PEDAGOGY of CONSEQUENCE

BARBARA McMILLAN

Associate Professor
Curriculum, Teaching and Learning (CTL)

University of Manitoba

Barbara joined the Faculty of Education in July 1998. Her first teaching degree and public school experiences were in art education. These were followed by B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in botany and mycology, respectively, and a Ph.D. focused on the relationship between planned and enacted curricula in school science and the development of children’s conceptual understanding. Her current research interests include the influence of visits to a pond habitat on Kindergarten children’s place awareness and attitude to nature, the impact on Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students’ interest and success in school science of holistic curricula that integrate local, cultural, and traditional knowledge, the effect of culturally relevant and responsive pedagogy on students learning and confidence as learners, units of study for Grades 5-9 science that effectively integrate student inquiry and historical and contemporary case-based learning, and the consequence for human well-being of globally failing to develop and foster an ecocentric ethic.

Education
2001 – Ph.D., University of Manitoba
1994 – Teacher Certification, Manitoba Education and Training
1981 – M.Ed., University of Manitoba
1978 – B.Sc. Honours, University of Manitoba
1972 – Teacher Certification, State of Wisconsin
1972 – B.Sc., University of Wisconsin-Madison

Areas of Specialization
Science Teacher Education
Environmental Education 
Education for Sustainability
Curriculum Design and Development

Research Interests
Contextual approaches to science curriculum development
Culturally relevant/responsive teaching 
Eco-ethical consciousness
Place awareness and pro-environmental behaviour