w w w. e d u c a t i o n . u a l b e r t a . c a
KEEPING ALUMNI CURRENT FALL EDITION 2005
Dr. Fern Snart, Faculty of Education’s New Dean Stephen Norris and the Philosophy of Science Dianne Oberg, making things a little better along the way Informing the SAT, Dr. Mark Gierl
A different take on
TOUGH
Love
Joyce Pirnak in the Classroom
VOLUME 8
NUMBER 1
NUMBER 1
Letters to the Editor
VOLUME 8
Page 3
The U of A’s New Dean of Education: Fern Snart
FALL EDITION 2005
Page 4
Greetings from the
Dean
Stephen Norris and the Philosophy of Science Page 6
Dianne Oberg, making things a little better along the way Page 8
A different take on Tough Love Joyce Pirnak in the Classroom Page 1 0
Class Notes page 1 2
Informing the SAT Dr. Mark Gierl, Canada Research Chair Page 1 4
Campaign 2008
KEEPING ALUMNI CURRENT
page 1 6
I begin my tenure as Dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta with excitement, honor, and the firm belief that ours is the finest Education Faculty in Canada. My commitment to our faculty, staff, students and community partners is that we will work together to push the existing boundaries in areas of teaching and research, and we will celebrate ground breaking achievements in the future. I would like to briefly share with you some of our recent achievements. I know that our more than 40,000 alumni worldwide share the pride associated with each of these. A few months ago the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) announced that the Faculty of Education will receive $1 million in funding to establish one of five national centres to support research in science teaching and learning. In addition, the Faculty was chosen as the national lead for the program. For the Faculty of Education to access NSERC funding and provide national leadership is noteworthy in terms of the recognition of the quality of work in this area. Over the past twelve months, we have hired eight new faculty members across all departments within the Faculty, and their energy, optimism and personalities have already had an impact in lifting and motivating those of us welcoming them to the Faculty. Within this timeframe, we have had one of our Faculty members named as a Killam Professor, and we have experienced the infusion of research energy, productivity and motivation that surrounds our four Canada Research Chairs. Our success in achieving national research funding is greater than ever. I believe that there are breathtaking possibilities for impact for our Faculty in the years ahead. In areas such as undergraduate teacher education, Indigenous education, the integration of technology into teaching and learning, literacy, assessment and measurement, and inclusive education to name but a few, we are poised to have positive impact locally, provincially, nationally and internationally.
Publications Mail Agreement NO. 40063579 Return undeliverable Canadian Addresses to Circulation Department Office of External Relations Faculty of Education, University of Alberta 4-107 Education North Edmonton, Alberta, CANADA T6G 2G5 Tel: (780) 492-7755 Fax: (780) 492-0155 E-mail: education.alumni@ualberta.ca
It is with great pride that The Orange records the achievements of our students, faculty and alumni – from the profile of the late Joyce Pirnak, the epitome of strength and quiet grace, to the successes of our faculty members, to the generosity and commitment of alumni who share their time, expertise and good fortune with the Faculty. I sincerely hope that you will take some time to enjoy and reflect on this issue of The Orange and that you will sense your own connection to the stories and individuals highlighted in these pages. I encourage you to stay in touch and to come back and see us when you can.
Letters to the
Editor
Peer Collaboration To the Editor: As a former and current student of Joe da Costa, I read “Joe da Costa on the Importance of Peer Collaboration” (The Orange, 7, No 1 (Fall/ Winter 2004), written by Gordon McIntosh, with great interest. As a doctoral student in the Indigenous Peoples Education Program in the Department of Educational Policy Studies at the U of A, it has been an honor for me to learn from Joe da Costa. I believe that Dr. da Costa’s priority “to build academic community within the Department” is pivotal to the success of the students, the professors, and the Department as a whole. When the conditions are right for a professor and a student to enter into collaboration, then this peer collaboration nurtures the entire community within the Department. In addition, Dr. da Costa demonstrates the principle of respect clearly. When students sense respect for themselves and their ideas, they gain the courage needed to grow and move forward as independent researchers. Shauna Bruno, ’03 MEd The Samson First Nation Hobbema, Alberta
Sandra Woitas and the Inner City Education Project To the Editor: I was delighted to see Sandra Woitas and the Edmonton Public Schools’ Inner City Education Project highlighted in Scott Rollans’ article in the 2004 Fall/Winter issue of The Orange. Sandra is one of those exceptional educators and leaders who captures the hearts and minds of those with whom she works and stirs them to high accomplishments. As a former inner city school principal with the Edmonton Public Schools, I know that the City Centre Education Project truly is ground-breaking work for which Sandra and her colleagues deserve to be recognized and honored. Certainly “From ‘Me’ to ‘We’ ” should be read as a celebration of the Project and those whose inspired work has so benefited students attending the Project’s seven schools. But it should also be read as a reminder of all there is to do if we are to provide equitable educational opportunities for all Edmonton-area children who live in poverty. I hope that trustees and senior administrators in both major Edmonton school jurisdictions see the Project, not as an end product, but as a beginning -- an illustration of what is possible. It is in this sense that the City Centre Project serves as a challenge for educational policymakers. Now that they know what is possible, how can they extend it to all of the children they serve who live in poverty?
Bill Maynes, ‘72 BEd, ‘79 MEd, ‘89 PhD Professor Emeritus of Educational Policy Studies University of Alberta
News from WestCAST 2005 To the Editor: Greetings from the University of Saskatchewan. As an undergraduate and graduate student, classroom teacher, and U of A staff member for 18 years before taking up a U of S appointment two years ago, I came to know many of you. I have good memories of my time at the U of A.
(WestCAST). As this year’s Program Chair for WestCAST, I was pleased to see so many U of A alumni and staff attending and presenting at the conference. Their contributions included topics such as cultural fusion, equity in education, educating teachers to foster active, healthy living, effective mentoring and more.
In what normally might have been a quiet Reading Week at the U of S, mid-March found the College of Education filled with hundreds of teacher candidates and teacher educators participating in the annual conference of the Western Canadian Association for Student Teaching
WestCAST has been around since the late 1960’s and continues to serve an important role in teacher education in Canada. In reflecting on the event, I am reminded of the absolute necessity of healthy, trusting and productive relationships in teacher education. I am struck by how such relationships characterize both the organization of WestCAST and teacher education more generally. Thank you U of A for your rich and engaging contributions to this year’s conference.
Letters to the Editor We welcome you to share your thoughts by emailing us at education.alumni@ualberta.ca. or via fax at (780) 492-0155. Please keep letters to a maximum of 250 words.
Randy Wimmer, ’87 BEd, ‘ 96 MEd, ’03 EdD Assistant Professor of Educational Administration University of Saskatchewan
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U of A’s New Dean of Education:
The
Fern Snart By G ordon M cintosh
The University of Alberta has appointed a new Dean of Education – Dr. Fern Snart. The tenth dean and the first female dean in the 60-plus year history of the U of A’s Faculty of Education, Fern has been the Acting Dean of the Faculty since the April 2004 appointment of Larry Beauchamp as Associate VicePresident and Vice Provost of the University. The response in the Faculty and the larger educational community to Fern’s appointment has been very warm and supportive. A senior University administrator close to the selection process was heard to say, “I have been part of many selection processes for senior administrative appointments, here and elsewhere, and have never before seen the outpouring of support that Dr. Snart received from staff and students and the education community.”
“Fern has great leadership qualities. She is an exemplar of important values -- integrity, respect, and compassion.” – a graduate student
A child of the prairie west, Fern’s upbringing is reflected in her capacity for hard work and her ebullient spirits, good humor, and the joy she takes in everyday living. She was born and raised in Dauphin, Manitoba, began her university studies at Brandon University (BA in psychology), continued her
studies in clinical psychology at the University of Saskatchewan (MA), and then came to the University of Alberta where she did her doctoral studies in special education (‘79 PhD). She says, in reference to her university studies, “I became an educator because I wanted to work with children in ways that weren’t limited to psychopathology. As a young psychologist my contact with parents and teachers shone a light on the importance of teachers.” Fern joined the academic staff of the Faculty of Education in 1980 as an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Psychology. Her career over the past 25 years has been marked by significant accomplishments in teaching, research, and administrative service. In 1993, she was awarded the Faculty’s Undergraduate Teaching Award. In 2001, Fern’s three-person research team (which included Margaret Haughey and Joe da Costa) received the Alberta Teachers’ Association Educational Research Award for their study of the effects of small class size on the achievement of inner-city students. She is widely recognized throughout the Faculty, the provincial educational community and abroad as an excellent teacher and scholar. As a result of the year as Acting Dean, Fern was able to see that it was possible to align her values with even the most business-like aspects of the work of the Dean. She says, “If you can see the people through the budget figures, then you make better decisions and feel better about the work.” She also made a second discovery: “I had the opportunity to work with many of the other Deans on campus and quickly realized the quality of the people who held these positions. They became my mentors, helpers and friendly advisors. They shared the same commitments and values.” Fern’s co-workers comment on her ability to work with people, as individuals and in groups. She has a consultative, open and supportive way of working with others.
“When I think of people who have made a difference in my professional and personal life, Fern is way up there. … I can’t think of a better leader in teacher education than Fern.” – an alumnus now teaching in another province Furthermore, her co-workers will say, she has unusual gifts in stimulating people towards high levels of commitment and productivity in work settings. One of her colleagues says, “I have never seen anyone better in creating loyal and committed and productive work teams.” Fern says simply, “Experience has taught me that decisions made with consultation will take you further and lead to better decision-making down the road.” Referring to her leadership of groups charged with carrying out a task, she says, “I come into situations like that knowing I need to learn. When people are interested in and committed to a goal, I can’t imagine a more wonderful context for appreciation and collective commitment.” When asked how she would describe herself as an educator, she says, “As someone who is very committed to teacher education and also to the students in the schools and their teachers. It’s a very big job that we all do together.” As a leader, Fern imbues an honest caring for the people within the Faculty. “It’s beyond an intellectual caring,” she says. “They are good people. … I want people to thrive intellectually and to be supported in the work that they do – resource-wise and appreciation-wise. “I want staff and students to feel warm and excited about coming here. I want them to
feel emotional about the work and the place in a positive way. I think this happens – quite often. This is not because of me – certainly not directly. But if you can set the stage, then people react to each other in ways that enable it to happen.” Dean Snart’s academic priorities include bridging cultures both abroad and at home. “The work we did in creating the Aboriginal Teacher Education Program affected me to the core. I gained a new understanding that we had much to learn about the way we conceptualize our world in terms of wholeness and our understanding of the history of Aboriginal people, especially the history of our time together. What we’ve learned takes us far beyond the creation of a particular program, however important that has been, into new relationships, ongoing learning, and new understanding that we’ve been deprived of in our education. Our children and grandchildren should not be deprived of this.” She is committed to building International awareness within the Faculty. “We need to find ways to help our students learn more about the world - to build an international dimension into our pre-service teacher education program. The world is smaller. We need to prepare teachers who understand the power of culture.” The Faculty of Education has approximately 3,300 undergraduate and 1000 graduate students. Dean Snart believes the preparation of professional educators is an enormous responsibility, one she shoulders with great care and attention. She says, “I believe education is the most powerful force towards personal betterment for those at all strata of society, as an instrument of social justice, and as perhaps the only avenue to peaceful solutions to local or world issues.” Gordon McIntosh is a Professor Emeritus of Educational Policy Studies at the U of A and contributing editor of The Orange.
“Dr. Snart is a caring leader who has a spine of steel. She takes good care of her staff, from most senior to most junior, but she can be very tough if she needs to be. Dr. Snart is a good judge of people's abilities; she selects strong leaders to work with her and gives them the space and trust they need to do their work. She is patient and willing to give people time to grow.” – an academic colleague
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Stephen NORRIS and the Philosophy of Science BY ING R I D J O H N S O N Dr. Stephen Norris was recently awarded the Faculty of Education’s newest Tier I Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Scientific Literacy and the Public Understanding of Science. Dr. Norris is passionate about the philosophy of science education. In his research, he considers the goals of science education in schools and post-secondary institutions, and seeks answers to questions about the role of science in individual’s lives and in society. Such questions as these excite Stephen’s interests: • What sorts of knowledge of science and about science would be useful to teach students? • Why do we think it’s valuable to teach science to all students at school? • Do we see learning science related to becoming good citizens, and, if we do, how so? • How do we strike the right balance between teaching students that the scientific knowledge they are taught is a reliable basis for action in the world, and teaching them to treat this knowledge with an appropriate level of skepticism? These questions address the underpinnings of why we teach science in school. Stephen Norris has been a professor in the Department of Educational Policy Studies since 1998 when he was invited to the University of Alberta to take the position as Chair of the department. Prior to moving to Edmonton, he worked for 18 years in Science Education and Philosophy of Education at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Newfoundland was his childhood home, and it was from Memorial University that he received a BSc in Physics, and a BEd and MEd in Science Education. He worked as a high school science and mathematics teacher in Newfoundland and served as the Province’s first Science Curriculum Consultant. Stephen’s PhD in Philosophy of Education is from the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign, where he studied philosophical
issues underlying educational testing and kept his interests alive in science education by associating with scholars such as Jack Easley who was at Illinois at the time. Stephen subsequently returned to Memorial University in 1980 as an Assistant Professor with the Institute for Educational Research and Development, with a cross appointment in Educational Foundations. His early published work focused mainly on critical thinking testing. He published widely in international journals and enjoyed seeing his test validation techniques adopted by such prestigious organizations as the Cambridge Examinations Syndicate. Stephen never lost track of his interest in science education, and gradually began to devote more and more of his energies to enduring interests in philosophical questions around the teaching of science. “By 1995,” he explains, “I had decided to turn away from my research on testing and to focus almost my entire efforts on researching and writing about the philosophical questions surrounding science education that deeply engaged my thinking.” His probing of these questions has led to an international reputation as a philosopher of science education and to his recent appointment as a Tier I Canada Research Chair. Becoming a Canada Research Chair has meant that Stephen has stepped down as Chair of the Department of Educational Policy Studies in order to focus on his research. He hopes the Faculty of Education and the University of Alberta will benefit from the additional resources he is now able to devote to research in the area of his CRC.
He believes there is much exciting work to be done in bringing together philosophical considerations about scientific knowledge with practical understandings about science teaching and citizens’ beliefs about science that endure long beyond their years of formal schooling. In addition to his individual research, Stephen is principal investigator for the Centre for Research in Youth, Science Teaching and Learning (CRYSTAL-Alberta) and is dedicated to collaborative work with local, national and international colleagues. For example, he does research and co-publishes with a colleague in Education on issues of scientific literacy, exploring connections between science education and reading; and he has worked with colleagues in Science, Mathematics and Engineering to explore interdisciplinary questions of scientific knowledge and reasoning. Through his close association with the Centre for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education in the Department of Secondary Education, he also maintains his lifelong connection with science teachers in the field. From his early days as a high school science teacher and science curriculum consultant in Newfoundland and Labrador to today as a Canada Research Chair in Alberta, Dr. Stephen Norris’s interest in knowing more about how and why we teach and learn science has remained a constant passion. We anticipate many exciting years of exploration, research and writing ahead. Ingrid Johnson, ’92 MEd, ’96 PhD, is the Associate Dean (Research and Graduate Studies) in the Faculty of Education.
“How do we strike the right balance between teaching students that the scientific knowledge they are taught is a reliable basis for action in the world, and teaching them to treat this knowledge with an appropriate level of scepticism?”
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Dianne
OBERG
making things a little better along the way BY JEN N I F E R B R A N C H
summer, determined to find a new career for herself – she had decided to leave teaching. But some fortuitous advice from her father (who was a school trustee) helped her accept a teaching position in her home town for a year – just to try it out. She enjoyed the year in Forestburg (where she taught in a school attended by her young cousins) and determined that teaching was indeed the career for her. She returned to the U of A that autumn and completed her BEd. She joined the staff of Edmonton Public Schools where she worked for almost 20 years, first as a classroom teacher and then, after returning to the U of A to do a diploma in teacher-librarianship under the supervision of Laurie Wiedrick and an MLS supervised by John Wright, as a teacher-librarian. For a teacher-librarian with a “passion for kids and learning,” there was no better place to be than in the school library at Queen Elizabeth High School. “At that time, Queen E had the best library program at the high school level in Edmonton Public Schools,” Dianne said in a recent conversation. In the early 1980s, Alberta was known as an international leader in the area of school libraries because of strong support for collections, staffing and programs.
“Her understanding is bone deep.” Those of us in the Department of Elementary Education are used to Dianne Oberg speaking about things being “bone deep” and this phrase aptly describes Dianne’s connections to the University of Alberta and the Faculty of Education. But we almost lost her. As an undergraduate in the second year of
her BEd program, Dianne experienced “a crisis” as a student teacher. She successfully completed her two practicum placements but was not happy with her work in schools. The classrooms where Dianne was placed were “rigid” and there was “no place for being silly and enjoying my relationships with the kids.” She returned to her hometown of Forestburg in east-central Alberta for the
In the mid-80’s, Dianne was appointed the teacher-librarian at J. Percy Page High School and was a member of the staff who opened the school. Up until this point in her career, Dianne had been very fortunate: “I was the kind of person Connie Kaldor had in mind when she sang ‘they were born on second base and thought they hit a double.’ ”At J. Percy Page, “there was incredible vision for the school but implementation was problematic.” “Perhaps the Page experience is one of the
reasons I am an incrementalist. I’m a practical person. I can see the big picture but my preference is not to change everything all at once. My basic inclination is to get the job done, making small changes along the way. I look at a situation and try to make things a little bit better.” During her second year at Page, John Wright called. The U of A needed a replacement at short notice in the area of teacher-librarianship. Dianne jumped at the chance to do a one-year secondment from Edmonton Public and almost 20 years later she is still in the Faculty of Education. She completed her PhD in 1992 in the U of A’s School of Library and Information Studies in a program co-sponsored with the Department of Educational Policy Studies. Sheila Bertram and Al MacKay were her dissertation supervisors. Her research, not surprisingly given her recent experiences at J. Percy Page, was in the area of change and implementation – a case study of a school system implementing a new school library policy. During her doctoral studies Dianne became interested in program evaluation, and has done many studies of school library programs. She is an internationally recognized researcher for her work on the role of the principal as a change agent for school library programs. Dianne is the founding editor of School Libraries Worldwide, a publication of the International Association for School Librarianship (IASL), which, after ten years, is the most important international refereed journal for school library research.
“I’m a practical person. I can see the big picture but my preference is not to change everything all at once.“ researchers working in the Edmonton area by supervising two PhD students and one EdD student in recent years. She was appointed Acting Chair of the Department of Elementary Education in the fall of 1999 and the following year was appointed Chair for a five-year term. “Being a Department Chair is like being a teacher-librarian. I have no authority. I work with people in the full breadth of specializations just as I did when I was a teacher-librarian. I appreciate the expertise of my colleagues. I see my work as helping others achieve their goals.” She recently co-wrote Focus on Inquiry: A Teacher’s Guide to Implementing Inquiry-based Learning, a support document published by Alberta Learning. It is based on her “passion for kids and for learning” and promises to
make inquiry-based learning a part of every classroom in Alberta. The first Dianne Oberg Prize in Teacher-Librarianship was given out in the fall of 2004. This is a graduate award, endowed by Dianne in perpetuity. Recipients need to give evidence of leadership potential and service to the community as well as outstanding academic performance. The award is open to part-time as well as full-time students. As a result of this award, teacher-librarians will remember Dianne and her “bone deep” commitment to school libraries and to the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta. Jennifer Branch (’00 PhD) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Elementary Education and Coordinator of the U of A’s TeacherLibrarianship by Distance Learning Program.
Dianne is a member of local, provincial, national and international school library associations. She was president of the Canadian School Library Association and continues to be an active member of IASL and the Learning Resources Council of the Alberta Teachers’ Association. “I think people trust me to get things going,” Dianne says. She is seen as a leader and mentor by many other Canadian researchers working in the area of school libraries. Dianne’s commitment to teacher-librarianship education can be seen clearly when looking at the Teacher-Librarianship by Distance Learning (TL-DL) program which she developed in the late 90’s to reach teachers working across the country and around the world. TL-DL provides diploma and MEd programs using WebCT to more than 60 students who are currently teacher-librarians or who are hoping to be teacher-librarians. She has also created a “stable” of school library
An historic event took place on June 17th. The 2005 University of Alberta Department of Elementary Education Retirees Reunion was held at the home of professor Lorene Everett Turner and her husband Art Turner. Retired professors of the Department, Jean Robertson, Bernard Schwartz and Lorene Everett Turner organized the reunion and contacted all of the many retirees residing in Alberta and afar. Former colleagues reminisced of times during their years on campus and shared observations of changes at the University since then. The 2005 reunion was a great success and will be a memorable event for all of our former colleagues and friends. Submitted by Bernard Schwartz.
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A different take on
TOUGH
Love
Joyce Pirnak in the Classroom
Joyce Pirnak, beloved wife, mother, daughter, teacher and friend passed away on August 5, 2005. This article, written several months ago, focuses on Joyce’s philosophy of teaching and the many ways she encouraged and challenged her students. We have chosen to leave the article in present tense as edited and approved by Joyce before her death. The Faculty of Education extends heartfelt condolences to Joyce’s family, as well as our deepest gratitude for sharing Joyce with us this past year.
BY dawn ford
When Joyce Pirnak’s students came to class, they were often greeted at the door with a handshake. “I always said we need a connection and when you shake my hand, you need to tell me if something is up or if this is a bad day for you and I will respect that,” says Joyce (’71 BEd). An educator for over thirty years, Joyce has taught approximately 5,000 junior and senior high school students throughout Edmonton. In the latter stages of her career when working as a consultant with Edmonton Public Schools, she learned she had Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a fatal neuromuscular disease more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Yet little steam rolls her teaching. “She’s teaching always,” says long-time friend and colleague Shirley Denkhaus. “She’s been teaching her doctors and nurses. At church she addressed a group of unwed mothers and talked about disability and pushing the boundaries that others set for you no matter what.” Pushing these boundaries was the not-so invisible thread that permeated Pirnak’s style of teaching. Lessons were often set amidst the every day life of her students. In this, they had a context and opportunity to experience themselves in different settings.
“One year I decided I’m going to do something different for career days, so I took the kids to job sites where they could see what it is really like. One time I found a contractor who was renovating at Saint Jo’s. He cooperated by taking us to a construction site where they saw all kinds of trades in action,” recalls Joyce. On a similar trip, she took the students for a tour of a large restaurant so they could meet the chefs and witness the behind-the-scenes action of a restaurant. One student could not tolerate the smell. “ ‘Now I want you to think…could you do this’?” Joyce asked. Throughout the course of her teaching, Pirnak continued to push and explore the boundaries, recalls Denkhaus who thought she had done it all until she started attending learning disability in-services given by her colleague. “I learned so much more in Joyce’s sessions,”
says Denkhaus. “She was always into multiple intelligences long before it was out there. She was creating diversified courses that became provincially recognized. She taught kids who were the hardest to teach. Oh, she is feisty.” Feistiness was a recurring theme as Pirnak’s thinking-outside-the-box strategies stirred up school room norms, occasionally annoying but more often surprising administration. “Sometimes my decisions weren’t popular like when I started advocating for kids with disabilities to have exam accommodations. I would say to other teachers, ‘okay, can we do an experiment…let me try to have this kid write his math exam in my class without time restraints and then we can compare,’” says Pirnak who remembers one such student coming out of a science exam with an 82%. Yet she is poignantly clear that she could not have done such things alone. “When I was teaching special needs, I worked with many teacher assistants. I really valued their contributions. They were such good team players in terms of working to support my efforts. Without them, I couldn’t have done it,” says Joyce. For those students ready to shrug off their lower-than-average marks, Pirnak put the responsibilities on their shoulders. “If they got a zero, I made them enter it in the books. You know what, kids don’t like getting zeros,” says Pirnak. “I would then say, ‘what else can you do here?’ I like kids to see that they have the power to change.” And change was often a sweet surprise ready to rear its head in Joyce’s classrooms. One student spent entire classes inside his hood, head down on desk, his classmates seemingly afraid of him. When asked by her colleagues why she kept him in class, she responded, “because he never misses.” “One day I said, ‘I’m just thrilled you are here.’ He slowly began to lift his head in class. Much later he told Joyce that she believed in him when he didn’t believe in himself. He said he had a girl who believed in him now and who gave him choices.” “I remember thinking distinctly that teachers need to give choices,” says Joyce. Giving students liberty to choose is an inherent part of Pirnak’s teaching philosophies. Like her cuss-counting strategy that placed ownership and responsibility back onto her students. “There was a young man who habitually included profanity in every sentence spoken, recalls Joyce who challenged him to see to
what extent he could reduce it. “I would tally and say, ‘this week you have 25 tallies.’ Next week he would have ten so I would say, ‘big improvement, can you cut it down even more.’ I could have kicked him out which he would have liked, but I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction,” says Pirnak. Likewise, students were not given the satisfaction of being locked out of class for their tardiness. “Why would I turn him away…I’m encouraging him to be absent,” says Joyce. “Some of these tough kids never earn a privilege,” she adds, recalling the time she sent a student to get a pop from the cafeteria because he came to class on time. Alongside a different take on tough love, Joyce’s students talk about the level of trust she gave them and how they felt important in her life. “Once she returned after being gone for a while. I remember she was wearing a pink sweater and sat on the desk,” recalls former student Deborah Johnston. “’I know you’ve been wondering where I’ve been,’ said Joyce. She struggled through telling us the story of her brother being trapped under a bundle of hay and killed by a fire. As a little girl, I felt she was trusting us, sharing something personal with us.” “I remember this moment vividly,” says Joyce. “The students responded with incredible support and compassion. We don’t always trust that junior high kids can handle things.” Johnston hails Joyce Pirnak as one of those teachers who leaves a lasting impact on a student’s life. “What’s remarkable is that she’s enlightened me to things I would never have considered,” says Johnston. “You never know the impact you have on people.” Of her profession, Joyce esteems teaching as most honourable. “It is really important for people to recognize and for educators and anybody in the people profession to know that what they do is very important. Never underestimate the importance of your chosen profession.” Dawn Ford (‘00 BEd) is the Manager of Communications for the Faculty of Education
The Joyce Luciak Pirnak Leadership Award Joyce’s family, friends and students have established the Joyce Luciak Pirnak Leadership Award in the Faculty of Education. The $500 award will be given annually to a promising Education student who demonstrates community involvement, self initiative, a passion for teaching and a commitment to working with diverse learners. For information on supporting this award, please contact the Faculty of Education at 492-7755 or visit the U of A website at www.giving.ualberta.ca.
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Class
Notes
Margaret Shortliffe (Aldwinckle), ‘37 BA, ‘37 Dip(Ed), retired after 28 years of teaching in Kingston, Ontario to Victoria. She has been a volunteer at the Royal BC Museum for 23 years and still goes to a Dickens Fellowship and an occasional course at the University of Victoria.
Corwin (Del) Pine, ‘41 BA, ‘42 Dip(Ed), is a published poet (three chapbooks) and has earned one international contest grand award. He is active in two Calgary writers’ groups.
Four Generations Elizabeth Mowat, ’72 BSc, ’73 Dip(Ed), ’92 MEd, notes that with the graduation of her daughter Mary Kupchenko, ’04 BA, her family now has four generations of alumnae from the University of Alberta. Elizabeth’s grandmother, Edna Oestreich (Tharp), ’19 BA, ’57 BEd, set a high standard when she attended the U of A. She was very active in student life, playing on the University’s championship women’s senior basketball team in 1917–18 and serving as literary society representative on Students’ Council in her graduation year. After many years of teaching, she returned to the University of Alberta to receive a bachelor of education. Edna’s daughter Mary Mowat (Oestreich), ’46 BA/ BEd, carried on her mother’s tradition of involvement in varsity life. Studying at the University during and after WWII, she was vice-president of the Pembina House Committee, vice-president of the co-ed club, and president of the Education Undergraduate Society. Elizabeth was proud to attend the university both her mother and grandmother had graduated from. After receiving a BSc and an after-degree in Education, she taught for Edmonton Public Schools. Her sister, Catherine Mowat, ’73 BSc, also carried on the family’s association with the U of A.
Dr Anne McNabb, ’60 BEd, ’61 BSc, of Blacksburg, Virginia, has recently been appointed Associate Dean of the College of Science at Virginia Tech. As Associate Dean, McNabb will assist with the Transformative Graduate Education initiative and coordinate interdisciplinary programs, as well as work with the GTA Workshop, which helps prepare graduate teaching assistants for their instructional role in the university.
Allan Lefever, ‘67 BEd, ‘71 LLB, has been named as the new Assistant Chief Judge of the Provincial Court of Alberta for Edmonton Criminal effective November 2004. Judge Lefever was appointed to the Provincial Court in 2000. Prior to his appointment, he was a partner with Reynolds, Mirth, Richards & Farmer in Edmonton.
Katherine Gibson (Peggy Evans), ‘73 BEd, has moved from teaching to become an author and freelance writer. Her recent book, Unclutter Your Life: Transforming Your Physical, Mental and Emotional Space (Beyond Words Publishing, 2004) is a national bestseller. Katherine now travels North America giving keynote addresses and workshops on how to unclutter our lives. “The skills I used as a teacher are what I rely on to engage and inform my audiences.”
Edward (Ted) Harrison, ’77 BEd, known
recently appointed to the Board of Directors for the Human Resources Institute of Alberta.
for his colourful depictions of the land and people of the Yukon, received an Honorary Doctor of Laws on June 9, 2005 from the University of Alberta. His artwork is found in numerous private and public collections throughout the world, and he is also an internationally recognized author and illustrator of children’s books. In 1987 Harrison was awarded the Order of Canada for his contributions to Canadian culture. In 2002, Harrison was the recipient of the U of A’s Distinguished Alumni Award.
Gwendolyn Ebbett, ’74 BLS, has recently
Leslie Ayre-Jaschke, ’77 BEd, ’04 MSc, of
been re-appointed the University Librarian at the University of Windsor.
Peace River, taught for two years after graduating, then had two sons, and stayed home with them for many years. “I found that classroom teaching (junior and senior high) did not suit me, so I never returned. However, I have always appreciated the degree and the doors that it opened. I’ve been engaged in education activities over the past nearly 30 years by home schooling my sons, and doing a great deal of adult education and public speaking in a range of areas, primarily breastfeeding and parenting. Adult education has become more of a focus, particularly as the importance of using appropriate adult education principles and methods with parents-to-be became apparent through my thesis work. It looks like I’ve come almost full circle, since next fall I will be the instructor for a health education course for Northern Lakes College.”
Ed Kamps, ‘73 BA, ‘74 Dip(Ed), was
Beverly Kula, ’75 BEd, ’83 MEd, is a recipient of the 2005 William Hardy Alexander Award recognizing excellence in teaching. Beverly is a sessional instructor in Elementary Education (Mathematics) in the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta.
Anne Reiser (Riley), ‘76 BEd, ‘84 BA writes “even though I loved teaching school – I did retire from the Red Deer City School system – I am still living in my home near Sylvan Lake. The scenery around my home is beautiful. I stay busy with travelling during the year and tending flowers in summer.”
Dr Lorraine Wilgosh, ‘79 BEd, and Janine Odishaw, ‘95 BEd, ‘01 MEd, received conjunctive honours when the Special Education Council of the Alberta Teachers’ Association renamed the Special Education Academic Award the Lorraine Wilgosh Academic Award. The award is a tribute to Dr Lorraine Wilgosh’s significant research contributions to special education and teacher preparation. Janine Odishaw was selected as the first recipient of the award.
Jan Paulovich, ‘96 BEd, of Grande Prairie, is
Jodie Pack, ’01 BEd, is currently substitute
still teaching at Alexander Forbes School. “This is my sixth year there. I started off teaching grades 1 - 6 classroom music, phys-ed, and grade 7 - 9 choir. This is my second year of teaching grade 3 and I am still teaching grade 7 - 9 choir.”
teaching for the Edmonton Public School Board, and is expecting her second child. Before going on maternity leave with her first child, she was teaching at Westlawn Junior High School.
Jay Archibald, ’04 BEd, has recently accepted a position to teach high school English in Kuwait.
Victoria Alumni Spring Brunch
Dr Somchai Chuchat, ’85 PhD, has recently been appointed Dean of Education at Srinakharinwirot University in Thailand. Dr Chuchat completed his PhD in mathematics education in 1984 under the supervision of Dr Sol Sigurdson.
Dr Sook Hur, ’86 PhD, has recently been appointed President of Gyeong-In National University of Education in Korea for a term of four years. Dr Hur is an alumnus of Secondary Education, completing his PhD in 1986 under the supervision of Dr Aoki.
Donna Kassian, ’86 BEd, of Saskatoon, says she’s employed by the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology (SIAST) where she teaches classes in Communication Arts. She has been living in Saskatoon for the past 10 years and has two daughters.
Over one hundred U of A alumni, of which almost half were from the Faculty of Education, attended the 2005 Annual Spring Brunch in Victoria held at the elegant Empress Hotel this past April. Dean Snart spoke about the recent advancements on campus and hinted at some exciting new developments on the horizon. It was a great time of sharing memories, and catching up with old friends.
Michelle Collin, ’89 BEd, has been teaching for six years in Taiwan at a missionary school called Morrison Academy. A year and a half ago she helped set up a branch campus. Now she is continuing fulltime Mandarin language study. “I am a fulltime missionary with OMF International reaching to the working class of Taiwan. Although I am not teaching anymore I still use the skills that I have learned in many other ways. For example, I am still applying the story telling methods as I tell Bible stories in Mandarin.”
Rick Neidig, ’91 BEd, of High Prairie, became president and chief executive officer of Northern Lakes College on September 1, 2005. Neidig has served in a senior management capacity at the College for the past 17 years including two years as vice-president academic and three years as vice-president, college services.
Vancouver Alumni Spring Brunch In April of this year almost fifty Faculty of Education alumni and a large contingent of other U of A alumni gathered at the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club for the Vancouver Alumni Annual Spring Brunch. Guest speaker Dean Snart provided an update of the new happenings on campus and shared the U of A’s vision of future developments. Everyone had an enjoyable time of mingling with friends and sharing memories.
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Informing the
Dr. Mark Gierl, Canada Research Chair
SAT
BY dawn ford
When Dr. Mark Gierl (’93 MEd) was invited by the College Board in New York to help develop a diagnostic component for the new SAT, he welcomed the opportunity to inform an area of educational measurement that he feels is crucial to helping students prepare for post-secondary studies. A Canada Research Chair in Educational Measurement and Associate Professor in Educational Psychology’s Centre for Research in Applied Measurement and Evaluation (CRAME), Gierl is interested in what he believes is an important connection between cognitive psychology and educational measurement. “I was always interested in the interface between cognition and assessment, that is, the interface between what people are thinking and what we can extract from their responses to test items,” says Gierl. While cognitive psychology is concerned with how people think and solve problems, research in educational measurement is associated with procedures designed to make inferences about what students think and know from their answers to educational test items. Gierl believes that most educational measurement models used in the past have failed to identify the cognitive processes needed to solve test items, largely because these models are based on simplistic assumptions about the psychology of test performance. This, in turn, has negative and often long-term implications for students. “In the past, tests have yielded information that has caused students to judge themselves narrowly; telling you what you are bad at instead of how you can improve,” says Gierl. “I like the idea of taking a total test score, liberating this score into a series of cognitively-based subtest scores, and then using
these subtest scores to inform students about their strengths and weaknesses in a variety of areas measured by the test.” This is precisely what the College Board is exploring for the new SAT. “The College Board is trying to help students make better decisions about what they should do at the end of high school by providing more information about what they are good at and maybe not so good at,” says Gierl.
With the recent addition of Drs. Gierl and Norris, the Faculty of Education has four researchers who hold Canada Research Chairs. • Brent Davis, Professor in Secondary Education, Canada Research Chair in Mathematics Education and Ecology of Learning • Mark Gierl, Associate Professor in Educational Psychology, Canada Research Chair in Educational Measurement
“I like the idea of taking a total test score, liberating this score into a series of cognitively-based subtest scores, and then using these subtest scores to inform students about their strengths and weaknesses in a variety of areas measured by the test.” Along with his colleagues, Drs. Jacqueline Leighton and W. Todd Rogers in CRAME and a team of researchers in New York and North Carolina, Gierl is working on a three-year study that bridges his ongoing research into the cognitive basis of gender differences with his study of diagnostic testing. Paramount to his work is his relationship with his graduate students for whom he holds both high expectations and high regard. “Since beginning at the University of Alberta in 1997, I have encouraged my students to pursue their own research interests under the umbrella of my research program,” says Gierl. “I expect my students to work hard on their studies in order to present high quality research at conferences and in research publications.”
• Judy Lupart, Professor in Educational Psychology, Canada Research Chair in Special Education • Stephen Norris, Professor in Educational Policy Studies, Canada Research Chair in Scientific Literacy and the Public Understanding of Science Heralded as the most ambitious initiative of its kind in the world, the Canada Research Chair program was first launched by the Government of Canada in 2000 to promote leading-edge research and innovation in universities, research hospitals and the private sector. By the end of 2005, the value provided to the University of Alberta for Research Chairs is estimated at $134 million. Another 40-45 Research Chairs are expected over the next year and a half.
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Fort McKay Literacy Program a win-win BY D awn F ord & Michele shea When Delaina Haakonson (‘05 BEd) went to Fort McKay for her field experience, she hoped that nine weeks of teaching in the north would tell her where she really needed to be. Assigned to teach junior high language arts and assist in the reading recovery program at Fort McKay School, Haakonson learned quickly that as a student teacher and newcomer in a remote and diverse learning community, she had to find a way in quickly. “The first week the students were testing me to see how interested I was in being there…I think they were making sure that I was there for the right reasons,” says Delaina. “The students were very protective of each other and I got the feeling that they were trying to convey to me that they just don’t let anyone in here.” Although her first week included one student flipping her desk over in a burst of upset, Delaina managed to gain the trust that is so crucial between teacher and student. “This student was one of those kids who really got to me, and there was some sort of silent connection between us. She would come up to me and say, ‘I need a hug.’ She really opened up to me and confided a lot of things.” Like Delaina, Lizabeth Ross (’05 BEd) also went to Fort McKay for her final round of student teaching. Although admitting the stress and hard work that every student teacher feels along with the imminent loneliness of living in a community far from your own, she says her student teaching was more than she could ever have imaged.
Michelle Guitard (mentoring teacher), Lizabeth Ross (student teacher), Rod Hyde (Principal), Fort McKay School “One of the proudest moments was when I was working with a special education child. When we started, he could only tell you two of the 36 sounds of the alphabet. But by the end of our sessions, he was up to 22 sounds. I was so thrilled. If you told him the sound of the word, he could start to put it down on paper. Working with him was just amazing.” A vision initiated by Syncrude Canada Limited together with colleagues at the Faculty of Education and Fort McKay School, the Fort McKay Literacy Project addresses a critical need to increase the focus on school literacy
and early childhood education programs at Fort McKay School. Delaina and Lizabeth were able to participate in this unique student-teaching experience thanks to a gift from Syncrude Canada to the Faculty of Education which includes housing and transportation costs for a select number of student teachers interested in completing their field experience at Fort McKay School. Approximately 500 km north of Edmonton, Fort McKay has a population of about 350 people, most of whom are Aboriginal. Rod Hyde, Principal of Fort McKay School and at the visioning table from the onset of the program, says the exchange has been a real positive experience. “Some people say we the administration are doing student teachers a favour…I say no, you are doing us a favour.”
Education Alumni Scholarship Update: Melissa Ennis Says Thanks By S ean M owat As I was waiting for Melissa Ennis (’04 BEd/BPE), the first recipient of the Faculty of Education’s new Education Alumni Scholarship, to arrive for our interview, I imagined she would be relieved that it was summer and glad she had her first year of teaching under her belt. I expected that she would tell me how overwhelming it was managing a classroom of students, fulfilling all the extra curricular activities expected of teachers, and spending all those nights preparing lesson plans and marking assignments. My imagination obviously had the best of me that day; Melissa did not once mention the hardships, the student problems, or the extensive workload. Instead, she talked about her students and how much she enjoyed them and how proud she was of them. She shared a story about a young boy in her grade five class at École Corinthia Park School in Leduc, Alberta who participated in a long jump event by removing his prosthetics and running and jumping using only his residual limbs while the rest of the class enthusiastically cheered him on. The emotion with which Melissa relayed this story exemplifies how much she admires this boy’s spirit, and how proud she is of her class for recognizing the athletic feat as exceptional and for giving their classmate his well deserved accolades. During the interview, I quickly discovered why Melissa fared so well in her first year of teaching; not only does she possess the passion and charisma conducive to teaching, but she has also been working with student aged children since she was seventeen. While attending the University of Alberta, Melissa worked and volunteered teaching children with physical and cognitive delays, tutored students, coached sports teams and led day camps. Melissa says, “The experience was invaluable; I was able to apply what I learned in university and it really helped, especially with classroom management.” She adds, “I chose jobs and volunteer positions that allowed me to work with children and it made me a better teacher in the process. Other jobs may have paid better, but they wouldn’t have been as satisfying or rewarding.”
The penchant Melissa has for teaching is expressed in the stories she tells of her experiences while working with the Child Physical Activity & Study Program and the YMCA Youth Leisure Program: about the physically delayed child who learned to run up a hill that he could only crawl up before; and of the autistic teen who would sit by himself, but eventually went for walks with the group and played pass with a basketball; she expresses such pride and triumph in their success that it is obvious she has the heart of a teacher. Melissa proudly showed me some of the expressions of fondness and gratitude her students adorned her with in the forms of notes, pictures and other works. She cherishes these mementos, and it is very apparent that the relationships she develops with her students are very important to her. Melissa says, “I make it a priority to establish relationships of mutual respect and trust with my students, because I know that it is the key to a positive and productive learning environment and essential for discovering what my students need to succeed.” It was becoming readily obvious to me why Melissa was chosen as the inaugural recipient
of the Education Alumni Scholarship. This scholarship was established in 2004 to recognize Education students who are academically strong and who show excellence in, and an ongoing commitment to working with young people in either paid or volunteer positions such as coaching, youth groups, tutoring and mentoring. Thanks to the generosity of Education alumni world wide, this fund has grown to more than $50,000, and the interest from this endowment will fund a scholarship in perpetuity. When asked about how she felt about receiving the $1,500 award Melissa says, “The financial support provided by the Education Alumni Scholarship made it easier for me to work at jobs that gave me experience and allowed me to make a difference in children’s lives.” She adds, “I am honoured and very grateful to be the first recipient of this award, and I want to say thank you to all the Education Alumni who donated to this scholarship. It really made a difference.” Sean Mowat (’95 BEd) is the Alumni Relations Officer for the Faculty of Education
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Edmond & Anna Harder: Their hope for the world BY Michele shea
A few months ago after reading a recent edition of The Orange, alumnae Anna Harder (‘64 BEd) called me to share her surprise that although Education students comprise about 20% of the U of A student body, less than 3% of scholarships and bursaries are available for them. When Anna asked me why there were not more awards for Education students, I mentioned that the Faculty of Education has placed a high priority on increasing the number of awards in response to this surprising statistic. No sooner had I spoken these words when she said, “Well, I’d like to help with that”. The end result was a substantial donation from the Harders to create the Anna and Edmond Harder Bursary in Education, which will be open to any Education student in financial need. “We wanted to support a bursary rather than a scholarship”, says Anna, “because we wanted to help someone who might be experiencing financial hardship.” Edmond points out, “We grew up in the dirty thirties and we both had to struggle for our education.” Edmond and Anna say that today their greatest source of education is through travel, and travel is something they have become very accustomed to over the past 50+ years. Edmond joined the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II in 1942 and, having a penchant for things mechanical, chose aircraft maintenance as his field. After three years of wartime service, Edmond was offered and accepted a peacetime military career. In total, he served 30-1/2 years, retiring with the rank of Warrant Officer in 1973. He says, “ I served across Canada and in the Arctic, in England with NATO forces, in India and Pakistan with the United Nations, which all added to an educational and satisfying career.”
Anna began her studies in the Faculty of Education in 1946. Two years later, she was teaching grade one students at Mill Creek Elementary School. After four years of teaching grade one and four, she left her teaching post, and she and Ed were married in North Luffenham, England. While in England, she taught in two village schools, in one as a Headmistress for a brief time. It was while living in England that Edmond was given notice about an impending transfer to France. Edmond says, “I wasn’t too keen at the thought of moving to France, but I accepted it as part of my job. Funny thing is, just before the transfer was to take place, I was notified that the transfer had been canceled. Sometime later I was told that my transfer had been canceled because the school didn’t want to see Anna leave – I guess it didn’t hurt that the daughter of my commanding officer was in Anna’s class”. The Harders left England in 1954 and their travels continued, bringing them to
Claresholm, AB; Comox, BC; Trenton, Ont; and finally Edmonton. Upon Edmond’s retirement, Anna taught for 15 years at Sir Alexander Mackenzie School in St. Albert. She retired in 1987 after 25 years of successful teaching in all the elementary grades, as well as some French, in the latter years. When asked what prompted their gift to help Education students, Ed responded, “We know that today students are still struggling and we wanted to help alleviate some of the hardships that they face. Education has always been a high priority for us and so we are very pleased to know that we will be helping the teachers of tomorrow for years to come.” Anna echoes Edmond’s sentiments and says, “ We are people of modest means and it makes us feel good to know we are helping those in need finish their education. After all, education is the hope of the world.” Michele Shea is the Director of External Relations for the Faculty of Education
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Did you know?
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The Faculty of Education is home to some of the most helpful professional development opportunities, classroom-ready materials and community outreach initiatives in the province: •
Centre for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education www.ioncmaste.ca/homepage/index.html
•
Centre for Research on Literacy www.nald.ca/crl.htm
•
Coutts Education Library www.library.ualberta.ca/subject/education/index.cfm
•
Edmonton Regional Learning Consortium www.erlc.ualberta.ca
•
Faculty of Education special presentations, lectures, workshops www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/education/events.cfm
•
Reading and Language Centre www.literacy.ualberta.ca
There are many helpful tools and materials available to you as Alumni of the Faculty of Education. Visit these links to learn more, or call the Office of External Relations at 780-492-7755 to plan a personal visit or ask questions.
Where are you now?
THE ORANGE is the Faculty of Education’s alumni magazine. Published twice a year by the Faculty’s Office of External Relations, The students and staff.
What’s new? What are you doing? Share your news with us, and we will include the updates in the next Orange!
Dean of Education
Please print this page and either mail or fax it to us or send the information by email to education.alumni@ualberta.ca. Looking forward to hearing from you!
Orange is distributed to alumni, friends, faculty,
Fern Snart Director of External Relations/Editor
Michele Shea Associate Editor
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Richard Siemens, Creative Services Jennifer Branch, Dawn Ford, Ingrid Johnson, Gordon McIntosh, Sean Mowat, Michele Shea Contact Information
Office of External Relations Faculty of Education University of Alberta 4-107 Education North Edmonton, Alberta CANADA T6G 2G5 Tel: (780) 492-7755 Fax: (780) 492-0155 E-mail: education.alumni@ualberta.ca The Orange: http://www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/orange/
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Please send your donation to: Office of the Dean, Faculty of Education, University of Alberta, 845 Education South Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2G5 Tel: 780-492-7755 Fax: 780-492-0155 Endowment: Generally refers to donations made to the University on the understanding that the capital or principal amount of the donation (the “contribution”) will be invested in perpetuity with the investment earnings used to advance specified educational purposes of the University. The original capital remains intact. The personal information requested on this form is collected under the authority of Section 33 (c) of the Alberta “Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act” for the purposes of updating and maintaining donor/alumni records. Questions concerning the collection, use or disposal of this information should be directed to: Manager, Prospect Research, Advancement Services, 6-41 GSB, University of Alberta, Canada T6G 2H1 THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY! EDO
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