‘Pushed every boundary’: student teachers wowed at U of W conference

Student teachers stepped to the front of the class at a University of Winnipeg conference that featured a record number of research presentations and an international twist.

“We pushed every boundary we could,” said Wayne Davies, chair of WestCast 2026, the annual event that travels between faculties of education in western Canada.

For Davies, director of student teaching at U of W, that meant welcoming researchers from overseas and expanding French programming.

For the first time, U of W partnered with the University of the West Indies so Canadian and Caribbean researchers could learn from one another in both English and French-language classrooms.

The downtown campus hosted the Western Canadian Association for Student Teaching from Feb. 18 to 20. It attracted 450 attendees from across the country, as well as the Caribbean, to network and share research on topics related to student academics and well-being.

Kishi Anderson Leachman, an assistant professor of education at U of W, said it was “overwhelmingly joyful” to hear students exchange lessons from their unique classroom contexts.

Anderson Leachman, an alumnus of the University of West Indies, suggested U of W collaborate with her alma mater; she did her teaching training in Jamaica.

“In Winnipeg, we have diverse students from the Caribbean, from all over… Hearing other perspectives helps teach us to bring cultural sensitivity into the classroom,” she said.

The conference showcased more than 150 presentations on educational research. They were delivered by a mix of faculty members and students in graduate and undergraduate programs.

There were presentations on subjects ranging from how teachers can counteract scientific misinformation to podcasting as a tool to bolster inclusion in schools.

“I’ve learned a lot about things I’d never even thought of. It’s really beneficial for a student teacher,” said Sarah Elvin, an education student at U of W.

Elvin, 35, said she has a better understanding of the different challenges she could encounter in a classroom and newfound confidence to address them.

One presentation that stuck out to her was about teaching students who have fetal alcohol spectrum disorder — a topic that has yet to come up in any of her university courses.

Elvin said she learned children and youth who have FASD typically have trouble starting assignments and staying on task.

Teacher-candidate Lyn Dalit left the conference with newfound knowledge about how to talk to her students about artificial intelligence.

“Students use it because they are not aware of the importance of going through the process in order to get to a product,” said the 23-year-old U of W student who is currently doing a practicum at a high school in Winnipeg.

Dalit also had the opportunity to practise her presentation skills as one of several researchers who shared insights from ToyBox Manitoba.

The early childhood education platform encompasses free numeracy, literacy and wellness activities for children between the ages of two and eight.

“We’re trying to create a seamless transition between early childhood, infancy and school-aged learning,” said ToyBox director Sheri-Lynn Skwarchuk, who is a professor of education and developmental studies at U of W.

Members of the team, made up of 16 student research assistants, taught attendees about their research-backed resources and how they’ve been working with Indigenous communities to customize activities.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca