Call for Submissions
The Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study Laboratory School would like to honour two promising Teacher Candidates graduating in 2011 from an accredited Ontario Faculty of Education program. In recognition of excellence in pre-service Environmental Education of elementary school children, winning applicants will receive a gift of $500. As well, winners will have an opportunity to participate in a Fellowship placement at the Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study Laboratory School at a mutually agreeable time between May 2nd to May 6th 2011 for one week. Suzuki Fellows will be able to see, learn, and immerse themselves in Environmental Inquiry, the Lab School's four-part approach to Environmental Education under the mentorship of Lab School teacher/researchers
The Dr. David Suzuki Fellowships were established by The Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study Laboratory School. These Fellowships were made possible by the Norman and Marian Robertson Charitable Foundation, the leadership of Laboratory School teachers, and the support of celebrated, award-winning geneticist, environmentalist, and broadcaster, Dr. David Suzuki.
These Fellowships were created due to the Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study Laboratory School's enduring commitment to pre-service teacher education. This is also in response to an overwhelming number of requests from Teacher Candidates wishing to have a practicum experience at the Lab School in order to witness Environmental Inquiry in action before setting off in their own teaching practices.
The Lab School is a Nursery to Grade Six elementary school that is part of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. The school has a threefold mandate: 1) pre-service teacher education; 2) ongoing and innovative educational research; 3) exemplary evidence-based education for the children who attend the school. As a Laboratory School, one distinct characteristic is its mission to explore what is possible in education through research and classroom practice, and to disseminate those possibilities to the public education system.
As part of this mission, and in appreciation of the Ministry of Education's Policy Framework, Acting Today, Shaping Tomorrow, the Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study Lab School has embarked on a large Environmental Education Initiative to disseminate its integrated and inquiry-based approach to Environmental Education with elementary school teachers in Ontario. At the Lab School, authentic curriculum integration is made possible through the manifold directions that children's questions take throughout the inquiry-process, as well as the necessary skills that they apply when investigating those questions in an experiential way. The school's Approach to Environmental Education can be described through the following defining features: 1) Inquiry-Based Learning; 2) Integrated Learning; 3) Experiential Learning; 4) Stewardship. Dissemination of this approach will take the form of a Resource Handbook and website for Ontario elementary school teachers, which will be available in Spring 2011.
2011 David Suzuki Award Winners
Lisa Fisk
Lisa graduated from the Bachelor of Education Program at OISE in June 2011. She worked hard to foster Environmental Education in lessons spanning the curriculum, using real-world applications that made learning about the environment an interesting and hands-on experience for students in Junior and Intermediate grades. Lisa studied Marine and Freshwater Biology at the University of Guelph and gained an appreciation for experiential learning while completing courses at the University of Waikato in New Zealand. These courses allowed her to practice her laboratory skills in real life scenarios, during field studies and exploratory trips. Her interest in Environmental Education led Lisa to become involved in environmental initiatives on a national and international scale. She has worked for Ontario Parks, the Barbados Sea Turtle Project, the Nature Conservancy in St. Croix, the Ontario Science Centre, and the Richmond Hill Stewardship Program at Evergreen.
Kate Jeffery
Kate graduated from the Bachelor of Education Program at Nipissing University in June 2011. Kate firmly believes that it is important to expose students to nature at an early age. It is Kate’s love of nature that led her to become an outdoor educator, and to earn a degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Toronto, along with an Ontario Teaching Certificate with an outdoor education credit from Nipissing University. Kate believes that environmental education is possible in all settings, and that it is in doing and experiencing that students gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for the natural world. In order to teach science to Junior and Intermediate grades, she used interactive and creative teaching methods designed to get students outside and exploring the world around them. Kate took her love of environmental education and youth to the next level when, in 2009, she decided to bike to work (a 3,400 KM journey from Ontario to Alberta) to raise money for two deserving groups, the YMCA Camp Chief Hector and the Strong Kids Foundation.