BECOME AN
MCYU IN THE CITY
WORKSHOP FACILITATOR

Dr. Sandy Raha – Co-Founder and Director of MCYU

Position at McMaster: Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics. Co-Founder & Director of MCYU

What will your role in this course be: As the Founder and Director of the McMaster Children and Youth University, I will be describing the ethos and objectives of the program. I will also describe the process of topic selection and how CMTYENGA 2MC3 and 2MD3 integrate to provide a unique experiential learning opportunity.

What will students take away from this?: Students will learn about the “big picture” ahead of designing their community engagement projects.

Can you share a career highlight of yours with us? Careers don’t always evolve linearly: I am biochemist by training who did product development in industry and switched to clinical research and now have switched to developing novel educational strategies.

Fun Fact: The answer to the meaning of life is “Soccer.” Don’t believe me…challenge me.

Dr. Becca Collins-Nelsen – Head Instructor

What are the main skills students will gain through your instruction: My instruction always prioritizes critical thinking and student engagement. This class is also unique in so far as there are several other faculty providing their expertise on pedagogical design, community engagement, and knowledge mobilization so students will get the opportunity to learn about these important skills from a variety of instructors’ perspectives including my own.  

Can you share a career highlight with us: My career highlights have come from positive feedback when it comes to teaching. In particular, I am encouraged by students who have shared that my instruction has helped them think more critically about the world around them and/or ignited a passion in the subject matter.

Fun fact about yourself: I am an avid sports fan who grew up playing several different sports including competitive basketball (despite my short stature). I can still be found playing in hockey and basketball leagues around the city!

Dr. John MacLachlan – Instructor

Dr. Machlachlan also teaches Earth Sciences, Environmental Science and Geography. His research interests include Pedagogical study of advancing the use of technologies into classroom teaching and learning; Exploration of the spatial distribution of quaternary landforms and sediments of glacial origin in southern Ontario.

Professor Sheila Sammon – Guest instructor

Position at McMaster: Co-Director of Community Engagement and Professor Emerita from the School of Social Work.

Can you describe what you will be teaching the class? I will be working with he students to build on their knowledge of communities and how to ‘engage’ with community members in ways that are truly useful to community members and educational for students.

What are the main skills students will gain from your lessons? The skills that will be emphasized are observation, communication, reflexivity.

Can you tell us about a highlight from your career? As part of an award winning teacher team, we were invited to present a paper to a national conference. Instead of reading a paper, we developed a skit parodying ‘This Hour Has 22 Minutes’ (even the stiffest academics laughed and said they learned).

What is a fun fact about yourself? I LIKE ROLLER COASTERS!

Dr. James Sikkema – Guest Instructor

Position at McMaster: Assistant Professor (CLA), in the Department of Philosophy.

Can you please describe what you will be teaching the students in this course?: In addition to becoming conversant in some of the problems in the philosophy of education, students will learn some of the basics of the philosophical enquiry method.

What are the main skills students will take away from your instruction? Students will learn how to set up a stimulus, adopt an open-questioning mindset, distinguish between open and closed questioning, and develop dialectical facilitation strategies.

Fun Fact: Dr. Sikkema recently launched Project Why, which introduces kids to philosophical enquiry.

Dr. Katie Moisse – Guest instructor

Position at McMaster: Assistant Professor of Science and Science Communication in the School of Interdisciplinary Science

Can you please describe what you will be teaching the students in this course: I will focus on communicating science through stories, with the goal of making science accessible and engaging for all children.

What are the main skills students will take away from your instruction? Students will build a toolkit for speaking and writing about scientific concepts and conundrums clearly, concisely and creatively.

Career Highlights: Katie brings a unique background to this role. After finishing her Ph.D. in Pathology at the University of Western Ontario, she got her Masters in Journalism at Columbia University in New York. Her writing has appeared in Scientific American, The Atlantic and Spectrum, and she was Health Editor at ABC News.

Can you share a fun fact about yourself: When I’m not at work, I love to talk science with my kids: 5-year-old Gus, who loves dinosaurs, and 3-year-old Lou, who plans to be a “kitty cat scientist” when she grows up.

Dr. Hartley Jafine – Guest Instructor

Position at McMaster: Facilitates theatre and arts-based courses in the Arts & Science Program.

Can you please describe what you will be teaching the students in this course: Theatre skills are life skills. My area of the course will explore the performance of presentations and how theatre and improv can improve presentation skills and the communication of complex ideas.

What are the main skills students will take away from your instruction? Creative thinking, presentation skills, communication skills, and adaptability.

Can you share a highlight from your career with us? I spent a month training in a theatre lab oratory in the Rhodope Mountains, Bulgaria.

What’s a fun fact about yourself? I never learned how to ride a bike.

Christa Morrison – Guest instructor

Position at McMaster: Digital Pedagogy Specialist

What will your role in this course be: Guest Instructor, Digital Storytelling and Online Instructional Design.

What are the main skills students will gain through your instruction?
Digital storytelling formats, the use of new media production tools, interactive online instructional design.  

Can you share a career highlight of yours with us? Having my students create chatbots and collaborating with students in Africa. See https://twitter.com/capeflatsyouth/status/876132550460284929

Fun Fact About Yourself: Boitumelo is the African name that was given to me, it means “Happiness and Joy”.