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Faculty of Education News Bulletin

Tuesday, November 28, 2023



Top Stories

York celebrates Canadian changemaker Jean Augustine, full funding of endowed Chair in her name - The $1.5 million federal contribution represents a major milestone for the endowed Chair – now fully funded with more than $3 million, thanks in large part to many years of dedicated grassroots fundraising efforts led by Augustine, supported by her devoted network, and backed by matching funds provided by the University. Read more

Global report shows most deaf people with cochlear implants satisfied, but more follow-up supports needed - A global survey put out by York University’s Faculty of Education and the Cochlear Implant International Community of Action (CIICA), a user advocacy organization, shows that most deaf and deafened adults who have cochlear implants are satisfied with them, but significantly more follow-up and lifelong supports are needed. Read more

Students Develop Leadership Skills Through Black Internship Program with York University’s Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community & Diaspora - In partnership with York University, the Black Internship Program gave high school students an opportunity to learn more about different career paths and opportunities while gaining practical skills. "It's an opportunity for Black students to explore themselves, future selves and think about the decisions that will get them to where they want to be," said Anika Forde, Research Project Manager, Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community and Diaspora at York University. Read more

Assistant professor Gabrielle Moser presented on material from a forthcoming book on race, photography and citizenship in Canada around 1947 at the international symposium “Envisaging Citizenship” at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia on Monday, November 27, 2023

Professor Emeritus Warren Crichlow participated in the Photography Network’s third annual symposium held virtually (October 12-14) and hosted jointly with the University of the Western Cape (UWC) in South Africa - In honor of the UWC’s New Archival Visions Programme—an initiative to activate the university’s archival holdings through research, fellowships, and curatorial projects—this symposium considered the subject of frameworks in the study of photography. Crichlow co-organized the featured round-table discussion with professor, archivist, and photographer Bauduin Bikoko based in Kinshasha, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The project they are pursuing will in part focus on Professor Bikoko's work at the intersection of the archive and pedagogy at The Académie des Beaux-Arts, Kinshasa and his studio/archive, Maison de la Photographie en Devenir

BA Educational Studies students create Student Guide for Instructors teaching online – Students is Associate Professor Celia Popovic’s EDST3510 course have created a resource guide for instructors who teach online. Those who teach online might find it helpful to hear from students about what works to keep them engaged. View guide

Governor General’s Literary Prize awarded to alumnus Kyo Maclear - Alumnus Kyo Maclear (PhD '18) has been awarded the 2023 Governor General's Literary Prize for non-fiction. Maclear, won the coveted award for Unearthing: A Story of Tangled Love and Family Secrets, a memoir about a family secret revealed by a DNA test, the lessons learned in its aftermath and the power of love. Read more

The Fall 2023 issue of the Faculty of Education Alumni Newsletter is available to view on our web site. View here

Assistant professor Natalia Balyasnikova’s EDST 4010 class recently hosted guest speaker Alexandra Alissa Novitchkova, one of the initiators and coordinators of the EuroMaidan SOS initiative. This initiative provided legal assistance and general support to protesters and victims of human rights abuses the during the 2013 Revolution of Dignity in Ukraine. Novitchkova also collaborated with the Centre for Civil Liberties, a Ukrainian organization dedicated to promoting democracy and civil society. The organization won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022

Students in course director Emily Burgis’ Integration Through Arts course explore the stages of creative process – The P/J students experienced different stages of the process as learners so they can better understand how to facilitate and assess the process. They were guided to respond to a variety of creative prompts in culturally relevant & responsive ways­­– and considered how the creative process can support students to integrate their home culture with school and how they, as the educators, can decentre the Euro-American cannon within the Arts. They collected, documented, and reflected on evidence of their own learning and reflected on connections between different subjects to examine how integration helps students deepen their thinking and learning

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Program Office Updates

Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Graduate Program Office

To help direct students to appropriate supervisors, committee members and course directors, the grad program has developed 9 areas of research and teaching specialization that faculty members active in the grad program are affiliated with. Learn more

Professional Learning Teacher
Professional Learning Office

AQ Instructional Leader profile: Bruno Pileggi – Bruno Pileggi has been a York AQ course instructor for the past 10+ years and is currently teaching the Special Education, Intermediate Drama and Reading AQ courses. Read more

Winter 2024 AQ Session – Registration is now open for the Office of Professional Learning’s Winter AQ session which runs January 16 – March 28, 2024. The deadline to register for courses is January 9, 2024 (select courses will remain open until course start date). Learn more

Research Office

Assistant Professor Natalia Balyasnikova has received a competitive ACU Early Career Conference Grant to attend 53rd Annual Conference of the British Society of Gerontology, 3 - 5 July 2024: New Directions in Ageing and the Life Course in Newcastle University, UK

Selected funding and award opportunities

A Message from the Office of the Associate Dean Research (OADR)
We are pleased to have supported many grant applications this Fall and are looking forward to continuing to support you and your research programs with grant applications and award nominations. So, please let us know how we can best support your research. The OADR can help you identify suitable funding or award opportunities; provide guidance in developing, reviewing, and offering feedback on your award nominations and grant proposals, including budgets, preparing letters of support, and advising on the support the faculty and the institution can provide such as in-kind contributions. We are also available to assist with some administrative tasks as you navigate and build partnerships. To ensure we provide the most effective support, please notify us of your intention to apply for a grant or an award as soon as possible, ideally at least three weeks before the agency deadline for the grant or award application. Your proactive communication is essential for us to offer timely and effective support, and we look forward to collaborating with you to enhance the success of your research initiatives

Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Office

The DHH Program held an Information Night on Monday November 6, 2023, for certified teachers interested in learning more about the application process for the DHH Program.  34 participants attended the webinar to learn about the program and to have their questions addressed. Applications will be available on the DHH program in mid-December and are due March 21, 2024. For more information, please visit https://www.yorku.ca/edu/students/deaf-and-hard-of-hearing/

Over the past few weeks, students in the DHH participated in Field Experiences at the E. C. Drury Campus of the Provincial and Demonstration Schools. This component of the program helps to inform students’ understanding of what it's like to work with deaf and hard of hearing students in a Bilingual Bicultural setting

A total of 16 full-time and part-time students began their Practicum Placements on November 16th with 9 school boards across the country. The students are attending placements from pre-school through secondary across a range of communication modalities

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New Publications

Assistant Professor Stephanie Fearon has a chapter (chapter 2) titled “Grieving during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Burial Rituals Among African Caribbean Mothers Living in Canada” in the book African, Caribbean and Black People’s Resilience During COVID-19 

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In the Media

The little university that could(n’t): UPEI’s nightmare behind closed doors
Professor and Canada Research Chair in Young Lives, Education and Global Good Kate Tilleczek was quoted in Global News Nov. 13.

Legal challenge of Yukon SCAN Act underway in Whitehorse
Professor and York Research Chair in Homelessness and Research Impact Stephen Gaetz was mentioned in Yukon News Nov. 10.

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In Case you Missed it...

Associate Professor Qiang Zha gave a presentation titled “Global Competence Education in the University: A Transformative Approach Framed by the Sustainable Development Goals,” at the 2023 Tsinghua Higher Education Forum: Higher Education for Sustainable Development: Global Perspectives and Practices

Qiang Zha

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News from the York Community

York community members invited to share feedback on draft Well-being Strategy - Following consultation beginning in late 2022 with students, staff, faculty and instructors to determine well-being priorities, York’s draft Well-being Strategy is now available for community members to review and provide their feedback. Your input is needed to ensure that the final strategy reflects the current needs of our community. Learn more

Tips to prevent winter slips, trips and falls – Slips, trips and falls are one of the most common types of workplace injuries. As temperatures drop and the winter season approaches, the number of incidents due to slips, trips and falls tends to increase. York’s Tips to Avoid Winter Slips, Trips and Falls posters (scroll to the bottom of the safety tips) are available on the Community Safety site and provide helpful hints and is available for download.

Email Signatures: Branding your email signature - For consistency and to support York University’s master brand strategy, the York Faculty of Education logo must appear on all emails coming from York University. Click here for instructions on how to update/brand your email signature

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