In this episode of Popular Podagogy, host Chris Carlton dives into the complex world of sex education with Dr. Jacob DesRochers, an expert in sex education. They explore how educators can thoughtfully address sexual health, identity, and religious diversity in classrooms. This conversation offers insights on how teachers can create safe, inclusive spaces for students to make sense of their experiences while bridging the gap between school curriculum and diverse home values. 

• Let's Talk about Sex (and Faith): Teaching about sexuality and health across religious and political lines Jacob's 2019 article in EdCan

Jacob DesRochers (he/him), PhD is a researcher and educator focusing on the complex interplay between sexuality, gender, culture, and religion in education, particularly within K-12 settings. He is the Research Associate with the Queen’s-Weeneebayko Health Education Program in Queen’s Health Sciences, where his work supports community-grounded approaches to Indigenous health education and curriculum design. His doctoral research, supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, examined how K-12 sexuality education curricula can intentionally engage religious diversity despite often seeking distance from religion. Jacob’s broader scholarship critically explores the political and moral panics shaping public debates and policies surrounding human rights protections, discrimination, and educational inclusion.

Jacob was the lead research assistant on Dr. Lee Airton’s project “Gender Expression” under Construction: How School Boards are Shaping Ontario’s Newest Human Rights Category (2018–2020) and later supported the launch of Gegi.ca, the first bilingual platform designed to help students and teachers in Ontario address discrimination based on gender identity and expression. Jacob collaborates with organizations, universities, and student groups to develop policies and educational initiatives that address gender and sexual violence prevention through trauma-informed and justice-oriented frameworks. He also serves on research ethics boards for Queen’s University and Canadian Blood Services. His scholarly commitments center on community-engaged research that interrogates how systems of power shape educational policy, practice, and everyday experience.

 In this episode of Popular Podagogy, host Chris Carlton speaks with Dr. Jacqui Getfield about what student success really means and how educators can create truly optimized classroom conditions. Drawing on critical race theory and lived experience, Dr. Getfield emphasizes the power of intentional collaboration between home and school, especially for Black, Indigenous, and disabled students. 

Read Jacqui's article in The Knowledge Forum, "Black Students in Special Education: Contradiction or Conundrum?"

Jacqui Getfield, PhD is founder of a grassroots organization, Mothers United in Mediating Mutual Alliances (MUMMA). Her research focuses on race and disability within family engagement in home-institution partnerships. Her PhD dissertation is titled, “Prescriptive Partnerships: Black Mothers of Disabled Children and Educators in Ontario’s Public School System.” Dr. Getfield theorizes and analyzes through the lens of critical race theory. An adjunct faculty member at York University, she has delivered online public lectures and keynote speeches at universities in Canada and the USA. A diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and belonging (DEIAB) consultant, Dr. Getfield has facilitated DEIAB workshops at charities, non-profit organizations, churches, etc. Dr. Getfield has 25 years of professional experience in education, health, research, and corporate communications in Canada. Currently, she is project manager of the Caribbean African Regenerative Medicine (CARM) project. She is a volunteer board member of the North York Senior Centre (NYSC) and the Black Legal Action Centre (BLAC).

 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 episode of Popular Podagogy, host Chris Carlton chats with Dr. Sandy Youmans about why early math really matters—and how we can help kids stop “hating math” and start feeling confident with numbers. From foundational numeracy skills to mixing direct instruction with playful, real-world learning, Sandy breaks down what strong early math teaching actually looks like in Canadian classrooms. With a parent perspective (and some great at-home math ideas) thrown into the mix, this conversation makes a compelling case for building math confidence early—because it turns out kids don’t hate math, they hate feeling bad at it. 

Resources

• AIM Collective (Assessment and Instruction for Mathematics) – A Canada-wide network of researchers and educators focused on strengthening elementary math education
• Math Cognition Lab (Carleton University) – Research lab hosting the AIM Collective and leading work on early numeracy and number development
• Beyond 1-2-3: Early Mathematics Education in Canada – Book co-edited by Dr. Sandy Youmans
• earlymath.ca – Website hosted by Dr. Youmans with resources related to early mathematics education
• TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) – International assessment of math and science achievement (Grades 4 and 8)
• Young Mathematicians – Online math resources for educators and families
• Erikson Early Math Collaborative – Organization supporting early math learning and instruction
• DREME Network (Stanford University) – Research network focused on early math development
• Measuring Penny by Loreen Leedy – Children’s book highlighting measurement concepts through everyday experiences

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 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.