News and events

  • Event: Geographies of Spectacle and Education

    Teachers at Play in the Liquid Now

    A Lunchtime talk and dialogue with Dr. Kelvin Sealey

    Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2019
    12:30 to 2 p.m.
    WH 209

    The present is liquid, or so Zygmunt Bauman, noted sociologist, would have us believe. As an educator, my interest in the “liquidity” or mutability of the modern moment intersects with an intimate concern for what Guy Debord has called the Society of the Spectacle, a place ruled not by the day-to-day need to survive, but by the interests of media and communications conglomerates interested solely – and perhaps soullessly – in accumulating profits. Not a day goes by in the contemporary west that some spectacle or another doesn’t draw our collective attention, or that actors, good and bad alike, don’t find a way to bend our realities into spectacular formations. What can educators do? In partial answer to this question, I will lend insight into my research on education and spectacle, giving authority to an argument which posits that educators are well placed to contextualize the modern spectacle, particularly in their mediacentric formations, for the benefit of classroom teaching. Drawing upon examples from a long and varied teaching practice, it will be further argued that cinematic, journalistic and photographic incarnations of the spectacle are delightfully protean in ways that can advance wide-ranging pedagogical initiatives, affording educators the opportunity for playfulness, criticality and innovation.

    About Kelvin S. Sealey, Ed.D

    Beginning in June 2019, Dr. Kelvin Sealey, became the second Head of School of the Dragon Academy in Toronto. For over twenty-seven years, Dr. Sealey has been an independent school educator, adjunct instructor in undergraduate and graduate education programs, and educational consultant. As a scholar of cultural studies, and reflective of his doctorate in Interdisciplinary Studies in Education, Dr. Sealey’s research and lectures have embraced the sub-fields of Architecture and Education, Spectacle and Education, Entrepreneurship and Education, and Film and Education. As an instructor at Teachers College, Columbia University, he co-founded two academic research labs: The Film and Education Research Academy (FERA), and the Design Lab for Learning Organizations at Columbia’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. Across his professional career, Dr. Sealey has blended academic practice with entrepreneurial pursuits, leading small technology ventures in wireless gaming and wireless finance in the payment card industry as social ventures. His edited texts Film, Politics and Education (Peter Lang 2008), Restoring Hope (Beacon Press 1997) and A Reader in Social Enterprise (Pearson 2000) remain strong contributors in their respective fields of study.

     

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  • Brock Education journal welcomes new editor-in-chief

    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

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  • Meet our graduates: Jaime Barratt

    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

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  • Spirit of Brock winner finds purpose in volunteering

    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

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  • CUPE Job Action Updates for Teacher Candidates

    The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) confirmed that job action will begin across the province on Monday, September 30 and they will be on strike on October 7, 2019. CUPE members include custodians, maintenance staff, office administrators, clerical staff, early childhood educators (ECE), educational assistants (EA), and information technology technicians.

    At this time, each School Board is reviewing the job action directive from CUPE provincial to its members to determine the impact these will have on schools, to learning and working, and to safety in schools for students, staff and teachers.

    Boards are committed to providing our school communities with additional details on the job action as soon as they can. Please monitor the web site of your school district for its decision on whether schools remain open during the CUPE job action.

    Undergraduate Concurrent Education students involved in school‐based experiential learning placements and Teacher Candidates who begin structured experiences on Wednesday October 9, 2019 and practicum as early as the week of October 21, you need to be aware of the following specific issues:

    1. If a school district closes its schools, you are not to report to the school.
    2. If schools remain open, teaching staff are expected to be in attendance. Teachers’ contracts oblige them to report to work during job action by other bargaining units, unless they are absolutely unable to do so, in which case they need to report this to their administrator.
    3. Teacher Candidates are expected to attend schools if they remain open. If you are absolutely unable to attend, please report this to your Associate Teacher and to the Brock FOE Placement Office.
    4. If you are at a school during the CUPE job action, please be respectful of the rights of CUPE members and the normal practices for crossing any lines.
    5. As a teacher candidate, you need to be clear in your role within the school and you should not be performing a role that would otherwise be the direct responsibility of a CUPE worker.

    If you need clarification about the specific roles performed by the ECE or EA in your school/classroom, ask for guidance from your Associate Teacher or Practicum Advisor.

    The Faculty of Education Placement Office will endeavor to keep you informed of the status of specific school districts through periodic emails and our website updates.

  • Teacher Education Information Sessions

    Brock Teacher Education – BEd – Information Sessions

    Learn more about Brock’s Consecutive Teacher Education Program (BEd), including:

    • Program overview
    • Admissions requirements
    • Admission timeline

    Register online today or just join us on:

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  • New book compares socioeconomic inequality and student outcomes

    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

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  • Education grad celebrated for leadership in Ontario schools

    For 24 years Manny Figueiredo (MEd ’01) has made significant contributions to publicly-funded education in Ontario.

    The Faculty of Education graduate was celebrated for his leadership and achievements during Brock’s Homecoming festivities. Figueiredo received the Faculty of Education Distinguished Graduate Award at the Alumni Recognition Reception on Sept. 21.Read more

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  • Arts Matter conference sparks creativity at Brock’s Hamilton campus

    From green screen masterpieces to boomwhacker symphonies, Brock’s Hamilton campus was buzzing with creativity Wednesday, Sept. 18 during the annual Arts Matter: Integrating the Arts Across the Curriculum conference.

    Now in its ninth year, Arts Matter brought together 100 of Brock’s teacher candidates from the Concurrent Teacher Education and Consecutive Teacher Education programs to participate in hands-on dramatic arts, music, dance and visual arts workshops facilitated by educators who are experts in teaching the arts.Read more

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  • Education students help local kids master reading and math

    Amid the excitement of class photos, extracurriculars and new supplies, the back to school season can be daunting and stressful for students who find reading and math challenging. Student volunteers and interns from the Brock Learning Lab are helping local students from Grades K-12 by offering literacy and numeracy tutoring.Read more

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