Welcome to Phi Delta Kappa University of Alberta Chapter
Next Dinner is FALL 2017
The April dinner has been cancelled due
to unforeseen circumstances
Next Dinner is FALL 2017
The April dinner has been cancelled due
to unforeseen circumstances
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE - from Dr. Jeff Kuntz
PDK Dissertation Award
Let me start this issue’s message by congratulating Dr. Christine Massing for winning this year’s PDK Dissertation Award. This year we were blessed to have quite a number of applications for our award! The research questions, the methodologies chosen, and the phenomena studied in the dissertations submitted were wide ranging and very interesting. As such, the adjudication process proved to be very challenging, but also very rewarding. The panel of professors selected to adjudicate the award were impressed by both the quality of the research shared and the practical implications of it.
Dr. Massing’s dissertation is entitled: “An ethnographic study of immigrant and refugee women’s knowledge construction in an early childhood teacher education program,” At first glance the research may seem to be a little narrow in scope and you might wonder about the applications for K-12 schooling. However, the adjudication committee found that Dr. Massing’s work was: well-conceptualized, firmly established through a comprehensive literature review, skillfully written, and the cross-cultural implications were significant. One of the reviewers wrote:
The researcher paid special attention to the understanding of immigrant refugee women’s experiences and I think that the study and its implications will impact policy and practice by drawing attention to diverse cultural beliefs regarding childhood development and illustrating the authoritative Western discourse of early childhood development programs and provincial regulatory standards, which work to silence some. The dissertation supports inclusivity and diversity, and I believe this research is very timely especially given the current international political climate.
I invite all of our membership to come to the April 19th PDK Dinner where Dr. Massing will share her research and field your questions!
U of A and U of T PDK Networking
On Tuesday, March 7th, the executives of the University of A PDK chapter and the University of Toronto chapter met online through Skype. This meeting had been in the works for several months. The U of T chapter is struggling with many of the same issues that we have been. While they have a vibrant and knowledgeable executive that is committed to networking educators and promoting research, their membership is slowly eroding as younger educators choose alternative ways to interact with each other and grow professionally. The two executive hoped to share some strategies to re-invigorate our memberships and become more relevant for the 21st Century Educator.
Some of the issues that the two groups discussed included: the challenges of meeting regularly face-to-face, the need for greater support and endorsement from the respective Faculties of Education, the financial strains of trying to maintain a workshop/speaker series, the need to engage and involve younger educators (students and practicing teachers) so that the organization can continue to develop and evolve to suit the needs of its membership. One concern raised was the “disconnect” that Canadian chapters have with the international organization. The membership fees are not insubstantial and the publication (The Kappan) seems very American in both tone and topic; there is little Canadian content to speak of. And PDK is not alone in this struggle to engage younger educators. Here in Alberta, specialty councils and other groups of like-minded educators are having trouble maintaining their membership.
That said, there was consensus that both of our chapters still have relevance in the Edmonton and Toronto areas. We are one of very few organizations that link practicing teachers, academics, teacher educators, government officials and school leaders. The question is, “Can we provide this link in other ways?” Traditionally these two Canadian chapters have networked educators by hosting speaker series and sending out regular email and paper based newsletters. However, today’s teachers cannot commit to four or five dinner meetings and aren’t as interested in reading the newsletters. They can keep up to date with educational reforms and issues by surfing the net, subscribing to RSS feeds, joining Linked In, visiting blogs, and by subscribing to Facebook and Twitter groups and feeds. So it is incumbent on our organization to adapt and change in response to this new reality.
In the coming months your executive will be exploring new models and modes for connecting and networking educators interested in leadership, service and research. This means revisiting our website, considering social media platforms, investigating regular online meetings or professional learning opportunities, exploring partnerships with other educational organizations, changing the locale and tone of our dinner meetings (perhaps moving them around to significant educational and historic centers), and considering the establishment of an online archive of locally written articles. We are living in a very exciting time that is characterized only by the speed of change. How well will we able to adapt to this change?
Are You Interested in Helping?
At the moment we are looking for a few good people to join us on the chapter executive. Like our membership in general, our executive is “aging out”. This past winter three members of our executive asked to be relieved of their positions. Henry Johns (Board Member at Large) struggled with a few health issues and, while he is eager to maintain his membership and attend our functions, he can no longer commit to the responsibilities and commitments of an executive position. Similarly, Amelia Turnbull (Historian) and Lorraine Stewart (Scholarships and Foundation) spend much their winter traveling and visiting their respective families abroad and that makes it difficult to stay connected. Thankfully, many of the people on the executive have indicated that they are ready and willing to continue in their roles. I am always very thankful for the guidance and support of people like Duane Plantinga (Programs), Charlotte Rode (Membership), Edna Dach (Website), Dolaine Koch (Newsletter), Alain Levesque (Treasurer), and Bob Garneau (Past President). However, there is room for new voices on the executive, could you possibly be one of those voices?
Due to travel obligations I have for NorQuest College, I’ve asked our past president, Bob Garneau, to lead our next dinner meeting. If you are interested in joining our executive, feel free to ask Bob or any of the other executive members for more information. You might also contact me by email at: jpkuntz@ualberta.ca.
Jeff Kuntz
Stay tuned for more information regarding the upcoming program.
To register: Contact - Dolaine Koch dolainekoch@shaw.ca
Click here for more information on Chapter meeting dates for this year!
