Adolescent Literacy and English Language Arts

Assistant Professor, Faculty of Education
Assistant Professor, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry

Kathy

My research interests revolve around a focus on the 'scholarship of teaching and learning' (Boyer, 1990), the pedagogy of multiliteracies (The New London Group, 2000) and communities of professional practice (Lave & Wenger, 1991). In particular, my interests lie in looking at policies/decisions/practices surrounding learning environments that stimulate and engage teachers' intellectual curiosity in ways that inform pedagogical decisions that ultimately create rich learning environments for both teachers and students. I am keenly interested in what we, as teachers, can learn from students.

Selected Research Projects
A few of the projects I am currently involved in are,

  • leading an investigation of scholarship in medical education across Canada with the support of an Academic Development New Research and Scholarly Initiatve Award: Major Grant;
  • leading a research and development team designing digital interactives to enhance the literacies of Canadian youth in the area of managing their personal finances (funded by the not-for-profit Investor Education Fund);
  • leading an investigation into research methodologies that may better capture multiliteracies through web-based social interaction networks (funded by SSHRC);
  • participating in the Interprofessional Health Care Learning Labs Project (funded by the MOHLTC);
  • participating in a Pan-Canadian initiative to study the pedagogy of Teacher Education in Canadian Faculties of Education.

Past Experiences
Administrative:
Former Director of Continuing Teacher Education, Faculty of Education, University of Western Ontario.
Founding Director, Centre of Education in Medical Imaging, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario.

Consulting:
In addition to my teaching and research, I have worked with students, instructors and faculty in the fields of education, medicine, health sciences and construction technology to develop pedagogical expertise in both the on-site and virtual environments.

Shackleton's Expedition, 100 Years Later

Descendants of Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton and his courageous team are currently retracing the 1908 'Nimrod' Expedition that saw Shackleton's group come to within 97 m of the South Pole. The group is intent upon finishing the job that their ancestors began, while raising funds for the foundation in Shackleton's name and celebrating the team's achievements.

Shackleton is widely recognized as one of the most inspirational leaders of all time. The Shackleton Foundation has been established in his name with a mission "to support individuals of all ages, nationalities and backgrounds who exemplify the spirit of Sir Ernest Shackleton: inspirational leaders wishing to "make a difference", in particular to the less advantaged". For more information, see http://www.shackletonfoundation.org/

You can follow the groups' movements at http://www.shackletoncentenary.org/

The Shackleton family motto is Fortitudine Vincimus, 'By endurance we conquer'.

Kathy (Shackleton) Hibbert

Engaging Reflection in Health Professional Education and Practice

Under the leadership of Dr. Anne Kinsella, our group has sought $20,000 Aid to Research workshops and conferences (supplemental list). This inaugural interdisciplinary conference calls together scholars interested in advancing knowledge and scholarship about the place of "reflection" in health professional education and practice. Those who work in the field perceive a widespread need for a scholarly community that brings interdisciplinary groups together to exchange knowledge and to think together about pressing issues and key questions for advancing the field. This conference is a first step in that direction.

Please view the website for this conference at: http://www.reflectivepractice.ca/

Collaborators on this SSHRC application are Bartlett, D. Bryant, L. Deluca, S. Ferguson, K. Goldszmidt, M., Hibbert, K. Hinds, J.,Hobson, S.,Jenkins, K., Kirkwood, K., Leipert, B., Lucy, D., Magalhaes, L., Ng, S., Orchard, C., Pitman, A., Vanstone, M., Wedlake, M.

Interdisciplinary Initiative, University of Western Ontario

Under the leadership of Dr. Anne Kinsella and Dr. Allan Pitman, our group of interdisciplinary scholars was awarded $91,400 to establish a Network for the Interdisciplinary Scholarship of Professional Education.

The aim of this interdisciplinary initiative is to foster an intellectual community and interdisciplinary network for the scholarship of professional education. The initiative adds value by creating opportunities for researchers and graduate students across fields to interact and exchange knowledge. The project aims to: (a) break down silos by creating opportunities to interact across disciplines, (b) identify scholars and graduate students in the field through the development of a virtual network and community of practice, and (c) build capacity for researchers and graduate students to advance knowledge and contribute to the scholarship of professional education.

A partnership between the Faculties of Education, the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and The Faculty of Health Sciences is proposed, with the potential involvement of other faculties over time. This proposal complements the work of various groups at Western, such as the Continuing Teacher Education Program, the Office of Interprofessional Health Education and Research, The Group for the Advancement and Advocacy of Medical and Dental Education Scholarship, The Centre for Education in Diagnostic, Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, The Clinical Education Advisory Group, and graduate programs in The Faculty of Education and n Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (Health Professional Education Field) among others.

Collaborators on this project are MacMillan, B., Chhem, R., Hibbert, K., Goldszmidt, M., Orchard, C., Wamsley, K., Nisker, J., Bartlett, D., DeLuca, S., Kirkwood, K., Van Deven, T.

Academic Development Fund: New Research and Scholarly Initiative Major Grant

On May 1, 2008 I was awarded an Academic Development Fund: New Research and Scholarly Initiative Major Grant to allow the work completed in the Centre for Education, Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry to be expanded across Canada.

Imaging research is increasingly integral to health care, drug discovery, cell biology and other life sciences. The demand for imaging services has increased exponentially - a trend that promises to continue. These pressures require innovative responses within the education and training of imaging professionals of the future. Recognizing the growing need to do things differently, a partnership was formed at Western between the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry’s Department of Medical Imaging, and the Faculty of Education. The ‘Centre for Education in Medical Imaging' was charged with the mandate to strengthen curriculum design and implementation, support and guide the art of teaching, and advance educational scholarship in medical imaging education. Over the past year, a pilot research project yielded an in-depth needs assessment of the department and investigated the ways in which scholarship is currently institutionalized. This grant has allowed us to continue that research across Canada.

PI:
Dr. Kathy Hibbert
Collaborators:
Dr. Rethy Chhem and Dr. Teresa Van Deven

Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Image, Text, Sound & Technology (ITST)

In the Spring of 2008, I was awarded a SSHRC ITST grant for the project,
Money matters: Advancing adolescent financial literacy on their terms. The funding will allow us to build upon work I have been doing for the past four years with the non-profit group, the Investor Education Fund, aimed at improving students' access to engaging financial literacy.
Principal Investigator: Dr. Kathy Hibbert
Collaborators: Dr. Mike Katchabaw, UWO
Dr. Jennifer Jenson, York University
I would like to gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Liz Coulson, PhD Candidate, UWO, who has worked diligently as a Research Assistant with me in this area for a number of years.

Adolescent Literacy and English Language Arts

On July 1 2008, I began a tenure track position as Assistant Professor, Adolescent Literacy and English Language Arts. I am interested in looking at ways in which we can engage adolescent learners, classroom teachers and faculty in literacy projects that allow us to further develop a pedagogy of multiliteracies. After visiting Southeast Asia, in particular, Cambodia, I have developed a keen interest in how we might collectively engage in projects with underdeveloped countries, leveraging the approaches afforded through technology in ways that serve to enhance the richness that reciprocity offers.

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