OISE Courses
A visionary document put out by UNESCO stated ‘Nobody should be excluded from knowledge societies, where knowledge is a public good, available to each and every individual.’ Standing in the way of that vision is education’s failure to democratize knowledge. The rich-get-richer story of modern times is as true for education as for the economy; those who enter with more knowledge leave with disproportionately more. In the meantime, a free, plentiful and equalizing resource—students’ capacity to work creatively with ideas—remains underdeveloped. Taking advantage of this resource requires that education adopt cultural norms that are prevalent in innovative, knowledge-creating organizations of all sorts: collective responsibility for community, not simply personal knowledge; sustained idea improvement; a “surpassing ourselves” mindset; and students taking charge at levels customarily reserved for teachers, curriculum, and technology designers. This class will function as a workshop to advance innovative knowledge practices and digital media attuned to UNESCO’s vision of an inclusive knowledge society.
Supervised experience in an area of fieldwork, under the direction of faculty and field personnel.
Specialized, individual study, under the direction of a member of the teaching staff, focusing upon topics of particular interest to the student. Although credit is not given for a thesis investigation proper, the study may be closely related to a thesis topic. A student wishing to enrol in CTL1798 is required to complete, in typewritten form, an Individual Reading and Research Course form, including an appropriate bibliography, describing the rationale and plan of study for the course. This course proposal must be signed by the student's faculty advisor and the instructor with whom the course will be taken, and then submitted for approval to the department's academic programs standing committee.
A course designed to permit the study of a specific area of curriculum or instruction not already covered in the courses listed for the current year. (This course does not fulfil the purpose of CTL1798, which in the Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning is normally conducted on a tutorial basis.)
This course critically explores innovations in teacher education associated with promoting coherence, maintaining relevance, addressing complexity, and serving increasingly diverse communities. Program content, designs, practices, pedagogies, partnerships and policies developed in response to enduring challenges and competing conceptions of 'learning to teach' will be examined. Students will be encouraged to consider and develop potential innovations to initial and ongoing teacher learning that are supported by evidence and research.
This course focuses on supporting graduate students at both the Master's and Doctoral levels who are preparing research proposals, theses, dissertations, and for the comprehensive exam. The course aims to advance the research, writing, and exam preparations for its members and at the same time create an academic community. It examines students' ''works-in-progress'' with the goal of improving and advancing their research. Course topics will include: defining the research question; framing the study; choosing an appropriate research methodology; gathering the data; analyzing the data; and writing the thesis. Through examination of various studies, students will deepen their understanding of the process of conducting research. One emphasis of the course will be research on teaching and teacher education. Each week, students will spend part of the class working in small groups with others who are at the same stage of the doctoral/master's journey. The course will include: feedback on their work, time to discuss aspects of the research process, and an opportunity to present their work in a friendly, supportive environment.
Current educational literature reflects increasing attention to the practical and philosophical significance of ethical decision-making as a central aspect of the professionalism and accountability of teachers in their role as moral agents. This course will examine, through in part the use of case studies, some of the ethical complexities, dilemmas, and controversial issues that arise within the overall context of the school. It will raise questions about ethical concerns that occur as a result of teachers' daily work with students, colleagues, administrators, and parents. The course will consider the nature of professional ethics in education and associated concepts of the moral climate of schools. It will explore theoretical and empirical knowledge in the field of applied educational ethics and the moral/ethical dimensions of teaching and schooling.
This course examines various issues of teacher education, including the longstanding criticisms (e.g. program is disjointed) while others are more recent concerns (e.g. defining a knowledge base for teachers). Specific topics will be examined in light of the current context of education with an effort to understand the complexity of becoming a teacher. This course will systematically examine the current research on teacher education. We will consider teacher education both within ֲ and internationally. We will systematically work through various topics by reading widely, discussing issues, and trying to determine ways to reform and renew teacher education.
In this class students will survey a range of issues related to the arts in education, including philosophical and theoretical issues, justifications and approaches to the arts in schools, the role of the arts in communities, as well as contemporary media and popular culture. The course will have a broad and interdisciplinary focus and will introduce students to relevant frameworks for conceptualizing a wide range of artistic practices in various educational contexts both within and beyond schools. From a consideration of various rationales for the inclusion of the arts in general education to the educational experiences of artists themselves, the course will seek to bridge the distance between contemporary arts and cultural theory and the integration of the arts in education through curriculum implementation and research.
In this course, we examine multiple and multicultural books. We examine the multicultural literature (what we read) as well as critically analyzing (how we read) these texts. Critical (indications of class, race and gender relations); multicultural (acknowledges the diversity in cultural experiences) analysis and social action/justice (what and how we act on these analyses) will guide our work together. The new knowledge constructed will inform how we create and develop critical perspectives and practices with students in the schools.
This course will examine conceptual, theoretical, and methodological considerations of urban school research. The arts generally- and theatre/drama in particular- will be used as a conceptual and methodological lens that informs questions of curriculum, subjectivity, space, diversity, policy, and youth culture in the study of urban schools. Studies of children/youth and youth culture and conceptions of arts/theatre practices and pedagogies in schools will be examined. Discussions of research problems in school-based research, and methodological and design choices in the development of school-based research projects will be a particular focus. Two of the primary goals of the course are: to expand students' qualitative research interpretation skills by examining the work of other school-based researchers and to help students formulate and articulate their research designs and methods for their own projects.
This course examines the role contemplation can play in teaching. Specifically, the concept of contemplation is explored in relation to reflection, personal narrative, and personal mythology. Students will also examine the thought and biographies of various contemplatives (e.g., Emerson, Huxley, Merton, and Steiner). The course provides opportunities to explore various modes of contemplation. Finally, contemplation will be linked with teaching and how it can allow teaching to become a more fully conscious act.
A critical examination of current theoretical perspectives and research methods in science, mathematics and technology education. The course is designed for those contemplating a thesis in this area. Participants will have the opportunity to present seminars on their research interests.
A seminar dealing with theories and practical constraints in the implementation of evaluation strategies in field settings.
An ethnography - of a community, classroom, event, program - seeks to describe the set of understandings and specific knowledge shared among participants that guide their behaviour in that specific context. The value of ethnography as a research method lies in its holistic view of the particular culture, cultural situation or cultural event under study. Critical ethnography is fundamentally concerned with questions of education and inequality. It seeks not only to describe conditions of inequality, but also aims towards creating change in the conditions it describes. In this course we will inquire into the concerns of critical ethnography and learn about conducting and writing critical ethnography by reading and discussing studies that explore the relationship between education and ethnicity, gender, class, race and minority languages.
The proseminar half-course will be organized into three-hour sessions. These sessions will often involve two parts, which may be organized in any order from week to week. First, some classes will feature a member of the Curriculum and Pedagogy (C&P) faculty who will be asked to introduce her or his research to the students and to speak to the question of how her or his work is situated within curriculum studies. Invited faculty will be able to choose one or two readings for that week, in order to give students an introduction to their work prior to the class. Second, each class session will focus on a topic of interest to doctoral students related to academic work in general and doctoral work in particular. The course will introduce students to the details of being a PhD student in C&P and will provide a forum for exchanging resources and ideas among students. In tandem, the proseminar will provide students with an introduction to academic life in general, including issues such as conferences, publications, teaching experience, academic job markets, etc.
Leading edge computer technologies that support mobile and ubiquitous knowledge construction will be studied. Implications for mind, education and technology will be examined in addition to the practical applications in schools and other educational settings.
Course description same as CTL1798.
A course designed to permit the study (in a formal class setting) of a specific area of curriculum or instruction not already covered in the courses listed for the current year. (This course does not fulfil the purpose of CTL1998, which in the Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning is normally conducted on a tutorial basis.)
Foundation course for the Language and Literacies Education Program, also open to students from other programs. The course is offered for students particularly concerned with issues of second language instruction, education for minority populations, and pluralism in education, defined in terms of language, culture (including religion), or ethno-racial origin. The emphasis is on study of major foundational writings that have shaped current thinking about these topics and on deriving implications for reflective teaching practice. Registration preference given to LLE students.
This course focuses on the range of research under way or recently done by professors in or affiliated with the LLE program as well as some recent graduates or visiting scholars. Topics, research projects, and presenters vary each year. Participants analyze examples of diverse research methods and topics, critique theses previously completed in the program, and undertake a systematic synthesis of prior research related to their prospective thesis on language and/or literacies learning, teaching, curriculum, or policy. The course is required of students in the MA and PhD and may also be taken by students in the MEd. This colloquium provides opportunities to become familiar with ongoing research, research methodologies, and curriculum activities in second-language learning and teaching.