The Building Thinking Classrooms (BTC) Initiative, a sub-group of a larger Critical Friends Model of teacher professional development (PD) in an urban Manitoba school division, was designed to improve teachers' sense of self-efficacy in mathematics instruction and to promote the adoption of optimal, research-based pedagogical practices. Cohorts of 29-30 primarily math teachers/coaches worked with Dr. Peter Liljedahl (as a critical friend) over a series of six PD sessions each year (one in-person and five virtual) to engage with his research-based classroom practices for enhancing student learning and enact them in their own classrooms. The case-study research described in this paper examined data over two years (2022-2023 and 2023-2024) to look at the impact of the BTC initiative on teaching practice(s), effective elements of the PD model in supporting and sustaining changes in practice, and perceptions of impacts on student engagement, achievement, and self-efficacy. Through the use of Clarke and Hollingsworth's modelled, emphasizing four additional influences on the domains of the teacher's world in the IMTPG, suggesting that contextual and personal influences are critical considerations in the planning of effective PD.
This study emphasizes the pivotal role of self-assessment in the professional development of nursing students, illustrating how educators can facilitate this process. The findings indicate that although clinical practice is essential for connecting theoretical knowledge and practical skills, the incorporation of reflective practice and structured guidance from professors and supervisors is equally important. The data comprises 30 in-depth interviews with students, professors, and supervisors. Analysis was conducted using Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis (2022). The study revealed that nursing students found self-assessment and reflection on their professional growth during clinical placements to be crucial for developing nursing skills. The results suggest that students who prepared for the mid-term assessment gained more from the assessment than their unprepared peers. Professors and supervisors often saw efficiency as a key nursing competency for students. This highlights a mismatch between supervisors' and professors' expectations and the time required for students to engage in meaningful learning processes. However, to support students in self-assessment, professors and supervisors facilitated learning by guiding them to recognize educational opportunities and activities within the clinical setting.
In recent decades, education has transformed due to new demands, requiring constant updates to teaching methods. Training in 21st-century competences is essential for preparing students for a changing future. Education 4.0, driven by Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), plays a key role in this process. However, some argue that a blend of traditional methods and technology enhances learning. This study examines the perceptions of families of students aged 3-18 on adapting teaching with ICT versus traditional methods to promote the development of 21st-century skills. It also explores how family relatives' education levels influence their views on the best methodologies for teaching these competences. Data from 720 family relatives were collected through an online questionnaire. The analysis showed that families see a clear connection between the competences studied. However, there were significant differences in their perceptions of teaching methods with and without ICT for developing certain skills. The study also found that family relatives' education levels affected their views. Overall, the research concludes that a balanced approach, integrating ICT with traditional teaching methods, is essential for enriching education and preparing students for the future.
Recruitment and retention of teachers remain persistent challenges for school divisions in northern Manitoba. This qualitative study examines the experiences of teachers new to working and living in northern Manitoba, with attention to recruitment, retention, preparedness, and sense of belonging. Findings highlight the central role of professional and social connections in shaping teachers' early experiences and influencing decisions to remain in the region. The study also advances a conceptual understanding of what it means for teachers to 'feel at home' in their profession, demonstrating that this experience has multiple, interconnected personal and professional dimensions. Recognizing these varied needs has important implications for recruitment, preparation, and retention strategies in northern and remote contexts.
This article reports on a qualitative study that investigated teachers' perspectives on their experiences designing and conducting an action research (AR) inquiry as preservice teachers. As part of their two-year teacher education program, they learned about teacher research and AR methodology. For this study, they were invited to reflect on their learning as preservice teachers conducting AR and the impact, if any, this had on their subsequent practice. Using data generated from semi-structured interviews, AR proposals, lesson slides, and notes, I demonstrate how, as preservice teachers, AR provided them with opportunities to transform their relationships with students, engage in reflective practice, and shape their teacher identities as they transitioned to becoming teachers.
During a period of heightened attention to the science of reading, shifting curricular landscapes, and growing public and political discourse about literacy, the purpose of this study was to investigate the mindsets of elementary teachers about their understanding of reading development and instruction. A mixed-methods approach was used to conduct this study. Quantitative data were collected through the Literacy Acquisition Perception Profile (LAPP) Survey, and qualitative data through open-ended questions from the LAPP Survey, pre-and post-study interviews, and teacher feedback obtained during professional development (PD) sessions and site visits. Responses from the open-ended questions and the interviews were coded and themed, using Corbin and Strauss's (1998) constant comparative method, which involved multiple steps (Salda & ntilde;a, 2021), comparing incidents in the data to refine codes, categories, and thematic relationships. Through open, axial, and selective coding, we traced how teacher perceptions clustered around broader conceptual themes. Our data showed that teachers' mindsets about teaching reading were significantly impacted by two main factors: their knowledge of a skills-based approach that incorporates phonemic awareness and phonics as important to the development of early reading, and knowledge of a contextual-based approach that values sociocultural contexts, the role of writing, choice and quality of children's literature, and rich literacy environments. In this sense, their understanding of reading requires valuing both the science and the art of reading instruction. While our findings suggest that teacher knowledge from multiple domains may interact with perceptions of efficacy, the current study does not establish causal relationships between these constructs. Professional development played a central role in shaping teachers' sense of promise and efficacy. Teachers consistently identified sustained, collaborative PD-particularly that which connects theory with classroom application-as a key influence on their understanding of reading instruction. Understanding these realities is critical for policymakers, school leaders, and PD providers who seek to support teachers in improving student literacy achievement.
This study explores how arts-based and queer pedagogical frameworks can foster transformative learning in higher education through reflective writing. Situated within a required undergraduate course on cultural safety and structural competency, the research analyzed twelve students' structured reflections following engagement with queer-themed comics. Using arts-informed thematic analysis, the study examined how emotion, metaphor, and ethical awareness emerged in students' writing as indicators of transformative learning. Findings revealed four interrelated themes: affective and transformative awareness, unlearning and identity repositioning, care and professional ethics, and structural awareness and responsibility. Students used figurative language, such as metaphors of growth, constraint, and journey, to articulate emotional and ethical transformation, demonstrating that written reflection can function as an aesthetic and embodied mode of inquiry. Integrating arts-based and queer pedagogical principles enabled learners to translate discomfort into ethical insight and reimagine professional care as a practice grounded in empathy, relationality, and justice. Rather than treating reflection as a neutral record of learning, this study argues that writing itself became part of the learning event: a medium through which students named dissonance, worked through discomfort, and imagined more ethical forms of professional practice. The study concludes that language itself can serve as a transformative medium, enacting the affective, critical, and creative dimensions of arts-based and queer pedagogy.
This autoethnographic exploration traces my evolving understanding and practice of reflective writing, highlighting its significance in both personal and professional contexts. Initially, my exposure to reflective practices within South Africa's education system, and later as a university student, was surface level, with minimal guidance on engaging meaningfully in reflection. My early reflections were largely descriptive, recounting events rather than critically analysing them. It was during my Master of Education programme, while conducting action research to develop students' writing skills through portfolios, that I began to engage deeply in reflection, both as a student and as an educator facilitating reflective practices in others. Through this process, I realised that reflection requires explicit instruction and consistent practice, particularly in educational contexts that prioritise rote memorisation over critical thinking. As a university educator, I revised my approach to teaching reflection by incorporating guiding questions, peer review activities, and technology-based platforms to foster deeper engagement. This shift significantly improved students' reflective abilities, especially in fields such as nursing and education. Now, as a PhD student, reflection remains a central tool in my academic growth and research journey. Overall, this self-reflective journey highlights the importance of intentional and structured approaches to teaching reflection, ensuring it serves its transformative purpose in education by fostering critical thinking, self-awareness, and lifelong learning.
This reflective paper explores my experience participating in the Blackout project and how it brought together two parts of myself that I had long understood as separate: my creative identity and my scientific training. Drawing on personal reflection, research literature, and my role within the project, I share three interconnected learnings that emerged: how expressive art can help process emotions and experiences, how art can function as a meaningful tool for communication and learning, and how creating together can cultivate a sense of community. Grounded in my research interests in ADHD and neuroqueer youth, I reflect on how research-informed theatre can translate lived experiences into emotional and embodied understanding. Being part of Blackout has influenced how I see scholarship, therapy, and community work, reinforcing the power of art, listening, and youth storytelling.
Using autoethnographic and performance ethnographic methods, I trace my experiences as a public educator and as a member of the ECHO Lab, the research collective that is involved in the co-creation of Blackout. Blackout is a youth co-created musical theatre rooted in the personal experiences of 2SLGBTQIA+ students who protested Pride celebrations in their schools. Drawing on narrative, existential and critical psychological frameworks, I show how stories (my own and those represented in Blackout) are central to meaning-making in educational settings. Through personal vignettes, I illustrate how meaning emerges through relational experiences, authentic engagement, and values-driven action. I position Blackout as both a methodology and a psychological intervention that enables students and teachers to co-create meaningful expressions of identity and collective responses to shared problems. Ultimately, I argue that critical, co-created art expands the possibilities for collective affirmation among educators and neuroqueer students.
How do we know when we are just going through the motions? Moreover, how do we close the gap between our stated commitments and our everyday practices in our community-facing academic work? This article is an autoethnographic study that uses found poems derived from interview transcripts and personal reflections to describe and explore our work in the Blackout Project. This arts-based and community-oriented project aims to celebrate and explore neuroqueer identity by staging tensions around visibility, agency and belonging and inviting persuasion through performance. Here, we describe the origins of Blackout, our positioning as critical scholars at a crucial juncture in our careers, and the project's inception as a response to shifting historical and cultural conditions. We also discuss the challenges associated with partnerships among academics, community educators, and community members, as well as how we envision the future trajectory of work that pushes representational and institutional boundaries during a time of realignment and challenge within today's universities.
In the context of this work, autoethnography is used as a pedagogical space and a cultural text. Reflexive practice situates personal narrative within the broader cultural, political, and institutional context that shapes English language arts education in Canada. Using a cultural studies frame, autoethnography is used to consider how the discipline of English Language Arts, especially in middle and high schools, can create space for community-based, queer, neurodivergent voices by considering expanded notions of literacy and identity. Structures of power are examined from the position of an ally and teacher educator, revealing how past attempts at creating space for students may have fallen short and how a project like Blackout offers hope and possibility for future educators. When youth theatre is positioned as more than an extracurricular activity, it becomes a site of cultural production where power, representation, and subjectivity are actively negotiated. This perspective not only illuminates the transformative potential of youth theatre for participants but also underscores its relevance for English language arts teacher education by tracing how meaning and identity might be contested and reimagined. This article contributes to an understanding of pedagogy as a critical and transformative practice where such projects can push back against and resist normative discourse.
How does art help to engage youth, and how can educators help create spaces where art can be created in ways that are critical and that connect with everyday life? In this reflective narrative essay, Courtney Fowler, a community educator and performer, shares her approach to teaching and learning by exploring her experiences with the Blackout Project. The piece examines how shame-free spaces can help neuroqueer youth use art to affirm their identities and to frame complex issues through storytelling and artistic performance.
What does it feel like to be a novice ally navigating the inevitable tensions between privilege and solidarity? This self-study reflects on allyship from the perspective of a straight cisgender academic who participated in a collaborative arts-based musical drama project celebrating neuroqueer identity. It explores the challenges of belonging and anxiety, the role of a supportive, welcoming community, and the moral complexities of 'standing with' rather than 'standing for' marginalized groups. A thematic analysis highlights the importance of humility, relationshipbuilding and agency as these emerge within the context of participatory action research (PAR). The paper closes with suggestions for further critical reflection and ongoing challenges. Rather than presenting 'good allyship' as a static achievement, the essay maps how an ally's agency is co-constructed in relation and continuously under development.
The purpose of this literature review is to describe the educational experiences of international students enrolled in English-medium postsecondary institutions. Because the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia currently host the largest international student populations globally, enrollment statistics for each country are presented. A systematic review of 70 peer-reviewed publications was conducted to identify key findings related to the experiences of international students in English-medium postsecondary education. Data were collected and analyzed to ensure the reliability and validity of the results. Findings indicate that academic English proficiency significantly influences the experiences of international students. Moreover, a key challenge for these students often lies in navigating and adapting to the unfamiliar pedagogical approaches employed within host institutions. Finally, the well-being and academic success of international students are significantly influenced by sociocultural factors, surrounding acceptance, integration, and experiences of discrimination. The paper concludes with a summary of the results and a discussion of possible avenues for future research. Keywords: international students, postsecondary education, higher education, experiences, barriers
Unsettling Education: Decolonizing and Indigenizing the Land (King, O’Reilly, & Lewis, 2024) focuses on decolonization, Indigenization and reconciliation for educators and students through addressing colonialism within the education system and academia. The authors each bring forth an abundance of knowledge and experience in the field of Indigenous education through the stories and words of Indigenous communities, Elders, Indigenous leaders, and Knowledge Keepers. Further, the authors provide an abundance of examples/teachings regarding Indigenous perspectives, theories, and teachings for current and future teachers to implement in the classroom. In addition, this book serves as a guide for non-Indigenous peoples to practice self-reflexivity, by reflecting on their own positionality and privilege while engaging with truth and reconciliation strategies through the stories and experiences of Indigenous scholars and educators. The book is comprised of eighteen chapters by twenty-nine authors (both Indigenous and non-Indigenous) and grouped into three sections.
