Kathy Hibbert, Ph. D.

Frustrated and dissatisfied with the haphazard and unfocused curriculum development in the financial literacy field, we asked, ‘in what ways are our youth engaging in learning outside of school, and how might we tap into that momentum?’ The resource that emerged, ATM Confessions: A Financial Literacy Library, sprang organically from the interactions, discussions, and debates of a research and development partnership between The Investor Education Fund (IEF) the Faculty of Education at The University of Western Ontario (UWO) over a five-year period. Positioning students and teachers as collaborators at the center of the research and development process allowed us to get to the heart of what would engage the populations we were seeking to help. The resulting curriculum project is a culmination of numerous digital learning objects which we developed and leveraged within a social networking system designed around the metaphor of an ATM machine. Access to the resources is available to anyone, with special supports built in for teachers who register and make use of the materials with their classrooms. You can access the ATM Financial Literacy Library at:
http://www.atmconfessions.com/

You can review the full story of this curriculum project in Education Canada's
special themed issue: Innovation: Challenging the Status Quo published in November 2009, 'Online ATM Helps Youth Smarten Up About Spending'.

Principal Investigator: Kathy Hibbert

Thank you to the extraordinary efforts of our team over the years:

Curriculum and Learning Object Development: Liz Coulson, PhD
Flash Development: Mary Lynne Snedden, HiLight Design
IT Management, Colin Couchman, Graham Newbigging
Faculty: Sharon Rich, PhD, George Gadanidis, PhD.
Staff Support: Barron Mertens, John Routledge, Ruth Heard, Daryn Bee
Research Assistants: Courtney Riley, Eben Schaeffer, CJ Callaghan

and our partners at the Investor Education Fund, in particular
Chris Allum, Investor Education Specialist
Tom Hamza, President, Investor Education Fund

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.