Rick Pardo
Leading projects across Ontario, and a pioneer of design thinking for learning in the classroom, Rick is a passionate and energizing leader for continuous improvement, innovation, and change. He’s a highly-regarded facilitator and event host, marrying intense preparation with a natural capacity to listen and shine a light on the best stories participants have to share.
As a science high school teacher Rick always found new ways to help students engage. Community involvement was both critical to achieving this and remained underused in the classroom, so he developed frameworks and supports for his classes to tap into the power of daily learning through authentic community projects.
He spent five years taking these ideas to teachers, schools, and boards across the province, as Learning Coordinator for TVDSB, as Chair of the Science Coordinators and Consultants Association of Ontario, and with the Faculty of Education at Western University.
The following three years in a Health and Safety role took him in a different direction. He brought an agile design culture to the “Operations side” of the school system. In this way, 164 elementary and secondary schools and each of their departments grew homegrown solutions for facility and equipment management that STUCK and exceeded all labour, fire, and safety standards.
But it was as Coordinator for the Culture of Innovation that the School-in-a-School program was born. Educators from grades 1 through 12 have reimaged school with No periods - No subjects - No time allocations. Rick became enthralled with the strategies and tactics that his creative colleagues developed when they were given time, space and permission to create and rethink learning.
Visitors from around North America have toured these programs, spoken with classes, and seen first hand the frameworks and supports put in place to support this ground swell of teachers as designers, drivers and owners of educational change.
Terry Brown
Throughout his 30 year career as an educator, Terry has always been interested in best practices for increased student learning. The focus of his work has been to build teacher comfort and capacity with student-centred inquiry.
Terry is currently a mentor to Teacher Candidates at Western University, Faculty of Education.
The problem of decreased student engagement in school stands out as a major concern in education. Terry has been promoting student-centred inquiry which addresses this problem by increasing student voice through questioning and choice. Effective assessment practices in conjunction with these teaching strategies has a profound positive impact on student growth as problem-solvers and self-directed learners.
As schools go through a major upheaval as a result of the pandemic, Terry continues to support teachers through this transition in the education system. We cannot return to normal.
Highlights of his career include DRiVe Inquiry, Interdisciplinary approaches to learning, Robotics in the classroom, School within a School, ReThink Secondary and Open Spaces Workshops like this one.
Terry is past-chair of the Science Education Leaders of Ontario (SELO/LESO) He has been a regular presenter at STAO (Science Teachers Association of Ontario) throughout his career.
In recent years, Terry has shared the student-centred learning approach with teachers in Vejle, Denmark (International School Leadership program) and at the National Conference for the National Science Teachers Association in Los Angeles, California.
Terry is the proud parent of two adult children, Chris and Julia, and lives in Komoka Ontario with his wife Marlene. In the summer, you can find him with his family sailing on Lake Huron.
Erica Alexander
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Nikita Miller
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