Education Studies

This course explores broad social and cultural issues in education. It will address questions about how we advance knowledge, who controls how and what we learn and what role education has in how societies are shaped, changed and reproduced. Students will evaluate the influence education can have on who we are, how we wish to live and what we aspire to as citizens in a global and digital community. This investigation will also consider how language, race, gender, class and culture intersect with teaching and learning.

This course serves as an introduction to theory and research in the related fields of health and education.  Students will learn to identify, address, and manage health-related risk in school environments by deepening their knowledge of holistic and brain-based theory. The course will explore health and wellness as a fundamental human right by addressing proactive approaches through the Determinants of Health and Developmental Assets Framework. Active research will include investigation of school-based policies and practices (e.g, the critique of a new fitness technology, examination of a school food and nutrition program, assessment of a school health campaign). 

This course focuses on the physical skills, cognitive abilities, and socioemotional experiences that shape an individual’s capacity to learn throughout the lifespan (i.e., infancy to late adulthood). It will address how learning is a lifelong process and how we are continually educating ourselves in different ways by incorporating strategies that best suit our lifespan stage. Critical research and theorists will be discussed to enhance the topics presented. Students are required to complete an 8-hour field experience, and obtain a valid vulnerable sector police check in advance of placement.

This course focuses on principles and practices of conflict management and resolution, emphasizing interpersonal communication, including cross-cultural perspectives and communicating across different identities and worldviews, with emphasis on the relevance of these skills, principles and processes to teaching and learning.

This course focuses on raising awareness and sensitivity to equity and diversity issues facing teachers and students in diverse schools and cultural communities. It includes a field experience which entails observation of, and participation in, equity and diversity efforts in a community organization.

This course is open to all students from any discipline. Designed to increase opportunities to learn about education through a First Nation, Métis and Inuit perspective, the course will increase knowledge and awareness about pedagogies, learning approaches and educational experiences related to indigenous people living in Canada. In line with indigenous ways of knowing, this course will be structured with learning that involves reflecting on personal actions by looking at ways that indigenous models of education support social and community well-being.

This course explores prevailing myths about education. It invites students to critically examine consensus and controversy in the media while unpacking some of the research underpinning commonly held beliefs about curriculum, students, teachers, and education systems. The ability to interpret and assess the merits of news, fake news, research, and social media content is an increasingly important skill in a data rich world. This course will have a strong emphasis on critical reading, analysis and evaluation.

This course will explore research on emerging digital models, learning pods, platforms, apps and policies that seek to further customize, enhance and bring greater equity to education through technology. From the initiation of open courseware, to the inception of virtual reality, artificial intelligence, ALC classrooms, makerspaces and the “shared economy”, this course will foster a culture of digital innovation to investigate, accelerate, test and study new possibilities and advancements in the field of educational technology.

This course investigates first-hand experiences and contributions of black students and teachers in the Canadian education system. Historical, systemic barriers to access will be studied along with current policy, practice and teaching pedagogies that aim to produce systems of education without oppression. By looking specifically at research focused on black schooling in Ontario, students will engage in policy analysis and assess current Afrocentric schooling models to assess effectiveness in eliminating educational inequality. Drawing on principles of equity and diversity, Afrofuturist scholarship will be emphasized and provide the framework that seeks to understand and investigate the past to better inform education’s future.

This course provides an opportunity to study and practice the fundamental skills involved in designing learning opportunities, in schools and a variety of other settings. The skills required to organize and deliver engaging educational experiences, i.e., lesson and unit planning, will be practiced through a range of pedagogical and practical applications. A case studies approach will be taken, incorporating a field experience where students will apply their learning.

This course invites students to explore, analyze and compare educational themes and topics within a global context. Using leading frameworks of transformative change, students develop knowledge, apply critical thinking, practice cultural proficiency and empathy as they conduct a comparative analysis of teaching and learning models in both an international and local setting.

Looking for an opportunity to become a facilitator of small group learning in a subject discipline in which you have expertise? This course will introduce students to the theory and practice of Supplemental Instruction (SI) in higher education. Particular focus will be on the history and evolution of SI and the rationale for its use in different university contexts. EDS325H5 course participants will complete a mandatory internship that involves developing and delivering 8-10 peer led study sessions through the Facilitated Study Group (FSG) Program run by the Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre. Class work will embed relevant pedagogical tools, resources and research to support the development, delivery and success of FSG sessions. Current research investigating the impact of Supplemental Instruction on student success will also be explored. This is a closed course open only to those students who have successfully secured an FSG leader position with the Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre.

This course is open to all students on campus and provides an intellectual toolset for finding innovative solutions to complex problems. Students will learn to apply education theory to design thinking models in order to identify and solve real-world challenges facing their chosen discipline, whether in business, education, healthcare, etc. An iterative approach for testing, refining, and improving their idea will be used to create a working prototype of their proposed solution. This will demonstrate the idea's sustainability, scalability and viability, while taking into account ethical and legal implications.

This course explores contemporary issues in higher education with a focus on experiences, issues and challenges commonly encountered by undergraduate students during their first year of university. Interdisciplinary in its focus, topics of exploration include an examination of adult and student development theories, models of student engagement and an investigation into mindset, levels of persistence, habits of mind and personality characteristics that impact student success. An internship component is required. Students taking the course will assume a peer-mentoring role to apply and contextualize theories and skills learned in the course. This is a closed course open only to those students who have successfully secured a peer-mentoring position with the First Year Peer Mentoring program

This internship is a minimum 100-hour experiential learning opportunity. The internship connects the student's subject specialization to aspects of the teaching/training development profession. It will integrate, extend, and deepen the learning experience as students begin to identify particular academic or professional insights. Prior to enrollment, internship proposals must be approved by the program coordinator. As part of this course, students may have the option of participating in an international learning experience that will have an additional cost and application process.

This ROP provides the opportunity for students to join a research team and assist on projects currently underway in Education Studies. The work will include preparing an impact study, conducting interviews and using a data-informed approach to investigate the impact of a range of programs and educational interventions. The work will involve conducting pre and post surveys, leading qualitative observational data collection, and producing an analysis. Project descriptions for participating faculty members for the following summer and fall/winter sessions are posted on the ROP website in mid-February and students are invited to apply at that time. See Experiential and International Opportunities for more details.