Anna Stokke Colloquium
Fri. Feb. 28 12:30 PM
- Fri. Feb. 28 01:20 PM
Location: 1L12
Anna Stokke, Department of Math & Stats, University of Â鶹´«Ã½
You can’t teach what you don’t know: The flawed process behind Manitoba’s teacher certification changes
In October, the Manitoba government ushered in the most sweeping changes to teacher certification since the 1990s by eliminating all core subject requirements without proper consultation or evidence-based justification. This presentation examines the flawed process behind these reforms, the misrepresentation of research used to support them, and the misinformation disseminated to the public. We highlight how proponents of the reforms claimed they were based on research, yet a detailed fact-check by a group of experts in math, research methods, and education found that the research cited not only failed to support these claims but, in many cases, contradicted them. We discuss the importance of subject expertise for effective teaching, the history behind the introduction of the requirements, and the potential consequences for Manitoba teachers and students.
BIO: Dr. Anna Stokke is a Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½. She is a recipient of a 3M National Teaching Fellowship, which is Canada's most prestigious award for teaching excellence and educational leadership at the post-secondary level. She hosts the popular podcast Chalk & Talk, where she discusses evidence-informed math teaching with leading education experts. Along with her colleagues, she started a petition to reverse the Manitoba government’s recent changes to teacher certification.