Research in Focus

In this conversation with Özlem Sensoy, Shirley Steinberg will discuss principles and ethics of rock n’ roll and its value as a generative metaphor for research. The conversation will cover aspects of performance & “sway/g,” history & values, radicalism & margins, volume & voice, collaboration & individuality. As the late Freddie Mercury said, “Darling, my attitude is ‘fuck it’; I’m doing everythi...

Join us as Dr. Zuzana Vasko explores the intersection of arts practice, ecological learning, and contemplative inquiry. She reveals how the arts deepen our connection with the natural world and enhance her role as an educator. Discover her innovative approaches to make arts-based learning accessible to all, including those who may not see themselves as creative. This episode highlights how the uni...

In this episode, we delve into the effects of AI technologies, particularly ChatGPT, on university education, featuring insights from Dr. Joel Heng Hartse and Dr. Daniel Chang. From an instructor's viewpoint, they explore the dynamic interplay between AI technology and their teaching approaches, highlighting both potential risks and opportunities. As we navigate ethical considerations, the importa...

Join us in this enlightening episode where Dr. Yumiko Murai, an Assistant Professor at Simon Fraser University, delves into the transformative role of play in education. She shares her unique perspective on integrating play with learning, especially in the context of educational technology and maker spaces. Drawing from her diverse background as a musician turned educator, Dr. Murai uncovers the p...

Dive into a thought-provoking conversation with Dr. Robyn Ilten-Gee, Assistant Professor at Simon Fraser University, as she unveils the impact of podcasting on youth development. This episode examines the unique ways podcasts contribute to children's moral and social growth, highlighting their role in enhancing critical thinking and empathy. Dr. Ilten-Gee’s expertise in narrative and media educati...

On March 30, 2023 FOE faculty at the Harbour Centre campus participated in a Podcasts and Pedagogies Symposium organized by Elizabeth Marshall. This interdisciplinary international event included a dialogic roundtable with Hannah McGregor (co-host of Witch, Please & host of Secret Feminist Agenda), Am Johal (host of Below the Radar), and Anna Mae Duane, Kate Capshaw and Victoria Ford Smith (co-hos...

Explore Dancing-Reading-Writing (DRW) as a dynamic and ever-evolving ABR practice that fuses bodily engagement with research. Dr. Carolina Bergonzoni delves into the synergy of dance, reading, and writing, emphasizing how DRW transcends traditional research approaches. Her personal reflections, photos, and poetic writing exemplify ways in which dance guides understanding and generates insights. DR...

To navigate our digital world, educational researchers argue that we need a new form of reasoning. With increasing inequities, digital dilemmas, and more complex global relationships, it is more critical than ever to equip students with the necessary skills to tackle these challenges. In this episode, Dr. Robyn Ilten-Gee discusses her research project, which focuses on fostering civic reasoning th...

Many early career researchers and graduate students are looking to publish their research findings in journal articles, conference proceedings, book chapters, and other formats. In this episode, Dr. John Nesbit and Dr. Tenzin Doleck share their experience and recommend strategies for productive publication. The conversation covers six themes: finding an appropriate journal, types of publications a...

Hannah McGregor, Assistant Professor of Publishing at SFU, interviews Amber Moore, a Banting Postdoctoral Fellow and feminist scholar at the Faculty of Education, on her teaching and scholarship. Amber shares her experience of being a high-school teacher and teaching teachers in the academy. She discusses the pedagogical potential of young adult literature, adolescent writing, and talking about ra...

Join Gloria Nystrom, a Doctoral Candidate in Languages, Cultures and Literacies, and Dr. Ena Lee as they discuss the importance of interdisciplinary frameworks in English language education research. As women of colour born and raised in “multicultural” Canada, their lived experiences negotiating language, “culture”, and identity illustrate the role of sociopolitical/sociohistorical landscapes on...

In this episode, Dr. Rina Zazkis, Canada Research Chair in STEM Teaching and Learning, shares insights from her book Lesson Play in Mathematics Education: A Tool for Research and Professional Development, co-authored with Dr. Peter Liljedahl and Dr. Nathalie Sinclair. The book outlines how play-writing engages teachers in considering vital issues in instruction, with an aim of enhancing learning e...

Join Josh Coward in conversation with Dr. David Zandvliet and Dr. Shannon Leddy, co-chairs of the Institute for Environmental Learning (IEL). Dr. Zandvliet describes his new role as a UNESCO Chair in Bio-Cultural Diversity and elaborates on the IEL’s award-winning work with the Vancouver Botanical Gardens Association. Dr. Leddy notes how Indigenous approaches to knowledge and the voices of Indigen...

In this episode, Dr. Kris Magnusson, Professor and former Dean of the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University, reflects on the connections between career development and mental health. Dr. Magnusson's research interest lies in career development, and in particular, understanding models of career development and the application of research to career counselling practice. As a recipient of a...

In this episode, Dr. Sean Chorney, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University, proposes that mathematising aspects of our social world can help us to not only identify hidden problems, but to also formulate alternative conceptions of their causes and possible solutions. Dr. Chorney discusses the concept of gerrymandering, as a demonstration of how mathematics can...

In this episode, Dr. Joel Heng Hartse and Dr. Ismaeil Fazel speak about two projects related to academic literacy, remote learning experiences and learning to identify and understand predatory academic publishers. Remote learning has become the norm during this particular time in our history and both researchers are seeking to understand and learn more about how stakeholders are taking on the new...

In this episode with Dr. Carolyn Mamchur, professor in the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University, discusses the process of writing. To write well at the university level, Dr. Mamchur advises knowing what the question you’re responding to is really asking, finding yourself and your particular interest in that question, doing your research and finding the connections amongst the ideas. She...

This past spring, Dr. Heesoon Bai delivered a research seminar at UBC on Soil, Soul, Society: Regeneration from the Vital-Core. Many of the ideas covered in that seminar came out of the collective experience of a group of educators formed by Dr. Bai that met continuously over 12 years. In this episode, we interview Dr. Bai to discuss some of the concepts that were covered in her seminar, including...

In this episode, Dr. Huamei Han shares her research in 1) language, religion and immigrant settlement; 2) youth and multilingual study and 3) multilingualism in Africa-China trade migration. Dr. Han also provides an exciting overview of an issue of Language Ideology, Christianity, and Identity: Critical Empirical Examinations of Christian Institutions as Alternative Spaces which features five arti...

In this episode, Dr. Pidgeon introduces herself and her work studying higher education, which includes her look at research ethics and her work studying Indigenous student experiences in higher education. Dr. Pidgeon describes some of her international and inter-university collaborations, as well the holistic methodological approach that informs her choices in research. She also speaks to SFU Educ...

In this episode, Dr. Natalia Gajdamaschko describes the context and tradition of cultural historical activity theory, a school of thought in developmental psychology based on the early work of Lev Vygotsky and Alexander Luria. Dr. Gajdamaschko describes some of the basic ideas of and differences between play activity theory and learning activity theory. She also shares highlights of her recent wor...

Working at the intersections of mental health and social justice, Dr. Sharalyn Jordan is using community-based research to advocate for access to refugee protection and psychosocial supports for people fleeing persecution related to sexual orientation, gender identity or expression (SOGIE). In this podcast, Dr. Jordan describes how the narrative accounts of LGBTQ+ refugees in Canada have impacted...

This episodes features 2017 Cmolik Prize Winner, Dr. Peter Liljedahl, and his research on vertical non-permanent surfaces (VNPS) and visibly random groupings as effective teaching practices in mathematics classrooms. Dr. Liljedahl describes how Building Thinking Classrooms, a mathematics teaching practice framework, was developed with, and for, mathematics teachers in British Columbia.

How do students learn, critique and understand online data sources? How do they make sense of the knowledge available in online representations? This episode focuses on Dr. Engida Gebre, who is the primary investigator of the Learning Design for Developing Young Adults Data Literacy and Representation Competences project. Dr. Gebre explores the questions: how do students learn, critique and unders...

In this episode, Dr. Suzanne Smythe, associate professor in the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University, discusses her new collectively co-written book: Disrupting the Boundaries in Education and Research. The book, collaboratively composed by an interdisciplinary group of professors at Simon Fraser University, explores the question: “How can we work together in new ways across our scholar...