Acadia School of Education Newsletter - May, 2023

May 2023

Updates from the Spring Faculty Council Meeting

PAGE 2

Update from the MEd in Counselling Program

PAGE 3

MC Graduate

Ken Lotherington

PAGE 4

Counselling Faculty

Erika Kirk

Faculty of Professional Studies Outstanding

Masters Research Award:

Kate Cole

PAGE 5

PhD Student: Ueli Albert

PAGE 6

Faculty Profile Cindy Dickie

BEd Student: Christa Bates

PAGE 7

BEd Graduate: Henk Ueffing Education Week 2023

Annie Kennedy

PAGE 8

Mitchell Fund Internship

PHE Canada Student Award

Madison Steele

PAGE 9

Annual Job Search 2023

PAGE 10

Practicum Placements 2023

Associate Teacher

Craig Barbour

PAGE 11

Engaging in Culturally Responsive Literacy Practices

Henry Birks Award 2023

Alisha Longmire PAGE 12

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

Update from the Director Janet Dyment

Hello! It is certainly wonderful to enjoy these longer days of light, a sure sign that spring is nearly upon us I hope this newsletter finds you all well – and taking care of yourself and those important to you

I’m proud to provide leadership to the School of Education at Acadia. That is because of the extraordinary teaching, research, and service happening in our School. I hope you enjoy this spring 2023 edition of our newsletter, which features some of the people that make up our School community, including our current and formers students in our BEd, MEd and PhD Programs. It’s true – our graduates go on to do incredible things! You will also meet some of our distinguished and diverse faculty (both full and part time). You will hear updates about our programs, learn about our community partnerships, and learn about exciting research happening in our School You will also learn about some of the recent awards that have been granted to our current and former students and faculty! These awards are testament to the great work of the School

The School is in a period of change in terms of our human resources We celebrate the retirements of Dr Michael Corbett and Dr Allison Petrie We also look forward to celebrating the wonderful life and career of Linda Wheeldon on June 10 at a university-organized event We are in the middle of three tenure track searches (Elementary Language Arts, Counsellor Education, Indigenous Education) and are delighted to have two 12-month CLT’s returning for the 2023-2024 academic year (Dr Birdie Bezanson, Dr Marie Edwards)

Some key things on my radar include the School’s hosting of the Inter-University Research Conference at the end of May (>100 delegates from across the province will be attending) We are excited to be launching the inaugural cohort of the MEd Curriculum, with a focus on Outdoor Learning Across the Classroom We are also welcoming our second cohort into our M Ed Inclusion, Social Justice and Equity

Finally, we have secured Willett as a site to house our new Counselling Community Centre and Counselling Faculty Offices This is a very exciting moment for our School as we move towards realizing our goal of offering counselling services to the surrounding community at on and off-campus locations Willet is well set up as the pilot sight of this project, with a waiting room and five offices on the first floor which can fully house the counselling centre, and four offices on the second floor to colocate the counsellor educators for on-site support and supervision. I would like to thank the Counsellor Educators for all their behind-the-scenes research, site visits, advocacy, and visioning that has helped us arrive here today! This centre is not only a big win for our School of Education, acting as a developmental and research sight for our graduate students, but will offer much needed and accessible mental health care to our surrounding communities

I hope that this newsletter has piqued your interest in the activities of the School of Education I encourage you to discover more by visiting our website and following us in Instagram and Twitter Meet our distinguished and diverse scholars Learn about our research projects, partnerships, our success in securing research funding, and the many honours and awards

Updates from the Spring Faculty of Professional School Council Meeting

It was a sad but important moment to award the Community Engagement Service Award, posthumously, to Linda Wheeldon.

Linda was a longstanding member of our School, contributing to our Teacher Education and M.Ed. Counselling programs. It was so tremendous that Linda’s partner (David), daughter-in-law (Jen) and grandchild (Ellis) could receive the award from the nominees, Allison Petrie and Wendy Elliott. Linda’s legacy to her community engagements is enduring – as evidenced by the Women of Wolfville 2023 show that happened, “This One’s For Linda!” at the Al Whittle Theatre.

Congratulations to Dr. Ayman Aljarrah, who received the Research Excellence Award, which recognizes his contributions to the field of mathematical creativity. Thanks to Mike Corbett who awarded this to Ayman!

Finally, it is bittersweet to recognize the retirements of longstanding faculty members, Allison Petrie and Mike Corbett! Huge thanks to Gregg Mackinnon and Lynn Aylward who spoke about Allison and Mike’s careers (respectively). We wish Allison and Mike all the best in their retirements – and look forward to more formal celebrations and recognitions of their careers in the next few months!

Update from the MEd in Counselling Program

Tanya Surette

The MEd in Counselling program kicked off the winter term with a visit to North Carolina with Kelly, Tanya, and Erica McGill, Director of Health, Counselling & Accessibility. The research trip helped to inform the vision of the internal community counselling centre being developed in the MEd in Counselling program, in partnership with Acadia’s Counselling Centre.

We quickly moved into admissions, receiving a record number of 198 applications for the competitive graduate program, and we faced the very difficult task of shortlisting, interviewing, and narrowing our selection down to two cohorts of 20 students each. With the help of colleagues within the School of Education, and part-time faculty in the M.Ed. in Counselling program, these tough decisions have been made and invitations to join our 2023 cohorts have been sent out to forty preservice counsellors.

This semester, Dr. Birdie Bezanson and her Clinical Mental Health cohort, were gifted with a visit from Stephanie Langille-Strang, Dr. Ken Langille, and Dr. Robert Strang, who shared their family’s story of caring for a child with complex needs. Students in this class expressed gratitude for the presenters’ open and honest sharing of their experiences.

Our faculty joined in the Kwanzaa Celebration in March, hosted by the African Canadian Education Services and the Annapolis Valley Regional Centre for Education. Everyone participated in an exceptional evening of celebrating African students, communities, and culture. We took part and enjoyed incredible poetry, messages of strength, music, and company.

As we enter our spring semester, we enthusiastically see another 20 graduate students complete their practicums and, in the coming months, to witness another 40 counsellors graduate and join the counselling profession!

This Winter and Spring, we hosted the Intermediate Supervision Seminars for our counsellor colleagues, who are ready to add supervision to their professional competencies. We are currently busy planning for the Spring and Summer intercessions, where we will welcome several new part-time faculty to teach with us. In July we will welcome our whole program back to campus to study together in the beautiful Mtaban territory of Mi’kma’ki!

Masters of Counselling Graduate: Ken Lotherington

Ken was born and raised in Sydney River, Cape Breton where his family owned a flower shop. He moved to Halifax to attend Dalhousie University and met his wife Janna who also happens to hail from Cape Breton. He works fulltime for Canadian Blood Services as a Senior program manager in organ and tissue donation and transplantation system improvement.

He chose Acadia’s Master of Counselling program for several reasons: he had fond memories of the campus, having visited his sister there in the 1990s, his wife had also attended Acadia as an undergraduate student and later for a Masters in Inclusive Education, and additionally, because the program offered a sustainable part-time option.

“I honestly don’t think you can complete a counselling therapy program without having significantly changed your life for the better,” says Ken. “I went in thinking I would learn skills and competencies to practice counselling but fortunately, in addition, I’ve learned to be a better human being, I love myself more, I’m a better husband and co-worker and I hope to serve my community in a deeper way.”

During his last three years at Acadia, Ken served as a student advisor for his cohort, as Acadia’s student representative for the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association and as a student executive on the NS Chapter of the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA).

Hospice Halifax graciously took Ken on as a student in his practicum placement. “I’m forever grateful for the life-changing experience,” he says. Completing the MEd in counselling will allow Ken to register with our Counselling therapy college, NSCCT, where he hopes to provide part-time grief counselling therapy.

His thesis topic is related to another research program has supported called the SHARE study, investigating the experiences and perspectives of family surrogates of ICU patients who underwent organ donation decisions. “My dream would be to help build programs in two unserved areas in the organ donation system, first peer support for bereaved families and second, peer support for healthcare workers who support those folks at end of life.”

Ken appreciates the profound work he is able to be a part of, “I was fortunate to be a part of. I was fortunate be inspired by someone I would consider a mentor in my life. Her name was Dr. Shelly Sarwal, she was a physician in Nova Scotia. I came to know her as a patient partner in helping our organ donation community develop clinical guidelines for organ donation following medical assistance in dying (MAiD). The impetus to develop the guidelines was driven by many patient requests, like Shelly. She was diagnosed with Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), an incurable disease, and she wanted to donate her organs but at the time these guidelines did not exist. In true Shelly fashion, she pushed the NS community to create them for her to be able to donate. She was the first person in Nova Scotia to undergo this complicated medical journey, she dedicated the short time she had left on this earth to educate health professionals and the public about being in control of your death and creating a meaningful legacy through organ donation. Shelly permitted us to capture her journey and we, along with Director Rosvita Dransfield, the Nova Scotia Health Authority and her husband created a film that is available on CBC Gem called, “Her Last Project.”

Outside of his work and studies, Ken and Janna have built a small fur family of Bengal cats and enjoy spending their time with them. Their projects have included a catio and a cat wheel for indoor training. Ken and Janna also enjoy travelling, camping, paddle boarding, hiking and boating with his in-laws back in Creignish.

Part-Time Counselling Faculty Profile: Erika Kirk

Originally from Liverpool, Nova Scotia, Erika completed concurrent undergraduate degrees in Arts and Education at York University, and her MEd in Counselling at Acadia. She is now part-time faculty with the School of Education in the MEd Counselling Program and serves as the Part-Time Faculty/PhD student representative on the School of Education Council. She also currently teaches EDUC 5583: Counselling Strategies and Interventions, EDUC 50F3: Counselling Pre-Practicum, EDUC 5553: Spirituality and Counselling, EDUC 5003: Human Development and EDUC 5353: Crisis and Trauma Counselling.

Erika has been an educator in the public school system for the past 20 years."The focus of my career and education to this point has been on building strong positive relationships to effect positive growth and resilience in students, colleagues and community. I believe strongly that trusting relationships are the vehicle to which all growth takes place, and without these relationships, it is difficult to be open and vulnerable enough to truly engage in learning."

"I have had several mentors over the span of my career that helped solidify this foundation of learning for me," says Erika. "I attribute my relationships with educators

Greg Millman, Linda Wheeldon and Michael Belgrave to helping me understand the importance of unconditional positive regard, empathy, and kindness as the cornerstones of my educational philosophy."

Erika started her journey as a PhD student in Inter-University Doctoral Program in July 2022. Her research areas include the integration of Trauma-Informed Practices in social enterprise, as well as understanding systemic barriers to teacher wellness in public education in Nova Scotia.

"Being a student and faculty member at Acadia has been a good fit for me because it is a university that honours relationships and provides students opportunities to connect with faculty in meaningful ways. Acadia’s goals of equity, responsiveness and diversity resonate with my personal and professional goals as a Counsellor Educator; this alignment is very important to me. Having had the big university experience, I appreciate the sense of community and collegiality at Acadia. Through my PhD process, I have been very fortunate to connect with the other students in my program to engage in a deeper discussion about what is important in Education moving forward. My colleagues in the School of Education and the MEd Counselling Program are excellent mentors, and I am grateful for their ongoing support and vision for the future of our School. It is in part because of their professionalism, resourcefulness, and kindness that I have had such a positive experience at Acadia."

Erika is an avid gardener and lives on a small hobby farm. Outside of her research, Erika can be found tending to chickens, turkeys, ducks and her two greyhounds. "My future plans are to complete my PhD in Educational Studies and continue learning and growing as a faculty member with the MEd Counselling Program. Eventually, I would like to become a tenure track faculty member with the School of Education, as I feel I have more to contribute to the Acadia community. "

Faculty of Professional Studies Outstanding Masters Research Award:

Kate Cole

The School warmly congratulates Kate Cole for receiving the Faculty of Professional School’s Outstanding Masters Research Award for their thesis, “Experiences of Queer Educators in Nova Scotia: A Queer's Query.” Kate is currently a middle school teacher and will graduate from the MEd Counselling Program in May.

PhD Student Profile: Ueli Albert

Originally from Switzerland and having moved to Canada in 2004, Ueli Albert has a wealth of personal and professional experience behind him. Now in the first year of his PhD studies, Ueli has found a perfect fit for his busy and active lifestyle at Acadia.

"Acadia was a great fit because I live close to Wolfville and I had no plans of moving anywhere else. I also was lucky to find an amazing supervisor Dr. Emily Bremer in the Kinesiology department who has tremendous experience in the Adapted Physical Activity Field. I'm currently finishing up my first year. I have completed all my courses and getting ready for my portfolio presentation this summer," says Ueli.

Beyond his current studies, Acadia has played an ongoing role in Ueli's career and personal passions.

"I was a National Team athlete running the 800m for Switzerland when I entered my studies in Kinesiology at Dalhousie University. During my undergraduate I was approached by an athlete who uses a wheelchair to coach her for the Bluenose marathon and although I never worked with an athlete with a disability before I agreed to help her out. After I graduated, we decided to move to Wolfville to be closer to family and I started working for the SMILE program at Acadia," he says.

Ueli was part of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic/Paralympic campaign,"I was in charge of coaching children with physical disabilities and introducing them to different sports. I also did school visits to educate school children about the paralympic movement," he explains. "The same year I was the head coach for Team Nova Scotia at the Canada Games and was offered a full-time position as a Para Athletics National Team Coach. As the National Team Coach, I was travelling all over the world with our top national para-athletes."

In 2014, he started a position with Athletics Nova Scotia as the Coach Education Manager and Run, Jump, Throw Wheel (RJTW) Coordinator. His role had him educating over 100 coaches a year and delivering the RJTW to over 10'000 children in Nova Scotian Schools every year.

In 2017 Ueli entered a Master's degree in High-Performance Coaching and Leadership at UBC and graduated in 2020. During this time, he also started a consulting company consulting sports organizations and coaches on how to be more inclusive. "Shortly after that I started teaching at Acadia University as a part-time Instructor in Kinesiology and have been teaching a Parasport and an Inclusive Leadership course along with a Para-Ice Hockey Activity lab. In 2021 I decided to apply for the PhD program and was accepted for the 2026 cohort which started in July 2022," he says.

"The Focus of my career has been coaching and educating people on how to better include people with a disability in sports and physical activity. Although I don't have lived experience as a person with a disability, I see myself as an advocate for people with disabilities and the right to have access to quality sports and recreation activities," he explains. "I had many important experiences in my life that shaped my worldview. One that stands out was when I first got involved with Para sport in Nova Scotia, there were almost no sport opportunities for people with disabilities. I still remember standing at the finish line of the Bluenose marathon and seeing my first athlete crossing the finish line in happy tears and all the people cheering her on and recognizing the hard work she put into getting there. This was the moment I knew that this was what I wanted to do in my life. Help people with a disability to be included in sports and achieve their personal goals in sports and life."

Beyond his professional pursuits, Ueli enjoys hiking - preferably in the Swiss Alps - cycling in the Gaspereau Valley, and paddling on Lumsden's Pond. " I'm also known to yodel if there is a special occasion," he adds.

"My future plans are to do an Action Research Project with Para Sport Programs in Nova Scotia working with Para Coaches and Athletes and exploring new actions on how to improve quality participation. The goal is to finish my PhD by 2026 and then look for a permanent position to apply my knowledge in either an academic or professional environment."

Part-time BEd Faculty Profile: Cindy Dickie

Cindy, who is from Alberta, has been in Nova Scotia for the past 12 years residing in Wolfville with her husband, Kevin, former Acadia Athletic Director. Cindy and Kevin have two sons; Riley who lives in Burlington, Vermont with his wife Peyton, and Brett who lives in Halifax with his partner Alanna. Recently retired from the Annapolis Valley Regional Centre for Education, Cindy enjoys travel, painting, gardening and recreational sport.

Cindy‘s 36-year career in education has spanned four provinces and many school districts. She has taught all grades P to 12, in small rural communities as well as large cities. In addition to her classroom experience she has worked as a resource teacher, Learning Disability Specialist, curriculum and instructional consultant, District Coordinator of Programs and Student Success Planning, and Principal of both a P-8 school and a High school. She has written curriculum, worked for government and worked in special programs such as alternative secondary programs and Gifted and Talented Education programs.

Passionate about optimizing success for all students, and best supporting the educators that do this important work, she is excited to bring her experiences with her to Acadia. Cindy taught Curriculum Practices for Diverse Learners in Winter 2023 and is a University Advisor for Preservice Teachers.

BEd Student Profile: Christa Bates

Originally from Cape Breton Island, Christa relocated to Greenwood with her family in 2007 where she worked as an Educational Assistant for the AVRCE until entering this Acadia's Bachelor of Education program in May of 2022.

“As a mother to three daughters, choosing Acadia was an easy decision. Not only is it an amazing school and campus that is filled with friendly students and faculty, but it is a short drive from home. Entering the 16 consecutive month BEd program allowed me to take one year off of work, to focus on furthering my education to better my future for myself and my children," says Christa. During her time at Acadia, her goal was to soak up as much knowledge from her professors and peers as she could and have an amazing experience at the same time.

“Becoming a teacher has always been a goal of mine and this year has been my time to make that goal a reality. My children are now a bit older, 13, 14 and 20, so I decided to take the leap and further my education at Acadia. It was not always easy to balance my personal responsibilities and my school life, however with the help of great friends and having an organized backup plan in place in case of emergencies has really helped. Surrounding myself with encouraging, supportive people has been the key to my success.”

Helping and guiding children is a passion for Christa. “I will strive to create and provide a learning environment where all of my students will feel encouraged and supported.”

Christa plans to share her knowledge, while highlighting the importance of creativity, diversity and inclusivity in her classroom: “Teaching my students according to their individual needs and providing them with skills they will need to excel and have a bright and successful future is the reason being a teacher is important to me.”

Henk Ueffing graduated in 2022 from the BEd program and he now the grade 56 teacher at Greely Road School in the community of Gregoire in Fort McMurray Alberta. He has a class of 19 students with a diversity of learning styles and needs. He is responsible for ELA, Math, Social Studies, Science, Health, Art and Music. While Greely Road School is small, his class has been able to do tremendous things. “This month we are meeting with our City Council to propose that a skate park be built in our community. We were invited to do this after an email writing campaign to improve our area!”

Henk’s personal interests include hiking the trails in and around Fort MacMurray and playing Xbox with his friends on the East Coast, which helps him stay connected with friends back home. He also enjoys coaching various sports teams. He has coached a joint basketball team with his school and the Fort McMurray Islamic School (FMIS), as well as a school volleyball team.

“Acadia prepared me for my role in the classroom by giving me the tools to plan lessons, learning experiences, and fun activities that are educational, stimulating, and enjoyable for the learners and myself,” he says.

Through the outdoor education class at Acadia, taught by Page Murphy, Henk says he learned how to create lessons based on the outdoor world and is now motivated to provide opportunities for students to learn in the outdoors as much as possible. His education at Acadia also emphasized Indigenous education. Living in a northern community with a high First Nations, Indigenous, and Metis population, the tools Henk says Acadia helped him understand how to better educate his learners as well as himself on the matter of indigenous education, traditional learning, and the ability to implement Truth and Reconciliation in the classroom.

“It is also important to me as an educator to help the students who were a lot like me growing up. I was brought up in the 'there's only one way to learn' kind of school. This led to feelings of not being as smart as my fellow learners and resulted in a lack of belief in myself. I knew at a young age that I wanted to help as many people as possible, to make sure they never felt the way I did. That is what led me to teach. As my mother always said, 'We are all smart in our own ways'. Acadia showed me how to find a learner's passion and use that to make school fun, interesting, and stimulating while keeping up with curriculum outcomes.”

Henk’s long-term plans are to return to Nova Scotia one day and to apply the skills he has learned both at Acadia and at Greely Road School to be the best teacher he can be for a school in Nova Scotia. Henk also plans to get his MEd. “I moved to Fort McMurray with no family, friends, or any information on the area besides what I researched online. My life experience was really at home in Nova Scotia. I actually accepted this job even before completing my Education degree because the prospect of teaching in my own classroom was so exciting that I couldn't wait to start! The staff of Greely Road and my Principal Christopher Organ (also an Acadia graduate, class of ‘04) have helped me grow each and every day to better help learners and become an effective teacher. For firstyear teachers, the FMSPD and Greely Road are tremendous places to start your career. “

Education Week 2023 Teacher Award for NSTU Hants West: Annie Kennedy

It’s true: Our pre-service teachers go on to do great things! In her first year of teaching, recent graduate, Annie Kennedy, has won the 'Education Week 2023 Teacher Award for NSTU Hants West.'

After graduating in May 2022, Annie landed a job at West Hants Education Centre, as a middle school teacher. A typical day for Annie’s students starts with movement and physical activity before focused classroom time. Annie provides creative handson learning experiences – including having a music therapist join her class to make music, leading mountain bike activities, and organizing group gym games to build social connections. Annie shares her passion for rugby and other sports and invites students to challenge themselves and persevere.

“While I am proud of myself, it was truly the team I worked with at WHEC that received this award," says Annie.

Acadia University's 100 + years of teacher education have been characterized by progressive action and community connections when designing the practice elements of our B.Ed. program. One area of historical and ongoing focus is our work with the disability community.

In addition to the credit coursework of required practicum placements, researchers also recognize the immense value of community-based learning for pre-service teacher development. The local community is recognized as a knowledge space that enables beginning teachers to consider values of social justice, empathy, care, collaboration, creativity, and resilience.

Through the generous endowment of the Mitchell family, the School of Education is excited to partner with Inclusion N.S., and Autism N.S. in the creation of two B.Ed., community-based internships. These 3 -week, paid, community-based placements offer an opportunity for pre-service teachers to recognize the vital role of family, community and inter-agency collaboration in efforts to ensure that students with disabilities attain a high quality of life as well as maximum levels of participation and autonomy.

This year, we are delighted that Emma Graham and Emma Fitzgerald are placed with Inclusion Nova Scotia and Autism Nova Scotia.

Within a Disability Studies framework the internships purpose is to explore the extent to which approaches to community based experiential learning can lead to transformative teacher growth that is situated in tenets of social justice education. Across our two community partners supportive pathways are developed for individuals with disabilities and chronic health conditions and their families to ensure a full and inclusive life.

We are thankful for the collaborative leadership of Cynthia Carroll, Kathleen Watson ,Shauna Jacobs and Jessica Stichler of Autism N.S.; Patricia Neves of Inclusion NS; and Jenn Ross at Brigadoon Village.

BEd PHE Canada Student Award: Madison Steele

Congratulations to 16 month BEd student Madison Steele, who has been awarded the Physical and Health Education (PHE) Canada Student Award winner from Acadia University!

The PHE Canada Student Award recognizes outstanding undergraduate student leadership in the field of physical and health education.

Madison will have her official presentation will be at the Teachers Association for Physical & Health Education (TAPHE) NSTU Conference on Oct. 27th in Cape Breton.

BEd National-International Annual Job Search 2023

On Saturday, January 28th and Sunday, January 29th BEd students and alumni from Acadia joined students from Cape Breton University, Mount Saint Vincent University, St. Francis Xavier University, and Universite Sainte-Anne for two days of networking with over sixty exhibitors from across Nova Scotia and Canada.

BEd Associate Teacher: Craig Barbour

As a Teaching Vice Principal at Wolfville School, each day holds a variety of tasks for Craig Barbour. To start the day, he teaches grade 3 math. Then he heads over to the office to take on the role of Vice Principal. With the close proximity of Wolfville School to Acadia's School of Education, many BEd students have had the chance to benefit from the experience and expertise of Associate Teachers there.

A talented educator, Craig was a middle-level math teacher for twelve years and worked as a Technology Integration Mentor to teachers for three years before joining the team at Wolfville School. Over the course of his career, he has worked with a few pre-service teachers - always a rewarding experience to coach young teachers, he says, and an opportunity to learn something new himself. “It is important to always be open to learning something new and it’s always nice to add something to your bag of tricks," he says.

In his free time, Craig enjoys playing golf, skiing, basketball with his kids and spending time with his family. Before working in the AVRCE he taught ESL in Korea and taught at a Canadian International School in Hong Kong. He enjoyed the travel opportunities that came with living abroad.

Craig's future ambitions in education remain wide open: Some days he thinks he would like to work as a school principal, some days he thinks he would like to try another mentoring role, and some days he would really like to return to the classroom full time because that is the part of education he is most passionate about.

Engaging in Culturally Responsive Literacy Practices

The Inter-University Research Network (IURN) funded research project, Engaging in culturally responsive literacy practices through reading and writing informational text within rural place contexts, led by Dr Deborah Toope, is well underway. Supported by coinvestigators Dr Marie-Christina Edwards, Nisha Langford, and Darlene Barr and research assistants Emily Fultz and Jessica Martin, the team has been engaging with teachers and students of a grade primary class in rural Nova Scotia to collect initial data. Data is being collected through interviews, observations, and focus groups to capture the teaching and learning experiences of teachers and students within the context of an inclusive literacy classroom.

An inspiring element within this research is a series of nonfiction books for early and emergent readers that were created by Darlene Barr and reproduced for use in AVRCE classrooms. These texts feature culturally relevant aspects of life in rural Nova Scotia (see examples in the accompanying image). Students will consider themes of interest for their own texts and engage in writing processes using digital tools and technologies to create their own books. These books will reflect their cultural experiences and be relevant to their lives. This project is funded by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development through IURN. Some of these funds went towards the purchasing of digital tablets for students to use in creating their own books. With support from their teacher and the research assistants, these tablets will be used to capture culturally relevant images to feature in students’ texts.

The team looks forward to presenting this project at the Voices of Equity Educational Research Symposium, hosted by the School of Education here at Acadia on May 26-27th.

The School of Education aims to develop reflective, responsive educators and counsellors through cohesive, challenging professional programs in a collegial environment.

education.acadiau.ca

infoed@acadiau.ca

902 585 1229

facebook: AcadiaUSchoolofED

Twitter: @AcadiaEducation

Instagram: acadiauschoolofeducation

Henry Birks Award 2023 Recipient: Alisha Longmire

Congratulations to Alisha Longmire, recipient of the Henry Birks Award This award is given to the BEd student with the highest GPA Since completing her B Ed , Alisha has immensely enjoyed substituting teaching in the AVRCE. She is grateful for this opportunity and all the fun she’s having with students while gaining invaluable classroom experience This summer, Alisha will be working as a Literacy Camp Teacher for the AVRCE She is excited about this opportunity and strives to inspire and instil a love of literacy - a love that she herself took a while to develop when she was in elementary school. She also plans to enjoy some much-needed relaxation - perhaps visiting beautiful locations across her home province of Nova Scotia As for the fall and future teaching prospects, Alisha is eager to see where she is led but is hopeful of staying close to home in NS With that being said, she is assured that the teaching tool-belt fostered through Acadia’s School of Education will serve her and her future students well, regardless of where she ends up.