Browsing by Author "Fowler, Teresa"

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    Characteristics of Friends Working Together: Group Work in Linguistically Diverse Mathematics Classrooms
    (2017-05) Takeuchi, Miwa; Fowler, Teresa
    The influence of friendship on collaboration during mathematics group work has not yet been extensively examined across diverse school settings or pedagogical contexts. This study explores students’ perspectives towards group work, focusing on the relationship between friendship and group work in linguistically and racially diverse classrooms. Our analysis of interview and video data revealed some of the ways in which students preferred working with friends. There are three main areas that students recognized as advantages of working with their friends: a) focusing on the process of problem solving rather than the product, b) gaining emotional support, and c) diversifying and strengthening ideas. From the analysis of video data of friends working together, we observed that students were gradually diversifying ideas by accepting each other’s contributions while also challenging each other’s ideas. There were times when the boundary of ideas was blurred and different ideas were combined. Despite the learning and social benefits of group work, researchers have also raised concerns about unequal distribution of learning opportunities among students. This study suggests the significance of attending to students’ reports regarding the benefits of establishing and maintaining friendships in relation to group work for mathematics learning.
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    Fostering a good human identity through the arts: Final report.
    (2021-07) Fowler, Teresa; Roy, Sylvie
    Concordia University of Edmonton and University of Calgary were engaged in an inquiry into fostering a good human identity through the arts. Partnering with the Calgary Stampede Foundation, the intention of this project was to work with youth in the Immediate Young Canadians program to respond to the goal of the project, which was to understand how youth learn and interpret from the curriculum regarding what being a good human means to them. The Youth Development Framework posits that being a good human involves morals and integrity to reach individual potential, invoking the concept of “Western Hospitality” meaning, “being friendly and generous” to people in their communities, build “cultural belonging and acceptance,” respect and care for their environment, and “value citizenship and agency” (Calgary Stampede Foundation, n.d.). These characteristics of being a good human are not necessarily exclusive to the curriculum used for the Young Canadians as there is an expectation that the skills transcend the program into the youths’ communities and beyond. In addition to being a good human, other attributes from the Youth Development Framework include critical thinking, problem-solving, managing information, creativity and innovation, communication, collaboration, personal growth, well-being, and accountability (Calgary Stampede Foundation, n.d.).