Larry Bencze Clare Brett Rina Cohen Indigo Esmonde

Wanja Gitari Gila Hanna Jim Hewitt Ron Lancaster Cathy Marks Krpan

Douglas McDougall Erminia Pedretti John Percy Jim Slotta John Wallace

Wanja Gitari

Research Overview Dr. Wanja Gitari is an Associate Professor with the Department of Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning at OISE. Her primary research interests focus on cognitive continuity in science learning, access, equity and retention in science education; socio-cultural context of science education and the cultural knowledge of indigenous cultures. She is a member of a number of educational research groups including the American Educational Research Association (AERA), the Canadian Society for the Study of Education (CSSE) and the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST) Some of Professor Gitari's funded research projects have investigated the relationship between certain elements of everyday knowledge of natural phenomena and school science, by looking into the possibilities of integrating everyday knowledge into school science and engendering scientific creativity in everyday life. She is the other of a number of articles and book chapters on science education and its link to social justice. Research Grants and Contracts Dr. Gitari has been awarded a number of research grants: Transitional Year Programme (TYP) Fund ($4,163.86) August 2004-May 2005 Funding to conduct a study titled, Science Teaching and Learning in a University Access Program, and to present papers at international conferences: a) Finding a Clear Path in the Theoretical Maze of Naturalistic Inquiry When Faced with Multiple Subjectivities. Paper presented at the Advances in Qualitative Methods (AQM), Edmonton, Alberta (2005, February 17-20); b) Science Teaching and Learning in a University Access Program. Poster presentation at the Hawaii International Conference on Education (HICE), Honolulu, Hawaii (2005, January 4-7). Imperial Oil Centre Grant for International Travel [Internal grant of the Science, Math & Technology Centre, Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning, OISE/UT] ($800.00), November 2003. Funding to attend a symposium, The National Adult Literacy Database Symposium (NALD) - [The Inclusive Learning Exchange (TILE): Meeting Diverse Learner Needs.] November 14, 2003, Fredricton, New Brunswick. Grant for International Travel [Imperial Oil Centre and SSHRC]($1150.00) April 2002 Funding to present a research paper, What Is in it for Me? Science in a University Access Program. Paper presented at the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST), New Orleans, Louisiana. Connaught Grant (10,000) July 2000-2003 • Funding to conduct research study titled, Structuring of Science Concepts in the Context of a University Access Program • Funding to conduct research study titled, The Structuring of Science Concepts in a Biology Text: The Case of the Gene • Funding to conduct library search, Annotated Bibliography on Learning disabilities • Funding to present research paper, Using Rural Ways of Knowing to Structure a Socio-cultural Framework for Science Education. Paper presented at the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST), St. Louis, Missouri. Imperial Oil Centre Grant for Research ($7125.00) 2001 - 2002 Funding to: a) pay a research assistant to help with the feasibility study for a research website, Web-based resource for cross-cultural teaching and learning of science and technology; b) pay a web technician to work on the web design and initial set up of the setup, purchase necessary software and related materials; b) attend web design workshops