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Expressing his excitement, Kosick shares, “It was a phenomenal honor to win the OSSTF award. Applications opened early in 2023 and once I reviewed the criteria and got letters of reference from a mentor teacher and one of my professors, I submitted my application and waited! I found out that I was the recipient of the award via email on one of my first days working as a substitute teacher following the conclusion of my final practicum, and received my official congratulatory letter and cheque in the mail in early June.”

Reflecting on his journey, Kosick acknowledges the unwavering support and opportunities provided by the Faculty of Education, which have played a pivotal role in shaping him as both a teacher and an individual. From the outset, he was determined to make a meaningful change in society through education, and his time at 91��ɫ helped him lay the foundation for his pedagogical and practical approach.

“The classes I took served as the building blocks to developing my pedagogical and practical approach to education, empowering me to work towards becoming the teacher I aspire to be,” Kosick adds. “As a part of the Faculty of Education Students’ Association (FESA), I had the chance to connect regularly with peers, professors and other faculty members.

“My time with FESA certainly helped shape my identity as an educator and equipped me with a diverse range of pedagogical tools.”

Kosick notes that his time with FESA as the Professional Development Director and member of the Teacher Education Liaison Committee empowered him to directly connect, collaborate and learn from members of the Faculty of Education community. In this capacity, he had the privilege of organizing FESA’s annual Professional Development Conference, where FESA centered equity, diversity, inclusion and social justice in workshops for teacher candidates. Workshops topics featured Indigenous Education and destreaming in schools to promote mental health in the classroom, among others.

Kosick likewise served as a member of the Teacher Education Liaison Committee (TELC) from 2021 to 2023 in his journey to the OSSTF. “This role allowed me to represent 91��ɫ’s teacher candidates and collaborate with the committee on important matters like Federation day and the OSSTF certification presentation,” he says. “Participating in TELC gave me valuable insights from professional members of the Faculty and gave me the chance to engage with representatives from various educational federations.”

Kosick's commitment and dedication led him to be the sole representative of 91��ɫ at the 2023 OTF Teacher Education Symposium, where he availed additional workshops on collaboration, anti-oppressive education, facilitation skills, and creating inclusive and equitable learning environments.

Since his graduation, Kosick has been working as an occasional teacher within the TVDSB, PDSB, and HDSB, while also contributing as an alternate text specialist in the accessibility field. Looking forward, he is determined to continue learning and growing as an educator, aiming for full-time teaching positions and other roles to make a lasting impact on education in Ontario.

“As I step into the world of education, I’ve been fortunate to learn from and collaborate with dedicated professionals who have truly inspired me,” he says. “To all the educators out there, you are often underappreciated and your work can often be thankless, but educators hold an immensely important role in our society. I see the incredible effort you pour into your work each day.

“Education is a profoundly rewarding path, where you can make a meaningful impact on young minds,” he adds. “The world needs passionate, creative educators to shape the future. Embrace your calling and embark on this fulfilling journey.”

Article by Dennis Bayazitov special contributing writer

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This month’s graduate student profile features international PhD Candidate, Mirco Stella. His research focuses on experiences of migration and displacement, and questions of pedagogy. "Crucial to my thinking about the world and education are the image of borders," says Stella. "What it means to simultaneously inhabit and deconstruct the lines and places we've learned to trace, to divide the familiar from the unfamiliar, as well as the same and different."

"To prospective graduate students I say to get involved with your local graduate student organizations and community as well as participating committees," says Stella. "I also tell them that whatever obstacle is coming their way to push forward because their voice matters and might create spaces for others."

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This month’s graduate student profile features Zaitun Pwin, a third-year PhD student in the Graduate Program in Education. Her research focuses on the role of education for Rohingya youths in Canada and the language and cultural socialization with regard to Canadian schooling. Pwin is the first Rohingya woman to study in a Canadian PhD program.

"My advice is always believe in yourself and listen to your heart," she says. "Most of the answers lie in you because this journey is about you and what you want to contribute to the community."

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This month’s graduate student profile features Brittany Tomin, a fourth-year Doctoral Candidate at the Faculty of Education. Her research explores how science fictional and speculative storytelling can be used to help students imagine and address present challenges and future concerns collaboratively.

"Young people are constantly inundated with images of destruction, take climate change for example, and many of my students felt helpless and overwhelmed by fear," says Tomin. "But collaborative storytelling, particularly science fictional storytelling that moves beyond dystopia or apocalyptic scenarios, can be an important way to help students imagine futures that are dynamic, collective and hopefully less hopeless."

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One of the highlights of Hawa’s time in the program thus far has been the opportunity to work as a Teaching Assistant for the in Dadaab, Kenya. During her trips to Dadaab, she was able to support students in and outside of the classroom, through discussions, paper editing and providing feedback. She is currently writing her MRP on the lived experiences of the BHER Somali female students and will explore the complexities of their personal participation and quality of learning.

“I love the flexibility of this program,” said Hawa. “I am able to work, travel and study—all for this degree! I also appreciate the diplomas that we can do concurrently with our degree. My diplomas and helped me focus on a specific area of education that supports my research.”

Hawa’s advice to prospective students is to “challenge yourself and allow yourself to grow – submit abstracts, attend conferences/workshops, look into the different diplomas and research something you are passionate about! The program is filled with supportive professors, staff and students – don’t be afraid to ask for help or advice.”

In the future, Hawa hopes to work in the sector of education development at an international level. Upon completing her studies this summer, she will be moving to Mozambique to work as an Outreach Programme Support Fellow for the Aga Khan Academy in Maputo. This opportunity will allow her to gain more experience in understanding how quality education can be developed and delivered in the development sector. She credits the program with providing her with the knowledge and hands-on experience in order to be successful.

To find out more about the Graduate Program in Education in the Faculty of Education, please visit .

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The study aims to advance an understanding of internationalized teacher professional development and its impact on in-service teachers. “I explore the types of personal and professional transformations teachers report as a result of internationalized teacher professional development; how teachers learn and change as a result of internationalized teacher professional development; the conditions that support and promote this learning and change; and what can be said about the importance of internationalized teacher professional development for teacher learning and change,” said Zainab. “Spoiler! My study concludes that internationalized teacher professional development is a highly effective, transformational form of teacher professional development in need of further research.”

From the findings of the study, Zainab hopes that institutions and organizations that administer or are looking to create and implement internationalized teacher professional development programs can have insight into the ways in which teachers may learn and change from this type of professional development. Further, forays into understanding what makes professional development effective, and the bridge between professional development and implementing this professional development into classroom practice will also be of benefit to students and their experiences in the classroom.

“As I prepare to graduate this Thursday and reflect on my time in the Graduate Program in Education, one of the things that I appreciated was the opportunity to teach an undergraduate course in the Faculty on my own,” said Zainab. “I enjoyed being a TA for years at 91��ɫ, but getting to be the professor was one of the most fulfilling and stimulating experiences I had during the program that really helped me to fully understand what goes into successfully teaching a course in the Faculty.”

Zainab says that her future career aspirations are varied and include teaching in a Faculty of Education and working with governmental or non-profit organizations in the field of teacher learning. “The Graduate Program in Education has prepared me well to pursue any of these paths through the skills I’ve learned, the people I’ve learned from, and the inspiration to follow my intellectual curiosity."

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Anna credits the Graduate Program in Education for enabling her to grow as a researcher by helping her to develop enhanced skills in the areas of doing fieldwork, collecting data and analysis. “I’ve had an opportunity to interview feminist street artists from around the world and to do fieldwork in Montreal and Toronto for my dissertation,” she said. “As well, I’ve been able to document street art through photography, which is something I enjoy doing. I would not have had those experiences without being in the Graduate Program in Education at 91��ɫ.”

Her advice to prospective grad students is to be prepared to work hard and to stay connected to family and friends when you begin your dissertation. “It can feel isolating and overwhelming at times so I’m very grateful for the support of family and friends for helping me continue on this journey when I was feeling tired or started having doubts,” she said.

Anna’s future plans are to focus on projects that explore issues of social justice and to get more involved in more research projects at the college where she has been teaching for the past ten years.

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“Recent trends in language instruction have begun to shift away from achieving a native-like accent and towards a focus on intelligibly and comprehensibility,” she says. “However, a subset of learners continues to feel discriminated against due to their perceived foreign accents. This may be the result of a listener bias in favour of familiar accents, leading language learners to feel the pressure to adhere to a native-like linguistic fluency, which is nearly impossible for some to achieve.” The study will address this concern and will make some recommendations.

Sanja is presently employed as a teacher with the 91��ɫ Region District School Board (YRDSB) and says that her coursework and research have helped to strengthen her professional practice. She also comments that the flexible and open nature of 91��ɫ’s MEd has been extremely beneficial. “I’m able to attend evening classes after work, and I had the choice of completing coursework, a Major Research Paper or a thesis,” she says. “Other universities require that you declare which stream you are doing in advance of taking courses. At 91��ɫ, my professors encouraged me to explore the courses before making a final decision on a particular stream. Additionally, I was able to choose a research topic that was of interest to me, instead of merely aligning with the vision of the university.”

Her advice to prospective students interested in the program is to take a variety of courses outside of their research interests. “Some of the courses that I have benefited from the most are the ones that allowed me to explore a new area and discover new research interests,” she commented. “Interacting with as many professors and students as possible also helped me broaden my professional knowledge and experience.”

Sanja plans to continue her studies at the doctoral level with the hopes of cultivating a career in research.

To find out more about the Graduate Program in Education in the Faculty of Education, please visit .

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