Join us on May 22, 2013 as four leaders in education discuss they current system.

We hope you will join us for the next Visionary Conversations event: Our Education System: The Good, the Bad and the Solutions.

The event will be held on Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013 in the Robert B. Schultz Theatre in St. John’s College, Fort Garry Campus. There will be a reception in the Galleria (outside the Theatre) at 6:30 p.m. with the discussion to follow at 7:00 p.m. in the Theatre.

Visionary Conversations is an engaging, interactive speaker series that brings together our world-class minds to present and discuss issues with the audience that are critical to the future of our community, our country and the world. The distinguished panellists will share their perspectives on our education system and the research that shows why things must change.

The featured speakers for the event include:

• Jocelyn Fournier-Gawryluk (Alumna) – President, Canadian Association of Principals
• Marni Brownell – Associate Professor, Community Health Sciences/Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, Faculty of Medicine
• Marlene Atleo – Associate Professor, Educational Administration, Foundations and Psychology, Faculty of Education
• Rodney Clifton – Senior Scholar and Retired Fellow, St. John’s College; Senior Fellow, Frontier Centre for Public Policy

So please join as we listen, learn, debate and discover. To attend, RSVP at visionary.conversations@ad.umanitoba.ca.  For more information on the full season, visit umanitoba.ca/visionaryconversations

Visionary Conversation is also being streamed live via web cast. Please visit www.umanitob.ca  at 7:00 p.m. CST to access the Visionary Conversations web cast link. You can also follow the conversation on Twitter #umvisionary.

Read this article about Marni Brownell for a taste of what will be discussed…

Turning data into more high school diplomas – Researcher’s analysis guides policymakers to improve education system  http://umanitoba.ca/research/research_stories.html

Dr. Dawn Wallin receives the 2013 Migizii Award from Thelma Nice Pronteau.

On May 4, 2013, Dr. Dawn Wallin, acting EAF&P Department Head and associate professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba, received the 2013 Migizii Award from the Traditional Graduation Pow Wow Committee. This is the third year the award has been presented. The Migizii Award is to acknowledge a university staff member who went above and beyond for you and/or other Aboriginal students on campus.

Wallin was nominated by Thelma Nice Pronteau. As a Masters student, Nice Pronteau took a class taught by Wallin and found her dynamic and engaging. After the class was finished, Nice says she didn’t have any further classes with Wallin. She ended up not being able to continue her program due to personal issues.

“I gave up on my dream of furthering my education and resigned myself to the daily grind of reserve life,” Nice Pronteau, now an administrator in Pukatawagan, Manitoba, wrote in her nomination letter. “I am nominating Dr. Dawn Wallin for the Migizii award because she has demonstrated a traditional First Nation teaching which is the importance of acting and leading with the heart. Dr. Dawn Wallin reached out to me, she gave me as second chance and supported me along the way. Dr. Dawn Wallin has made a difference.”

Wallin says she was humbled by the nomination. “I was deeply struck by how one small act of support in a single moment in time can have life affirming impacts on others.  Thelma’s nomination helped me re-connect to the reasons why I became a teacher.  She taught me to remember that our triumphs are connected to the struggles we face, and that all of our successes as educators occur in the relationships we have with others.”

“Over the past number of years, I have learned much from working with the Aboriginal students that I have had the good fortune to meet in our programs,” says Wallin. “This award underscores for me that although we have a long way to go towards “Indigenizing the Academy”, we are moving in the right direction as long as we focus on what Verna Kirkness terms the 4R’s:  respect, relevance, reciprocity and responsibility.  And so the teacher becomes the learner.  Thank you, Thelma!”

There were also six Honourable Mentions for the award:

• Mitch Bourbonierre, Extended Education
• Joan Churley, Faculty of Social Work
• Deanna Halonen, Faculty of Social Work
• Sasha Kondrasov, Extended Education
• Dr. Emma LaRoque, Faculty of Arts
• Dr. Bret Nickels, Faculty of Arts

Heritage International School is a well-established and prestigious private K-12 Canadian (Manitoba) international school, located on a modern campus in beautiful 6th of October City, Egypt. 6^th of October City has a population of 500,000 about an hour from downtown Cairo.

The following positions are open for September 2013:

• Kindergarten
• Grade 4
• Grade 6
• Physical Education
• Grade 11 and 12 Chemistry /Essential Math
• Grade 11 and 12 English/ History

The school uses a Manitoba curriculum for students who intend on pursuing their academic studies in Canada or abroad following graduation.

With 500 students including 200 in the high school, Heritage International School seeks to thoroughly prepare a new generation of Egyptians for the challenges of a university career, as well as life beyond the classroom.

The school year and school day is similar to that in Canada.

Heritage International School has 45 teachers on staff and three principals, the Head principal from Winnipeg, the elementary principal from Toronto and the secondary principal from Winnipeg. Teachers are all certified Canadian teachers.

The school is seeking teachers who are energetic, flexible and adaptable, enthusiastic classroom leaders with a sense of humour, sensitivity to other cultures and have a draw to an active school life in a vibrant and exciting city overseas. Strong interpersonal skills are essential.

New graduate teachers are welcome to apply! Start your teaching career and embrace a new culture at the same time. Every year of teaching at Heritage International School counts as a year of teaching experience for the Manitoba Teacher salary scales.

Please review the School’s website: www.heritageinternationalschool.com

START DATE: August 24, 2013 (1 week orientation)

This is a 2-year contract renewable with signing bonus.

Applicants who are Canadian citizens with a Bachelor of Education degree are invited to apply.

Heritage International School offers its teaching staff:

Competitive tax-free Salary in USD on a grid based on experience

A rent free, furnished, spacious apartment

Annual return flight

Two year contracts (renewable with one year options with signing bonus)

International health insurance

Free education for dependent children

July & August as well as other Canadian holidays/vacations (paid)

Lots of holidays including all Canadian holidays and Egyptian holidays

Transportation to and from school

Small class sizes- (maximum is 25 students per class)

Same school day and year as in Canada

Annual performance/pension bonus

Work with fantastic and experienced Canadian teachers and principals

Qualified and certified teachers may review the School’s website: www.heritageinternationalschool.com and the School’s YouTube channel.

Please email your resume (on Word) with:

-       full contact information including Skype name

-       a digital head photo attached to the top right hand corner of the top page of your resume

-       a cover letter

-       three letters of reference (on pdf)

To our agent and consultant, Mr. Errol Harris in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada at eharris11@mts.net

Interested in working with children 5-12 years of age in a summer day camp that promotes physical activity and wellness?

Wellness Institute 2013 Summer Camp Leader Positions Available

Full-time and Part-time / July 2 – August 30, 2013

We’re looking for energetic camp leaders who love working with kids!

You will plan and implement safe and age-appropriate activities for a variety of camps including Kid Fit, Medical Masters, Sports of All Sorts, Krafty Kids, etc. (for detailed brochure see our website www.wellnessinstitute.ca).

First Aid and CPR required.

One Camp Leader/Lifeguard position available – must have valid national Lifeguard Service Certificate, Aquatic Emergency Care Certificate or equivalent, and CPR.

Why Wellness Institute?

*Gain valuable job experience.

*Work with energetic health-minded individuals.

*Access to state-of-the-art medical fitness facility.

*Access to fitness programs.

*Employer of many recent University/College graduates.

Email your resume to nreid@sogh.mb.ca by May 10, 2013.

The Northern Practicum Cohort has gone back to Gillam for their final placement. Stay tuned to see what adventures they have this time!

It is hard to believe that we have completed our last university courses and are about to begin our final practicum before graduating.  Dave picked me up Saturday morning at 6:00 am and we were off again to the great white north.  Unlike the last trip the weather seemed quite calm when we hit highway 6 to start our long drive up. We took a detour and went to Dauphin on the way and had a wonderful visit with Dave’s parents.  What  wonderful people they are, they made me feel so welcome, like I knew them forever.  Almost as soon as we walked in the door, his dad took me to the kitchen and told me to look out the window.  I could not believe my eyes!  There was a huge hole in the neighbours tree with a bright red head sticking out of it.  When he came out of the hole I was taken back by the size of the woodpecker that has been returning to this tree for a couple of years!  Magical.

After a nice visit we were off again and on our way to Gillam.  Thanks to our detour and change of paths, I was surprised by a buffalo crossing sign!  I have to say it was the first time I have ever seen one!  So of course we stopped to take a picture.  If that wasn’t interesting enough, we later saw 3 wolves right beside the highway. Unfortunately, it took too long for my camer to take the photo and I missed the shot!  Too bad, it was a fascinating thing to see.

Once again, Dave drove the entire way and we arrived in Gillam about 9:45 saturday night.

What is great this time out is that we got here just in time for the start of Gillam Winter Carnival!  The week starts off with a cake decorating contest, ice worm making and an ice worm scavenger hunt.  Throughout the week are other fun activities such as loonie swim, loonie bowling, fiddling and jigging contests,  trapper games, poster contests, playdough sculpture contests, pancake breakfast , a performance by Asham Stompers and more.  One of the biggest highlights is a dog sled race that starts here Friday afternoon and ends in Churchill.  I am looking forward to seeing that!  This is going to feel like a real northern experience, between seeing the small wolf pack yesterday and the dog sled races on Friday!
I am looking forward to the next 7 weeks!

~ Lynne-Marie

Well, here I am back in Gillam, and what a week to return, as it was the annual Winter Carnival!  Every day had a variety of activities for residents to participate and attend.  In my opinion, the highlights of the week were the Quest for Hudson Bay dog sled race, and the Trapper Events competition.

The Quest for Hudson Bay dog sled race is a 354 km race from Gillam to Churchill.  The race attracts mushers from across North America because of the $25,000 purse and it is a qualifying race for the Yukon Quest dog sled race and the famous Iditarod great sled race.  This year there were 15 mushers from Washington, Minnesota, Michigan, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, and a couple of locals from Churchill.  As the mushers arrived in Gillam, they kept their dog teams at the beach.  One evening, I walked down to the beach to meet the mushers.  One particularly outgoing fellow I met was Ed “The Sled” Obrecht from Otter Lake, Quebec.  He has been sledding for 8 years.  He was very eager to share stories and very engaging.  He also gave me some raw Arctic char, which is an acquired taste I picked up living in Nunavut.  He used it to feed his dogs on the trail.

The mushers were welcomed into the school and community.  The mushers were presented to the school during an assembly, and each grade adopted a musher.  Further, there was a meet and greet session at the recreation centre, where residents could meet the mushers and share stories, coffee and snacks.

On race day, the school left for an early lunch and people could take the bus down to the start line.  It was a clear, cold day, with a biting wind.  A windchill warning was issued that day for Gillam.  Unlike the sled dogs I saw in Nunavut that were large and furry, the mushers for this race used smaller, skinny sled dogs built for speed – but not necessarily for the cold.  Many of the dogs were wearing jackets.  The race was a testament to desire, as the mushers experienced windchills of up to -48 C along the way.

The cold weather also affected the Trapper events competition.  These events test the skills needed for a traditional style of living.  Youth and adult residents competed in sled pulls, wood cutting, trap setting, water boiling and tea making, moose calling, and goose calling.  A windchill in the mid -30s C made some of the outdoor events challenging, with movement of participants and observers from outside to warm up inside them back outside.

Now, we have a week of school ahead that includes midterm exams before a much anticipated spring break.  I’ll be spending it exploring the area by snowshoe, so stay tuned for further updates and pictures.

~ Dave Overgaard

The first week back in Gillam has been great! I am now teaching in a 5/6-split classroom, teaching everything.  It is a very rewarding experience so far.  The school was so welcoming on our first day back, last Monday, March 11th.  I was greeted to a chorus of “HI MISS STEEDSMAN!!!” on the playground during recess.  It was great!

This past week was Winter Carnival in Gillam.  There were activities in the school, such as a poster contest, an afternoon of activities outside and an assembly on Thursday.  In the community, there were activities in the rec centre every night.  These included a cake decorating contest and a lego building contest.  It was fun for the whole community.

On Friday I got to experience my first dog sled competition.  It was the beginning of the Hudson Bay Classic, a two-day race from Gillam to Churchill.  The race started at noon at the beach.  I don’t think I have ever been that cold before.  It was on a day that had a -40 wind-chill, but it felt like -70.  I only lasted 10 minutes in the cold but it was enough to get a few pictures and a video.  It was a neat experience that I am very glad I got to take part in.

That night Sarah and I ventured to the rec center to watch a jigging group.  This group travels all around Canada sharing their talent of jigging.  We had the opportunity to see Saagine’s (Spelling might be wrong) Finest in the performance as well.  This group of three boys was the winners of Canada’s Got Talent back in 2012.  They were phenomenal! They combined traditional jigging with modern music, which was quite the show.

This past week I really got to experience how Gillam comes together as a community.  All the staff at the school made sure that we knew what was going on during Winter Carnival.  It was wonderful to feel welcomed and greeted with smiling faces.

~ Allison Steedsman

Manon, Mathilde, Alexandre and Aurélie (L-R) are excited to be part of the exchange with U of M’s Faculty of Education.

Mathilde Résimont, Alexandre Bourguignon, Manon Doulcier and Aurélie Dumast arrived in Winnipeg from Orléans, France on Feb. 25 and are here for four weeks to learn about the Canadian Immersion system and will also practice teaching at French Immersion schools in the Pembina Trails School Division.

“I hope to improve my English, learn about the Canadian culture and see what the differences are between our school systems,” said Bourguignon.

The four students who are all training to become elementary school teachers in France are staying with host families to become more immersed in our culture.

In May, four students from the Faculty of Education will travel to Orléans and will teach English and French classes at local elementary schools.

This pilot exchange aims to give the U of M and Orléans students the experience to share languages and cultures as well as to promote a joint research project between the two countries’ faculties of Education.

Dr. Orest Cap receives Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal from Paul Grod, UCC National President

The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal was presented to Dr. Orest Cap, U of M Faculty of Education professor, by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) during a special awards ceremony in Winnipeg on Friday, February 8, 2013.

Dr. Cap was honoured for his instrumental work in establishing the Chernihiv State Teacher Innovation Award Project at Hohol State University in Nizhen, Ukraine and then at Chernihiv State Pedagogical University of Chernihiv, Ukraine, where he helped to establish a successful social services network that assists physically and mentally challenged individuals from Chernihiv who were affected by the Chornobyl disaster.

Dr. Cap is a Professor of Technology Education and Director of the Imperial Oil Academy, Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba. He holds a PhD in technical-vocational education from Ohio State University, has been published extensively in various national and international journals, and through his work, has been involved in several research initiatives with Ukraine.

Dr. Cap has also been actively involved with Ukrainian Canadian Social Services for many years on the local, national and international level.

The Faculty of Education congratulates Dr. Cap on this wonderful on honour.

Qualifications:

• Enrolled in a Bachelor of Education Degree program in Winnipeg, Manitoba
• Plans to teach in the Manitoba Education system upon graduation
• Resides in the province of Manitoba
• Committed to furthering literacy and language arts skills of all students

Background:

Two scholarships ($500.00 each) have been established to commemorate the charter of the Reading Council of Greater Winnipeg (RCGW) in 1956, and as well to recognize the visionary teachers from Winnipeg who formed the first council in Canada. The RCGW is an affiliate of the International Reading Association which is made up of 90,000 literacy educators worldwide.

The award is created to support tuition and material costs. All applications will be given a fair and careful review by a standing committee.

Application Requirements:

1. A short personal statement of educational and career goals
2. A short paper detailing you vision for and commitment to literacy education in Manitoba for children and youth(approx. 500 words)
3. A short resume
4. A letter of reference from a teacher or professor
5. Proof of continuing university studies (enrolment), standing, and expected graduation date.

Deadline: All applications should be received by March 1, 2013.

Submit completed applications to:

RCGW Scholarship Committee

c/o Committee Chair,

37 Elm Park Road,

Winnipeg, Manitoba,

R2M0W1.

Note: Successful recipients will be notified by March 15, 2013.

The MJE is a bilingual (English and French) online periodical, which publishes three editions per year. MJE promotes an international, multidisciplinary discussion of issues in the field of educational research, theory, and practice.

Book reviews are approximately 750-1000 words in length, and are a great way for students to gain writing and publishing experience!

We welcome you to suggest your own titles, especially those you’re already reading for your own research or coursework. We will be in contact with publisher to obtain review copies where possible.

If interested in joining our reviewer pool, please email us at mjebookreviews@gmail.com, with the following information:

1. Name
2. Institutional Affiliation
3. Degree/Year
4. Research Interests, relevant education experience, and/or your CV.
5. Preferred language of review (English, French, or both)
6. Suggested title for review

Once we have received your information, we will be in touch to provide submission guidelines and set up a timeline for the review.

Sincerely,

Rima Athar & Mariusz Galczynski
Book Review Editors
McGill Journal of Education

Website: http://mje.mcgill.ca
Email: mjebookreviews@gmail.com

The University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Education Student Council (EdSC) is hosting Education Exposition 2013 (Ed Expo) on January 28 to 30, 2013. This exposition is where upcoming Bachelor of Education graduates will have the opportunity to meet and interview with 35 local, rural and international schools, divisions and educational organizations.

Ed Expo Coordinators Laryssa Kurjewicz and Erin Ward say this event ultimately benefits K to12 students because the school divisions and organizations will meet a wide variety of teacher candidates who offer a diverse range of skills able to enhance their programming.

“We’re excited to provide this chance for teacher candidates, divisions, and other agencies to meet, highlight their accomplishments, and network to provide opportunities that will eventually lead to improved education for youth,” say Kurjewicz and Ward.

David Mandzuk, acting dean of Education, recognizes that not all students who leave the Faculty of Education are hired as teachers, but that the B.Ed. program is continuing to provide graduates with new opportunities to make them even more employable.

“Annually, we graduate about 280 teachers, and through reports created by the department of Manitoba education, we recognize that almost 75 per cent of our students find employment in K to 12 settings, but that about 25 per cent do not,” says Mandzuk. “As a professional program, we strive to give our teacher candidates as many opportunities as we can to further their success, and as such have increased our programming to include a French immersion pilot, new study and service learning courses in places like Ethiopia and Peru, and access to the most up-to-date technologies used in classrooms today.”

These additional skills have attracted the attention of institutions that have not been at Ed Expo for several years, or at all. These include Division scolaire franco-manitobaine and Wapaskwa Virtual Collegiate, while others such as Bradford Teach Overseas and Mennonite Collegiate Institute are participating for the first time.

On January 28, 2013, from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m., recruiters will host booths in University Centre inviting teacher candidates to learn more about their schools, divisions and organizations while pre-arranged interviews with 11 of these organizations will take place January 29 and 30.

At these interviews, students will have the opportunity to practice interviewing, demonstrate how they fit into a school or school division’s culture and highlight skills such as inclusion, international and cultural awareness, critical awareness and technology they’ve learned in their U of M education program.

To learn more about Ed Expo, click here.

For more information, contact:
Andrea Di Ubaldo, communications coordinator, Faculty of Education at:
Andrea.DiUbaldo@ad.umanitoba.ca or 204-474-7402