Facilitators
Our facilitators make extensive use of the award-winning materials developed by TC² for all workshops and sessions. They also collaborate with other facilitators to design and enhance professional development sessions and support materials, and from time to time attend information and training sessions offered by TC2. All our facilitators have extensive backgrounds in the education system, and work hard to help further critical thinking throughout BC, Canada and in other countries.
Featured Speaker
Roland Case, Vancouver BC
Dr. Roland Case is Executive Director and co-founder of The Critical Thinking Consortium. He was a professor of Social Studies Education at Simon Fraser University. Roland has edited or authored over 100 published works. Notable among these are Understanding Judicial Reasoning (Thompson Publishing, 1997), The Anthology of Social Studies: Volume I and II (Pacific Educational Press, 2008) and Critical Challenges Across the Curriculum-the award winning series of TC² teaching resources. In addition to his teaching career as an elementary school teacher and as a university professor, Roland has worked with 17,000 classroom teachers across Canada and in the United States, England, Israel, Russia, India, Finland and Hong Kong to support the infusion of critical thinking. Roland is the 2006 recipient of CUFA’s Distinguished Academics Career Achievement Award.
Featured Speaker
Garfield Gini-Newman, Toronto ON
Garfield Gini-Newman is a Senior Lecturer at OISE/University of Toronto and a senior national consultant with The Critical Thinking Consortium. Formerly he was a curriculum consultant with the York Region District School Board and a classroom educator for 15 years teaching a range of subject including History, Philosophy, Politics and English. He currently teaches pre-service teachers in the Bachelor of Education and Masters of Teaching programs. Garfield is also actively exploring the challenges and opportunities presented by teaching and learning in the digital age. He has led major projects working with schools to explore the use of interactive technologies to support critical thinking, and using digital technologies to enhance critical, creative and collaborative thinking. Garfield has spoken across Canada and internationally on critical thinking, brain compatible classrooms, curriculum design and effective assessment practice, and nurturing 21st century skills in a digital world. Garfield has also authored seven textbooks and has taught in the faculties of education at York University and the University of British Columbia.
Featured Speaker
Usha James, Toronto ON
Usha James is a secondary teacher with the York Region District School Board. Although her main focus has been History, she has taught a wide range of subjects including Geography, Family Studies, Business, Philosophy, World Religions, Economics… to name a few. She has recently been seconded to OISE/UT. Over the last 10 years, Usha has worked with teachers in the areas of assessment, instruction, curriculum design and literacy and has sought to develop frameworks in which teachers can learn together and collaborate to improve student achievement. She has co-authored two textbooks, teachers’ resources, course profiles and ministry documents with the aim of providing practical strategies for teachers seeking to refine their practice.
Usha’s work with the Critical Thinking Consortium has included working with teachers in Ontario and Alberta, facilitating workshops and writing and reviewing critical challenges for a variety of publications. Usha believes that of all the professional learning she has been involved in, it is the work around critical thinking that has most significantly transformed her classroom practice and has had the greatest impact on student achievement.
Colleen Andjelic, Medicine Hat AB
Colleen Andjelic is presently a high school Social Studies teacher and department head in Prairie Rose School Division #8. Colleen has presented widely to teachers and parents on critical thinking and, more recently, on the use of various computer technologies and online resources for improving teaching. In 2004, Colleen connected with TC² while part of Alberta Education’s Social Studies Online Guide writing team and continued work on this project for three years. Her most recent works include leadership on PRSD’s curriculum implementation team, a 2-year collaborative inquiry project connecting teachers in three southern Alberta cities as well as contributions to published and online educational resources through Library and Archives Canada and TC². Earlier in her career, Colleen taught for several years in elementary school and was an active participant in the development of the new Alberta Social Studies curriculum in various development and consultative roles.
Cynthia Nicolson, Bowen Island BC
Cynthia brings a passion for mathematics and science, plus years of experience as an educator, to her work with TC². In addition to being a classroom teacher, Cynthia has worked with pre-service teachers as a faculty advisor and instructor of elementary science and mathematics courses at the University of British Columbia. As well, she has written 18 information books for children, including Exploring Space which won the annual science writing award from the American Institute of Physics in 2001 and Totally Human (2011) which was recently selected by the Junior Library Guild. Cynthia enjoys working with teachers to nurture independent, critically thoughtful learners who have a strong sense of wonder about the world.
Laura Gini-Newman, Toronto ON
Laura Gini-Newman is an Instructional consultant with the Peel District School Board. The focus of her work over the past two years has been critical thinking in mathematics. Over the past nine years, she has written and presented on a wide range of topics in the areas of instruction, assessment, curriculum planning, brain research, numeracy, literacy, critical thinking and school improvement planning. She has published texts in the areas of philosophy and history. In addition she has taught at both the University of Toronto and York University.
Lindsay Gibson, Kelowna BC
Lindsay Gibson is a PhD student in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy at the University of British Columbia, currently working on his dissertation proposal and research that will focus on teaching historical thinking. Lindsay is also involved with the Canada-wide Historical Thinking Project and is a member of the Graduate Committee for The History Education Network (THEN/HiER). He has taught social studies methods courses to pre-service teachers in the Bachelor of Education program at the University of British Columbia and the University of British Columbia Okanagan for the past three years. Lindsay taught secondary school history and social studies in Kelowna BC for ten years and will be returning to the classroom part-time in the spring of 2012.
Lindsay’s work with The Critical Thinking Consortium has included working with teachers in BC, facilitating online sessions, and writing and reviewing critical challenges for a variety of publications. His most recent projects include a variety of TC2 history education initiatives including History Docs, Historical Tools for Thought, World War I Internment, Chinese Canadian Stories – Uncommon Histories from a Common Past, and the Komagata Maru.
Mary Abbott, Vancouver Island BC
Mary Abbott recently retired as an instructor in the Faculty of Education at Vancouver Island University. Her background includes extensive experience as a classroom teacher as well as years of work with pre-service and practicing teachers at both Simon Fraser University and Vancouver Island University. Mary has been a facilitator, writer and editor for The Critical Thinking Consortium for 10 years. Her most recent projects include developing Tools for Thought resources, creating electronic whiteboard materials, literacy projects and serving as a Sesame Street advisor. Mary loves her work and thoroughly enjoys supporting teachers as they strive to make a difference to students.
Phil Balcaen, Kelowna BC
Dr. Phil Balcaen is a faculty member of the University of British Columbia-Okanagan in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. He currently teaches methods courses in mathematics and science education, graduate courses in curriculum studies, and facilitates the Learning Communities Seminars for pre-service secondary students in the Faculty of Education. Previously, he taught at Simon Fraser University and in the public secondary school system in British Columbia. Phil is senior editor for the Consortium’s new series of Science and Mathematics resources as well as Director of Research and Innovation. He is currently working with groups of teachers in the areas of critical thinking and assessment at several sites across Canada and in India. Phil’s research interests include school-university collaboration, critical thinking, environmental studies and computer supported learning communities.
Rosemary Evans, Toronto ON
Rosemary Evans is the Academic Director at Branksome Hall, an independent school in Toronto. In this role, she is responsible for teacher professional learning and curriculum development from Kindergarten to Grade 12. She has overseen the implementation process for the International Baccalaureate programs at her school, including the Primary Years Program, the Middle Years Program and the Diploma Program. She has presented to teachers and parents on critical thinking, inquiry, assessment, and curriculum design. She has also taught in the pre-service program at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, and was the recipient of a teaching excellence award. Earlier in her career she served as a teacher, department head, Vice-Principal and Curriculum Coordinator for Social Studies in two large public school boards in Ontario.
Sharon Lampard, Red Deer AB
Sharon Lampard facilitates sessions on critical thinking, K-12, with several schools and districts throughout Alberta. Previously, she was the Social Studies Project Coordinator for Central Alberta Regional Consortium, focusing on curriculum implementation with teachers of eight districts in Central Alberta. Sharon has also held positions of District Curriculum Specialist with Red Deer Public Schools, high school curriculum leader and AISI team leader, and Alberta Teachers’Association PD Instructor. Much of her career, however, has been enjoyed as a junior and senior high ELA classroom teacher. Sharon is the recipient of the Provincial ATA ELA Council Teacher Merit Award and the Social Studies Certificate of Outstanding Service.
Sharon has had opportunities to facilitate teachers along their learning journey in areas of critical thinking, new curriculum implementation, assessment, professional learning communities/ collaborative teams, instructional practices and multiple intelligences.
Stefan Stipp, New Westminster BC
Stefan teaches secondary English and Social Studies at an inner city school in Surrey BC. Currently he’s involved in pioneering a Humanities 9 program which focuses on helping literacy deficient students catch up to their peers. He’s also coordinating an innovative learning design team at his school which was recently awarded a substantial grant to develop and implement a framework to improve student engagement and achievement at the Grade 8 and 9 levels. In addition, Stefan has taught and mentored two cohorts of student teachers as a Faculty Associate in Simon Fraser University’s Faculty of Education and instructed university level courses in Social Studies methods, Curriculum Theory and Instruction and Classroom Management.
Stefan’s work with the Critical Thinking Consortium has included authoring and contributing to various publications on self-regulated learning, student engagement, assessment and active citizenship. He also facilitates workshops on promoting self-regulated learning, student engagement and critical thinking. All of this work is grounded in his day to day work with kids in the classroom.
Wally Diefenthaler, Edmonton AB
Wally Diefenthaler is the Alberta regional director of the Critical Thinking Consortium and an experienced educator and facilitator. He led the development and writing of the new Social Studies high school curriculum in Alberta. Diefenthaler has been the recipient of numerous awards including the Governor General’s Award for excellence in Teaching Canadian History, the Alberta Premier’s Award of Excellence, the Alberta Teachers Association Social Studies Council Award of Excellence and is a founding member of Canadian Council for Geographic Education. Wally has extensive speaking experience on Social Studies related topics to a wide range of audiences and has organized and led hundreds of consultations on Social Studies and critical thinking strategies.
French Facilitator
Armelle Moran, Kelowna BC
Armelle is a Middle School French Immersion teacher in the Central Okanagan School District, in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. For the past nineteen years, she has taught at the intermediate, middle and high school levels within the BC Public School System. Currently she facilitates workshops focused on embedding critical thinking in both English and French Social Studies courses, mentoring teachers working with the TC² model, and collaborating in the development of French Language critical challenges. Her passion for teaching the TC² model is essentially motivated by the idea that it provides effective tools enabling students to think for themselves.
Armelle est une enseignante en immersion française dans une école intermédiaire de la commission scolaire de l’Okanagan Central, Kelowna, en Colombie Britannique au Canada. Elle enseigne depuis dix-neuf ans aux niveaux intermédiaire et secondaire dans le système public de la Colombie-Britannique. Actuellement, elle présente des sessions de formation sur l’intégration de la pensée critique dans les cours de sciences humaines en anglais et en français, accompagne les enseignants travaillant avec le modèle de TC², et collabore à l’élaboration de défis d’analyse critique en français. Sa passion pour l’enseignement du modèle de TC² est essentiellement motivée par l’dée que cette approche fournit des outils efficaces permettant à nos étudiants de penser pour eux-mêmes.
