Penny Milton - "Innovators in Action" Speaker Series
The SiG@Waterloo "Innovators in Action" Speaker Series, applied the ideas of social innovation to a number of specific sectors and issues - education, youth mentorship, inclusion, collaboration and cultural change. Each of the keynote speakers shared their experiences of operating at the national level to identify and address the root causes of intractable social challenges. Each keynote lecture was followed by a local panel discussion who shared their reflections on the presentation and offered insight into their own experiences.
Jump to:
Penny Milton's Main Presentation Video
The Panel Video
Biographies
Penny Milton's Main Presentation Video
Penny Milton presents the case for transforming education in Canada through innovation in schools. The problems that face schooling requires adaptive ‘learning by doing’ approaches rather than ‘across the board’ technical or policy responses. Illustrations are drawn from the Canadian Education Association’s multi-year research and development initiative, What did you do in school today?
With over 60,000 students in 120 middle and high schools informing groundbreaking research on intellectual engagement, Penny’s talk focused on ideas and actions that can deeply engage all students in learning.
Penny Milton
CEO, Canadian Education Association
Penny Milton has been Chief Executive Officer of Canadian Education Association since 1996. She was past Chair of the Toronto Board of Education, Executive Director of the Ontario Public School Board Association, and served as Deputy Minister of the Ontario Premier’s Council of Health, Well-being and Social Justice. She has held several public appointments including current membership on The Minister’s Curriculum Council and Governance Review Committee for Ontario. She was a founding Director of the Toronto Community Housing Corporation and now serves as a Director of ArtsSmarts and Goodwill Industries. She is the author of several book chapters, numerous articles and presentations on policy issues in education.
Bill Bulmer
Bill Bulmer is currently the department head of Geography at Kitchener-Waterloo Collegiate and Vocational School (KCI). Bill has been teaching Geography for 13 years; 12 of those have been at KCI. The other year, he spent teaching Human Rights and Geography at the American International School of Bolivia. Bill has travelled to 30 countries and lived on 3 continents (North America, Australia, South America), and has been leading international trips for students for ten years. The past five years, he has led student volunteer Outreach trips to either Central America or Cuba. For 4 years he took students to Honduras to help build a small school in rural Honduras, and they recently returned from Cuba volunteering on an organic farm alongside workers earning under $1.00 a day. This year was the first year that he has been successful in teaching an Outreach course (where this international trip was part of the course), using the concept of "putting others first" and trying to educate students about the "bubble" we live in, not only in Waterloo Region, but compared to the rest of the world. Students study poverty from both a local and international perspective and are required to participate in local outreach initiatives as part of their independent study. Bill likes to teach using stories and experiences. Experiential education is perhaps the best way to learn... when you're a part of the experience, you're more likely to remember it.
Megan Conway
Megan Conway is the Director of Pathways to Education Kitchener. She holds a B.Ed/BAH from Queen's University in Kingston, as well as a Masters in Politics, Democracy and Education from the University of Cambridge. Megan is currently a PhD student in Urban Planning at the University of Waterloo. Her research and professional interests include community development models, qualitative research, poverty reduction, and youth engagement. Previous to her work with Pathways, Megan worked as the Executive Assistant to the Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier of Ontario. Originally from Eganville, Ontario, she is committed to facilitating processes and programs where all youth have the opportunity to be heard and recognized for their unique contributions.
Catherine Fife
Catherine Fife was first elected to the Waterloo Region District School Board in 2003 and re-elected in 2006. She has served as Chair of Environmental Advisory Committee and Vice-Chair of the Special Education Advisory Committee. In 2007 Catherine was elected as Vice-President of the Ontario Public School Board Association where she has taken the lead on First Nations educational issues, coordinating services for Children’ Mental Health, Early Learning and Care, Environmental Initiatives and Promoting Partnerships for the Whole Child. This June she will assume the role of President where she will represent Ontario's public school boards at the federal level. Catherine has worked as a researcher at Wilfrid Laurier University and is currently Research Coordinator at Mosaic Counselling and Family Services in Kitchener. Prior to moving to the KW area Catherine worked as a school community advisor with the Toronto Board of Education where she promoted parental involvement and engagement in the education system for new immigrants.
Zainab Ramahi
Zainab Ramahi is currently a senior student and a student council member at Rockway Mennonite Collegiate. Zainab was a member of The Record's Youth Editorial Board, the Kitchener Youth Action Council and has volunteered for various organizations including Mennonite Central Committee and Muslim Social Services. Zainab has been recognized for her contributions through the City of Kitchener's Community Contributor Award as well as being named as part of The Record's 40 Under 40 for Waterloo Region. She has volunteered at an orphanage in war-torn Kashmir and this summer, Zainab is travelling to Occupied Palestine, where she hopes to work with internally displaced refugees. Zainab has a passion for issues of justice and recognizes the need for youth involvement in our communities. In the fall, Zainab will be entering the Knowledge Integration program at the University of Waterloo, and in the future, hopes to be a professor of human rights law while maintaining activism in the global community.