News & Events

McDowell Foundation Launches Spring Campaign

Over the past three years Saskatchewan schools have lived through shutdowns, quarantines, masking, sanitizing, social distancing, cancelled events, and missed social opportunities. These seismic changes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic have undoubtedly had an impact on our teachers and students. Recognizing the need to reflect on and learn from these experiences, the McDowell Foundation issued a Special Directed Call in February 2022 inviting teacher researchers to engage in research focused on student and/or teacher well-being in the (post) COVID-19 public education system in Saskatchewan. One of the projects approved through this call, Understanding the Perspectives of Teachers who Engage in Regular Physical Activity and Subsequent Implications of Teacher Well-being recognizes the urgent need to pay attention to teacher well-being and the lack of research related to the physical domain. Seleste Eftoda, a student support services teacher from Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan, shares one insight gained through her research thus far: Read more

By Ellen Whiteman, ago

Learning Ecosystems: Connecting Social Constructivism and Distance Learning

Creating Community and Social Connection to Support Deep Understanding in Asynchronous Distance Learning Researcher: Racquel BiemMay 2020 Socially constructed education practices are understood to foster deep learning through socio-cultural interactions (Vygotsky, 1978). Individual learning is limited in comparison to what can be learned as a community (Beck & Kosnik, 2006). Face-to-face strategies are highlighted throughout the Saskatchewan curriculum with little mention of distance learning (Saskatchewan Ministry of Education, 2010). The lack of direct connections places a burden on distance learning (DL) teachers, policy makers, and course designers to discover how to achieve socially constructed learning. This qualitative study aims to close the research gap by exploring secondary asynchronous DL (SADL) processes that support deep learning within Saskatchewan. The research will seek Saskatchewan SADL teachers as participants using surveys, semi-structured interviews, and distance learning policy as data collection methods. Anticipated research benefits include supporting DL teachers, policy makers, and course designers Read more

By Ellen Whiteman, ago

Educators Doing the Deep, Unsettling Work of Treaty Education

Educators Doing the Deep, Unsettling Work of Treaty Education The purpose of the research was to investigate how developing a community of educators to do the unsettling work of treaty education might have positively influenced their implementation of treaty education in their respective schools. By doing the unsettling work of treaty education, we meant revealing and unpacking settler identities through counter narratives (Tupper, 2011), disrupting dominant discourses of colonialism, and troubling common-sense understandings of Canadian history (Hildebrandt et al., 2016) to consider and reflect on our treaty responsibilities.  Initial analysis identified several common themes: Reconciliation and treaty responsibilities, participant self-learning (growth); Relationships (connections with community), Indigenous ways of teaching; and Learning and experiential learning.  Combining each of these recurrent themes, participants also identified ways in which they felt ready (or comfortable, or confident with) to apply their own learning in their context. Recording Final Report Summary Video Researchers: Raquel Bellefleur Read more

By Ellen Whiteman, ago

The Impact of the Pandemic on Band Programs

The Impact of COVID-19 on Band Teacher Practices in Saskatchewan 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. Recording Project Profile Researchers: Katlyn Redding & Kristen Myers Panelists: David Popoff and Matt Brown Moderator: Ian Krips, Associate Executive Director, STF

By Ellen Whiteman, ago

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.

By Ellen Whiteman, ago

Nurturing Emergent Literacy in Play-Based Outdoor Education

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. Recording Forest School Video Researchers: Denise Heppner and Tirzah Reikoff Panelist: Jennifer Mason Moderator: Nicole Turcotte, STF Professional Learning https://youtu.be/vpVhRGQjb5o

By Ellen Whiteman, ago

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.

By Ellen Whiteman, ago

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

By Ellen Whiteman, ago