McDowell News – January
The January 2023 Newsletter is available here
The Impact of the Pandemic on Band Programs
How do you teach a band class without wind instruments? Teachers Kristen Myers and Katlyn Redding knew they would soon have to find out. Due to COVID-19 restrictions in place for the 2021-22 school year, band teachers across Saskatchewan had to fundamentally change their teaching and learning environments to ensure band programs could safely continue. Join these teachers on Wednesday January 18 from 7:00-8:30pm to hear about their research. Register here A recording of the evening is available here
2021-22 Annual General Meeting
The 2021-22 Annual General Meeting was held December 2, 2022. The annual report is available here
Managing Student Stress During COVID-19
Managing Student Stress During COVID-19 Researchers: Brent Keen and Angela Csiki The focus of our project was to discover how effectively we can mitigate students’ stress over the COVID-19 pandemic using strategies that promoted mindfulness. Our objective was to measure how successfully we could reduce students’ stress levels using three different strategies related to self-regulation: Students practice self-regulation through daily mindfulness strategies to help reduce stress. Students spend part of their day outdoors. The purposes are twofold: to reduce the possibility of transmitting the COVID-19 virus and to have students work in an environment conducive to reducing stress. Students will be empowered to take some ownership of their classroom routines and school practices to limit the spread ofCOVID-19. Final Report Salon Series > Additional Resources To share our research with the broadest audience possible, we have created awebsite that contains video, photos, descriptions of the research, and our results.
News Release
Forest School Engages Young Students in Play-Based Literacy Learning For Information Contact: For Immediate Release: Ellen Whiteman October 18, 2022 Manager, McDowell Foundation 306-373-1660 stfcommunications@stf.sk.ca Forest School Engages Young Students in Play-Based Literacy Learning SASKATOON – During the COVID-19 pandemic, many teachers shifted to outdoor learning to provide safer learning environments for students. Researchers with the McDowell Foundation are finding play-based education in an outdoor environment, or Forest School, to be a powerful teaching tool for engaging kindergarten and Grade 1 students in literacy learning. Teachers Denise Heppner and Tirzah Reilkoff, from Prairie Spirit School Division, will be sharing their learnings as part of the McDowell Foundation’s next virtual Salon Series entitled Nurturing Emergent Literacy in Play-Based Outdoor Education: An Exploration of the Learning Journey of a Kindergarten/Grade 1 Class in Forest School. The Zoom webinar is on October 20 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. and Read more…
Nurturing Emergent Literacy in Play-Based Outdoor Education
Join teachers Denise Heppner and Tirzah Reikoff for October 20 from 7:00-8:30 pm their presentation entitled Nurturing Emergent Literacy in Play-Based Outdoor Education: An Exploration of the Learning Journey of a Kindergarten/Grade 1 Class in Forest School. This research delves into the aspects of literacy learning that are fostered by participation within an outdoor educational context (Forest School), adding to the emerging research literature that outdoor play-based activities provide authentic learning for all students. The research provides important information into facilitating the learning context of Forest School and examples of the teacher’s role in supporting students’ narrative competence and emergent literacy skills. The research team will provide a brief presentation followed by a panel discussion. Register here To view a sneak peak of forest school click here For a full recording of the evening click here
Get Involved
Volunteer Opportunity: Foundation Board Members Needed! The Foundation is currently accepting expressions of interest to sit on our Board of Directors. Directors are appointed for a three-year term and provide strategic direction, fiscal oversight and risk-management leadership for the Foundation. The Board meets approximately four times per year. Serving on a non-profit board can support the development of leadership skills, encourage professional research in the province and be a great way to meet others who are passionate about public education. No previous research experience is necessary. If you are interested, or for more information please contact mcdowellfoundation@stf.sk.ca by November 10, 2022.
How does a Teacher
Incorporate Place-Based First Nations Way of Living in Nature in a Classroom to Teach High School Science in a Northern Reserve School?
How does a Teacher Incorporate Place-Based First Nations Way of Living in Nature in a Classroom to Teach High School Science in a Northern Reserve School? Researchers: Nadeeka Obada Lekamlage, Geraldine Red IronGratitude: Canoe Lake Miksew School, Canoe Lake, North West College, Meadow Lake, Transition Place Education Centre, Meadow Lake. July 2022 Researchers: Nadeeka Obada Lekamlage and Geraldine Red IronGratitude: This project discourses the possibilities and advantages of incorporating Indigenous knowledge in to high school science to teach in a northern Canadian high school. The educational and job achievements in science-based fields are lower in Indigenous populations compared to Caucasian or immigrant identities. This is associated with numerous reasons, including lack of resources, lack of science teachers, lack of motivation to enter the job market, and dissimilar worldviews. Indigenous knowledge framework is a noble instrument to inspire students liking science and promote choosing job categories in the essential job and demanding science-related Read more…
Partnerships of Change:
Transforming Language in Three-Way
Conferences for English as an Additional Language Student Success
Partnership of Change: Transforming Language in Three-Way Conferences for English as an Additional Language (EAL) Student Success Researchers: Shawna Jurgens, Brenden Kroeger, Dr. Zhi Li, Dr. Hyunjung Shin, Shannon Storey, Julia Daantos, and Xiaoxue Xie. The purpose of this proposed research is to strengthen partnerships among EAL parents, students and teachers so schools can better support academic success of EAL students in Saskatchewan (SK). Through participatory action research conducted by teachers in two different schools both in rural and urban SK with the support of university EAL researchers, this locally based initiative aims to 1) offer suggestions for how EAL parents and teachers can collaboratively develop linguistically and culturally appropriate pedagogy and communication to enhance student success; 2) support teachers to generate knowledge about EAL teaching and learning relevant to their own classrooms; and 3) contribute to knowledge about teaching and learning to enhance EAL student success both in rural and Read more…
Instructional Leaders
Supporting Implementation
of Effective Literacy Instruction
Instructional Leaders Supporting Implementation of Effective Literacy Instruction Researchers: Jennifer Dorval, Dawn Paylon, Anita Dolan, Susan Plant, Cheryl Treptow and Kristin Becotte.October 2016 In this research, teachers and administrators were invited to engage in collaborative research alongside the Northwest School Division Reading Team. Each team member worked through their own journey alongside the collaborative reading team and with colleagues including teachers and administrators. The NWSD Reading Team was formed in 2014 and is comprised of passionate and skilled literacy leaders. As a team, we were excited to embark on a research project to support the reading initiative that came to fruition with the development of the Hoshin Kanri leading to the Education Sector Strategic Plan of the Northwest School Division. Our team is made up of two learning coaches, two administrators (both principals at elementary schools), one school-based instructional facilitator/literacy teacher and one Co-ordinator of Student Support Services. Representation of the Read more…