Noted scholar Chambers earns Ingrid Speaker Medal

trevor.kenney — Tue, 07 May 2013 21:36:40 +0000

Professor of Education Dr. Cynthia Chambers is a leading figure in Canadian curriculum and literacy studies, and the enduring influence of her research has extended locally and around the world.

A scholar of curriculum and literacy education and curriculum theory, Chambers is the 2013 recipient of the Ingrid Speaker Medal for Distinguished Research, Scholarship or Performance.

Participating in several communities of practice and well known in curriculum studies, literacy studies and narrative/life-writing methodologies, her research interests include: indigenous literacies and languages; narrative, autobiography, personal essay and memoir as forms of inquiry for educators; interpretive inquiry; cultural, social and political difference and its effect; and the teaching life. Her work in Canadian curriculum studies is a research landmark in new thought, policy and pedagogy.

Dr. Cynthia Chambers has written a number of benchmark texts that address First Nations, Métis and Inuit research.

Chambers's research promotes positive educational change for the greater good of communities. She balances research and theory with a pragmatic knowledge of schools and society to impact literacy and curriculum development. Chambers has conducted research with and for marginalized populations, including indigenous communities in the Northwest Territories, British Columbia and Alberta. Her collaboration with the Northwest Territories Literacy Council, for example, played an important role in redefining literacy practices in northern communities.

She has written many benchmark texts, including works that address First Nations, Métis and Inuit research on traditional and indigenous literacies. She has also worked with local elders, teachers and community members on repatriating significant Blackfoot sites. For this and her research on literacy, land and place, she was honoured with a Blackfoot name and a lifetime designation of Eminent Scholar in Kainai Studies with Red Crow College.

In 2001, she and four colleagues established the Literacy Research Centre at the U of L. This centre aims to study literacy and the implications of literacy for education and society. It houses five principal researchers who work with teachers, school counsellors, school administrators and graduate students. The centre continues to develop a network of scholars, practitioners, students and community participants studying and practising literacy and pedagogy.

In Alberta, Canada and internationally, Chambers has a long-standing reputation as an excellent researcher and author, an inspiring speaker and exceptional educator. She has won the 2011 Ted T. Aoki award for Distinguished Service in Canadian Curriculum Studies Research, and the 2010 American Educational Research Association outstanding recognition award for a book on curriculum inquiry, which she co-wrote with two fellow curriculum scholars.

In 2001, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of British Columbia selected her as a Noted Scholar at their Centre for Curriculum and Instruction. In 2012, the Cynthia Chambers Award for outstanding master's thesis in curriculum studies was established in honour of her scholarship and inspiration to educators and researchers across Canada. These honours, and more, speak to the quality of her curriculum studies research and the high regard in which it is held.

This story first appeared in the May 2013 edition of the Legend. For a look at the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Titley recognized with Ingrid Speaker Medal

trevor.kenney — Wed, 13 May 2009 22:02:35 +0000

The Ingrid Speaker Medal for Distinguished Research, Scholarship, or Performance is bestowed every year to recognize outstanding research.

This year's winner is Dr. Brian Titley, Faculty of Education.

Over a period of three decades, Professor of Education and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Scholar Dr. Brian Titley has produced major works of historical inquiry that influence our understanding of institutions and politics in Canada and abroad.

Titley, who was profiled in the March 2009 issue of the Legend, has authored five books, all of which make singular contributions to several distinct areas of scholarship. His selection as the 2009 Ingrid Speaker Medal winner is testament to his research acumen and the furthering of scholarship in his field.

A native of Cork, Ireland, Titley earned his undergraduate degree abroad before coming to Canada to study at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Manitoba where he received his Bachelor of Education degree as well as his master's degree. He would then earn his PhD at ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta and spend 10 years teaching at U of A before joining the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge in 1991.

His books have critiqued church power in Ireland, investigated the Canadian Indian Department and its policies, studied dictatorship in sub-Saharan Africa and offered a biographical portrait of immigrant adventurer Edgar Dewdney. His latest offering, The Indian Commissioners, examines the careers of those who directed the Indian Department on the prairies during a critical historical era.

Titley is also the author of more than 40 articles and essays and has served as president of the Canadian History of Education Association.

In 2008 he was appointed the Faculty of Education's first ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Scholar.

UNews - Professor of Education

Noted scholar Chambers earns Ingrid Speaker Medal

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Titley recognized with Ingrid Speaker Medal

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