Toronto District School Board
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Professional Development Action Research Team

Action Research Team

Part of the collaboration between TDSB Sustainability Office and OISE's Sustainability & Climate Action Network is to contribute to teacher-led research into Environmental & Sustainability Education (ESE) to honour the innovations taking place in TDSB schools in this area. Beginning in the winter of 2018, a TDSB/OISE Action Research team was formed to support an ongoing Professional Learning Community in ESE. This is the only Action Research team focused on ESE of this size operating in a Canadian school board; it is also one of a very few groups of K-12 teacher-researchers focused on ESE in the world.

group picture of the Action Reseach team, in a park beside OISE

Over the last three years, these teachers-researchers have risen to the challenge of becoming leaders in ESE, in addition to their regular classroom duties. They have investigated a range of research topics, from exploring teachers’ pedagogy for water education and waste education, nature-based loose parts play, citizen science, and integrating Indigenous education into ESE. They have shared their research findings through conference presentations, research publications, after-school workshops, and tours of their schools. They are also helping to educate the next generation of EcoSchools teachers by supporting OISE students in practicum placements and mentoring them in action research projects.

 

2023/24 Team Members: Hongliang Hu, Elizabeth Pasternak, Gigi Shanks, Bonnie Mullrooney, Alexandra Goumakos, Dan Kunanec, Paul Hackl, Rebeka Ly, Alison Williams, Jessie Sawyer, Amanda Humphreys, Hilary Inwood, and Sarah Urquhart.

Archived Webinars/Presentations:

Publications:

For more information contact: EcoSchools@tdsb.on.ca