fall conference 2011
The Evolution of Educational Research in Ontario: Exploring the Past, Present and Future Directions

The Association of Educational Researchers of Ontario celebrated its 40th anniversary on December 1st with their annual Fall Conference, “The Evolution of Educational Research in Ontario: Exploring the Past, Present and Future Directions”.  The morning presentations focused on the history of education in Ontario, as well as AERO’s history and progression throughout its 40 years.  This included comments from three past AERO presidents – Sandra Sangster, Michael Kozlow and Paul Favaro. 

Lynn Kostuch - Kawartha Pine Ridge School Board

Michael Kozlow - EQAO

During the second portion of the morning, participants were given the opportunity to attend two of three breakout sessions: 1) Data Visualization with Chris Conley, 2) Provincial Datasets with Michael Kozlow and 3) Research in School Districts with Lynn Kostuch.  

The afternoon started with the keynote address by Dr. Carol Campbell from OISE/UT, “Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: Futures Thinking and Education Research In, About and For Ontario”.  The presentation focused on the future prospect for education research in Ontario, including the role of researchers, research topics and knowledge mobilization and emerging priorities for research, practice and policy. 

Carol Campbell - OISE/UT

Terry Spencer - AERO President, London DCSB

The day ended with a panel discussion that included Dr. Carol Campbell, Doris McWhorter  (Ministry of Education – Research and Evaluation Strategy Branch), Terry Spencer (AERO President, London DCSB) and three students from Georgian College’s Research Analyst Program (Rebecca Merchant, Dana Skalin, Alex Revell).  Panelists fielded questions about the future of education and educational research in Ontario. 

Conference Resources

Conference Brochure

The Evolution of Educational Research in Ontario: Exploring the Past, Present and Future - Lynn Kostuch
Data Visualization : Out of Sight, Of Mind Links of Interest - Chris Conley
     More Data Visualization Resources:(External Links)
     2010-2011 EQAO Cohort Data Visualization: Reading Assessment
     Rise of the Data Scientist
     Elegance Through Simplicity
     Computational Information Design
     Edward Tufte

Keynote:
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: Futures Thinking and Education Research In, About and For Ontario - Carol Campbell