In Conversation with Stephen Hurley

Dr. Brent Davis is Professor of Mathematics Education at the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary. He also leads the research team at Math Minds, a "professional community dedicated to the effective teaching of K-12 mathematics".

We use Dr. Davis' work on mathematics education, complexity and curriculum design to discuss the current reform efforts in the province of Alberta. In particular, we focus on the importance of ensuring that what current research tells us is reflected in the way we think about curriculum, teaching approaches and resources.

Find out more about Math Minds at https://structuringinquiry.com

Dr. Rahat Zaidi is Professor and Chair of Language and Literacy at the University of Calgary’s Werklund School of Education. It is a role that has given her the opportunity to be an international mentor and visionary among her professional colleagues and her students.

Dr. Zaidi is the recipient of the 2020 Calgary Award for Community Achievement in the area of Education. In this conversation we talk with Dr. Zaidi about her current research, but also the research that she dreams of conducting. We talk about coming to family engagement through an asset lens, the power of storytelling and how building trust is so important in all of this work.

Find out more about Dr. Zaidi and other award recipients at https://ucalgary.ca/news/2020-calgary-awards-honour-extraordinary-calgarians

A great deal has been written in the days following the passing of former Ontario Premier, William Grenville Davis. And I can only imagine even more has been said around kitchen tables, summer campfires and Zoom meetings around the province. It’s hard to imagine what more can be added to the story of a man who shepherded the province of Ontario through times of great growth and modernization as well as times of increased political tension and financial restraint.

Well, hard to imagine unless you’re Steve Paikin or Charles Pascal.

Steve Paikin is the highly respected host of TVO’s flagship public affairs program, The Agenda and, among many other things, the author of "Bill Davis: Nation Builder, and Not So Bland After All".

Charles Pascal is professor of applied psychology and human development at OISE/UT. He has a great deal of expertise in early and higher education, public policy and leadership development and he’s not shy about sharing that expertise. His most recent book is "Leading From The Inside Out: Hard-Earned Lessons from Education, Government and ... Baseball".

Steve and Charles have been sharing a lot of stories about Mr. Davis over the past few days. They’ve been good enough to join us today to allow us to listen in on some of that remembering.

Stuart Miller has been serving the Halton District School Board for the 37 years. Stuart began as a secondary school teacher in 1984 and, as time went on, moved into more formal leadership roles: department head, school administrator, superintendent and, currently, Director of the Halton District School Board.

In July, 2021, Stuart Miller retires from his current role and we took the opportunity to sit down and look back on a career in education. Some great advice for new teachers, for new leaders and for anyone who wishes to make a difference in the profession.

William Deresiewicz returns to In Conversation to speak about "Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life". We talk about the narrative that college is something that young people just "need to do", the importance of a humanities education and the courage that it will take to challenge our current meritocratic approach to college and university admissions.

We're speaking across national borders on some of these issues, but there is plenty that should resonate with Canadian listeners. As with our conversation about "THE DEATH OF THE ARTIST
How Creators Are Struggling to Survive in the Age of Billionaires and Big Tech", Bill has given us plenty with which to build a bigger conversation.

Find out more about Bill's work at https://billderesiewicz.com/

Today, a conversation about Natural Curiosity—the organization and the book. Haley Higdon is the Program Director at Natural Curiosity and Doug Anderson is co-author of the second edition of the book: "Natural Curiosity 2nd Edition: A Resource for Educators: Considering Indigenous Perspectives in Children's Environmental Inquiry"

In today's conversation, we explore the pedagogical principles underlying Natural Curiosity and what it means to bring an Indigenous lens to this work.

For more information, visit https://naturalcuriosity.ca

What could be so contentious about a draft Physical Health and Wellness Curriculum? Well, our guests today on In Conversation point to many issues with the proposed curriculum changes in the province of Alberta. In fact, Shelly Russell-Mayhew and her team at the Body Image Lab, University of Calgary, have taken their concerns to Alberta parents in an open letter that outlines their concerns with the way that the draft curriculum seems to ignore concerns around body image, weight bias and a rather dichotomous view of food choices.

Dr. Shelly Russell-Mayhew is a Professor in the Werklund School of Education and Director of the Body Image Lab at the University of Calgary.

Lisa Taylor: Physical Education and PhD student at Werklund School of Education; member of the team in the Body Image Lab

Dr. Maxine Myre is a Post-Doc Scholar in the Body Image Lab. Maxine's current research focuses on the implementation and impact of weight-neutral health promotion.

For a copy of "An Open Letter to all Alberta Parents of School-Aged Children - Kindergarten to Grade 6 Curriculum" visit https://werklund.ucalgary.ca/research/body-image-lab/open-letter-all-alberta-parents-school-aged-children

Dr. Ann Lopez is a professor in the Department of Leadership, Higher and Adult Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto (OISE/UT). She also holds the position of Director for the Centre for Leadership and Diversity.

In this conversation, we explore Ann's early life and the influences that had an impact on her work as a young student, an educator, administrator and, now, a scholar in the area of equity, decolonization, and antiracist education.

Follow Dr. Ann Lopez on Twitter: @DrAnnLopez
Find out more about Dr. Lopez' academic work: https://www.oise.utoronto.ca/lhae/Faculty/17641/Ann_Lopez.html

Amazon Future Engineer is a childhood-to-career program aimed at inspiring and educating students from underrepresented and underserved communities to discover computer science and coding.

Here in Canada, a unique partnership between AFE, Fairchance Learning and ECOO is capturing the imaginations of both educators and students,

Today we are joined by a panel to offer several perspective on the program and the partnership:

Lynn Thomas: ECOO, President, Secondary School English Teacher
Susan Ibach:Head of Amazon Future Engineer, Canada
Martha Jez: CEO, Fair Chance Learning
Bushra Ul Hack, Director of Learning Productions, Fair Chance Learning
Chris Tucker : OCTE / SHSM Program, Curriculum Consultant YRDSB; Chair Council for Technological Education

Find out more about the Amazon Future Engineer program:

English: https://ecoo.org/blog/2021/05/04/ecoo-fcl-amazon-future-engineer-virtual-field-trip-event/
French: https://ecoo.org/blog/2021/05/04/fcl-afe-ecoo-projet-de-voyage-virtuel-sur-le-terraine/

Margaret Whitley is a teacher, a teacher trainer, a consultant and a writer who has experienced and lived Montessori for more than 50 years. Margaret pushes the boundaries of education and works to create awareness of the contribution Montessori can make to educate children for the 21st century.

Find out more about Margaret, her passion and her work at https://margaretwhitley.com/