Summary of SyMETRI Meeting: June 24th, 2024 by Qiaochu Xu
Presenter/Guest Speaker: Shahidul Islam from Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, University of British Columbia
Date: June 24th, 2024
Host: Dr. Cynthia Nicol

At the SyMETRI meeting on June 24th, 2024, Shahidul Islam shared with us about his master’s research which endeavoured to contextualize gaps in our understanding of Professional Learning Communities’ (PLCs) unique features. His study focuses on secondary science teachers in British Columbia and Bangladesh, examining key PLC features, their impact on Knowledge for teaching (K4T) growth, challenges faced by teachers, and how PLCs help address these challenges.

His study employed an explanatory sequential mixed-method design, starting with a survey of 100 participants (50 per region) through purposive sampling, followed by semi-structured interviews with 10 participants (5 per region) using convenience sampling. Data analysis included descriptive statistics for quantitative data and thematic analysis for qualitative insights.

Shahidul shared varying degrees of responses to the salient PLC features in both regions. Bangladeshi teachers emphasize features like student focus, shared goals, reflective practices, fostering belonging, sharing resources, continuous improvement, open communication, and data-informed decision-making more than their counterparts in BC. However, British Columbian educators value collaborative problem-solving and mutual respect comparatively more than Bangladeshi educators. The biggest discrepancy is in distributed leadership skills, which are less valued in BC compared to BD. Both regions benefit from PLCs’ resource sharing, new teaching strategies, understanding of student needs, technology integration, self-reflection, and staying updated on educational trends for K4T growth.

On the other hand, Bangladeshi teachers face more challenges, such as lack of technology access, student readiness, pedagogical inertia, blending technology, designing assessments, and lack of support, while BC teachers moderately agree on these. Technical issues, limited knowledge, evolving technology, and lack of confidence are almost equally addressed in both regions. PLC participation helps overcome these challenges through networking, collaboration, technical assistance, affordable tech solutions, resource sharing, confidence building, and tailored instruction, enhancing teaching practices and embracing evolving pedagogies. By leveraging the benefits of PLCs, educators can enhance teaching practices, meet the needs of diverse learners, and embrace the rapidly evolving technology-enhanced pedagogies.

Here are some slides from his presentation:

Shahidul provided valuable insights from his research, highlighting key features of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), their challenges, and how these vary between teachers in Bangladesh and British Columbia. His contributions shed light on potential strategies for designing and implementing effective PLCs for teachers moving forward. During the SyMETRI meetings, members engaged in thorough discussions about the data collection process, the recruitment of participants, and the methods of data analysis. The discussions also addressed strategies for overcoming the challenge of recruiting sufficient candidates for surveys. Further discussions focused on the best approaches to inviting participants for interviews, ensuring a diverse and representative sample that would enrich the research findings. These dialogues are instrumental in ensuring the robustness and reliability of our data collection and analysis processes.

Bio

Shahidul Islam is a MA student in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy here at UBC. Shahidul just defended his thesis June 13th. Congratulations Shahidul!

Summary of SyMETRI Meeting: June 10th, 2024 by Stéphanie La France
Presenter/Guest Speaker: Judith Koeller from Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Waterloo
Date: June 10th, 2024
Host: Dr. Cynthia Nicol

At the SyMETRI meeting on June 10th, 2024, Judith Koeller shared about her work at The Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing (CEMC). The CEMC has had many conversations with teachers who are Indigenous, and teachers who teach in Indigenous communities about how the CEMC could support the calls of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Judith emphasised the importance of language noting that it is a vital part of culture, and that colonialism has and continues to contribute to language suppression. Similarly, math has an impact and a role to play which raises many issues and implications for Truth and Reconciliation in math education.

In planning for, designing and sharing the Problems with Purpose series, the CEMC wanted to focus on contextualizing mathematics problems in a way that highlighted our collective responsibility and aligned with the TRC Calls to Action. This meant collaborating with teachers and educators who identify as Indigenous to create two volumes of math problems. One theme that emerges and reemerges is that math lacks context much of the time and that a focus of math on the lived experience and day to day life from which math emerges. Through the process, the CEMC commissioned IndigiQueer Anishinaabe artist Bangishimo (they/them) to take photos from which math problems would be developed including a photo of Bird Safe Glass. Additionally, Dr. Ed Doolittle from First Nations University provided inspiration for a math problem centred around the Cree language.

In discussion about the presentation, Judith shared that a good math problem is open-ended with low floor-high ceiling, aligns with curriculum, includes accessible wording and includes information in both pictorial/diagrammatic and text form. She shared that one of the challenges is that as soon as you get a rich context the problem text often becomes too wordy. Additionally, writing and creating problems that honour Indigenous knowledges and avoids appropriation involves an ongoing process of learning, tweaking, and reflecting. The CEMC hopes to continue developing math problems for Grade 3-12 and lead enrichment and curriculum work in collaboration with volunteers. After this wonderful session about creating purposeful math problems, we are left inspired to contemplate: How do we create a meaningful story/hook in a problem? Why do/should we care about meaningful context in math problems? What is the emotional and lived connection that we might bring into the learning and doing of math?

Here are some photos of Judith’s presentation:

For more information, see the following resources:

CEMC Problems with Purpose website: https://cemc.uwaterloo.ca/resources/problems-with-purpose.php

IndigiQueer Artist Bangishimo’s website: https://www.bangishimo.ca

Video of Dr. Doolittle’s talk that inspired a math problem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZ-ctdoj_mM

Bio

Judith Koeller has been on faculty at Waterloo since 2003, before which she worked in the high tech industry for seven years. Along with teaching in the Math undergrad and Masters for Mathematics Teaching programs, she conducts workshops in Mathematics for high school students and teachers, across Canada and internationally. She is particularly interested in how math can make a difference in the world, and the implications of Math for peace.

Summary of SyMETRI Meeting: May 27th, 2024 by Stéphanie La France

Presenter/Guest Speaker: Dr. Travis Fuchs, Researcher in Residence and Science Teacher at Crofton House School and an Honorary Norham Fellow at the University of Oxford
Date: May 27th, 2024
Host: Dr. Cynthia Nicol

At the SyMETRI meeting on May 27th, 2024, Travis Fuchs shared his research on Climate Education (CE) and how he continues to engage with this work in his teaching and mentoring practice. Travis shared that recognizing climate change as an issue of our time, and more notably, acknowledging its critical effects and impacts, was the first step to the development of climate change education. He further noted that school policy and curricular standards reflect the acknowledged importance of sustainability, stewardship, and climate education which center around being good care takers—something that the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) and Indigenous peoples of Canada have always done and continue to do.

CE and active stewardship emerge within practice in different ways. Travis investigated student perspectives, teachers’ perspectives, and climate education in practice to determine the state of climate education in BC, and specifically, at his school. He found that senior students perceived the climate crisis with complacence, apathy, frustration, and motivation. They wanted to see action but believed it to be unattainable. In comparison, junior students regarded the climate crisis with worry, sadness, guilt, motivation, and hope. When they see action, they feel positive, but they believe that not enough is being done at the school. In practice, he found that nearly 50% of teachers are engaging in climate education activities; however (and surprisingly), of the various subjects, science teachers engaged the least.

Given his research into the implementation of climate change activities in practice, Travis further explored possible reasons why teachers may not be engaging with CE. He found that when CE was in action, it was done well but that generally, it was not engaged with enough. He found that teachers felt ill-prepared and lacked self-efficacy in implementing CE principles despite their alignment with curriculum. This has led him to wonder: How do we become more prepared? Travis inspired us all to contemplate how we might further support pre-service and in-practice teachers so that CE becomes more prevalent in schools. He shared the following resources with us:

Government of Canada: Toward a National Framework for Environmental Learning: Discussion Paper

Student-led campaign: Reform to Transform

Here are some photos of Travis’ presentation:

Bio

Travis T. Fuchs received his PhD in Curriculum Studies from the Faculty of Education at UBC. He is Researcher in Residence and Science Teacher at Crofton House School and an Honorary Norham Fellow at the University of Oxford. His current projects include teachers’ engagement in and with research as forms of professional development, teacher climate change education, expanding teacher recruitment pipelines, and instructional approaches which leverage socioscientific issues in science learning contexts.