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Researchers: Dr. Monica McGlynn Stewart and the Learning Enrichment Foundation and Toronto Early Learning and Child Care Services

Study Participants: Nursery students, Lab School teachers, and Natural Curiosity educators

Purpose: This research was led by Dr. Monica McGlynn Stewart, a Professor and colleague at the George Brown School of Early Childhood, in collaboration with the Lab School, and also in partnership with the Learning Enrichment Foundation and Toronto Early Learning and Child Care Services. The objectives of the study are to examine educators’ perspectives and practices with respect to nature-based learning with young children; identify how children learn with and from nature; analyze the impact of environmental inquiry on young children’s overall well-being and holistic development; to develop a framework and resources to support early years educators in Canada as they create environmental inquiry programs in early years settings; and to disseminate the knowledge gained through workshops, presentations, and publications. We are in our third year of collaborating on this research study. Each year, students in the Nursery along with teachers Norah L’Esperance and Krista Spence, as well as Haley Higdon, Director of Natural Curiosity (currently on maternity leave) have participated in this project. They also participate in regular research meetings and workshops with educators from across the 12 George Brown College Lab Schools.

Researchers: David Osorio

Purpose: This study was part of the doctoral work of former Lab School teacher David Osorio. David is completing the Doctor of Education program in Child Study and Education at JICS. He is conducting research that explores educators’ approaches to using Indigenous stories in land-based learning. Land-based inquiry is a pedagogical approach which supports reconciliation by empowering students to develop their own connections with Indigenous cultures, to establish deep relationships within the natural world, and to gain the tools they need to protect the land they are on (CCUNESCO, 2022.) The purpose of this project is to gather accounts from Laboratory School educators about their pedagogical approaches to using Indigenous children’s literature inland-based inquiry, with the aim is to explore why they use Indigenous children’s literature and how it has influenced their land-based inquiry pedagogy. The study initially involves individually interviewing participants about their beliefs and approaches associated with using Indigenous children’s literature when teaching about the natural world. Followed by a discussion after several months to follow up on themes identified in the interviews. this research has potential to add significantly to our knowledge of how-to best support teachers in bringing Indigenous perspectives into Land-based Learning, in accordance with key recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (2015). 

Researchers: Dr. Doug Anderson

Study Participants: Lab School Staff

Purpose: Biingooshname Shkode Temgoog is the doctoral work of Dr. Doug Anderson, a former student at York University and Indigenous scholar who has been working with Lab School students and staff for many years, the author of the Indigenous Lens of natural Curiosity, and a former Lab School parent. The ultimate purpose of this research is to add to information for Indigenous communities and decision makers on how Canadian schools may reciprocally enter into more meaningful relationships with Indigenous people in ways that are of benefit to Indigenous communities while also meeting the systemic responsibilities of schools. The research will explore experiences, perceptions, possibilities and challenges involved in centering Anishinaabe and other Indigenous principles and aspects of culture in the learning process at an elementary lab school. The research is being conducted with the Lab School staff, inviting them to participate in an introductory talking circle, voluntary individual interviews, followed by a debriefing circle at the conclusion of the study. The Lab School has been on a path following an emergent exploration of learning in non-Indigenous schools, in ways that ethically and more deeply engage with Indigenous people and perspectives. Supporting this research honours the school’s ongoing commitment to the TRC's Calls to Action for education. 

Researchers: Dr. Erica Walker and Dr. Kitty Yan

Study Participants: Lab School Teachers, SK to Grade 6

Purpose: Dr. Erica Walker, Dean of ��������, and postdoctoral researcher Dr. Kitty Yan, are extending this SSHRC granted study to include students and teachers in the Lab School. Through focus groups with students, and focus groups and interviews with teachers, this project explores the use of digital stories, sharing diverse, contemporary mathematicians’ own narratives about mathematics learning within and beyond schools and their impact on mathematics learning and engagement. This project seeks to address long-standing issues in mathematics education: 1) narrow conceptions of mathematics as a discipline, 2) the lack of racially/ethnically diverse role models for mathematics in terms of representation in the public imagination, media, and schools; and 3) a paucity of resources designed to harness students' early interest and engagement in mathematics across racial and gender groups. Using the research findings, the project will make available samples of teachers’ pedagogical repertoires related to digital stories and demonstrate how storytelling can be used as an effective mechanism for mathematics teaching and learning. Products from this project will include supporting instructional materials for teachers, school and community leaders, and professional developers to use. The dissemination of this research will contribute to building models for mathematics education that serve to deepen understanding of mathematics of teachers and students, as well as simultaneously empowering students of all backgrounds, but especially underserved students, to activate and pursue their interests in mathematics.

Researchers: Dr. Brent Davis and MaryJane Moreau

Study Participants: Lab School Teachers, Nursery to Grade 6

Purpose: Led by Dr. Brent Davis at the University of Calgary, this research team including former JICS teacher MaryJane Moreau, is investigating how the critical use of particular curriculum resources, such as JUMP Math, might help teachers develop their mathematics teaching so that students can better have success and confidence in mathematics learning. Considerable research has accumulated emphasizing teachers as making the critical difference in students’ mathematics learning. Building on an understanding that it is the components of teacher knowledge that are key to student success in the early learning of mathematics and that set students up for confidence and achievement in later years, these researchers are specifically focused on learning more about how to develop that knowledge in teachers. The path of this research is emerging from ongoing discussions and collaborative conversations with the Lab School staff. 

Researchers: Dr. Zachary Hawes and Lidya Rosenbaum

Study Participants: Lab School Teachers

Purpose: Dr. Zachary Hawes, JICS faculty, and MACSE Graduate Lidya Rosenbaum aimed to contribute to the scholarly literature that informs pedagogy by deepening our knowledge of the factors that contribute to the development of one's math identity. A person’s math identity has been shown to be linked to a wide variety of life outcomes, including interest and enjoyment in STEM domains, school success, future job prospects, and overall health and well-being. In an effort to study the factors that contribute to the development of math identity, they carried out one-on-one interviews with a small sample of practicing elementary school teachers across Canada, chosen because teachers have a direct impact on the mathematical mindsets of future generations. The information gathered from these research interviews helped to provide insights on the development of math identity over time, and in turn may inform interventions in the education system that help improve one’s relationship with math.

Researchers: Dr. Angela Pyle

Study Participants: JK and SK

Purpose: This research was conducted by Dr. Angela Pyle, a Professor at JICS, and a former Kindergarten teacher herself. The objective of this research study is to describe the enactment of play-based learning in full day kindergarten classrooms and the connection between play and the acquisition of literacy and self-regulation skills. This is responding to the need to support teachers in finding the optimal balance between play, development, and academic learning in today’s classrooms despite pressures to increase academic standards while also fostering social emotional wellbeing. This study addresses these concerns by focusing on the implementation of curriculum in Ontario classrooms and how it contributes to children’s growth in a key academic skill (literacy) as well as in self-regulation. Specifically, this study seeks to explore variations in the implementation of play-based pedagogies in kindergarten classrooms; determine the impact of varying implementations on the development of academic (i.e., literacy) and developmental (i.e., self-regulation) skills;
and provide an empirical foundation for bridging the academic-developmental rift in the literature. This year was a post-pandemic continuation of the study in the Lab School that began in 2018, which has involved students and teachers in the kindergarten classrooms at the Lab School.  

Researchers: Dr. Angela Pyle

Study Participants: JK and SK

Purpose: This research was conducted by Dr. Angela Pyle, a Professor at JICS, and a former Kindergarten teacher herself. The objective of this research study is to describe the enactment of play-based learning in full day kindergarten classrooms and the connection between play and the acquisition of literacy and self-regulation skills. This is responding to the need to support teachers in finding the optimal balance between play, development, and academic learning in today’s classrooms despite pressures to increase academic standards while also fostering social emotional wellbeing. This study addresses these concerns by focusing on the implementation of curriculum in Ontario classrooms and how it contributes to children’s growth in a key academic skill (literacy) as well as in self-regulation. Specifically, this study seeks to explore variations in the implementation of play-based pedagogies in kindergarten classrooms; determine the impact of varying implementations on the development of academic (i.e., literacy) and developmental (i.e., self-regulation) skills;
and provide an empirical foundation for bridging the academic-developmental rift in the literature. This year was a post-pandemic continuation of the study in the Lab School that began in 2018, which has involved students and teachers in the kindergarten classrooms at the Lab School.  

Researchers: Dr. Angela Pyle

Study Participants: JK and SK

Purpose: This research was conducted by Dr. Angela Pyle, a Professor at JICS, and a former Kindergarten teacher herself. The objective of this research study is to describe the enactment of play-based learning in full day kindergarten classrooms and the connection between play and the acquisition of literacy and self-regulation skills. This is responding to the need to support teachers in finding the optimal balance between play, development, and academic learning in today’s classrooms despite pressures to increase academic standards while also fostering social emotional wellbeing. This study addresses these concerns by focusing on the implementation of curriculum in Ontario classrooms and how it contributes to children’s growth in a key academic skill (literacy) as well as in self-regulation. Specifically, this study seeks to explore variations in the implementation of play-based pedagogies in kindergarten classrooms; determine the impact of varying implementations on the development of academic (i.e., literacy) and developmental (i.e., self-regulation) skills;
and provide an empirical foundation for bridging the academic-developmental rift in the literature. This year was a post-pandemic continuation of the study in the Lab School that began in 2018, which has involved students and teachers in the kindergarten classrooms at the Lab School.  

Researchers: Dr. Angela Pyle

Study Participants: JK and SK

Purpose: This research was conducted by Dr. Angela Pyle, a Professor at JICS, and a former Kindergarten teacher herself. The objective of this research study is to describe the enactment of play-based learning in full day kindergarten classrooms and the connection between play and the acquisition of literacy and self-regulation skills. This is responding to the need to support teachers in finding the optimal balance between play, development, and academic learning in today’s classrooms despite pressures to increase academic standards while also fostering social emotional wellbeing. This study addresses these concerns by focusing on the implementation of curriculum in Ontario classrooms and how it contributes to children’s growth in a key academic skill (literacy) as well as in self-regulation. Specifically, this study seeks to explore variations in the implementation of play-based pedagogies in kindergarten classrooms; determine the impact of varying implementations on the development of academic (i.e., literacy) and developmental (i.e., self-regulation) skills;
and provide an empirical foundation for bridging the academic-developmental rift in the literature. This year was a post-pandemic continuation of the study in the Lab School that began in 2018, which has involved students and teachers in the kindergarten classrooms at the Lab School.  

Researchers: Dr. Marlene Scardamalia and Dr. Carl Bereiter

Study Participants: Across the Lab School

Purpose: This SSHRC funded research led by Drs. Marlene Scardamalia and Carl Bereiter, esteemed �������� professors and long-standing Lab School colleagues, is about a “Knowledge Building” (KB) approach which is deeply embedded into our innovative practice of inquiry-based teaching and learning and emerges from a collaboration between our teachers and the KB researchers. Over the years, the researchers have often been in the classrooms observing, documenting, and helping the teachers and students, attending the bi-weekly KB meetings with the teachers on Thursdays after school, and adding great value to everyone’s learning. All of the students participate in knowledge building and inquiry work in the classroom whether they have signed consent for this study or not, and everyone benefits from this collaboration with the Knowledge Building researchers . Scardamalia, Bereiter, and their research team work closely in collaboration with the Ontario Ministry of Education, the Ontario principals’ associations, and the Education Quality and Accountability Office to explore how knowledge creating pedagogy that engages students in collaborative efforts to advance community knowledge can enhance student literacy and numeracy and how Knowledge Forum technology and analytic tools can help support and sustain knowledge creation in classrooms. The goal of this research is to develop improved teaching practices that will not only boost student learning but also increase capacity to innovate, advance knowledge, and solve complex societal problems. 

Knowledge building: Cross-community Sustainability Collaboration (Grade 1)

Cross-Community Knowledge Building for Sustainability research aims to develop a new model of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) grounded in collaborative knowledge building across geographic, cultural, and national boundaries. We are developing both enabling technologies and pedagogical practices to equip learners with the essential knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to create a more sustainable and equitable global future. Using a design-based research approach, we iteratively refine this model, technologies, and practices in collaboration with teachers and students. In its first iteration, we connected Grade 1 students at JICS with Grade 9 students in Tarragona, Spain as they collaboratively investigated and built models of sustainable communities. We examined what students learned, how they learned, and the challenges they encountered. Findings show that students were able to meet UNESCO ESD learning objectives through learner-driven emergent inquiry. Students developed important knowledge about sustainability including waste management and the tension between human needs and wants. We found evidence of transformative skills development including earth stewardship, appreciation of cultural diversity, and agency to drive their own learning. In addition, we found developmental diversity served as a resource for knowledge building rather than a limitation -- Grade 1 students provided “bridging concepts” based on lived experiences that connected both communities, while Grade 9 students expanded and deepened these ideas with more sophisticated concepts and explanations. We also observed intergenerational friendships and connections among students, which fostered motivation and sense of purpose. Findings of this research contributes to the understanding of how cross- community knowledge building could empower learners to address global sustainability challenges and inform subsequent design iterations. 

Infusing Data Literacy with Inquiry on Lunar Phenomenon (Grade 4/5Z) 

This initiative represents a new pilot program developed in collaboration with the University of Toronto and University of Pennsylvania in our Grade 4/5 classroom. The project aims to infuse authentic data practices into student-driven inquiry. We are interested in understanding whether and how students could deepen their understanding about the moon and develop data literacy through engagement with the first-hand data they have collected using purposefully designed technology. The DataX platform creates a knowledge building environment where students ‘play with data’ as they engage in collaborative meaning making and idea improvement. The platform continuously evolves through ongoing feedback from its community of students and teachers. Through this iterative and participatory approach, we hope to better support elementary learners to develop data literacy while pursuing meaningful and authentic inquiries.

Knowledge Building Research 2020-2022

• Robert Huang & David Osorio (Grade 2) Capturing and Storytelling the Evolution of Thought within Online Knowledge Building Communities
• Dina Soliman & Ben Peebles (Grade 6) Advancing Computational Thinking in Elementary Education: A Knowledge Building
• Gaoxia Zhu & Raadiyah Nazeem (Grade 1) Emergent Partnerships and Competencies: Co-design for Knowledge Building and Supportive Emotions

Researchers: Dr. Paul Dietz and Sarah Kushner

Study Participants: Grade 2 and Grade 6

Purpose: This research was conducted by Dr. Paul Dietz and then PhD candidate Sarah Kushner from the Department of Computer Science at the University of Toronto. Animatronics are voice-controlled robotic puppets. The purpose of the study is to understand how teachers might use animatronics in their classrooms to enrich and reinforce curriculum learning in innovative and engaging ways. All of the students in Grade 2 and Grade 6 participated in the Animatronics program as part of the learning experiences their teachers designed for them this year. Parental consent allowed the researchers to collect the students’ data when engaging in the animatronics program and include it in their study. 

Researchers: Dr. Paul Dietz and Sarah Kushner

Study Participants: Lab School Teachers

Purpose: The purpose of this study, also conducted by Dr. Paul Dietz and Sarah Kushner from the Department of Computer Science at the University of Toronto, was to understand how teachers might use animatronics in their classrooms to reinforce existing curriculum and help engage their students in new ways. The researchers have been developing an affordable easy to use kit of small motors, 3D printed parts, and electronics boards for children to build and voice their own puppets. The goal is to establish a clear understanding of the ways educators view our animatronics kits and what possibilities they imagine for their students. This helped the researchers design an educational experience and formulate a user study to implement in classrooms with students. They want to ensure that these kits would be useful from a teacher’s perspective.

Researchers: Professor Todd Cunningham and Emily Staffiere

Study Participants: Grade 2 to Grade 6

Purpose: Professor Todd Cunningham and Phd Candidate Emily Staffiere, in the School & Clinical Child Psychology Program at ��������, invited lab school students to participate online from their homes in an exciting study exploring the optimal design for developing typing skills in the elementary years. It was both important research that will help to inform practice in meaningful ways and a valuable learning experience for the students involved. Parent gave consent and enrolled their children in this program and supported their participation from home. and supporting this research. The purpose of this research was to learn more about using typing as alternative writing tool. Keyboarding or typing is often suggested as an alternative writing tool for students with specific learning disorders to compensate for weak handwriting speed, legibility, organization, or planning when producing written work and increase their efficiency when writing. Literature has shown that direct instruction for handwriting and keyboarding, aimed at improving writing fluency and the physical mechanics of producing text, Increases a student’s quality of written work. This study aimed at exploring how students with and without learning differences respond to typing instruction (developmentally based, comprehensive keyboarding curriculum on Typing Club) and how their mechanical typing speed (i.e., characters typed per minute) influences their written expression skills. This was an intervention study with pre, middle, and post intervention data point measurements of academic skills, typing speed, and written expression ability.

Researchers: Dr. Adrienne Davidson and Dr. Linda White

Study Participants: JICS parents

Purpose: This SSHRC granted study, Assessing the Financial, Governance, and Parental Feedback Effects of School Choice in Canada, is being conducted with a research team from the Department of Political Science at McMaster University spearheaded by Dr. Adrienne Davidson, in conjunction with the Universities of Toronto, Regina, and British Columbia, including Dr. Linda White, a parent of former JICS Lab School alumni students.

The study examines how school choice in Canada, particularly within the public system, affects policy outcomes. It highlights the various options available to parents, such as secular or religious education, language of instruction, different curricular streams, educational styles, and school locations. These choices can influence parental decisions and potentially create educational inequalities within the public system. The study aims to explore the impact of these choices on long-term social and economic outcomes. The research program focuses on three key areas: public finance, local school governance, and parental attitudes. It aims to understand what Canadian families prioritize in their children's education and how these choices operate within different provincial policy frameworks. The study also investigates why parents might choose private alternatives over the public system, providing insights into their beliefs about quality education and whether these beliefs are adequately represented in the public system.

JICS Lab School parents are invited to volunteer to participate in this study by joining focus groups at the school and on zoom to discuss school choices and the factors that influenced their decisions regarding their child/ren’s education. Participants are asked to fill out a short survey at the end of the focus group sessions.

Researchers: Melissa Kang collaborating with researchers Dr. Anne-Claude Bedard, Christine Bogert, Richard Messina, Elizabeth Morley, and Dr. Rhonda Martinussen

Study Participants: Lab School Teachers, Staff, and Parents

Purpose: The results from a survey conducted at the University of Toronto’s Dr. Eric Jackman institute of Child Study Lab School, a Nursery to Grade 6 elementary school illustrate how their principles helped sustain the community through the extraordinary and stressful first year and a half of pandemic learning with organizational compassion. In addition, their findings reveal that not all learners encountered difficulties in the online learning environment. This study is now published in a special edition of the IALS Journal and underscores the importance of prioritizing security and attachment needs during any future complex and challenging learning circumstances. The principal investigator was �������� PhD student Melissa Kang collaborating with researchers Dr. Anne-Claude Bedard, Christine Bogert, Richard Messina, Elizabeth Morley, and Dr. Rhonda Martinussen.