News & Events

A Relationship of Harmony & Success: Improving Engagement.

The research team of Candace Chicilo, Marlyse Barilla and Diana Porter from Regina Catholic Schools Teachers’ Association will share their project entitled A Relationship of Harmony & Success: Improving Engagement. The goal of this project was to explore the link between non-traditional, unconventional, informal connection opportunities with parents, caregivers, communities, and students through daily attendance, attendance at enriched after-school program days, attendance at literacy nights, student conferences and other activities. The team will share about the importance of relationships, the impact the research had on the school, families, and communities and the importance of relationships in making parents feel safe and welcome in the school. The researchers were joined by Derek Barss, Senior Administrative Staff from the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation on Thursday, April 7, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. for a conversation about the importance of seeking out non-traditional ways of engaging with families and caregivers with a shared goal of Read more

By Ellen Whiteman, ago

Visual Literacy

Lois Keller and Jacqueline Helman The McDowell Foundation remains important to supporting creativity, collaboration, and rich professional learning experiences that move beyond  momentary workshops and division initiatives and it offers a unique opportunity to contribute to educational research. It empowers teachers in delving into the daily inquiry of practice with both their colleagues and students. When I meet with the teachers who were involved in this work, they comment that it was the richest professional learning experience they engaged with during their careers and led to a significant changes in their teaching practices and beliefs in their leadership skills.  At the time I was working as a consultant responsible for professional learning sessions and I found the role of engaging in action research was instrumental in fuelling our professional creativity and the funded resources enabled us to collaborate deeply.  This work continues today and is found in our professional websites, Read more

By Ellen Whiteman, ago

Student Voice to Improve Sense of Belonging in Middle Years

Researchers: Kelli Fredlund, Kelly Gibson, Chrisa Farrell and Chantelle BalickiFebruary 2022 Our project is designed to assist middle years teachers (Grades 6-9 homerooms) and administrators to learn more about how they can create space for student voice in an effort to improve sense of belonging in their school learning communities. Our research is student-driven, where ourstudents will provide direction through weekly or bi-weekly student voice opportunities regarding what they feel is having an impact on sense of belonging in their learning community and ideas they would like to pursue that might address this. In response to student voice, our teacher researchers will meet monthly through an Action Research model (Mertler, 2012), alongside school Elders and teacher guest advisors from our secondary collegiates who have successfully implemented student voice opportunities in their home schools. The purpose of these meetings will be to conduct some pre-analysis, so it data can be put in a usable format for student discussion and Read more

By Ellen Whiteman, ago

A Relationship of Harmony & Success: Improving Engagement

A Relationship of Harmony & Success: Improving Engagement Researchers: Candace Chicilo, Marlyse Barilla and Diana PorterJanuary 2022 This research will investigate the link between non-traditional, unconventional, informal opportunities (daily contact via phone, twice weekly in-person contact – either at school or at the child’s home, motivating students to communicate with caregivers, informal conversations off school property & focus group setting). The program itself will be theplatform to enhance conversations around a child’s progress. Data will be collectedthrough daily attendance, attendance at enriched after-school program days, attendance at literacy nights, student conferences and any other community partner literacy activities that will occur. In addition to these experiences enhancing engagement, we are querying the advancement of academic success due to the content being presented in a prescriptive manner. A positive offset of this research will be an enhanced relationship with the parents of the program. Research Summary Final Report

By Amy Templeman, ago

K-12 Distance Education

K-12 Saskatchewan Distance Education: Digging Deeper into 21st Century Classrooms During a Pandemic Researcher: Kelsey ShieldsFebruary 2022 Distance education has the ability to enhance Kindergarten-Grade 12 (K-12) education in Saskatchewan by reducing the barriers and challenges currently presented in public education, especially during the Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) global pandemic. Within this case study, a website analysis of various school divisions will contribute to the development of a framework for K-12 distance education design. Experiences and perceptions of public school educators in Saskatchewan will also be gathered using email interviews to provide an insider insight into the current state of distance education, with a particular focus on teaching times during the COVID-19 pandemic from March to June, 2020. A force field analysis will be used to help stakeholders identify and understand helping forces and mitigate hindering forces in Saskatchewan K-12 distance education during the time of COVID-19. The framework resulting from Read more

By Ellen Whiteman, ago

Learning How To Learn in An Information Age

Learning How to Learn in An Information Age Linda L. Nosbush What was the focus of your project, including the key findings? The research traces the stages of growth in the five-year journey that took us into schools and classrooms, a university, a community, and contexts of innovative interprofessional practice in health, education, social services, justice, and community-based organizations to discover the principles that shape and guide learning  in an information age.   What impact did the research have on your understanding of teaching and learning, or perhaps on your teaching career? By requiring us to look beneath the surface, the McDowell Foundation enabled us to understand the mechanisms and processes at work in Human Services Sectors: °     Learning is at once individual and communal – Contexts matter and we often communicate them through story. °     Learning is developmental – It is a gradual process that involves both evolution and Read more

By Ellen Whiteman, ago

Breaking out of the ‘textbox’- Increasing land-based learning

Breaking Out of the Textbox:Increasing Outdoor Learning Researcher: Nicole TurnerOctober 2021 This research project will consider how often elementary teachers are presently taking their students outside the classroom and then subsequently will work with a small group of educators on integrating more land-based practices. The first piece of data collection will involve a short survey distributed throughout the Greater Saskatoon Catholic School (GSCS) division by email.  Subsequently, 4-6 elementary educators will be recruited to participate in an action research project with the objective of increasing the frequency that they leave the school with their students and the quality of their experiences outside. Working collaboratively, the group of teachers will consider solutions and supports that would best address the barriers and challenges that inhibit land-based learning in their unique teaching situations. Once a course of action has been decided upon, each educator will be supported in implementing the steps necessary to achieving Read more

By Ellen Whiteman, ago

Female Leaders and Their Impact on School Culture in Saskatchewan

Female Leaders and their Impact on School Culture in Saskatchewan Researchers: Amy Korver and Amy OrthOctober 2021 The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of women in K-12 school administration and learn from their experiences. By focusing on female leadership in Prairie Spirit School Division and Prairie South School Division, we hope to identify trends in female leaders’ experiences and identify barriers women face as they enter into administrative positions. Given existing research into male and female leadership characteristics, we seek to explore the impact that female administrators have had on the culture of schools where they lead. Ultimately, we hope that our research contributes to a conversation that might begin to influence a more equitable distribution of administrative positions in our school division and province. Final Report https://youtu.be/yb38lLXBRIUhttps://youtu.be/UJG4MspeRKQ

By Ellen Whiteman, ago