News & Events

Wendy James My first McDowell project was Beyond the Mouse and Modem (Henderson, James, & Cannon, 2003), a survey of over 2,000 Saskatchewan teachers about their knowledge and use of technology in the classroom. We did an overall summary for the province that revealed teachers lacked the skill and knowledge levels needed to use technology to support learning, and that school divisions’ investments in technologies were not being adequately matched with resources for teacher professional learning. I was teaching in Meadow Lake at the time and had not yet begun formal learning about research. The research showed up in Maclean’s and got its most recent citation in 2019, but the thing I am most proud of is that the reports we wrote for participating divisions sometimes resulted in more support for teacher learning. At the time we did Mouse and Modem, Karen Henderson was working on her master’s and interested Read more

McDowell Foundation- a springboard to a wonderful career Sharlene McGowan, PhD As I reflect upon its thirtieth anniversary, I think about how the McDowell Foundation has had such a profound influence on my career in education. I embarked upon a solo project in the spring of 2000 to investigate how Saskatchewan teachers were keeping less-engaged students in school. Through their narratives, I learned that there are almost no limits to what Saskatchewan teachers do to help students, particularly those who were considered at that time to be “at risk” from completing high school. My project, number 61, was published under the title Beyond Duty: A Compilation of Teachers’ Roles and Responsibilities with “At Risk” Youth in Saskatchewan Secondary Schools. My report was published in July 2000, and in November I participated in the Learning from Practice seminar to share my research findings. In 2001, I was invited to speak as Read more

Renée Carrière My involvement with the McDowell Foundation started in 2014-15 with my local research titled the Muskrat/Wuchusk Project. With my students from Charlebois Community School in Cumberland House, we explored together questions they raised: Why is the water so brown? Where have all the muskrats gone? We did a followup project that explored the practices of incorporating the learnings of the first project into curriculum and led to further student/community engagement into the use of fire on the land. The support of the Foundation was key in supporting us accessing Cree language and historical knowledge resources outside of Charlebois Community School, including Elders and Traditional Ecological Knowledge Keepers, generating land-based activities, and aided us in creating new partnerships. As our final report for The Muskrat Project, we created a children’s book, Muskrats and Fire, that weaves historical and current knowledges/teachings shared by our community, understandings of Saskatchewan western scientists, Read more

Nadeeka Obada Lekamlage My research project addresses possibilities and advantages of incorporating Indigenous knowledge into high school science to teach in a Northern Saskatchewan high school. 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 occupations in Northern Canada. Therefore, more researchers are required to find out how educators can intervene to bring up the expectations and achievements of children in Northern communities. In my research, I observed potential topics, units, and strategies to incorporate First Nations way of living in nature to high school science. I further observed the importance of self-reflections, feedback from students, bringing stewardship worldview of Indigenous people through the eyes of Elders and Knowledge Keepers to teach science for sustainable lifestyle. “Two-eyed seeing” can guide children to become responsible citizens in the future world. It is important to think beyond Read more

Margaret Symon-Lungal I am very grateful and very appreciative of the funds and the personal connection to ensure that my booklet was published and recognized as valuable and authentically representative of my research findings. I was, and still am, very passionate about working with refugees and immigrants,  and after I completed my M.Ed., I was hired immediately as an ESL/EAL  English language teacher, mostly at Wildwood/Roland Michener schools,  and for the next six years, felt like I had the “job of a lifetime.”  I also helped out at Lakeview School in 2015/2016,  as well as teaching about 60 students between Grades 1 and 8 at Wildwood School,  during that final year, when I superannuated in 2016. My principal, Mrs. Trudy Capes, was extremely supportive and just a joy to work with!     That November, I was hired by Global Gathering Place,  at the English Language Centre,  downtown,  and worked with Read more

Cindy Smith In 2010, I partnered with Arlene Prestie and Michelle Morley to research Technology Supported Inquiry Based Learning in Mathematics. This was my first experience with research, and I loved it!  As teachers, learning and growing our practice is an ongoing process. Documenting and measuring the impact of our actions takes it to another level. Teaching differently pushed me out of my comfort zone in senior math instruction. What surprised me was how interested students were in knowing that we were trying new things. This taught me the importance of students viewing teachers as co-learners, and the value in students knowing that we are continually trying to innovate and improve, and to stretch ourselves in order to do our best for them. My experience with our McDowell research project left me hungry for more learning. I completed a Master’s Degree in Education Administration and went on to leave the Read more