CTL1000H Foundations of Curriculum Studies
This is a required course for master’s students (and doctoral students who did not take it in their masters programs). The aim of this course is to apply theory and research to the study of curriculum and teaching. The course (a) provides a language for conceptualizing educational questions; (b) reviews the major themes in the literature; (c) provides a framework for thinking about curriculum changes and change; and (d) assists students in developing critical and analytical skills appropriate to the scholarly discussion of curriculum and teaching problems.
B. Bennett, G. Feuerverger, K. Gallagher, R. Gaztambide-Fernandez, W. Seller, P. Trifonas, Staff
 
CTL1000H Fondements de l’étude des programmes scolaires
Le but de ce cours est d’appliquer la théorie et la recherche à l’étude des programmes d’enseignement. Le cours (1) fournit un langage propice à la conceptualisation ; (2) examine les principaux thèmes traités dans la littérature ; (3) fournit un cadre qui porte à réfléchir aux changements à apporter aux programmes d’enseignement ; et (4) aide les étudiant(e)s à développer un esprit critique et analytique approprié à la discussion des problèmes rencontrés dans les programmes d’enseignement.
Staff
 
CTL1002H Curriculum Development for Effective Teaching
This course defines and illustrates methods for completing important curriculum development tasks such as (a) identifying appropriate course and unit objectives; (b) developing useful growth schemes; (c) developing effective teaching techniques; and (d) constructing practical assessment strategies. Particular attention will be given to problem-solving skills.
Staff

 

CTL1002H Planification de la programmation pour un enseignement efficace
Ce cours présente des modèles qui permettent la mise en oeuvre des principales composantes de la programmation comme: a) l’identification des résultats généraux et spécifiques d’un cours ou d’un module; b) la planification de projets à long terme; c) l’élaboration d’outils d’intervention par rapport à differentes stratégies. La résolution de problèmes constituera un élément important des composantes étudiées.
Staff

 

An analysis of the components of language arts programs in the early years. The course will focus on reading and writing development in preschool and primary education, and will include a wide range of methods and materials of instruction, child- and teacher-centred philosophies, reading in the content areas, assessing growth in reading and writing.

 

This course theorizes and operationalizes teacher development in a social and cultural structure: teacher book clubs. The course organizes teacher book clubs as communities of learners to socially and interdependently explore the construction of knowledge and relational learning, the related concept of communities of learners and, narrative as an heuristic for making sense and developing meaning. By integrating the three theoretical orientations, the course seeks to help teachers more fully understand how they learn, think, and develop their professional knowledge and identity. The class is organized into book clubs so that the collective membership, through their own practices and theorizing, develop a praxis for including communities of learners in school settings.

 

An examination of the nature and function of the study of literature and culture in elementary schools. This course is designed for experienced teachers who will develop programs, select texts, explore interpretations, and consider implications and applications for schools.

 

This course examines a number of theoretical perspectives on literacy learning and instruction, exploring their implications for work with students in primary/junior/intermediate classrooms. Topics such as literacy across the curriculum, reading comprehension, beginning writing instruction, use of media and technology in writing, and socio-cultural influences on literacy learning, will be explored in terms of various theoretical approaches.

 

This course explores ways to bring children, cultural diversity and literature together in an interactive manner. Stories - whether traditional folktales or contemporary multicultural works - not only help define a child’s identity and understanding of self, but also allow others to look into, appreciate, and embrace another culture. Class discussions revolve around an annotated bibliography of articles and books concerned with multicultural children’s literature prepared specifically for the course and designed primarily for teachers in mainstream as well as ESL (English as a Second Language) and heritage language classes. The practical aim is for teachers to learn how to take advantage of the cultural diversity and interests that children of varied backgrounds bring to the classroom and to explore themes in folklore in order to open up the world of literature to all their students. The focus is to develop strategies for engaging students in classrooms in meaningful dialogue about diversity using the medium of personal interaction with the multicultural text. Throughout the course, we focus on how to encourage students to share their own cultural stories and “border cross” from one world to another. Particular emphasis is placed on the relevance of multicultural children’s literature to minority students’ self-esteem and literacy formation and to the school’s relationship to minority and majority communities in addition to its relevance in confronting issues of human rights and social justice.

 

In this course we will identify ways that systems of oppression and oppressive educational practices manifest themselves in school settings – for example, within interactions between teachers and students; administrators and students; students and students; students and the curriculum; teachers and the curriculum; administrators and teachers; teachers and parents; parents and administrators - and we will discuss how we can use these spaces or locate new ones to do anti-oppressive educational work in school settings. Emphasis in the course will be placed on integrating anti-oppressive educational theory with anti-oppressive educational practice. We will attempt to link our discussions of practice to theory and our discussions of theory to practice.

 

This course will examine how appropriate curriculum for the education of girls and young women has been defined and delivered in Canadian schools.

 

This course serves as an introduction to the strategies and techniques utilized in the evaluation of curriculum programs. The focus will be on the assumptions, strengths, and weaknesses associated with various strategies. Students will work through evaluation problems associated with particular curriculum programs and instructional techniques.

 

This course provides for practical experience of as well as understanding of innovative practices in cooperative learning (CL). We explore rationales for and current developments (synergy, shared leadership). Topics include: What is CL (principles, attributes); how to organize CL (structures and strategies); how does CL work (basic elements, types of groups); teacher and student roles; benefits (positive interdependence, individual accountability, social skills, cohesion); evaluation (forms and criteria); obstacles and problems; starting and applying CL in your classroom (teachers’ practical knowledge; collegiality; parental involvement); independent learning and collaborative inquiry; Ministry and Board requirements; and resources and materials Group (response trios) projects and joint seminars.

 

Experiential learning for students new to qualitative inquiry is provided through a broad introduction to qualitative approaches from beginning to end. A range of approaches relating to students’ theoretical frameworks are explored. Thesis students are encouraged to pilot their thesis research.

 

In this course candidates will formulate a personal policy on student assessment, develop authentic assessment tools appropriate to their teaching assignments, and assess the quality of authentic assessment strategies. Particular attention will be given to performance assessments, portfolios, self-evaluation, cooperative assessment, student beliefs and attitudes toward assessment, measurement of affective outcomes and professional standards for evaluating student assessment practices.

 

This course will critically analyze a number of curriculum models and will explore instructional strategies currently used to program for high ability students in a variety of learning environments. Specific reference will be made to program differentiation within a regular classroom setting. Previous courses in the education of high ability students is not required.

 

This course will examine the foundations of educational thought from the perspectives of Jacques Derrida, Jean-Francois Lyotard, Luce Irigaray, Hélène Cixous, Michel Foucault, Roland Barthes, Gilles Deleuze, Julia Kristeva, Emmanuel Levinas, and Jean Baudrillard. Educational implications and applications of poststructural philosophy will be stressed in relation to the discursive and non-discursive limits of the scene of teaching.

 

A critical review of current approaches to analysing teaching and an examination of theoretical literature on the concept of teaching. The course involves reflection on one’s own teaching. Students should be currently teaching or have access to a teaching situation. This course is most suitable for primary and secondary teachers.

NOTE: Students who have previously taken CTL4000H are prohibited from taking this course.

 

Reflective practice is one means through which practitioners make site-based decisions and through which they continue to learn in their professions. This course will critically examine the research and professional literature concerning the meaning of and the processes involved in reflective practice. Additionally, as professional development is often associated with reflective practice, the course will also identify and examine professional development strategies which could facilitate reflective professional development. Students will critique these models by utilizing the concepts from the reflective practice literature.

NOTE: Students who have previously taken CTL4001H are prohibited from taking this course.

 

This course concerns observing and giving feedback to teachers; it is experiential and requires that students be able to observe and work with a colleague who is currently teaching. The focus is on developing the skills of in-depth, systematic analysis of classroom teaching and the skills of sensitive, informed, one-to-one feedback. The course is particularly relevant to those with supervisory or professional development responsibilities.

NOTE: Students who have previously taken CTL4002H are prohibited from taking this course.

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.

 

This course critically examines the various conceptual and structural approaches to teacher education, including an inquiry-based, transformative orientation. Participants engage in their own inquiries, exploring the ways in which they construct professional knowledge in their own lives, and in which other professionals in transition participate in their professional development. Theoretical perspectives, research metholologies and research findings are discussed for the purposes of deepening our understandings of our current teaching and research practices, and of engaging in the ongoing construction and reconstruction of professional knowledge.

NOTE: Students who have previously taken CTL4004H are prohibited from taking this course.

 

The literary text is used as a vehicle for reflection on issues of language and ethnic identity maintenance and for allowing students an opportunity to live vicariously in other ethnocultural worlds. The focus is on autobiographical narrative within diversity as a means to our understanding of the “self ” in relation to the “other”. The course examines the complex implications of understanding teacher development as autobiographical/biographical text. We then extend this epistemological investigation into more broadly conceived notions of meaning-making that incorporate aesthetic and moral dimensions within the multicultural/anti-racist/anti-bias teacher educational enterprise.

NOTE: Students who have previously taken CTL4007 are prohibited from taking this course.

 

This course examines how knowledge is developed, explores the relationships among different kinds of knowledge (e.g., moral, scientific, religious, aesthetic), and identifies the various philosophical bases of such school subjects as English, history, and math. It examines the relationship between issues about knowing and issues about teaching. For example, the questions of what and how we should teach are addressed from the standpoint of different kinds of “knowing.” The course is oriented toward secondary school but is not confined to any particular subject-matter specialty. It is not assumed that students will have a background in philosophy.

NOTE: Students who have previously taken CTL4008 are prohibited from taking this course.

 

This course will focus on the dynamics of multiculturalism within the individual classroom and their implications for teacher development. It is intended to examine how teachers can prepare themselves in a more fundamental way to reflect on their underlying personal attitudes toward the multicultural micro-society of their classrooms. Discussions will be concerned with the interaction between personal life histories and the shaping of assumptions about the teaching-learning experience, especially in the multicultural context. The course will have a “hands-on” component, where students (whether practising teachers or teacher/researchers) will have the opportunity to become participant-observers and reflect upon issues of cultural and linguistic diversity within the classroom.

NOTE: Students who have previously taken CTL4009 are prohibited from taking this course.

 

This course will explore the view that teachers are “thoughtful practitioners”, the primary agents of schooling. It will focus on the empowerment of teachers through school-based inquiry and through a more adequate understanding of theteacher’s abilities and role. A small research study in a teaching context (school or preservice) will be required in this course. Assistance will be given in research methodology for the study.

NOTE: Students who have previously taken CTL4012 are prohibited from taking this course.

 

In this course we explore differences in the ways “Knowledge”, “Teaching”, and “Learning” are constructed and understood in different cultures, and how these affect how teachers learn and promote learning, with particular emphasis on multicultural settings. An underlying theme is how one can best bring together a) narrative, and b) comparative/structural ways of knowing in order to better understand teacher development in varying cultural/national contexts. The choice of particular nations/regions/cultures on which to focus in the course responds to the experience and interest of the students and the availability of useful literature regarding a particular geo-cultural area with respect to the basic themes of the course.

NOTE: Students who have previously taken CTL4013 are prohibited from taking this course.

 

This course examines the nature of educational change and its impact on the implementation of curriculum. How change affects teachers and how new curricula affect classroompractice, form the central focus of the course. Three basic approaches to implementation, the fidelity perspective, mutual adaptation, and curriculum enactment, are used as a framework to examine the research on implementation and identify factors which enhance and hinder successful change efforts. The role of professional development and strategies for effective professional development practices in support of implementation constitute the third area of study in this course.

 

This course addresses theories of writing instruction and assessment that influence current classroom practice. Connections between theory and practice will be explored in terms of what it means to be a writer and a teacher of writing. Issues such as the teaching of writing conventions, writing assessment, sociocultural influences on students’ writing, and the teacher’s role in guiding student writing will be examined.

 

This course is organized around the various components of program planning and evaluation for education and the osicla and health sciences; needs, evaluability, process, implementation, outcome, impact, and efficiency assessments. Data collection methods such as the survey, focus group interview and observation are introduced.

NOTE: Students who have previously taken CTL2006 are prohibited from taking this course.

 

Basic concepts, methods, and problems in educational research are considered: discovering the periodicals in one’s field, steps in the research process, developing research questions, design of instruments, methods of data collection and analysis, interpreting results, and writing research reports.

NOTE: Students who have previously taken CTL2007H are prohibited from taking this course.

 

An overview of the kinds of instruments used for collecting educational data: classroom tests and various item types; norm-referenced and criterion-referenced standardized achievement tests; group intelligence and aptitude tests; attitude and self-report scales; observational systems, including performance assessment and classroom observation; questionnaires and surveys; interview protocols; reliability theory and item analysis; and validity. The course will focus on selection criteria for commercially available instruments, and on criteria for use in refining researcher-designed instruments.

NOTE: Students who have previously taken CTL2009 are prohibited from taking this course.

 

A review of research and issues in using alternative assessments in classroom and accountability testing, in competency testing and quality assurance, and in program evaluation, for education and the social and health sciences. These alternative assessments include performance, authentic, portfolio, self, peer, group, and individualized assessments.

NOTE: Students who have previously taken CTL2010 are prohibited from taking this course.

 

The course studies survey research design and questionnaire development. Topics include single and multiple waves research designs, sampling strategies, data collection methods (mail, telephone, computer administered, and individual and group interviews), non-response issues, questionnaire construction and validation, and sources of errors in self-reporting. Course content relating to the use of questionnaire as a form of data collection applies to research designs other than survey research. Teaching and learning will be conducted through reading, lecturing, class and internet discussion, and take-home and in class individual or small group exercises.

 

This course studies methods of evaluating training. Topics covered by the course include training models, practice analysis, Kirkpatrick’s 4 level training outcome evaluation model and its variants, Return on Investment (ROI) analysis, and measurement and design issues in training evaluation.

 

This course examines the linkages between education, both formal and non-formal, and the social development of nations, with particular focus on the process of educational policy formation for both developing nations and developing sub-areas within richer nations. The course aims to acquaint students with the main competing “theories” or conceptualizations of the development process and, through examination of a representative set of recent empirical studies and “state of the art” papers, to develop an understanding of the relationships between educational activities and programs and various aspects of social development, with an overall focus on problems of social inequality. The overarching objective is to help develop a better understanding of how, in confronting a particular educational policy problem, one’s own theoretical preconceptions, data about the particular jurisdiction, and comparative data about the problem at hand interact to produce a policy judgment.

NOTE: Students who have previously taken CTL6002 are prohibited from taking this course.

 

The examination of current topics or problems in play, drama, and arts education as related to curriculum studies. Issues will be identified from all age levels of education as well as from dramatic play, each of the arts disciplines, and aesthetic education as a whole. Students will address one specific topic through self-directed learning and present the results in an appropriate form. Topics vary from year to year depending upon interests of course members.

 

An exploration of the questions addressed in education in general and curriculum in particular (with an emphasis on the arts) through a variety of modes and methods of research and inquiry. Students will approach problems inductively and experientially. It is intended that the course will provide students with a practical grounding for theses, dissertations, and research projects.

 

This course examines the nature of spirituality. After exploring various conceptions of spirituality the course then examines how it can be part of the school curriculum in a non threatening manner. More specifically, the course explores the nature of the soul and how the soul can be nourished in the classroom through approaches such as imagery, dreams, journal writing, and forms of contemplation. The arts and earth education are also examined in this context. Finally the role of the teacher will be explored.

 

This course will focus on curriculum that facilitates personal growth and social change. Various programs and techniques that reflect a holistic orientation will be analysed: for example, Waldorf education, social action programs, and transpersonal techniques such as visualization and the use of imagery in the classroom. The philosophical, psychological, and social context of the holistic curriculum will also be examined.

 

The course will focus on teacher education and the construction of professional knowledge in teaching from holistic perspectives. Beginning with an exploration of the various conceptual and structural alternatives to initial teacher education, the course then examines holistic, arts-based and narrative orientations to learning to teach and to career-long teacher learning. The connections between professional renewal, curriculum and school renewal, and educational research are explored.

 

This course is designed for elementary school teachers interested in experiencing math teaching as a creative and deeply satisfying endeavour. Through class discussions, reflection activities, creative group investigations, selected readings and a final (usually classroom-based) project, participants will be able to explore topics from among the following: holistic math learning environments; linking math with real life; creative problem-solving; open-ended problems; integrating math with other disciplines such as fine arts, social studies and language arts; journal writing, use of children’s literature and oral communication activities; authentic assessment; linking assessment with instruction.

 

It has been well documented that many adults experience mathematics anxiety, possibly due to the traditional way they have been taught math in their own schooling. This course utilizes a holistic approach in helping elementary teachers to reconstruct their foundational math knowledge and overcome their anxieties. Utilizing reform-based approaches, participants will work in small groups on selected mathematics problems and hands-on explorations at an appropriate level of difficulty. Journal writing, group reflection and guided visualization activities will be used to help participants become aware of, and start dealing with their emotional and cognitive blocks in relation to mathematics. Such work opens the door to accessing one’s mathematical intuition and creativity. A discussion of how the strategies used in the course, or reported in the literature, can be adapted for mathematics-anxious students will also be included.

 

This course examines what mathematics should be taught, how to define and increase students’ understanding of mathematics, classroom discourse and student engagement in elementary mathematics. The intent of the course is to provide a grounding in mathematics education.

 

This course involves a study of theories of learning in the context of science education, a survey of research relating to children’s understanding of concepts in science, and an exploration of strategies for more effective science teaching.

 

A detailed study of issues in the history, philosophy, and sociology of science that have significance for science education, an examination of the philosophy underpinning the STS movement, and a consideration of some of the theoretical and practical problems surrounding the implementation of science curricula intended to focus on environmental, socioeconomic, cultural, and moral-ethical issues.

 

This course aims to illuminate contemporary international debate in science and technology education and to provide some insight into the nature of curriculum change through a critical analysis of episodes in science curriculum history.

 

The course focuses on the design of effective strategies for exploring students’ personal frameworks of meaning in science and addresses issues of contemporary international debate about science and technology education, including the “Science for All” movement, the “new” psychology of learning, the language of science and technology education, politicization of science and technology education, the role of laboratory work, computers in science education, and issues in environmental and health education.

 

This is an active research-based course in which participants will sharpen and develop their understanding of issues and professional practice in science, mathematics and technology education. Working within a mutually supportive group of practitioners, they will subject their current practice (e.g., teaching) to critical scrutiny and appraisal, plan and attempt alternative curriculum perspectives and practices, and evaluate these in action (e.g., in teaching). The particular focus for research will be determined by individuals or groups of individuals in the course, in consultation with the instructor. Class members need to be active in their work - e.g., currently working as a teacher, consultant, etc. - in order to carry out their projects. This course may be best taken after a few courses in a Masters level programme, which may provide students with some theoretical perspectives to use in their action research. Although prior research experience would be helpful, it is not a requirement for this course.

 

This course will address some key issues in the philosophy and the sociology of science and their implications for science education at the elementary and secondary levels. Attention will also be directed towards (i) a critical appraisal of the role of the history of science in science education , and (ii) a consideration of pseudosciences and their role, and the distortion and misuse of science for sociopolitical goals. Course members will have the opportunity to explore ways in which lab work, computer-mediated learning, language activities and historical case studies can be used to present a more authentic view of science, scientific development and scientific practice.

 

This course deals with issues of gender bias, Eurocentrism and other forms of bias and distortion in science and sciencetechnology education. It seeks a generalized approach to equity issues and examines ways in which border crossings into the subcultures of science and science education can be eased for all those who currently experience difficulties.

 

This course will focus on theoretical and practical perspectives and current research on teaching and learning science and technology in school and non-school settings. Consideration will be given to classroom environments, as well as science centres, zoos, aquaria, museums, out-door centres, botanical gardens, science fairs, science hobby clubs, and media experiences. In particular, the course will focus on the nature of teaching and learning in these diverse settings, representations of science and technology, scientific and technological literacy, and socio-cultural interpretations of science and technology.

 

This course will focus on the role of the teacher leader in developing the teacher as learner in the context of science, mathematics and technology education. Topics will include the nature of teacher’s work, the construction of teacher’s knowledge, forms of teacher inquiry and reflection, providing feedback on teaching and the social organisational conditions of schools, which support teacher leadership and learning. Participants will use this unit to conduct some action research on teacher leadership in science/mathematics/technology education.

 

This course focuses on curriculum issues associated with integrating school science, mathematics and technology. Topics include the history of curriculum integration and school subjects, theoretical and practical models for integration, strategies for teaching in an integrated fashion, student learning in integrated school settings, models for school organization, and curriculum implementation issues. Participants will examine the contemporary literature on curriculum integration and will be encouraged to conduct and report on some action research into teaching practices.

 

The study and concept of “culture” has emerged from a number of different disciplines over the past century. “Cultural studies” is a recent synthesis and critical reevaluation of some of these approaches, one with important implications for educators in the area of the humanities. Through a discussion of key texts and issues generated within this tradition, the course examines structuralist, ethnographic, feminist, and postmodern versions of cultural studies in order to understand how these approaches reformulate an educational practice concerned with contemporary culture.

 

Le cours a pour but d’initier les étudiantes et les étudiants à l’analyse qualitative dans le domaine de la recherche en éducation. Le premier objectif du cours est de se pencher sur la nature même de la recherche qualitative et sa relation avec la théorie. Différentes façons de concevoir la recherché qualitative seront donc examinées. Dans un deuxième temps, les étudiantes et les étudiants se familiariseront avec cinq techniques de cueillette de données: l’observation, l’entrevue, l’analyse de contenu, le récit de vie et la recherche-action.

 

The course is designed to introduce students to qualitative methods of research in education. The intention is to examine the nature of qualitative research and its relationship to theory. Students will look at different ways of approaching qualitative research, and special attention will be paid to the concept of critical ethnography. Students will also study five specific research techniques: observation, interview, content analysis, life history, and action research.

 

Le cours a pour but de se pencher sur le rôle de l’école de langue française dans le processus de construction identitaire des élèves. Dans le contexte du cours, l’identité est conçue comme étant le résultat d’une construction sociale. Des concepts-clés tels que l’identité, l’ethnicité, la race, la culture, la langue et l’assimilation sont d’abord examinés. Par la suite, le cours se penche sur les politiques et les programmes existants dans les écoles de langue française en Ontario, dans le but de faire une analyse critique de la contribution de ces dernières au processus de construction identitaire des élèves.

 

The course is designed to examine the contradictory role of the school as an agent of linguistic and social reproduction in a school system where students are from diverse linguistic and cultural origins. In this context, the majority-minorities dichotomy will be critically examined. The course will focus particularly on how school contributes to the students’ identity construction process. In this critical examination, identity will be understood as a socially constructed notion. Key-concepts such as identity, ethnicity, minority, race, culture and language will be first analyzed. The process of identity construction will then be examined within the educational context of Ontario.

 

Le cours veut permettre aux étudiantes et aux étudiants de comprendre comment l’école, par ses programmes, son matériel scolaire et son personnel enseignant, contribue à reproduire les rapports d’inégalités qui s’établissent entre les hommes et les femmes dans la société. L’analyse s’intéressera au rôle de l’école en tant qu’agent de socialisation ainsi qu’aux efforts gouvernementaux en matière d’égalité entre les sexes. Par la suite, une analyse de contenu du matériel scolaire utilize dans les écoles de langue française de l’Ontario viendra se greffer au cours.

 

Preparation for ‘democracy’ and citizenship is ostensibly a central goal of public education: What does this citizenship imply, who is heard in ‘public’ decision making, and how might active democratic citizenship be ‘taught’ and learned? Diverse individuals, cultures, and nations understand democracy in different ways, and political space is gendered: This course examines contrasting understandings of and approaches to political (governance), social (inclusivity), and transnational (peacebuilding) citizenship, democratization, and citizenship education, drawn from comparative international and Canadian research and cases, especially in school settings. Themes include conflict and controversy, critique, cultural/ gender/ sexual diversities, human rights, justice, development and peacebuilding. Emphasis is given to curriculum, conflict management, and governance in public elementary and secondary schools in various cultural contexts. Participants will learn to analyze and assess educational experiences, in light of theory, research, and their own democratic citizenship education goals.

 

This course is designed for practising educators to develop and enhance their knowledge of how gender is produced in our educational system. It examines the different stages of the educational system: elementary, secondary, community college and university. The classroom is the focus because it is the central work setting of educational institutions. What happens in the classroom is not simply the result of what a teacher does but involves interactions between and among students and between teachers and students. The classroom has its own dynamic and is also interconnected to outside relationships with parents, friends, educational officials etc. The course has as its main objectives to examine the dynamics of inequality in the classroom and to discuss and develop strategies for change. While the primary focus is on gender inequality, course readings also draw on resources that make visible the intersections of gender with other inequalities based on race, class and sexual orientation.

 

This seminar examines how young people may be taught (and given opportunities), implicitly or explicitly, to handle interpersonal and social conflict. The course examines the ways conflict may be confronted, silenced, transformed, or resolved in school knowledge, pedagogy, hidden curriculum, peacemaking and peacebuilding programs, governance, discipline, restorative justice, and social relations, from Canadian and international/ comparative perspectives. The focus is to become aware of a range of choices and to analyze how various practices and lessons about conflict fit in (and challenge) the regular activities and assumptions of curriculum and schooling, and their implications for democracy, justice, and social exclusion/ inclusion. Participants will become skilled in analyzing the conflict and relational learning opportunities and dilemmas embedded in various institutional patterns or initiatives to teach or facilitate conflict resolution and transformation and to prevent violence.

 

In today’s heterogeneous classrooms, teachers diversify their techniques of teaching, the content of lessons and their systems for evaluating student progress. The greater pupil diversity, the more teachers must adapt instruction. In this course, we will examine adaptive instruction at a macro(teaching methods) and micro-level (student-teacher interaction). Questions to be examined: What are the teacher’s responsibilities for adapting instruction? What is an adapted or modified program? Is differential instruction of students discriminatory or essential? How might modified outcomes be evaluated and reported.

 

An overview of the uses of computers in education and consideration of critical issues of those uses; recommended as a first course in this area. Current practice and research in the use of computers to guide instruction are examined. Includes aspects of computer-aided learning: computers in the schools, computer-managed instruction, computer assisted instruction, internet resources, computer mediated communication, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence applications. Specific topics change each year. It is strongly recommended that this course be taken early in the student’s program.

 

This course examines the role that knowledge building can play in school and work settings. We will review the distinction between knowledge building and learning, analyze recent knowledge building literature, and discuss socio-cultural, logistical and design considerations when constructing an online Knowledge Building community. Students will visit and study existing Knowledge Building communities as one of the course assignments.

 

This course deals with the use of computers in schools as tools for students in curricula other than computer studies. The role that technology can play in school restructuring is examined. Also included is a discussion of issues related to teacher training and classroom implementation, and the ways in which technology applications can influence the curriculum content and process. The major emphasis is on determining the specific educational needs (of students, teachers, etc.) that computers can meet.

 

This course will examine the theory and research that underlies constructivist learning and its historical and philosophical roots. The educational applications that have developed out of these ideas, like problem based learning, collaborative learning and knowledge building will be explored in regards to how such concepts can inform and enhance the design of online environments and methods of teaching. We will look at different learning environments, both research projects and applications current in the field that instantiate various elements of these ideas.

 

A survey of the use of computers for human communication for educational purposes. Applications and issues of teaching and learning in the online environment, related to all levels of education, are examined. The course is conducted via OISE’s computer conferencing system.

 

The Virtual Library is a seven module course addressing students’ information retrieval needs in a rapidly-changing technological environment. The course covers hardware and software requirements; access to online catalogues, online databases; electronic journals and theses; educational resources on the World Wide Web; bibliographic software packages and the new requirements for citing electronic publications.

 

This doctoral level seminar adopts an innovative format where students become a knowledge community and explore a set of themes related to the course topic. We try to uncover the implications for learning and instruction in the classroom, on the street, in the museum, online, or anywhere else that learning may happen. We make connections to the theoretical foundations from the learning sciences, media theory, human-computer interaction, architecture, information science, and other disciplines. Each week, we explore a new theme, building on course content left from previous years. In exploring these themes, the class adopts media practices that characterize various knowledge media - from wikis to social tagging, to immersive environments. We explore these practices during class, and discuss the relevant issues and opportunities. Students work in teams to define a “Design idea” that applies ideas from the course to define a potential application that would serve a particular knowledge community.

 

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.)