Pickering College teacher Ethan Bishop has been selected as a 2024 recipient of the Class ACT award from the Critical Thinking Consortium.
The award is in recognition of educators who show a commitment to embedding critical thinking into their own practice and who have demonstrated notable success in furthering critical thinking with their students or colleagues, according to a Pickering College news release.
The middle school faculty member at the Newmarket private school was nominated for his work with his Grade 8 students in hosting an art experience in the spring inspired by the Native Women’s Association of Canada’s initiative, Change the Bill, a call to action promoting reconciliation through art.
Students researched the legacies of the women on the recommended bills and then created their own bill designs to acknowledge the contributions of lesser-known 19th-century history makers. Staff, students, parents and guests then attended their exhibition, including Newmarket-Aurora MP Tony Van Bynen, who spoke about how currency designs are determined and encouraged students to enact change on this and other important issues.
“Ethan’s work, inspired by Change the Bill, truly impressed me,” said Joshua Armstrong, director of teaching and learning at Pickering College. “His commitment to developing the students’ critical thinking skills was evident as he guided them through thoughtful discussions on social justice, diversity, and historical representation. This dedication to fostering deep analytical thinking compelled me to nominate him for recognition as an outstanding critical-thinking teacher.”
“I am honoured to accept this award from the Critical Thinking Consortium,” said Bishop. “I would like to thank Josh Armstrong, my nominator, for his support as director of teaching and learning, and for the example he has shown in leading the reconciliation committee at Pickering College. I also want to thank Pickering College for providing teachers with the space and motivation to do their best work. Finally, as someone who has frequently turned to tc2.ca for inspiration, I want to say that receiving recognition from such an impactful organization is truly humbling.”
All educators (teachers, instructional coaches, consultants, school administrators, superintendents, directors, etc.) are eligible for nomination for the Class ACT award based on the following criteria: embedding into practice the consortium’s approach to nurturing high-quality thinking; supporting colleagues in adopting a thinking approach using the TC² framework and TC² resources; and demonstrating notable success in nurturing high-quality thinking with students and/or colleagues.
