will help teacher candidates incorporate different ways of learning into their future classrooms. As well as new teaching strategies, Winters’ classes offer teacher candidates a safe space to take risks and make mistakes, helping them to be more fearless educators.

  Outside of Brock, Winters works with local arts groups, children, parents, librarians and teachers as an artist and children’s book author.

  In collaboration with the Carousel Players, Winters created the early years curriculum for the award-winning professional theatre in Niagara. As a workshop facilitator and educator, she inspires members of the community, including marginalized teens and adults, to create plays. Each year, Winters visits schools across Niagara and around the world to share her enthusiasm for creative writing and literacy education with thousands of K-12 students.

  The St. Catharines Arts Awards ceremony, set to take place May 1 at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, celebrates excellence in all areas of artistic creation in Niagara’s most populous city.

  Two Brock graduates, Katherine Gottli (BA ’10, MEd ’13) and Colleen McTigue (ADEC ’15), have also been nominated for the Emerging Artist Award category, which celebrates the achievements and potential of an emerging artist in St. Catharines working to establish a career and become a recognized professional artist in their field.

  Tags: Kari-Lynn Winters
  Categories: News

• On-the-spot admissions opportunities

  Wednesday, February 19, 2020 | By Tarryn Landman

  Update: Please note that the March 24 table at Niagara College (Welland) has been cancelled. 

  Ready to Apply? Staff will be on hand provide on-the-spot admissions to the Bachelor of Early Childhood Education and the Adult Education programs. Students who apply in person 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 or credit accepted) and a piece of photo ID. Have a question? Contact futurestudent@brocku.ca. Learn more about the program or apply at:

  • On-the-spot admissions/information table at Mohawk College on Friday, Feb. 28, 2020, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • CANCELLED: On-the-spot admissions/information table at Niagara College (Welland) on Tuesday, March 24, 2020, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• From the Dean’s Desk: Hamilton Campus update

  Tuesday, February 11, 2020 | By Michael Owen

  As you are aware, the Board of Trustees has decided to sell the current Hamilton Campus. There are many reasons for this decision, including the desire to expand our undergraduate and graduate programming in the Hamilton-Burlington-Oakville (HBO) corridor.

  The University is exploring a variety of options for our continued presence in the HBO corridor.

  The senior administration has committed to remain at the current Hamilton Campus until the spring of 2021. The Faculty of Education (FOE) will continue to offer its professional Teacher Education programs at the current Hamilton Campus in the 2020-21 academic year and in the HBO corridor for many years to come.

  As part of our commitment to engaging students, faculty and staff in the process, I invite you to share any questions or concerns with us through the contact form available on the Hamilton Campus page of the FOE website.

  As I receive information about the next steps in the planning process, I will post this information on the FOE website and social media accounts. Updates will also be sent to your Brock email address.

  We remain committed to providing you Ontario’s very best professional education and preparation to be a successful teacher in Ontario and contribute to Ontario’s exceptional school-based learning environments.

  Tags: Hamilton Campus
  Categories: News

• New edition of Brock Education Journal available

  Tuesday, February 04, 2020 | By Tarryn Landman

  The latest edition of “Brock Education: A Journal of Educational Research and Practice” brings together several timely essays that engage pressing educational topics, making it a must read for researchers, practitioners and students across the disciplines in which the varied works are grounded.Read more

  Categories: News

• Event: Writing Productivity Workshop

  Friday, January 24, 2020 | By Tarryn Landman

  

  Do unfinished manuscripts languish in your drawers and hard drives? Do you often feel it takes much longer to finish a writing project than it should have? Do more urgent tasks take you away from writing projects? Do you often have high hopes for your writing projects but not meet your own goals?

  Please join the Faculty of Education for its inaugural writing and research productivity workshop run by Dr. Trevor Norris to learn writing strategies can you use to increase your weekly writing productivity. The Workshop takes place on Feb. 12 and 13 in Welch Hall 128A. The Workshop is open to all Brock faculty ($300/participant), Brock students and staff ($200/participant), and general public ($450/participant). To register, email Snezana Ratkovic at snezana.ratkovic@brocku.ca.

  Workshop aims

  • Develop skills and strategies to thrive and flourish
  • Increase your writing effectiveness and productivity on a daily, weekly and semester basis
  • Develop more efficient writing structures, strategies and habits
  • Help manage projects by setting goals, making a plan and breaking tasks into smaller parts
  • Clarify your sense of professional and scholarly identity

  Schedule

  Wednesday, Feb. 12 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. 

  1. Introduction and overview
  2. Components of writing effectiveness and productivity

  Thursday, Feb. 13 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. 

  1. How to make a plan for the semester
  2. How to make a plan for the week

  Thursday, Feb. 13 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. 

  1. Writing productivity strategies
  2. Thinking ahead: Coaching and accountability

  Tags: Writing Studio
  Categories: Events

• Ontario College of Teachers feedback invitation

  Monday, January 13, 2020 | By Tarryn Landman

  The Ontario College of Teachers is reviewing the accreditation of the following pre-service teacher education program offered at Oshki-Pimache-O-Win: The Wenjack Education Institute in partnership with Brock University:

  • Concurrent program of professional education that combines studies in Aboriginal Education with an area of study in the Primary/Junior divisions, leading to a Bachelor of Education degree (Aboriginal)

  Students in the program, members of faculty, associate teachers, alumni or an interested community members are welcome to share their thoughts on, concerns about or praise for the program.

  To help ensure that Ontario’s teacher education programs continue to reflect the standards of the profession, please offer your insights. Feedback can be shared until Feb. 14, 2020 through two channels:

  • Emailing accreditation@oct.ca
  • Completing this feedback form

  View the poster here.

  Tags: Tecumseh Centre
  Categories: News

• Upcoming information sessions

  Tuesday, January 07, 2020 | By Tarryn Landman

  Bachelor of Early Childhood Education

  Interested in applying your ECE Diploma toward a BECE (Honours) degree? Learn more about the BECE program from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 9 at the Hamilton Campus. Learn details about the program and gain insight into the application process and timelines. The event will include a formal presentation followed by Q&A session. Please note: this program is only available at the St. Catharines campus. Information sessions are held in Hamilton for your convenience.

  Ready to Apply? Staff will be on hand provide on-the-spot admissions to the BECE program.  Full time applications are $100. Part time applications are $55. To apply, you must have picture ID and a current transcript to date. We accept Visa, MasterCard or cash payments only. Your formal offer will be extended on the next business day.

  Register now for the information session.

  Technological Teacher Education

  Interested in becoming a Technological Education teacher? Learn more about the Technological Teacher Education program by attending an information presentation and Q&A session from 10:30 a.m. to noon on Sunday, Feb. 9 at the Hamilton Campus. During this event, you’ll be able to speak with instructors and staff and gain insight into the application process and timelines. You’ll also learn details about the program, the courses, the practicums and timelines.

  Register now for the information session.

  Tags: Bachelor of Early Childhood Education, BECE, Information Session, Technological Teacher Education
  Categories: News

• FOE Celebration of Scholarship

  Friday, December 27, 2019 | By Tarryn Landman

  

  With 2019 drawing to a close, faculty and staff gathered to celebrate the contributions of Faculty of Education (FOE) researchers to the field of Education, communities, educators and learners of all ages.

  The 2019 Celebration of Scholarship, Creativity and Innovation, which took place on Nov. 27 in the Welch Hall Atrium, recognized the work of FOE researchers, including:

  • 76 Journal Articles
  • 53 Book Chapters
  • 21 Books
  • 10 Videos/Films
  • 10 Interviews, Task Force Contributions, Online/Media Acknowledgements
  • 6 Performances
  • 5 Special Issues
  • 4 Conferences/Symposia
  • 3 Posters
  • 2 Research Reports
  • 2 Open Educational Resources
  • 1 Academic Writing Retreat
  • 1 Encyclopedia Entry
  • 1 Fiction/Short Story
  • 1 Policy Brief

  The event was organized by Snezana Ratkovic, Research Officer in the Faculty of Education.

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  Tags: Faculty, Research, Staff
  

• Brock students bring holiday magic to local school

  Tuesday, December 24, 2019 | By Tarryn Landman

  

  A local elementary school was filled with holiday cheer thanks to some help from Brock University students and the Concurrent Education Student Association (CESA).

  The annual Holiday Extravaganza, organized by CESA, has become a festive tradition at Prince of Wales Public School in Thorold. The event paired 175 kindergarten to Grade 8 students from the school with a volunteer Brock Buddy for a day of crafts, games and relaxation.

  The fun-filled day was packed with stations that ranged from slime and ornament making  to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) activities. Each activity was tied to this year’s theme, How the Grinch Stole Holiday Extravaganza.

  Most of these volunteers are from Brock’s Concurrent Education programs, but students from across campus signed up to bring some joy to a local child.

  “Participating in an event like Holiday Extravaganza is a very rewarding experience where we are able to give back to the Thorold community,” said Josh Lupo, a third-year Concurrent Teacher Education student and member of the CESA planning team for the event. “This is my second year helping plan this event and something I want to continue to do. It brings so much joy to me and the students at Prince of Wales.”

  In total, about 230 Brock students volunteered to bring the event to life. Behind the scenes, 51 CESA members were on site to ensure the day went smoothly.

  The planning team for the event, comprised of Concurrent Teacher Education students, included first-year Hailey Plant, third-year Taylor Bogart, fourth-year Kaley Hughes and Lupo.

  Brock students were joined by special guests Boomer the Badger, the Thorold Fire and Emergency Services, and the Educational Research and Innovation Hub (ihub).

  The day was also made possible through the sponsorship and donations of local businesses and organizations’ time and financial aid. Students received packages of a toothbrush, toothpaste, books, toys, coupons and other small items. This year’s sponsors and donors included:

  • Shoppers Drug Mart
  • Brock University Campus Store
  • Brock Student Wellness and Accessibility Services
  • Zehrs
  • Boston Pizza on Ontario Street, St. Catharines
  • Starbucks Martindale Road, St. Catharines
  • Tim Hortons on James Street, St. Catharines
  • Bethesda
  • Millcroft Dental
  • Book Depot
  • Niagara Helicopters
  • Brand Blvd

  The day ended with each child receiving a gift from Santa, with gifts were supplied by their Brock Buddies based on the children’s interests.

  While the Holiday Extravaganza is the culmination of months of planning and work, the effort is worthwhile for everyone involved.

  “This community gives so much to local pre-service teachers,” said Hughes. “Having this opportunity to give back is the least we can do for such a wonderful school and group of students. Being there on the day of the event and seeing all the students laughing, opening presents and making new friends is priceless and makes every second of work so worth it.”

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  Tags: Concurrent Education, Concurrent Education Student Association, Holiday Extravaganza