Canadian Education Association

Peter Shin

1.

What is the name of your professional association or specialist organization?

-          It’s called Canadian Education Association

How did you find out about it (provide details such as urls)?

-          I did an online search. (http://www.cea-ace.ca/)

What is the mandate of the association?

-          It is a leading research and action centre to influence educational transformation in Canada.

What kind of projects is your association currently working on (e.g., publications, mission statements, professional development initiatives, collaborations with museums, conferences, etc)?

-          They are committed to education that leads to greater student engagement; teaching that inspires students and teachers and that causes all students to learn; and schools that ensure both equity and excellence in pursuit of the optimal development of all students.

-          Newer ideas about teaching and learning that can lead to innovations that get us much closer to our aspirations of transforming education. Dynamic and engaging learning environments are emerging in schools in many places so that the constraints imposed by certain policies and historical practices become ever more apparent. 

Who are its funders (sponsors)?

-          Canadian Council on Learning

-          Egan TeamBoard Inc.

-          Department of Canadian Heritage

-          Ken Spencer

-          Ontario Teachers’ Federation

-          Shibley Righton LLP

-          Ontario Trillium Foundation

-          Canadian Council on Learning

-          Ontario Ministry of Education

-          Government of Canada

How would you describe the possible link of this group to your teaching?

-          This Canadian Education Association deals with a lot of different perspective of new ways of thinking and doing education. In addition, it has tons of resources such as videos, blogs, bulletins, events, awards and articles that provide with new knowledge on teaching and learning practices.

What other organizations does it work with?

-          None

2.

The journal, “Inside the Gray of Gang: Reflections on the Arts and Youth Violence” explores the role of art and its importance in students and their future. The article explains that our media often does not provide an answer to the social issues; they rather impose on social issues such as youth violence. Rather than looking for a benefitting solution, we blame on the problems. Also we try to cover up the problem and try to fix it somehow instead of examining the deep core of the issue from where it came from.

Renee Jackson, the writer, finds a correlation between increases in youth violence with lack of respect for the arts. Because individuals try to find ways to express themselves, even gang members use their imaginative and visual signs on their coding system. There needs to be a system for art to help students to development a positive sense of self, through a “process of becoming”. This process starts through “perception” of the world through the five senses, which allows for cognition to occur through reflection and engaging with the world. This allows us to develop imagination, conception, judgment, and emotion. After the experiences with the world and how it affects us, we affect the world as well. It is a cyclical experience and approach to developing the self. Teachers can help students gain tools to engage with the world in a positive way. Youth has so much potential to explore their artistic way and teachers can provide a place to educate and help them explore the world.

Teachers, then, can ask questions to students to raise their awareness of understanding about the world they live in. It is our duty to encourage the students and to support their learning environments. As a teacher, she explains, we need to help students to explore what is going on in our community and the world. It is up to the teachers to help develop the students’ healthy self before they create an unhealthy one.

3.

Through this reading, I learned that it is crucial to guide students to explore how art can be a tool in helping them understand the world. Education is a major part of students’ early lives and it can either be constructive or destructive for their future.

My pedagogical strategy of dealing with the social issue on gang violence is to help students to explore positive and effective ways to express their feelings as they participate in their community in a positive and healthy way.

-          Show examples of artist who affect their community through their art work.

-          Create an art piece that relates to violence in our community.

-          Use shape, texture, colour, line, space or movement that defines the word violence.

-          Discuss possible violence in the school and create a poster to help prevent the violent.