91��ɫ Centre for Education and Community Archives | Research & Innovation

Two 91��ɫ professors elected to the RSC

muellerm — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 08:00:00 +0000

The achievements of two 91��ɫ professors have been recognized by the Royal Society of Canada (RSC), which has inducted them as Fellows.

Carl E. James, professor, in the Faculty of Education and Director, 91��ɫ Centre for Education & Community, and Norman Yan, professor in the Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and a core faculty member of the Institute for Research in Innovation & Sustainability, have been inducted into the society as Fellows.

“On behalf of the 91��ɫ community, I would like to offer our sincere congratulations to two of our faculty members, Carl James and Norman Yan, on being named as Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada,” said 91��ɫ President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri. “This prestigious recognition is well-deserved as Drs. James and Yan are leading scholars who have made outstanding contributions in research in their fields.”

The society has elected 71 new Fellows, including one Foreign Fellow and one Honourary Fellow, to its ranks for 2012. The newly elected Fellows will be officially inducted on Saturday, November 14, 2012 during a ceremony held at The Ottawa Convention Centre. Election to the academies of the Royal Society of Canada is one of the highest honours a Canadian scholar can achieve in the Arts, Humanities and Sciences.

Carl E. James (left) is professor in the Faculty of Education and director of 91��ɫ Centre for Education and Community. He is also cross-appointed in the graduate programs in Sociology and Social Work. Over the years, he has conducted research that examines the schooling, educational, social and athletic experiences of marginalized and racialized youth. Long concerned with issues of equity, in his work, James seeks to address the problems and concerns that account for the representation and outcomes of racialized people in institutions and society generally. In 2006, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Uppsala University, Sweden for his contribution to social equity and anti-racism education.

Norman Yan (right) is professor in the Department of Biology, Faculty of Science. His long-term professional goals are to identify the separate and interactive effects of climate change, acid and metal pollution, and invading species on the life of Canadian lakes, and to determine the key factors that regulate the recovery of these lakes from historical damage, once the stressors are removed. Much of his field work is executed in partnerships with Ontario government scientists at their laboratories near Dorset and Sudbury. After working for the Ontario Ministry of the Environment for 25 years, Yan joined 91��ɫ in 2000. He now splits his time between the Ontario Ministry of the Environment’s Dorset Environmental Science Centre and 91��ɫ.

For more information on the 2012 Fellows, visit the website.

For more University news, photos and videos, visit the homepage.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Forum brings academics, hospital researchers, government and community groups together seeking better systems to help youth at risk

fmaquito — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 08:00:00 +0000

Youth at risk fail at school, have mental health issues and get in trouble with the law. Would they be better served if all three systems – education, mental health and justice – worked together?

That question animated discussion at a recent forum organized by the 91��ɫ Centre for Education and Community (YCEC). Sponsored by 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Education and the Department of Justice, the March 18 forum, called "Youth, Mental Health, and the Justice System: An Educational Concern", brought together academics and practitioners from universities, community-based organizations, school boards, the health sector, the justice system and government agencies.

Participants talked about the challenges of helping wayward youth and recommended ways to integrate systems. The recommendations will be featured in a report to be shared with the Department of Justice and are expected to form the basis of future changes.

, director of the Community Health Systems Resource Group, , acted as forum facilitator. In his opening remarks, he said young people can experience one or all of three factors – school failure, poor mental health and trouble with the law. “We know that certain groups are more likely to be in conflict with the law, and that there are risk factors,” he said, and encouraged participants to “dig into your experiences today and help us to understand how we can address issues of equity, so that we have not only equal access but also equal outcomes for all our youth.”

The forum began with a panel featuring , lawyer and education professor at 91��ɫ; , director of the Centre for Children Committing Offences & Program Development, Child Development Institute; , Distinguished Research Fellow in 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Education; and Llewellyn Joseph, medical director of the Regional Outpatient Disruptive Behaviors Program at , and YCEC Advisory Council member.

Shanahan opened by exploring the question: “Can we keep disruptive youth in the education system?” She offered a legal perspective on the discipline of wayward youth in schools, acknowledging the limitations of the law and education legislation that emphasizes safety in schools. She called for alternative approaches to dealing with wayward behavior in youth.

Augimeri described her work with “the forgotten kids” (aged six to 12 years) and “overshadowed girls” within this demographic, using the model, an internationally acclaimed, evidence-based program that identifies and works with children under 12 at risk of becoming involved (or already involved) with the law. She said “there is hope” because early intervention strategies tend to have the biggest impact on the younger age group.

Britzman discussed the fragile interaction of youth, law, desire and mental health. She offered philosophical and psychoanalytical views of adolescence and education, drawing from the work of Helene Deutsch, François Roustang, Anna Freud and Julia Kristeva.

Joseph, an experienced child and adolescent psychiatrist, provided an historical overview of the Canadian policy landscape vis-à-vis mental health, education and the law. Through case study examples, he explained the challenges of intervening with youth in conflict with the law. “One of the dilemmas is trying to determine whether that acting out behaviour presented in adolescence, or even early adolescence, is early bipolar disorder and should be labeled as mental health, or should be considered criminal behaviour.”

During ensuing round-table discussions, participants suggested improvements to all three systems – education, mental health and justice – and agreed that the greatest need for change exists where these systems intersect. They stressed repeatedly that the needs of youth can be met only if the three systems work together. When that happens, said one participant, “we can create an environment where youth feel that people care about them.”

Participants deplored the punitive approach and incarceration for young people favoured by the government and in social discourse. Those working in medical and justice systems noted the increase in mentally ill individuals in prisons and detention facilities, and the limited capacity of the youth criminal justice system to meet the needs of youth, particularly those facing mental health challenges.

Lack of trust between youth and police is a significant factor in setting youth on life trajectories that involve repeated conflict with the law, said participants. “Youth from certain communities are being over-policed,” said one participant. Those communities tend to be where there are large concentrations of people of colour or Aboriginal populations. Participants stressed the need for all three systems to identify and address systemic racism as it affects young people.

To be successful, programs need to be multidimensional, target kids in elementary school, be consistent and sustainable, and engage community, youth and families, said participants. Programs need to foster strong, trusting relationships between youth and adults, and offer a variety of supports, including academic, health, social, recreational and cultural, they said.

Legislation must not punish but help and support young people who get in trouble, insisted participants. Youth must be encouraged to stay in school to improve their chances of success and avoid conflict with the law. Teachers must be trained and schools given resources to address mental health issues of children and youth at risk, they concluded.

The forum was organized by Carl James, YCEC director, and , dean of 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Education.

Facilitating discussions were 91��ɫ education Professors Susan Dion, Nombuso Dlamini, John Ippolito, James and Shanahan; and geography Professor Ranu Basu.

Round-table discussions featured members of the YCEC advisory council: Mary Anne Chambers, Cheryl Jackson, Llewellyn Joseph, Amos Key Jr., Cheryl Prescod and Chandra Turner.

Taking notes were graduate students Melanie Bourke, Selom Chapman-Nyaho, Rebeca Gutierrez Estrada, Danielle Kwan-Lafond, Krysta Pandolfi and Samuel Tecle.

With files from Louise Gormley, research assistant, 91��ɫ Centre for Education & Community

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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November is Research Month: 91��ɫ celebrates with a series of events

fmaquito — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Research Month celebrates the achievements and diversity of 91��ɫ’s research community.

Throughout November, the Vari Hall Rotunda will play host to displays and demonstrations featuring our faculty and graduate researchers. Drop by between 10 am and 2 pm each Wednesday to learn what 91��ɫ's researchers are doing.

The Research Month index on 91��ɫ's Research website contains complete information about the researchers, research centres and research support groups participating in the event.

Social sciences and humanities research – Nov. 3

Confirmed participants include:

Institute for Science & Technology Studies
91��ɫ Centre for Education & Community

Science and engineering research – Nov. 10

Confirmed participants include:

Health research – Nov.17

Confirmed participants include:

Professor Joseph DeSouza, Faculty of Health, Department of Psychology
Professor , Faculty of Health, School of Nursing
Professor Jennifer Kuk, Faculty of Health, School of Kinesiology & Health Science
Professor Gail Mitchell, Faculty of Health, School of Nursing
Professor Jennine Rawana, Faculty of Health, Department of Psychology
Professor Rose Steele, Faculty of Health, School of Nursing
LaMarsh Centre for Research on Violence & Conflict Resolution
91��ɫ Institute for Health Research

Fine and performing arts research — Nov. 24

Confirmed participants include:

Want to participate?

Do you have completed works, prototypes, technology, or works in progress that you could demonstrate? Do you have graduate/undergraduate students working with you who could assist and help talk about the work? If you have other ideas, we would love to hear about them.

Interested faculty members or research centres should contact Elizabeth Monier-Williams in the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation at ext. 21069 or eamw@yorku.ca. Please note that space is limited and allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Other research-related events

These research-related events will also be running in November:

Nov. 6 – , featuring Professor Poonam Puri from Osgoode Hall Law School and Professor Steven Gaetz from the Faculty of Education among other speakers.
Nov. 10 – Toward a Behavioral Neuroscience of Parenting, sponsored by the Department of Psychology in the Faculty of Health.
Nov. 24 & 25 – at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (by invitation only).
Nov. 26 – Campus visit from Suzanne Fortier, president of the .
Nov. 30 – Campus visit from David Malone, president of .

By Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer

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91��ɫ Centre for Education & Community's 2010 Summer Institute to explore engaged education

fmaquito — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 08:00:00 +0000

How can schools and communities work together to create innovative avenues to engage students in their education? That is the central theme of this year’s Summer Institute offered by the 91��ɫ Centre for Education & Community (YCEC) in the .

Presented Aug. 17, 18 and 19 at 91��ɫ’s Keele campus, this year’s program builds on the success of summer institutes held in 2008 and 2009 and draws on contemporary research and innovative approaches to education.

"We have more than 100 people signed up to attend this year’s symposium," says 91��ɫ education Professor Carl James, director of the YCEC. "They are coming to 91��ɫ from Toronto as well as the 905 area public and separate school boards and community organizations to engage with us about student engagement and how to make community a vital part of education."

Left: Carl James

As families move to suburban communities in the 905-area from urban centres, says James, they bring with them a rich diversity of experience and unique expectations. James says it is important for schools and communities to understand and engage with these collective experiences that students and families bring to their new communities and classrooms.

Education faces constant challenges due to the rapidly changing world, says James. The migration and residential patterns, technological advances, as well as economic, political and social conditions, create an environment for education that demands ongoing assessment. This year's Summer Institute continues on a history pioneered by the YCEC that focuses on building on the relationships between learning institutions and communities to ensure that education is current, relevant and a cornerstone of academic success.

"Many schools in communities in the Greater Toronto Area are interested in the research that 91��ɫ has been doing with urban schools in the areas of engagement and inclusion," says James. "Participants will hear about our findings and they will explore the idea of diversity inside the classroom, how to be inclusive of students’ backgrounds and experiences and how to work with families and build commitment and support."

Presenters and workshops in this year’s institute will articulate effective curriculum and pedagogical practices around inclusion and models of student engagement. Student achievement is directly affected by engagement, explains James. Participants in this year’s institute will participate in workshops, theory to practice seminars and panel discussions that directly address student engagement and building inclusive classrooms. Key thinkers in these areas will present keynotes each day of the institute in order to guide thinking.

On Tuesday, Aug. 17, the Summer Institute begins with a keynote presentation by Harvard University education Professor Mark Warren. Warren is a sociologist concerned with the revitalization of American democratic and community life. He studies efforts to strengthen institutions that anchor inner-city communities – churches, schools and other community-based organizations – and to build broad-based alliances among these institutions and across race and social class. Warren is interested in fostering community development, social justice, and school transformation; and uses the results of scholarly research to advance democratic practice.

Right: Mark Warren

Wednesday's sessions will kick off with a keynote from Dr. Llewellyn Joseph, a medical doctor and director of the outpatient Disruptive Behaviours Program at in Newmarket, Ont.

Dr. Joseph provides clinical services to children and teens with disruptive behaviours and was previously the physician leader in the Child & Adolescent Program in the Department of Psychiatry at Humber River Regional Hospital. He is an associate professor at the University of Toronto in child and adolescent psychiatry and co-editor of The Mental Hospital in the 21st Century (1992). Dr. Joseph is a frequent contributor to journals and conferences on the subject of mental health and disruptive behaviours among young people. He is also a member of the YCEC Advisory Council.

Following the keynote, the first series of workshops of the Summer Institute will offer interactive sessions in technology and its role in engaging parents and the community; the complexities and possibilities inherent in an inclusive approach to education; the search for cultural and economic biases in the mathematics curriculum in Ontario; and how to construct an inclusive curriculum by using autobiographical narratives by African Canadians. Information on each of these sessions can be found on the workshop descriptions that are available .

Wednesday afternoon will feature a panel discussion with 91��ɫ education faculty, school and community representatives who will discuss the implementation of equity and inclusive programs in schools.

After the panel, there will be a second series of workshops. The first will focus on fostering intergenerational learning within community responsive schools by involving linguistic and cultural minority students and their families. There will be sessions on what teachers think about student engagement; equity in the classroom through arts and literacy; and an exploration of girls, gender equity and social justice. Details on each workshop are available .

On day three of the Summer Institute, Ryerson University education Professor Althea Prince will deliver the day's keynote address. Prince is a sociologist and teaches at the G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education at Ryerson.

Right: Althea Prince

Prince's teaching area includes explorations of race, racism, and African Caribbean peoples in metropolitan communities. She is also an essayist, novelist, storyteller and author of children’s books. As a community educator, Prince teaches writing workshops that concentrate on accessing voice and building confidence.

Information about the Summer Institute can be found on the Web site. A PDF of the program is available .

More about the 91��ɫ Centre for Education & Community

YCEC is a faculty-based Organized Research Unit located within 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Education. YCEC seeks to strengthen links among the University, colleges, schools and communities.

The centre works with faculty members both within and outside the Faculty of Education, education researchers and administrators, teachers, parents, government agencies and representatives of community organizations to both initiate and facilitate research.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Professor Carl James on breaking the cycle of violence in Toronto's Flemingdon Park neighbourhood

fmaquito — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 08:00:00 +0000

The slayings in Flemingdon Park this summer have brought a shadow of violence back to a community where, on the surface, it appeared to have lifted, :

Flemingdon Park is one of Toronto’s “priority” areas. Census data from 2001 showed that 71 per cent of the 22,000 residents were immigrants, and 34 per cent lived below the poverty line. The average family lived on less than $45,000 a year.

. . .

Since 2009, the city has spent $1.5-million to create parks and playgrounds in the neighbourhood. But right now, Flemingdon doesn’t have a bank and its only grocery store is scheduled to open in the fall.

. . .

To help with safety concerns, Toronto Community Housing installed 120 security cameras in Flemingdon Park in 2006, at a cost of close to $1 million. Many cameras have been vandalized, rendering 22 inoperable.

None of these initiatives are likely to break the cycle of violence, according to , a sociology professor in 91��ɫ’s and director of the 91��ɫ Centre for Education & Community. The way to get through to Flemingdon’s most vulnerable – its youth – is to provide them with opportunities and hope, including better access to education and jobs.

The complete article is .

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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New research unit for education and community opens it doors

fmaquito — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:00:00 +0000

More than 200 people, many of them senior educators, members of the community and representatives of government agencies, joined with 91��ɫ faculty and students in celebrating the launch of the Faculty of Education’s first Organized Research Unit (ORU), the 91��ɫ Centre for Education & Community (YCEC), on Oct. 22. The successful event was held at the Sandra Faire and Ivan Fecan Theatre in the Accolade East building.

Left: Mary Anne Chambers, Ontario's former minister of children and youth services, with Carl James, director of the 91��ɫ Centre for Education & Community

As an ORU, the centre will be involved in research activities on the appropriate and efficient delivery of educational programs in both formal and informal educational settings.

In their remarks at the event, Alice Pitt, dean of the Faculty of Education, and Carl James, the Centre’s director, noted that the YCEC builds on the Faculty of Education’s more than 17 years of experience working in Jane-Finch schools and the community, as well as in the outer suburban schools. James also noted that the centre continues 91��ɫ’s history of being socially responsible, community-minded and accessible to members of communities, giving attention to interdisciplinarity, diversity, social justice and equality of opportunity.

The evening’s entertainment was provided by the talented stage band from Emery Collegiate Institute, a school in the 91��ɫ-Westview Partnership. As host of the event, James welcomed Amos Key, executive director of the Woodland Cultural Centre, who gave the invocation in recognition of the Aboriginal peoples of this territory. Key, who is also a faithkeeper from the Mohawk Turtle Clan of Six Nations of the Grand River, is one of 10 members of the Centre’s advisory council who were in attendance.

Left: Amos Key

Speakers for the evening included Rhonda Lenton, associate vice-president, academic, who brought greetings from the Office of the President and 91��ɫ’s senior administration, Pitt and Stephen Gaetz, associate dean of research & field development. Pitt also recognized special guests, including former MP Jean Augustine, Ontario’s fairness commissioner and sponsor of the new Jean Augustine Chair in Education in the New Urban Environment in the Faculty of Education.

Mary Anne Chambers, Ontario’s former minister of children and youth services and former minister of training, colleges and universities, gave the keynote address, titled “Access to Opportunity – an imperative not to be ignored”. Chambers spoke about the gap between young people’s dreams and their achievements, and of the need for healthy communities that will lead to productive, inclusive and effective educational programs and practices.

Chambers complimented the Faculty of Education for taking the crucial step of inaugurating the 91��ɫ Centre for Education & Community. She also expressed her hope that all involved in the centre will demonstrate a commitment to building stronger communities by conducting and disseminating widely research that engages communities in exploring all possibilities for helping young people achieve their full potential. Chambers ended by challenging educators and researchers to be passionate and committed community builders.

The 91��ɫ Centre for Education & Community was established to enable, support and encourage opportunities for collaborative inquiry and innovative programs among faculty members, education researchers, educational administrators, teachers and learners, community and government agencies, and graduate students. Through collaborative research and initiatives, the centre will also contribute to the development of policies, programs and practices in education that strengthen the intricate links that exist between education and community.

For example, the YCEC, in partnership with the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario through the Equity and Women’s Services Department, will host a one-day workshop on Nov. 17 to encourage Grade 7 & 8 students from under-represented groups to consider a career in teaching. Students will learn about the teaching profession and how to become a teacher in Ontario. Participating teachers will have the opportunity to find out about programs in their areas that support such initiatives.

The YCEC together with the Toronto District School Board is conducting a three-year project titled School and Community Engaged Education (SCEE), initiated in 2008. The SCEE project team works with teachers in five schools to develop more inclusive curriculum and programs that are responsive to students’ cultural, social and economic needs, interests and circumstances, thereby improving students’ participation and achievement in schools. The idea is that an inclusive approach to curriculum and pedagogy correlates with an understanding of community life and the experiences of students.

To find out more, visit the YCEC Web site, where a 33-minute audio file of is also available.

From YFile - 91��ɫ's daily e-bulletin

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