 |
Investing
in the power of teachers
to improve teaching and learning. |
     |
|
 |
McDowell Foundation Award Recipients Lillian
Forsythe
Research has been an important part of Lillian's teaching career. After obtaining her B.Ed. and B.A. from the University of Saskatchewan, she went on to earn a Master's degree from the University of Regina, choosing as her thesis topic, Teacher-as-Researcher: Empowering Students and Involving Parents in the Evaluation Process. Her research was applied in her classroom, where teacher, students and parents work closely together through a math homework program, math nights for parents, videotaping, three-way conferences, and demonstration of learning conferences. She has continued to read and write on teaching issues. As well as belonging to professional groups in mathematics, science and reading, she works collaboratively and informally with groups of colleagues in Regina, including a Reflective Teaching group in which members meet monthly to discuss and edit each other's work. When the McDowell Foundation began sponsoring research projects in 1994, Lillian Forsythe and Vi Maeers, a University of Regina faculty member, were among the very first applicants for a research grant. Their work, which was titled Collaborative Manipulative Mathematics Research: Teacher Role, is Project #1 on the Foundation's records and has influenced mathematics education as far away as Oman, where it was used in developing a primary mathematics program. From the start, Lillian has been a staunch supporter of the McDowell Foundation, not only as a researcher, but also as a promoter, a speaker and a mentor. The 1999 McDowell Foundation Award recognizes Lillian Forsythe for her outstanding contributions to educational research as an exemplary model of the teacher-researcher.
| ||||||||||||||
Lillian
Forsythe is recognized as a master teacher in Regina, where she
has taught Grades 1-4 at Marion McVeety School for 26 years. She
has received the Prime Minister's Award for Teaching Excellence
in Science, Technology and Mathematics, the Saskatchewan Mathematics
Teachers' Society Master Teacher Award, and a MSTE Royal Bank Fellowship
to Queen's University. She has contributed her experience and knowledge
generously to the development of curriculum and instruction at the
school, school division, provincial and national levels. She has
sat on numerous committees, piloted programs, written units, developed
assessment tools, reviewed materials, provided workshops, and mentored
other teachers. While many of her activities have focussed on science
and mathematics, she has also made significant contributions to
teaching practice with respect to portfolios, student assessment,
reporting and conferencing, and problem-solving.