Centering Parents in their children’s schooling and education
Dr. Debbie Pushor
Dr. Debbie Pushor is a tenured professor, working in the Department of Curriculum Studies at the University of Saskatchewan. She received her Ph.D from the University of Alberta in Elementary Education, specifically exploring parents’ positioning in schools. She’s received several awards and honours for her work in the field including USSU Teaching Excellence Award, the Provost’s College Award for Outstanding Teaching, and the highest award for teaching at the University of Saskatchewan, the Master Teacher Award. Debbie is recognized internationally for her work, and for that of her students, in relation to parent engagement and parent knowledge.
Key Courses & Teaching Areas
Debbie’s graduate courses focus on parent and family engagement in teaching and learning, both on and off the school landscape. She works closely with her students, exploring and nurturing their unique areas of interest in the realm of walking alongside parents, co-constructing curriculum, making shared decisions, and learning with and from one another. Her key graduate courses include:
ECUR 822 Re/Presenting Families in Schools
ECUR 823 Engaging Parents in Teaching and Learning
ECUR 805 Practicum in Parent and Family Engagement
A brand new course offering will be taught by Debbie for the first time in the upcoming calendar year. The course is a step between a Bachelor of Education and Master’s of Education level, referred to as an Additional Qualification Certificate. It centers around parent engagement in the early years. The course contributes to a specialization in early childhood education for practicing teachers. Debbie is elated to add this course to her range of offerings.
ECUR 485 Parent Engagement in the Early Years
Debbie’s favorite undergraduate course is Teaching and Learning in Community Education. Teachings focus on community education principles and on how teachers can situate the learning of students in the context of family and community. With an experiential design, the course engages students with a diversity of community partners and uses a wide range of teaching methods, including participation in an Indigenous Sweatlodge, a core community walk, and a community engagement project.
ECUR 411 Teaching and Learning in Community Education
