2017
Saved by a Story: The Healing Power of Narrative
We are surrounded by taken-for-granted stories that shape our views of ourselves and the world we live in. Many of these serve interests that are not our own and can contribute to discouragement and struggle. Stories can oppress, but they can also heal.
In this keynote talk, David Paré explored how narrative research and practice offers exciting possibilities for stepping into new territories of meaning and identity.
English presentation only.
Speaker: David Paré
Date: May, 2, 2017
Time: 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Desmarais building, DMS 12102
What Can the History of Education Teach Us about Canada at 150?
2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the University of Ottawa Faculty of Education and the 150th anniversary of Confederation. This special year affords an excellent opportunity to not only celebrate all that it means to be Canadian but also to reflect on Canadian history and current consequences of past actions. What can we learn from the history of education in Canada? Are the “two solitudes” still a reality? How can education better incorporate marginalized narratives, including racialized, gendered and Aboriginal perspectives?
This bilingual panel brings together four academics who will engage the public in a dialogue connecting how we learn and think about the history of education to our everyday lives as Canadian citizens. In particular, the panel will address this big question in terms of:
- French-English relations (Stéphane Lévesque)
- Northern and Indigenous perspectives (Heather McGregor)
- Racism and anti-racism (Tim Stanley)
- Citizenship education (Lorna McLean)
Host: Giacomo Panico, CBC/Radio-Canada
March, 2, 2017 - Cocktail at 5:30 p.m. and panel at 6:30 p.m.
Desmarais building, DMS 12102
2016
Eight Days a Week: My Life as a University Professor
Dr. MacDonald uses song lyrics to highlight key lessons from her personal life and university career. She will explore her experiences over three decades making the transition from traditional face-to-face teaching to eLearning pedagogy. Dr. MacDonald uses music to facilitate her story, whether collaborating with her graduate students, the World Health Organization, the Faculty of Medicine, the National Board of Medical Examiners, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation, Doctors Without Boarders, the Ontario Nurses Association, the Bruyère Research Institute or the University of Malta. She will describe her exhilarating journey integrating education with health care, focusing on her efforts to develop innovative, authentic learning solutions for a complex, changing education system.
The presentation is in English.
Tuesday, October 18th, 5:30 p.m., DMS 12102
Colla Jean MacDonald, Ph.D.
Desmarais Building, DMS 12102
55 Laurier Ave. East
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
K1N 6N5
"The Unbearable Lightness of Evidence"
“There is no means of testing which decision is better because there is no basis for comparison.” Such was the quandary of Tomáš, the famed protagonist of Milan Kundera’s The Unbearable Lightness of Being.
But then again, there’s evaluation.
When we evaluate, we judge. When we judge, we compare. When we compare, we gather our observations and hold them up against something.
We do this every day, sometimes thousands of times. And when we throw in evidence, systematically collected evidence, we have “evaluation,” a domain of professional inquiry and practice with a rich, albeit recent, history.
But evidence, in and of itself, is light. It is shallow, static, even pedantic. We need to make it heavier. We need to make it worth something. We need to make it useful. Useful as leverage for positive change in programs and policies. Useful as a guide to professional, practical decision making. Useful for deep practice-based exploration, inquiry and learning.
Professor Cousins will reflect on a career-long quest to understand evaluation use, encompassing research and practice on making evaluation useful, the power of collaboration and participation, and the challenges of cultural context. Along the way, he will share postcards of insight and amusement, as well as thoughts about unlocking the power and potential of evaluation to bring about social betterment.
Over a 30-year span, Brad Cousins has published numerous books and articles on evaluation theory and practice, in education and beyond. He is recognized globally as a leading researcher and authority on evaluation use, participatory and collaborative practice, and evaluation capacity building.
The presentation is in English.
Tuesday, May 3rd, 5:30 p.m., DMS 12102
Bradley Cousins, Ph.D.
Desmarais Building, DMS 12102
55 Laurier Ave. East
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
K1N 6N5
L'absence de gouvernail - A dialogue between the education and theatre communities on participatory approaches (in French)
Using Robert Filliou’s play L’absence de gouvernail [TR: The absence of a rudder], which explores codes of theatre, the processes involved in theatrical creation and the relationship between authors and their audiences, Professor David Guillemette draws parallels between these elements in the play and in the world of education.
In new pedagogies involving participatory approaches to teaching, students create their own learning activities and the teacher acts as a guide or facilitator rather than a “transmitter” of knowledge. Guillemette, joined by two producers who have used a participatory approach in their productions, discusses the vertical teacher-student relationship and the traditional structure of teaching and learning activities. The experience of the teacher committed to the participatory approach is of great interest to Professor Guillemette, whose research focuses on this experience—to date the subject of few studies.
Performances of L’absence de gouvernail will take place throughout the day on Thursday, March 10, 2016, in FSS 4007.
The talk and the performances are in French.
Thursday, March 10th, 6:30 p.m., FSS 4007
David Guillemette, Ph.D.
Faculty of Social Sciences Building, FSS 4007
120 University
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
K1N 6N5
