What does it really take to support teacher candidates in the classroom? In this episode of Popular Pedagogy, Dr. Amy Burns—Dean of the Faculty of Education at Queen’s University—shares insights from her decades as a K–12 educator and leader in teacher preparation. From building reflective spaces to turning challenges into learning opportunities, this conversation highlights how associate teachers can make practicum experiences transformative for both mentors and future educators. 

 In this episode of Popular Podagogy, host Chris Carlton has a conversation with Dr. Amy Burns, Dean of the Faculty of Education at Queen’s University. Together, they explore how teacher candidates can thrive during their practicum by taking care of themselves, adopting a learning mindset, and building meaningful relationships with mentors and students. Dr. Burns shares practical strategies for navigating challenges, seeking feedback, and getting involved beyond the classroom—all while reminding future teachers to “engage with the joy” in the experience. 

In this fun and inspiring episode of Popular Podagogy, Jocelyn Greene shares how theatre and improv can supercharge student learning and bring joy to the classroom! From building confidence to boosting academic skills through playful storytelling, she shows how every subject—even math—can come alive with imagination. Whether you're taping out maps on the floor or riding a “magical elevator” through biomes, Jocelyn makes a strong case that learning through play is powerful, memorable, and seriously fun! 

Resources: 

• Child's Play in Action - Blog and Resources for Educators
• Edutopia articles written by Jocelyn 
• Child's Play NY Professional Development Videos
• Child's Play NY Website

About Joceyln Greene: Jocelyn Greene is the proud Founder and Executive Director of Child’s Play NY. She has been teaching and directing since 1998. Before founding Child’s Play NY, she taught at Oddfellows Playhouse in Connecticut, Will Power to Youth in Los Angeles and Epic Theater Ensemble in New York. Jocelyn is a member of Actors Equity Association and has performed at The Public Theatre, Ensemble Studio Theatre and New York Theatre Workshop among others. She holds an MFA in Acting from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and a BA in English and Spanish Literature from Wesleyan University. With Child’s Play NY she has taught in scores of top-tier New York schools, spearheading their after-school and summer arts programing. She has designed residencies for schools from South Brooklyn to the Hudson River Valley. She loves directing Shakespeare with teens and re-inventing fairytales with 4-year-olds. With Child’s Play in Action she turns her curriculum into video-tutorials for parents and educators. Check out a Q + A with her here, and listen to her interview on Women Killing It.

Join host Chris Carlton and Dr. Ian Matheson as they dive into an exciting primary school-wide environmental project. Discover how researchers, teacher candidates, primary students, and community partners came together to create vermicomposting systems that transformed classroom learning and connected to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. From hands-on worm bins to a red-carpet film premiere, this episode showcases the power of collaboration, innovation, and student engagement in environmental education. Don’t miss this inspiring conversation on how small actions in the classroom can lead to big global change! 

Resources: 

• Winston Churchill Public School Vermicomposting School Wide Project Video

Learn More about UN SDG 11:

• To get to know Global Goal 11 and its targets, visit Global Goals.
• Watch a short clip ‘Understand Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities’ from Participate - a free community-learning platform that combines best parts of social media and online learning.
• Watch United 4 Social Change video ‘Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities - SDG Series.’

Learn about processing organic wastes using earthworms:

• Learn the specifics of vermicomposting.
• Example of a poster [PDF 401 KB] from the collection produced by BEd students that includes books available for all within the Faculty of Education - each book has to do in some way with vermicomposting and/or soil health.

Take action:

• Start your own vermicompost, visit The Box of Life.

Learn more about all 17 UN SDGs on the UN’s Student Resources page and what you can do to get involved.

Laura Mozhu Li, an MEd student at the Faculty of Education, talks about her research on Chinese newcomer youth and their experiences with racism in Canada. Laura, a 1.5 generation Chinese-Canadian, shares how her own immigration and schooling experiences influenced her research, along with some helpful tips on fostering inclusive classrooms. 

Laura Mozhu Liis a 1.5 generation Chinese-Canadian woman who came to Canada with her parents at the age of 8. Currently a MEd student at Queen's, her research stems from her own identity and struggles in the Ontario school system and takes on a social justice approach in unraveling the immigration and schooling experiences of Chinese newcomer youth. Laura’s background and immigration experiences fuel her passion for languages and culture, and, combined with her love of teaching, they motivated her to become a secondary French and English teacher.

Dr. Pamela Beach, Associate Professor of Language and Literacy, joins us for a wide-scoping discussion about literacy. Listen to learn about multi-literacies, early literacies, the differences between learning languages, how to help with literacy learning in your classroom - and so much more!

Pamela's book, Promoting Language and Early Literacy Development: Practical Insights from a Parent Researcher is available now!


Pamela Beach is currently the Associate Dean, Research at the Faculty of Education and an Associate Professor in Language and Literacy at the Faculty of Education, Queen’s University. Pamela completed her MA in Child Study and Education at the Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study, University of Toronto and her PhD in Developmental Psychology and Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto.

Pamela has a decade of elementary classroom experience, teaching a range of grades and subject areas from junior kindergarten to seventh grade. Her background as an elementary teacher has influenced her research which centres on the dissemination of research-informed literacy practices. Pamela’s work explores how online and multimedia resources can be used in teacher education and professional development. Pamela uses web analytics, screen-capture technology, the virtual revisit think aloud, and eye-tracking technology to study teacher cognition and learning. 

Queen's Master of Education student Kyle Raymond joins us to talk about how and why video games should be part of the classroom. Kyle provides practical tips on logistics and ways to make it work with limited resources as well as ideas on how to integrate video games into lessons. 

Kyle Raymond is a passionate educator pursuing a Master of Education (MEd) at Queen's University, working with Dr. Claire Ahn. He is working on his thesis titled, “Flowering Narratives: The Integration of Video Games in ELA Classrooms to Cultivate Learning about Environmentalism." He also holds a Bachelor of Education (BEd) from Queen's. In addition to his academic pursuits, Kyle has been a music instructor, teaching guitar, and has served as a remote teacher and tutor for the past few years.

Kyle's research focuses on the video game Flower.

Recent Master of Education Graduate Tristan Lewis joins Chris Carlton this month to talk about his MEd project - A Month of Queer Thriving: 20 ways to queer your classroom. Enjoy this conversation full of helpful and easy to implement ideas about ways to queer your classroom. 

Make sure to check out Tristan's resource, A Month of Queer Thriving: 20 ways to queer your classroom which is designed to take some of the guesswork out of finding innovative ways of engaging students while employing queer and trans pedagogical practices. He hopes you'll use it to foster queer thriving via your teaching practice in concrete, practical, but perhaps unexpected ways. 

Tristan Lewis is a queer high school teacher in Ontario. His teachable subjects are English, Drama, and History. As a new teacher, he had trouble being bold enough to work against what's 'expected' of teachers. 

Did you know that accommodations from high school don't automatically transfer to University? Or that the goal of accommodations for students changes once you get to University? Alan Jeans, Manager of Queen's Student Accessibility Services and current PhD student at the Faculty of Education joins host Chris Carlton to discuss the transition from K-12 to University for students with accommodations.

• Find out more about Queen's Student Accessibility Services (QSAS). 
• The QSAS Intake Guide walks incoming students through every step of the intake process. 

Alan Jeans is a disability advocate who has worked in disability communities in Canada from coast to coast – from St. John’s, Newfoundland to Vancouver, British Columbia with stops in between. Currently, Alan manages Queen’s Student Accessibility Services (QSAS) at Queen’s University. In addition to managing QSAS, Alan is also a PhD student in the Faculty of Education at Queen’s University. His research takes a critical disabilities approach to exploring the shifting intersectional landscape between disability and masculinity over generations. Having Tourette Syndrome himself, Alan identifies with a neurodiverse experience and is a proponent of the belief that strength arises from, not in spite of disability.

Dr. Nikhil Arora (Physics) and Dr. Nenad Radakovic (Education) join host Chris Carlton to discuss the 2024 total solar eclipse. Listen to find out more about the solar eclipse, what to talk about in your classroom, and more!

Resources: 

• Queen's 2024 Total Solar Eclipse