DEAN’S MESSAGE
I write this message from Xavier Hall, in the heart of our beautiful campus, located on the unceded, ancestral territory of the Mi’kmaw. The lands of Mi’kma’ki are governed by the Treaties of Peace and Friendship, which did not deal with the surrender of land, but rather articulated ongoing agreements about Treaty relationships. Decolonizing our ways of being, knowing, and doing takes commitment and is rarely perfect; perfect, however, is not the goal. Rather, we journey together, learning and unlearning, recognizing we are all Treaty people.
As evidenced in this report, the 2024-2025 academic year was once again marked by outstanding contributions of our faculty, staff and students, all of whom make our Faculty of Education an inspiring place to learn and to work. 2025 marks the first time our Faculty was named to the list of the top 20 Faculties
of Education in the country, the only one in all of Atlantic Canada this year. This recognition is based in part on our reputation, and importantly, also on our research activity. Our faculty members are engaged in a broad range of research activities, many of which connect to schools and communities throughout Nova Scotia.
This year’s report places students in action and in accomplishment at the forefront of our work. 2024-2025 was a big year for our PhD program, as five newly minted PhDs crossed the convocation stage (see p. 16). Our Master of Adult Education program has had tremendous year-over-year increases in enrollment as demand for the program continues to grow and we respond to that demand.
Our academic success does not happen without dedicated faculty and staff. This year, we highlight two such dedicated faculty members, Dr. Laura-Lee Bellehumeur Kearns and Dr. Wendy Mackey, both of whom were honoured as recipients of the King Charles III coronation medal (see p. 17).
A new feature to the report is our ‘Faculty by the numbers’ (see p. 18). When we add it all up, we are a busy group of dedicated educators serving students across Bachelor of Education, Adult Education, Master of Education and PhD programming! Whether you pause to note the outstanding experiences of our practicum students in Iceland or to appreciate the breadth of professional backgrounds of students pursuing a Master of Adult Education, I hope you will be inspired by the work we do to create a positive impact on the lives of
Nova Scotians and on the lives of learners here at home, nationally and internationally!
Whether within our Faculty or throughout our campus, one of the great things about working at StFX is supportive colleagues, including the Deans of the other Faculties, as pictured above. It is indeed an honour to serve as Dean of the StFX Faculty of Education, committed to excellence and leading quality education in Nova Scotia and beyond.
Dr. Lace Marie Brogden Dean of Education
St. Francis Xavier University
DEPARTMENT OF TEACHER EDUCATION
The StFX Bachelor of Education (BEd) program is designed around four pillars, emphasizing social justice and anti-racism, professionalism, technology and innovation, and experiential learning. Our on-campus program is 16 months in duration, structured in two 8-month blocks with a 4-month summer break for students. All students take courses focused on foundational understandings of pedagogy and inclusive practices, assessment, and policy. We also offer several electives, such as Outdoor Education, Mi’kmaw Pedagogies, Mental Health Education, and Play-based Learning, so that students complete their initial teacher education as well- rounded, early-career educators who are prepared to create safe and supportive learning spaces where learners can thrive and grow their gifts and talents.
Our off-campus programs follow a different format, with students attending classes in-person on weekends in local areas. These programs are designed to allow students to stay in their communities, continue to work, and earn their degree, usually over a period of 30 months. In 2024-2025, one group finished in Chester Basin, another cohort continued into their second year in Truro, and a new group began in Unama’ki (Cape Breton) with a Mi’kmaw focus. The majority of off-campus candidates are mature students balancing family, careers, and school and are to be commended for their commitment to furthering their education.
Whether in our on-campus or off-campus program, a feature of our BEd is practicum. Our students travel to schools across the province to work with strong associate teachers, implementing learning from course work in applied ways. Each practicum session is 5.5 weeks in length and the teaching responsibility for pre-service teachers increases over time, moving from 25% to 50% to 75% to 100% of a teacher’s full-time equivalent (FTE) teaching load. The BEd program structure incorporates a recursive process of classroom-based experiential learning interwoven with fieldbased learning during the practicum sessions. Students’ understandings of teaching and professionalism grow through the coursework that precedes each practicum session and enables them to progressively expand their teaching capabilities over time.
A key feature of final practicum is the possibility of a placement in an alternate, educational setting, affording students the opportunity to experience roles outside of classroom teaching. Some students have chosen to work in learning centres or resource rooms, some with a communitybased program such as PHE Canada or a museum. Many of our students choose to travel for their placements. This past year, three students were selected to attend a funded practicum in Kawachikamach, in Northern Québec, 16 students travelled to Iceland for an international practicum (see p. 8), and one off-campus student did a practicum in South Korea.
FRENCH MENTORSHIP
The Projet de Mentorat collectif supports Nova Scotia teachers working in French as a Second Language (FSL) classrooms. Our Faculty was selected as the pilot site in 2023-2024 and, given its success, we were invited to host this joint project with the Direction des programmes et des services de langue française again this year. This year, participants included teachers from the Strait (SRCE), Cape Breton Victoria (CBVRCE), and Chignecto Central (CCRCE) as well as StFX pre-service teachers.
The Mentorat collectif project provides an opportunity for members to support each other’s successes by drawing on their varied levels of expertise and experiences, sharing pedagogy, participating in FSL-specific learning; and experiencing Acadian and Francophone cultural activities together.
Combining both in-person and online networking opportunities, highlights of this year’s initiative included two, on-campus weekends, a cultural experience with the Société Acadienne-Sainte Croix in Pomquet culminating in an Acadian luncheon at Chez Deslauriers, a live musical performance by local Acadian artists, and a virtual visit to the Acadian library services of Université Sainte-Anne. Participants also engaged in numerous workshops focusing on teaching in French, including time for sharing successes, challenges and resources for teaching in FSL classrooms.
We look forward to continuing the Mentorat collectif project, growing the FSL teacher network alongside our BEd students who are preparing to teach in our FSL, Immersion and Acadian classrooms across Nova Scotia.
NATIONAL IMPACT
Allie White – (BEd 2023)
Allie White received the TAPHE Young Professional Award. She began her studies in the off-campus program and transitioned to on-campus. Allie is teaching full-time at Shipyard Elementary.
From the PHE Canada Research Forum in Niagara Falls (from left to right):
Stephanie Roy – (BEd, MEd 2024) & Kelsey Urban – (MEd 2024)
Physical and Health Education Canada Mentorship Program Inquiry: A Meaningful Experience for Mentors, with Dr. Dan Robinson & Dr. William Walters
Katherine Waterbury – (BEd 2024)
Building Capacity: New Directions in Physical Education Teacher Education, with Dr. Wendy Barber
Sherra Rogers – (BEd 2025)
Game changers: school sport as a resource of hope for students with disabilities, with Dr. Lynn Randall, Dr. Dan Robinson, Dr. Joe Barrett, Dr. William Walters, Shamus Campbell & Dr. Stephen Berg
Sherra Rogers also received the PHE Canada Leadership Award. She is the current President of the PHE Canada Student Chapter and will be a fulltime Master of Education student in July 2025.
Catherine Mesich & Jocelyn Whent –
Incoming PHE Canada Student Chapter co-presidents
Leanne Whiting –(MEd 2023, current PhD student)
Exploring Teachers’ and Their Students’ Experiences of a School-Based Yoga Program in the Elementary Classroom with Dr. Daniel Robinson
PHE Canada Research Forum in Niagara Falls
Sherra Rogers – (BEd 2025)
Allie White – (BEd 2023)
ALTERNATIVE PLACEMENTS
Iceland
Sixteen, second-year pre-service teachers completed their final teaching practicum in and around Selfoss, Iceland, in March and April. Professors Andrew Foran and Bill Walters organized this learning opportunity, during which students were highly successful and engaged in all aspects of school and community life. The Icelandic teachers quickly recognized the quality of our pre-service teachers and readily handed off their classrooms. In addition to what might be taught in core curricular areas in Canada, pre-service teachers had many unique experiences in the schools,
including textiles, wood shop, swimming (in heated, outdoor pools), and equestrian. Some Icelandic, elementary classrooms paired with StFX pre-service teachers’ classrooms in Canada and engaged in a writing activity. On weekends, pre-teachers immersed themselves in everything Iceland – waterfalls, horseback riding, and hiking, to name a few. Students quickly made friends and professional connections, and several even received job offers. We look forward to growing this partnership and will be hosting Icelandic teachers on our campus for professional development.
Kawachikamach
This past year, Makoto Barnard, Evan Fortin, and Victoria Rankin participated in a funded, alternative placement at Jimmy Sandy Memorial School in Kawachikamach, a Naskapi community in Northern Québec. Under the northern lights, they engaged in land-based education and learned first-hand how to bring Indigenous knowledges into their classroom practice.
South Korea
Yun Lee, from our BEd off-campus cohort, travelled to South Korea to complete an alternative placement at Hyundai Foreign School in Ulsan, South Korea, teaching Year 1/2 students.
MI’KMAW KINA’MATNEWEY
An exciting, new initiative this year is our partnership with Mi’kmaw Kina’matnewey (MK), bringing a BEd program to Mi’kmaq communities that focuses on Mi’kmaw language, culture, and land- and sea-based learning. MK organized and funded a weekendlong, cultural camp in the Highlands of Unama’ki (Cape Breton) in September to launch this program, providing students with grounding in ceremony and traditional knowledge as they began this journey to become educators.
Students attend classes on weekends, allowing them to continue working as they study. Drawing from learning with previous MK, community-based BEd cohorts, we have intentionally embedded Mi’kmaw language and culture, and, because of past successes, have been able to hire many Mi’kmaw graduates of our MEd programs to teach in this unique, BEd program.
MASTER OF EDUCATION DEGREE PROGRAM
July is an especially significant month for the MEd program and its students, as most outgoing students complete their degree and most incoming students begin their degree. Within the 2024–2025 class, students enrolled in some of our most popular concentrations across both our Curriculum and Instruction (Early Elementary Pedagogy, Inclusive Education, Mental Health Literacy) and Educational Administration and Policy (Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, Inclusive Education) streams. These new concentrations were in addition to concentrations already underway, including Indigenous Education, Mathematics Education, and Outdoor Education. Certainly, the diverse range of concentration offerings has allowed many students to pursue their professional passions at StFX.
Our 2024 Summer Institute once again included the increasingly popular Educational Research Forum (ERF). The 2024 ERF featured 18 presentations. Of these, eight were from MEd students, many of whom presented scholarship related to their own thesis-related research. Of particular note, the following four studentpresenters successfully defended their thesis this year:
• Alasdair Lanyon, Exploring the Impacts of Rhetoric Surrounding Play on an Early Elementary Teacher’s Practice: An Autoethnography
• Erin Friel, Exploring Communication During the Personalized Learning Plan Process in Rural New Brunswick: A Dual Parent/Teacher Perspective Autoethnography
• Matthew Little, Building Mathematical Partnerships: An Immigrant Father’s Perceptions of his Child’s Elementary Mathematics Learning Experiences
• Tara Clements, Reimaging the Nunavut Teacher Education Program: A Critical Analysis of Indigenous Teacher Education Program Models
Looking to the horizon, July 2025 will see the return of our in-person Summer Institute. This will also mark the beginning of our 30-credit (10-course) MEd degree—a standard across most universities in Canada. Of particular note, for the first time, we will welcome four funded, full-time thesis students to Xavier Hall. This is all to say that as this year comes to an end, we are looking forward to new programs and changes we will see in the upcoming academic year.
DEPARTMENT OF ADULT EDUCATION
The Department of Adult Education continues to demonstrate excellence and innovation in graduate education at St. Francis Xavier University. With over 50 years of history rooted in the legacy of the Antigonish Movement, our program remains a national leader in socially responsive, community-based adult education. In 2022, we successfully transitioned from a self-directed, research-focused program to a course-based Master of Adult Education (MAdEd) program with a thesis option. This strategic shift has resulted in exceptional growth, and we now welcome four, fully
subscribed cohorts annually, attracting mid-career professionals from across Canada.
This May, the last students of the self-directed program graduated, and celebrating with them were the first graduates of the course-based program – a passing of the torch.
The Department’s programming is aligned with StFX’s Strategic and Academic Plans, emphasizing equity, inclusion, community impact, and academic excellence.
Our two concentrations, the Classic and the Adult Education and Health, respond to the needs of professionals in post-secondary education, healthcare, the civil service, corporate, and non-profit sectors. A third concentration in Community College and Student Life is in development. All courses are offered through a high-quality, online format that blends synchronous and asynchronous learning, fostering meaningful student engagement and a strong inter-professional community of practice.
Our innovative recruitment strategies have expanded our national reach. This includes a robust social media presence, strategic use of digital advertising, and new partnerships
such as our collaboration with ECHO Marketing Society, a student-led marketing initiative based out of the StFX Schwartz School of Business.
Research activity remains strong in the Department, with faculty publishing across diverse themes in adult education, securing external research funding, and supervising both master’s and PhD students’ research.
Through growth and academic excellence, the Department of Adult Education remains committed to academic leadership, student success, and to contributing to the field of adult education locally, nationally and globally.
DOCTORAL STUDIES IN EDUCATION AT STFX
The Faculty of Education continues to lead the university with respect to doctoral studies. As part of the Nova Scotia Inter-University Doctoral Program (with partner institutions Acadia University and Mount St. Vincent University), StFX faculty members in the Faculty of Education’s three departments (Adult Education, Curriculum and Leadership, and Teacher Education) supervise and mentor graduate students pursuing an interest in one or more of six fields of study: curriculum studies, educational foundations and leadership, inclusive education, lifelong learning, literacies, and psychological aspects of education.
The Nova Scotia Inter-University Doctoral Program returned to StFX for the Summer Institute this year. In StFX’s Mulroney Hall, the incoming cohort for the PhD program completed their introductory summer programming with professors Dr. Laura-Lee Bellehumeur Kearns and Dr. Adam Perry, before completing their remaining coursework online.
2024–2025 saw many opportunities to celebrate our doctoral students’ successes. We welcomed four new students to the program:
Emily Mansour-Hemlow
Jennifer MacNeil
Katie Forman
Leanne Whiting
Dr. Dan Robinson, PhD Coordinator, hosting fellow coordinators Dr. Ardra Cole (MSVU) and Dr. Lynn Aylward (Acadia) in Mulroney Hall during the 2024 PhD Summer Institute.
Five others completed their program:
Dr. Elissa Cohen
(Supervisor: Dr. Leona English)
Dr. Garry Leyte
(Supervisor: Dr. David Young)
Dr. Jacqueline De LeeBeeck
(Supervisor: Dr. Anne Murray Orr)
Dr. Margaret Garnier
(Supervisor: Dr. Leona English)
Dr. Samantha Porter
(Supervisor: Dr. Jennifer Mitton)
With these graduations, StFX now counts 26 students who have completed their PhD— the greatest number of graduates amongst the three universities making up the Nova Scotia Inter-University Doctoral Program.
In 2024–2025, several PhD students secured travel grants to support their participation at academic conferences. Additionally, many StFX PhD students also continue to find success securing Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Doctoral Scholarships or Fellowships. And, of course, we look forward to welcoming our new class in July 2025: Heather Carroll, Kerri McPherson, Matt Taylor, Tracey MacNeil and Julie Webb
PHD GRADUATES AND THEIR DISSERTATIONS
Dr. Elissa Cohen
Women Deans: Carving a Unique Path in Academic Medicine
Dr. Garry Leyte
Teacher Isolation, Stress, and Attrition During and Post-COVID 19
Dr. Jacqueline De LeeBeeck
That Was Me Then: How Undergraduate Students’ Experiences in Residence Shape Narrative Identity
Dr. Margaret Garnier
Learners in a Canadian Diagnostic-focused Competency-based Medical Education Program: A Qualitative Case Study
Dr. Samantha Porter
Beginning Mathematics Teachers’ Perceptions of Preparedness for an OECS Teacher Education Program
FACULTY SPOTLIGHTS
Professor Laura-Lee Bellehumeur Kearns, on the recommendation of the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO), received the King Charles III Coronation Medal, at a medal ceremony in Toronto, early this Spring, in front of family, friends, and community members. This award is given to individuals who have made meaningful contributions to their communities and to Canada, and the MNO felt Dr. Bellehumeur Kearns’s work has rightfully earned her this honour. President Margaret Froh, of the Métis Nation of Ontario, took this opportunity to recognize and celebrate Dr. Bellehumeur Kearns’s contributions when she presented her with the medal. The MNO noted that the strength of the Métis Nation of Ontario is built on the commitment and service of our citizens. It was noted that Dr. Bellehumeur Kearns’s leadership, academic, cultural, artistic and curatorial efforts have strengthened the MNO’s communities and ensured a brighter future for generations to come.
Dr. Wendy Mackey, Associate Professor, Culturally Relevant Pedagogy and Leadership has been awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal for her dedication to service and commitment to building an equitable learning and living environment. Dr. Mackey has inspired a greater awareness of culturally relevant pedagogy, equity, and anti-racism, helping to shape the future of education, and ensuring a legacy that will benefit countless students and educators.
As StFX’s first, African Nova Scotian, tenured faculty member, Dr. Mackey leads with a culturally relevant lens and her mentorship reaches far beyond the classroom, fostering a sense of belonging and pride for her students and colleagues alike. Her presence and work at StFX underscore the importance of prioritizing equity. Dr. Mackey has profoundly impacted the Canada of today through her dedication to fostering understanding, respect, and inclusivity, particularly for African Nova Scotian students.
Dr. Mackey is pictured with President Andy Hakin, also a King Charles III Coronation Medal recipient.
OUR FACULTY BY THE NUMBERS
5
Elementary French Elementary
Physical Education Elementary
Human Kinetics/BEd
Secondary
1102
STUDENTS
12
2 TEACHER EDUCATION PATHWAYS PRACTICUM PARTNERS ACROSS 123 SCHOOLS
16
21 PhD 103 Certificate Students
202 MAdEd 181 on-campus BEd students
SUBJECT SPECIALIZATIONS NAMED RESEARCH CHAIRS
English, French, Visual Art, Drama, Music, Family Studies, Business, Math, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Science, Social Studies, History, Spanish, Gaelic the John Jerome Paul Chair for Equity in Mathematics Education – and –the Chair in Entrepreneurship Education
533 MEd 62 off-campus BEd students
3 2 GRADUATE PROGRAMS CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS
1. PhD in Educational Studies
2. Master of Adult Education
3. Master of Education
ACADEMIC DEPARTMENTS
1. Certificate in Elementary Mathematics Pedagogy
2. Certificate in Outdoor Education