A gentle return to school - go slow to go fast: In their new paper, Professor Carol Campbell and colleagues put forward proactive suggestions for what the first few weeks of school might look like to ensure a safe and successful return to learning. Read more.

Considerations for re-opening Ontario schools - principles, ideas and strategies: In this new paper, Professor Carol Campbell and colleagues identify key questions that must be solved for a return to school - and offer ideas and strategies for solving them. Read more.

With over 1,300 community members online, a panel that included OISE faculty, education experts and special guests convened to challenge Ontario's plan to reopen schools this September. Moderated by OISE Professor Charles Pascal, the webinar addressed the reopening plan within anti-racist frameworks, mental health supports, math curriculum supports and education policy in the Canadian context. Watch now.

OISE alum Karin Vagiste, an author, award-winning mediator and YouTuber, shares her take on the significance of masks - both real and figurative - and compares the psychology behind two distinct groups: those who accept and refuse physical masks during the pandemic. For some, Vagiste says, the fear of wearing a mask comes from the desire to reveal one's true emotions. For others, the fear of COVID-19 is enough to encourage wearing a mask. Why is that? Vagiste explains. Read more.

Is it safe for kids to return to school? Former deputy education minister Charles Pascal reacts to the province's plan to reopen schools in September. He discusses issues of health and safety as well as wellbeing and mental health. Read more.

Reducing class sizes in the fall will have added benefits, says Professor Carol Campbell. "Smaller class sizes will be educationally beneficial after the period of school closure to allow teachers to assess their students' learning and needs, and to provide individual support." Read more.

Daycare funding shortfalls are important to note, but more importantly, the long-term lack of infrastructure to support child care in Ontario will be a critical challenge. "This is child care's perennial problem," says OISE policy fellow Kerry McCuaig. Read more.

You know those cardboard partitions that sometimes separate kids taking a test? The ones meant to prevent cheating? A new study by an international team of researchers, including Professor Kang Lee, has found that pretend barriers also work. Read more.

School systems worldwide are struggling to figure out if, when, and how to re-open schools. Professor Karen Mundy joins FreshEd podcast to give her take on how to plan for school re-openings during a pandemic. Listen now.

A new study by Professor Kang Lee and colleagues has found that subtle environmental interventions can help discourage dishonesty among 5 to 6-year-olds. They found that both real and imagined barriers, when placed strategically, can help to reduce cheating. Read more.

Welcome to our summer issue of the OISE Alumni & Friends Newsletter! We are highlighting teachers. In the stories to come, educators and experts offer insight into matters affecting education right now, including the reopening of schools in Ontario and the transition to online learning. First up, adjunct professor Emis Akbari explores how coronavirus school closures could widen inequities for our youngest students. Read more.

A research team led by Professor Roy Gillis is taking steps to approach coronavirus stigma, discrimination and misinformation by gaining information from members of Chinese and East Asian communities in Canada - who are seen as targets of much of the stigma, fear, discrimination and even violence during this crisis. Gillis spoke with OISE News for a deep dive conversation about what this project intends to do, how the research is being conducted, and what the potential benefits would be. Read more.

OISE alum Douglas Gosse has been appointed as Nipissing University's new teaching chair in learning outcomes. Gosse has been a faculty member at the university since 2005, and formerly taught in schools during which he was recognized by the Governor General of Canada for Excellence in Teaching Canadian History. Read more.

Rumeet Billan, an author, entrepreneur and humanitarian, has been named by Optimyz magazine as one of Canada's Top 10 Power Women. She joins Theresa Tam, Canada's Chief Public Health Officer, Patty Hajdu, the federal Minister of Health, Canadian Senator Wanda Bernard and tennis star Bianca Andreescu, 2019 U.S. Open champion, on the Top 10 list. Here is what Rumeet had to say about the honour. Read more.

Welcome to the first issue of The OISE Impact - a round up of top stories, media highlights and events coming out of the Institute. This issue, we are proud to announce the launch of the OISE Indigenous Educational Research Centre. Read all about it and more.

Carol Campbell, an associate professor of leadership and educational change at OISE and highly respected voice on schooling in Ontario, joins AM640 radio to discuss what is needed for a successful return to school in the province this September. Listen here.

An administrator who thinks with her heart and her head: Congratulations to Professor Tara Goldstein on her appointment as Vice Principal of New College at the University of Toronto. Goldstein, who has been at OISE since 1985, has spent her career pursuing equity and change in education. Read more.

Math education professor Ron Lancaster says nature is a wonderful classroom for learning math. In this Toronto Star article, he shares practical tips to help get children outside to explore how math can be found almost anywhere. Read more.

Remote learning will exacerbate the inequalities between independent learners and those children who need more support, says Professor Lauren Bialystok, an associate professor who studies ethics and education at OISE. Listen here.

As Canada Research Chair in Critical Studies in Indigenous Health and Social Action on Suicide, Jeffrey Ansloos, an assistant professor of Indigenous mental health and social policy at OISE, will help to establish critical research on the structural dimensions of suicide for Indigenous youth and communities. Read more.

Alum Dr. Jillian Roberts, a professor of educational psychology, offers advice as tensions increase over the easing COVID-19 pandemic rules in social situations. When assessing what is appropriate during a social visit, be kind, calm and safe, and set your own boundaries, says Dr. Roberts. Read more in Globe and Mail.

Fernanda Yanchapaxi has lost so much. Family members in her homeland Ecuador had died due to COVID-19 or in the midst of the pandemic. She wanted to find a way to grieve and to help others in some way, so she started making masks. Read more.

Ontario Education Minister declared Monday that Ontario will end streaming in Grade 9 and stop suspensions of students between JK and Grade 3. But the destreaming announcement is superficial unless there are major changes to how teachers teach, to the curriculum and to the recruitment of teachers, says Professor Charles Pascal, a former deputy minister of education in Ontario. Read more.

Professor Ann Lopez applauds the end of streaming in Ontario as a way to start dealing with systemic and anti-Black racism in schools, but says the changes cannot be piecemeal and must fit into a larger plan. Read more in the Toronto Star.

In his Netflix debut, Professor Kang Lee appears on the docuseries, Babies, to share his developmental neuroscience research on racial bias in six- and nine-month-old babies. From nature to nurture, the series explores the groundbreaking science that reveals how infants discover life during their very first year. Read more.

Grade 6 students at OISE's Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study received a painful lesson on the reality of racism after posters they created to voice their feelings about police violence and anti-Black racism were vandalized and splattered over with paint, twice. But the school says the incident won't stop it from displaying students' expressions on racism, saying it intends to reprint and redisplay the posters. "This is a reminder to all of us that Toronto is far from exempt from racism," said school principal, Richard Messina. Read more.

Stacy Costa is puzzle obsessed. The OISE PhD candidate has enjoyed the pastime since childhood when her parents would give her puzzles to keep her busy and to keep her mind sharp. They became an academic passion during her undergrad at U of T. Now, as a doctoral student, she's mostly focused on online learning, teacher development and engineering education. But the past few months have seen a rise in interest in puzzles, and Costa has been putting the pieces together about why they've gotten so popular during the pandemic. Read more.

PhD candidate Janelle Brady, an anti-racist educator, researcher and curriculum developer, recently joined Dr. Shawnee Hardware, a researcher with the Child Development Institute SNAP, and teacher Annette Walker on a virtual panel to discuss how adults can talk to children about racism. Watch now.

In this video for the OISE Stay At Home Club, educators Brittany Cohen and Shawn Matts share about their journey starting a YouTube channel for kids (K-8) called "Now What? With Britt & Shawn." Their goal has been to support families and teachers with quality educational content during these challenging and uncertain times. With their story, they give practical tips for engaging students in asynchronous learning as well as insights into how to create educational video content. Watch now.

Staff members Neil Tinker and Gladys Lim, Professor Carol Rolheiser, Professor Elizabeth Smyth and Associate Professor Antoinette Gagne are this year's recipients of OISE's Long Service Awards - represent a modest recognition of the loyalty and many contributions to OISE and the University of Toronto. Read more.

OISE's new Indigenous Educational Research Centre will provide a key space for Indigenous-specific research across the institute - where Indigenous faculty and students can meet, work on research, and engage in critical conversations. Read more.

Remote contact with families in the coronavirus emergency is critical, but learning on a screen is not how young children will gain the foundational and developmental skills they need, says adjunct professor Emis Akbari. Read more.

"You've put in umpteen hours to earn your credentials. And now you can now finally put bread on the table!," writes Ven Prof. Bhikkhu Mihita to the OISE class of 2020. He shares his spiritual wisdom from the Buddhist tradition about building a happy and healthy life. Read more.

Congratulations to the class of 2020! This issue of our newsletter, we are celebrating our newest graduates and reflecting on alumni classes of the past. Inside, you will find inspiring stories about our graduates and OISE's impact in research, plus new events, webcasts and alumni perks! Read more.

For the 7th time, U of T has been named as one of Canada's Greenest Employers by the Top 100 Employers project at Mediacorp Canada Inc. But OISE alum Doug Graham, a property manager at the university, knows being a green employer is also about deepening your employees' specialized sustainability-related skills. Here's more of what Doug had to say. Read more.

Professor Shelley Stagg Peterson and Kathy Sky share a northern First Nation community's approach to teaching children the local Indigenous language using traditional ways of fishing and smoking fish combined with early literacy research. Read more.

Doctoral candidate Janelle Brady, an anti-racist educator, activist-researcher and community organizer, reflects on the anti-Black racism and police brutality protests erupting across Canada, the United States and the world, and asks non-Black marginalized and white communities to stand in solidarity. Read more.

The Robertson Program sat down with a group of Ontario teachers to hear about their experiences teaching during a pandemic. The educators share concerns about student engagement and well-being as well as some of their innovation solutions to help students transition to online learning. From K-6, they speak of the importance of choice in facilitating engagement and about the challenge of making learning accessible for students and families across socio-economic backgrounds. Read more.

An educational research partnership that supports oral language, cultural knowledge and writing development for Indigenous children has been awarded a partnership grant from SSHRC. Learn more about this OISE-led project. Read more.

As the global community observes World Refugee Day, Christina Tjandra's thoughts go to some of her students, Syrian refugees under her tutelage. Tjandra, who delivers an arts-based research, has gained much insight from them as she explored her master's thesis at OISE - about newcomer English language learner children's perspectives on, and interpretations of, their multilingual linguistic landscape. Read more.

Teachers, parents and students should be at the table to inform decisions about re-opening, says Carol Campbell, an associate professor in educational leadership and policy studies. With much still uncertain about the continuing impact of COVID-19, and important decisions about the 2020-21 school year coming to the fore, Campbell offers 10 areas of advice for policymakers as they plan to send students back to school. Read more.

Professor Doug McDougall has been named JJ Berry Smith Doctoral Supervision Award. This award recognizes outstanding performance in the multiple roles associated with doctoral supervision. Congratulations Dr. McDougall! Read more.

In episode four of 3Qs at the U, Samantha Yammine (also known as "Science Sam") speaks with OISE Professor Jennifer Brant about the history of structural inequities faced by Indigenous peoples and the contrasting responses to COVID-19 at governmental and local levels. Watch now.

Anti-racism like anti-colonialism is a stance of action, says OISE alum and University of Toronto Student Leadership Award winner, Ezi Odozor on How Do You Feel? podcast. "The 'anti-' means action, and that action means not taking a step back and watching the systems crumble. You actually have to do things. You can't simply be not racist while still enjoying the privileges or benefiting from a system that continuously oppress others," she explains. Tune into this powerful podcast discussion. Listen now.

Alum Zanana Akande grew up near Dundas Street, and never thought twice about the name - but she says she's learned more, and renaming it is important, to show that the City has learned from history, too. Hear from the former Cabinet Minister on CBC News. Listen now.

Long-held conversations about Canada's relationship with racism have reached a new fever pitch amid ongoing protests against anti-Black racism. To Indigenous and Black educators in Canada, it's a relationship that has been left out of history books, including the history of slavery. Professor Lance McCready weighs in on the mental health repercussions of 'systemic silence' for Black and Indigenous students. Read more.

"There has been something animated by the death of George Floyd that is deeply familiar and that calls out for something more - something beyond mere redress, arrest and conviction," writes Professor Rinaldo Walcott in a letter to the late Essex Hemphill on the need to work towards an abolitionist future. Walcott's piece is part of a series of eight letters written by Black writers for Maclean's Magazine. Read more.

The benefits of mindfulness for both students and teachers have led to a growing interest in mindfulness practice within school settings over the last decade. OISE instructor Shelley Murphy, a mindfulness practitioner with over 20 years of experience, offers four key tips for educators looking to include mindfulness in their teaching practice. Read more.

New grad Susan He discusses her journey at OISE, from STEM educator to higher education researcher and professional, and how a few key relationships she forged with faculty and staff impacted the trajectory of her life. Read more.

If taking a knee was a genuine gesture, it would be followed by concrete action, says professor Rinaldo Walcott. Walcott discusses the recent anti-Black racism protests and the symbolism of taking a knee. Read more in CBC News.

"The impacts of school closures are not borne equally by all families." In a Toronto Star op-ed, alum Salina Abji and MEd student Sara Asalya say it is critical Ontario government officials include immigrant students in post-COVID-19 pandemic recovery plans. Read more.

'A problem doesn't cease to exist because you don't experience it': On Global News, PhD candidate Janelle Brady, an anti-racist researcher and educator, discusses how parents can talk to children and youth about standing up to racism. "I think they are never too young to start the conversation, and a lot of conversations don't have to happen verbally. They happen by what we [as parents and educators] model to our children in our homes and communities." Watch now.

Sasha Gollish was one of the first students enrolled in OISE's collaborative specialization in engineering education, offered jointly by U of T Engineering and the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, where she studied attitudes toward math among engineering faculty. "The ability of students to think and communicate mathematically is so much more important than I envisioned," she says. Read more.

A new network aims to provide Canada-wide institutional support for Black students and Black studies. "Academic racism impacts the growing number of students interested in pursuing Black studies in Canada," writes OISE Professor Rosalind Hampton, co-president of the Black Canadian Studies Association which is helping build the new National Black Graduate Network (NBGN). Set to launch online in July 2020, the research network will provide emerging scholars with opportunities for dialogue, idea generation and collaborations in Black studies across disciplines. Read more.

"Anti-Black racism has no place at the University of Toronto, at OISE, in our communities or anywhere in this world." OISE stands in solidarity with the Black community. Read Dean Glen Jones' statement on anti-Black racism. Read more.

To the unique OISE graduating Class of 2020, you are a group that will no doubt go down in history. Be proud of your resilience and celebrate your superpowers. You are already one step ahead of the game, getting ready to make a difference for the brightest future of education, writes MEd student Latifa Soliman, whose daughter graduates from U of T today. Read more.

For Marcus Singleton, graduating with a master's degree in social justice education from OISE is just the latest step in his evolution as an activist, hip-hop artist and educator. Next up: OISE's doctoral program in fall of 2020. After that: Bringing new ideas and approaches into schools. Watch now.

The pandemic has forced both public and private universities in Pakistan to move their classes online, but how will students fare? OISE alum Shama Dossa explores what e-learning conceptually requires to effectively meet the needs of students in the nation. Read more.

Mariam Abeid spent a lifetime seeking an education but had her dream derailed by discrimination and tragedy. The mother of three persevered and is now about to become an educator herself. Mariam is now graduating with a master's degree in child studies and education from OISE, and is looking forward to her first teaching job. Read more.

OISE alum Dr. Gila Hanna has received the prestigious Dr. Jonathon Borwein Mathematics Ambassador Award from Partners in Research Canada. Read more.

Motivated by making a difference, aspiring teacher David F. Boshra wanted to build on what he knew about education. Through his studies and extracurricular activities, David discovered the OISE community could offer just the stepping stone he needed. Read about the new grad's experience in the Master of Teaching program. Read more.

Dr. Ariel Lefkowitz, a doctor on the coronavirus frontlines and new MEd graduate, sat down with OISE News to discuss how he juggled his medical career and parenthood with graduate studies, and his growth as a person. Read more.

OISE PhD student and volunteer Diana Burchell discusses her personal experiences with disability and accessibility services in higher education, her involvement in starting an OISE virtual peer support community amid COVID-19, and more with fellow students at Accidental Podcast. Listen now.

Six OISE alumni - Carol Mullen, Sam Long, Carol Nash, Jillian Roberts, Doug McDougall and Edward Jackson - are being recognized with our Leaders and Legends Awards program. Nominated by their peers at the Institute, the annual honour recognizes members who have shone through leadership in teaching, research and advocacy - while striving for excellence in academic programs, student experience, research and scholarship. Read more.

Professor Jennifer Brant reflects on the new ways Indigenous communities are coming together during COVID-19. From virtual Jingle Dress Dance to TikTok videos, "these new connections are creative acts of love that have inspired a virtual movement to ensure Indigenous survivance," she says. Read more.

COVID-19 has pushed many institutions and individuals to leap headlong into online learning. Professor Charles Pascal weighs in on this forced shift, challenges along the way, and how we can continue to optimize education in these times. Read more.

Children are not used to seeing parents as teachers - but parents can make learning less stressful through play-based learning, says Prof. Angela Pyle. Here are some ways parents can make teaching more fun and exciting. Read more in London Daily Post.

If you're a parent, how are you talking to your kids about safely socializing, as provinces across the country prepare to loosen lockdown restrictions? OISE alum and child psychologist Dr. Jillian Roberts gives advice. Listen on CBC Radio Vancouver.

With some schools reopening, what needs to be done to keep students and teachers safe? Professor Charles Pascal, former deputy minister of education in Ontario, discusses on CBC's The Current. Listen now.

The "nuts and bolts" of distancing measures in schools will be a challenge but, overall, the "easy part," says Professor Charles Pascal. He says that schools must also consider social and emotional preparation for both students and teachers. Read more in Global News.

Our post-pandemic planning could shift in powerful ways if we changed who is at decision-making tables and started listening to youth, says Professor Kathleen Gallagher. Gallagher's drama research project "Youth, Theatre, Radical Hope and the Ethical Imaginary," was turned into the 2019 hit play, Towards Youth which explores the concept of radical hope among youth in our current times of global unrest. Read more.

OISE alum and child psychologist Dr. Jillian Roberts answers parents' questions about how children deal with their emotions and safety during a pandemic. Watch now on CBC News.

A new initiative is taking some of the uncertainty out of online teaching and learning with personalized supports and resources for faculty, students and a growing #OISEOnlineTogether community. With a new website, OISE's online support team has created a one-stop-shop to assist those who are transitioning to an e-learning environment. Read more.

In 1918, the arrival of Spanish Flu in Canada led to widespread closures of schools and businesses across Canada, while quarantine efforts, the use of face masks, and the implementation of public hygiene rules were put in place. Students Jenna Mlynaryk and Denise Makovac dug deep into the archives to find out how the pandemic impacted education in Ontario - and U of T. Read more.

Schools should not re-open without careful, and well thought-out social and emotional preparation in place. This is so that we can better support students, teachers and parents, says Professor Charles Pascal in a new op-ed. Read more.

How should we explain COVID-19 to kids? Try to maintain a routine at home, while focusing on reading and math exercises, says OISE alum and child psychologist Dr. Jillian Roberts. Plus, on Friday's OISE Stay At Home Club web series, Jillian helps kids deal with tragedy. Watch live at 11AM or anytime @OISEUofT on Twitter. Read more.

Doctoral student Stacy Costa says puzzles create a sense of order in times of chaos and can even have real-world applications, which make them useful during a pandemic. As a puzzle designer, one of Stacy's areas of research is puzzles and the brain. She's giving a 20-minute lecture on May 8 as part of OISE's innovative web series, the OISE Stay At Home Club. Read more in NOW Magazine.

Dr. Valerie Damasco and team will use the Toronto COVID-19 Action Initiative grant to help universities understand and respond to the mental wellness needs of students and communities. "The study will provide practical guidelines for how we assist students at the University of Toronto to deal with health crises. The COVID-19 pandemic requires unique health communication and outreach, as well as education and learning strategies relayed to students," writes Damasco. Read more.

They each have PhDs from OISE and work in education today, but Valerie Lopes and her daughter Krista Holmes took different paths to the present. "If you look at just the two of us, our paths, our reasons, our stages in life, were so very different. Yet, OISE certainly offered paths that both of us could follow," explains Valerie. "There were people trying to help us to overcome whatever barriers we faced." Read more.

A new blog by Professor Carol Campbell and OISE alumni Pamela Osmond-Johnson and Katina Pollock offers key questions and reflections for governments, teachers and principals in Canada as the country plans for education in the COVID-19 era, including the complex issue of when and how to reopen schools. Read more.

The coronavirus pandemic has forced teachers at the Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study Lab School to change their workflow, curriculum and interactions, and they have done so smoothly but shifting online came with a unique set of challenges. Here's how JICS teachers have maintained a connection with their students online, plus tips for teachers who are transitioning to an e-learning environment. Read more.

A new app that can measure your stress and anxiety, and assess your risk for cardiovascular disease and stroke, has launched. Anura was developed by a startup led by Professor Kang Lee, and is now available in Apple Apps and Google Play stores. For the Anura team, this app comes just in time - to serve as a means to promote wellness as the coronavirus pandemic carries on. Read more.

In her courses on language and literacy, Professor Enrica Piccardo regularly incorporates technology that connect and engage her students. So when the coronavirus pandemic began, she quickly transferred her courses online - well before the University of Toronto decided centrally to cancel classes, and deliver teaching and learning through other means, in early March. The course ended in early April with profound success. Read more.

If quarantine has you tired of the same old routine but you don't want to commit to any long-term project (who has the energy?), OISE has launched a new learning series that's perfectly flexible, doable and fun for the whole family. Featured in NOW Magazine, the OISE Stay At Home Club is a new Twitter Live series that features OISE alumni and friends dispensing their wisdom - for both adults and kids. And it's all free. Read more.

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! In this profile by the department of applied psychology and human development, meet child study and education graduate Raadiyah Nazeem. A former teacher-librarian and technology integrator, Raadiyah, now a Grade 1 teacher, tells us about her practice and why she loves being a teacher. Read more.

Some parents have decided to replace their child's school assignments with other activities, such as baking, crafts and games - a solution experts say is perfectly fine. "The most important thing is your relationship with your kids and the sense of safety and comfort and love for one another," says professor Clare Brett. Read more.

An expatriate in Saudi Arabia, now a writer, actor and producer in Toronto: Mercedes Cardella has stories to tell. After completing her degree in curriculum and the arts at OISE, she published a book - but Mercedes was not always in touch with her creative side. It took an inspiring teacher at OISE to reignite her passion for the arts and help her address the emotional abuse and racism she experienced in theatre school many years before. This is her journey of self-discovery and stardom. Read more.

Professor Angela Pyle explores and recommends ways to better stimulate and support children's learning as the coronavirus pandemic continues. She lays out a list of great ways to engage children's learning through play - a less stressful and productive way to support children's learning. Here are 10 ways to teach kids through play at home. Read more.

OISE's new Doctor of Education (EdD) in Child Study and Education has received formal approval from the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities. The only research-intensive, practice-oriented education doctorate at the University of Toronto, the program is expected to enrol its first cohort in September 2020. "Congratulations to all those who worked to bring us to this final step in the creation of this program," said Dean Glen Jones. Read more.

Professor Angela Pyle of OISE's Play Learning Lab discusses ways we can help stimulate and support learning at home. From involving kids in planning out their day to allowing them to direct their play, here are some of the ways parents can help children grow during self-isolation. Read more.

In a Toronto Star column, OISE alum Rania Mirza reflects on the connection between food, memory and nostalgia this Ramadan. "Nothing signals the start of Ramadan like the scent of pakoras filling the air in my house. It's not surprising. Our sense of smell has a strong connection to memories," she explains. Read more.

It is time to start thinking about what schools should look like when they re-open. Professor Charles Pascal says that pandemic measures have shown "how important genuine collaborations with parents and guardians are," which must be better incorporated into school life. Read more in Toronto Star.

Coronavirus discriminates against Black lives through surveillance, policing and the absence of health data, writes OISE professor Rinaldo Walcott, alum Dr. OmiSoore Dryden and University of Toronto Mississauga lecturer Beverly Bain. They add that racism, poverty, and limited social supports and access to health services are chronic conditions that must be considered during this pandemic. Read more.

The outbreak of COVID-19 spurred Canada's co-operative sector to immediately step up and respond to the needs of communities - in many cases, sooner and more concretely than governments and corporations. Professor Marcelo Vieta says that co-operatives can and should be key to Canada's rebuilding now and following COVID-19. Read more.

Congratulations to recent graduate Dr. Katie Doering who has won the Leithwood Award for Outstanding Thesis of the Year. Building on her work as principal of the Ronald McDonald House in Toronto, Dr. Doering's thesis looks at representations of children with serious illness in picture books and children's responses to these texts - which has broad potential impact across the fields of children's literature, healthcare and research methodologies. Read more.

What does solidarity mean during a global pandemic and every day? Professor Ruben Gaztambide-Fernandez breaks down the meaning of the word in universal, social, political and creative terms - as we imagine new ways of being with one another in and beyond the COVID-19 crisis. Read more.

Why are kids scared of masks? Prof. Kang Lee breaks it down: Those younger than 6 tend to pay attention to individual features, like the size of a nose, rather than the person as a whole. So, people in masks, especially at a distance, may look unfamiliar. Read more in the New York Times.

Called Stories from a Distance, this virtual connection initiative invites U of T students to stay connected by sharing stories, experiences, challenges, encouragement and resources with their peers at a time of social distancing. "We can be more connected when we are forced to be apart," says OISE student Gabriele Simmons, who helped launch the initiative. "There's so much richness in hearing shared things because there are so many common threads." Read more.

Toronto Star columnist Shinan Govani caught up with renowned photographer Edward Burtynsky to discuss his innovative response to the urgent needs of healthcare workers: Burtunsky and his team at Think 2 Think have developed a basic, open-source concept for a 3D printed face shield with a snap-together design that can be printed economically and shared publicly. Read more.

Professor Carol Rolheiser has won the University of Toronto Alumni Association's Award of Excellence which celebrates faculty, staff and students who are inspiring examples - people who make the University, and often the world, a better place. As a longtime OISE faculty member and administrative leader, Carol has deeply impacted teacher education programs and improved support for teaching across the tri-campus. Learn more about the champion for teaching excellence. Read more.

Staff play a critical role in fostering OISE's overall mission of preparing scholars, teachers and other professional leaders for the world of education. They are the backbone of the Institute. Each year they are recognized with an award of excellence. This year, Neil Tinker, Andrew Chiang, Anna Mozharova, Michelle Pon and Natalie Neumann Butler have each been named as winners. Learn more about the awards and this year's recipients. Read more.

Tara Goldstein, Sameena Eidoo, Robin Persad and Ann Lopez have something in common. Each of them, faculty at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, have made enormous contributions to teaching and learning at the Institute. They are also the 2020 recipients of OISE's Teaching Excellence Awards. Learn about the teaching awards and the recipients. Read more.

Alum Amanda Parris says artists who have kept us entertained and sane during the COVID-19 pandemic should no longer be taken for granted by governments and voters. "This lockdown should be a wake-up call to all of us who are leaning on these creatives now: arts and culture needs to be an unwavering national priority," she writes. Read more in CBC Arts.

Third year PhD student Francis Wall opens up about the lessons, experiences and achievements that have made him the student, and person, he is today. He shares his experience applying to OISE and studying in the School Clinical Child Psychology program. Read more.

Four students from OISE have been recognized for their outstanding student leadership, service, and commitment to the university. The annual University of Toronto Student Leadership Awards, an honour bestowed by the U of T Alumni Association, named Jason Brennan, Entisar Yusuf, Emma Sabzalieva and Susan He as part of their large cohort of winners. Meet OISE's winners. Read more.

Tune in with OISE Professor Carol Campbell and Anthony Mackay, President and CEO the National Center on Education and the Economy, who discuss Ontario's Teaching Learning and Leadership Program (TLLP) and the role it plays in promoting knowledge exchange and innovative teaching practices. Watch now.

Since its first edition published in 2011, Natural Curiosity stood out as a trusted source for educators in developing inquiry-based learning in Canada. But, when it began working with Indigenous Peoples to integrate Indigenous perspectives into its program, it went even further. This is their story. Read more.

Amidst the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, OISE Dean Glen Jones has created a short video to address the state of affairs at OISE - and to show his gratitude for the community's resilience in this difficult time. Watch now.