Complete CV

CV‎ > ‎

--- EDUCATION ---

Doctor of Philosophy (2008-2013), Graduate Program in Education: Language, Culture and Teaching
York University
Thesis title:   The Possibilities of Historic Space: A transformative student-centred model of history education
Supervisor:    Dr. Susan Dion

Master of Arts (2005-2007), History and Philosophy of Education (History of Education), Collaborative Program in Women's Studies
Ontario Institute for the Studies in Education, University of Toronto
Thesis title:    Historic Space: Mobilizing history education for social change
Supervisor:     Dr. Cecelia Morgan

Bachelor of Arts (Honours) (2002-2005), History and Women’s Studies
University of Toronto
Thesis title:   Historic Space: A feminist conceptualization of Canadian history
Supervisor:    Dr. Michelle Murphy

--- PUBLICATIONS ---

Cutrara, Samantha. In preparation. Creating Possibilities: Meaningful learning in Canadian history. Vancouver: UBC Press.

---. (2012). Drawn out of History: The representation of women in Chester Brown’s Louis Riel: A comic strip biography. Graphic Novels and History. Rick Iadonisi, Ed. Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

---. (2010). Transformative History: The possibilities of Historic Space. Canadian Social Studies, 44(1). From <http://www2.education.ualberta.ca/css/CSS_44_1_REVISED.pdf>

---. (2009). To Placate or Provoke: A critical review of the disciplines approach to history curriculum. Journal of the Canadian Association for Curriculum Studies/La revue de l’association canadienne pour l’éude de curriculum, 7(2). From <https://pi.library.yorku.ca/ojs/index.php/jcacs/issue/view/1466/showToc>

---. (Fall 2008). [Review of the book Theorizing Empowerment: Canadian perspectives on Black Feminist Thought]. Eds. Notisha Massaquoi and Njoki Nathani Wane. Atlantis: A Women’s Studies Journal, 33(1) [electronic version]. From <http://www.msvu.ca/atlantis/vol/book_reviews/1brindexfalloheight.htm>

Works in Progress – Journal articles submitted

Cutrara, Samantha. (TBA). Resistance as Negotiation: New perspectives on misbehaviour in national history classrooms. Paper submitted to the London Review of Education.

--- CONFERENCES---

Academic

Cutrara, Samantha. (Upcoming – May 2016). Imagining a New ‘We’: Students’ complex connections when learning Canadian history. Paper to be presented at the Canadian Society for the Study in Education conference. University of Calgary. Calgary, Alberta.

---. (Upcoming – May 2016). Poststructural Interruptions: Using women’s stories to challenging national narratives in classroom communities. Paper to be presented at the Women’s and Gender Studies Et Recherches Féministes association annual conference. University of Calgary. Calgary, Alberta.

---. (May 2012). 'And then we spoke our voice and it did change': The importance of listening to students in teaching and learning Canadian history. Paper presented at the Canadian Society for the Study in Education conference. Wilfrid Laurier University. Waterloo, Ontario.

---. (May 2012). Ethical Responsibility in Curricular Encounters: The dilemmas of teaching history in a transnational world; A focus on Canada. Paper presented the annual American Association for the Advancement of Curriculum Studies conference, University of British Columbia. Vancouver, British Columbia.

---. (November 2011). The Language of the Nation: How poststructuralism can influence history education. Paper presented at the annual Social Science History Association conference. Boston, Massachusetts.

---. (May 2011). Who Knows Best? Exploring Design-Based Research Methodology for Classroom Research. Paper presented at the annual Canadian Society for the Study in Education conference. University of New Brunswick. Fredericton, New Brunswick.

---. (May 2010). 'I kinda thought about it, but I didn’t know if I should mention it': The implications of Critical Race Theory for history education. Roundtable paper presented at the annual Canadian Society for the Study in Education conference. Concordia University. Montreal, Quebec.

---. (May 2009). Transformative History: The possibilities of Historic Space. Paper presented at the annual Canadian Society for the Study in Education conference. Carleton University. Ottawa, Ontario.

---. (May 2009). To Placate or Provoke? A critical review of the disciplines approach to history education. Paper presented at the 4th biennial Provoking Curriculum Studies conference. University of Ottawa. Ottawa, Ontario.

---. (May 2007). Deconstructing Concepts: The transformative possibilities of history education. Paper presented at the Citizenship, Identity, and Social Justice conference, the Centre for Studies in Social Justice, University of Windsor. Windsor, Ontario.

Works in Progress – Academic conference papers submitted

Cutrara, Samantha. (October 2016). Emotion, Commemoration, and Feeling That You Are Part of the Nation: The importance of acknowledging self and culture when teaching, learning, and celebrating national history. Paper submitted to the Canadian History of Education Association, 19th Biennial Conference. Waterloo, Ontario.

Professional

Cutrara, Samantha. (forthcoming March 2016). Using Primary Sources as a Form of Social Justice: The role of archives, museums, and community collections in visualizing different pasts and imagining different futures. Webinar for Canada’s History.

---. (November 2014). Sadie Before and During WWI: Archives of Ontario’s Educational Resources for Intermediate and Secondary teachers. Workshop held at the Ontario History and Social Studies Teachers Association (OHASSTA) annual conference. Toronto, Ontario.

---. (May 2014). More Than Just War Records: Love, Lives, and Remembrance at the Archives of Ontario. Paper presented at the Teachers’ Day of the Berkshire Conference on the History of Women. Toronto, Ontario.

---. (November 2013). Archives of Ontario: Inspiration, resources, plans. Everything you need to teach history. Workshop held at the Ontario History and Social Studies Teachers Association (OHASSTA) annual conference. Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.

---. (May 2013). Digitized Online Educational Resources: Pitfalls and Possibilities. Presentation at the Archives Association of Ontario conference. Ottawa, Ontario.

--- TEACHING EXPERIENCE ---

Professor (Partial-Load) (2016)

Department of Liberal Arts, Seneca College (Newnham and Seneca@York campuses)

- One section of Academic Research and Writing

Developed curriculum to align with the skill set behind writing an undergraduate Social Sciences and/or the Humanities research paper: Brainstorming, research questions, researching peer-reviewed journals, outlining, drafting, proofreading, and presenting.
Prioritized one-on-one support by scheduling extra office hours to talk to each student about the development of their research and writing.
Assessed and evaluated students with a variety of different methods including concept maps, in-class assignments, hand-written research journals, and formal written papers.

- Two sections of Current Events in Canada

Developed a curriculum that was a blend of Secondary level Civics and Undergraduate level Intro to Political Science, where students developed a foundation for understanding Canadian political structures before learning about forms of social activism.
Created lectures, PowerPoint review slides, links to current event news, and in-class assignments that responded and expanded the content from the textbook with contextualized examples from the present. Examples such as Bill C-51, the Inquiry on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, climate change, and the structural and political changes between the Trudeau/Harper governments.
Engendered a commitment and engagement from the students to attend and participate in class, as evidenced by an above-college average 76% full attendance each class.

Senior Coordinator, Educational Programming and Exhibitions

Archives of Ontario (2012-Dec 2014)

- Developed ten curriculum-linked workshops for students in grades 3-12, focusing on the use of primary, archival materials when learning Social Studies and History.

- Emphasized the importance of using primary source materials for witnessing new stories and people in national narratives, integrating feminist, anti-racist, and postcolonial theory into the curriculum of the workshops.

- Ran all ten workshops for elementary, intermediate, and secondary students over two and a half years, both on-site, in the Archives of Ontario classroom, and at schools across Ontario.

- Workshops included:

Preserving the Past: Archives for Primaries (Grade 3)
Somebody Told Me: Exploring Primary Sources (Grades 4-8)
Creation, Exploration: Black Canadian History in the Archives (Grades 8-10)
Researching at the Archives (Grades 9-12)

- Developed and ran professional development support and workshops for practicing and in-training teachers across Ontario; emphasizing the integration of primary source

- Workshops included:

Using Primary Sources: Challenging Junior/Intermediate Curricula
Inquiry and Primary Sources: For Intermediate/Senior Teacher Candidates
The Thrill of Discovery: Education at the Archives of Ontario
Using Primary Sources to Center Social Justice: Education and the Archives of Ontario

- Developed 20 curriculum-linked online resources for teacher-use in the classroom. Resources were “Monday morning ready” with a variety of lesson and activity ideas and worksheets and primary source handouts for use in the class. Redeveloped resources to align with the redeveloped Social Studies and History curriculum in Ontario in 2013.

- Students and teachers reached: 7,000+

Writing Support Teaching Assistant, Consecutive Program

Faculty of Education, York University (2010-2012)

- Provided in-person, on-site and electronic teaching support for Teacher Candidates in order to help them develop their writing and communication skills whilst in the Bachelor of Education program.

- Travelled to all ten sites on a rotating basis to ensure equitable access to Writing Support services.

- In the second year, innovated program by developing and providing electronic services to students. This included creating handouts, newsletters, and podcasts on subjects such as references styles, writing formats, and presentation techniques.

Instructor (2008-2009)

Department of Liberal Arts, Seneca College (Seneca@York campus)

- Four sections of Current Events in Canada

Expanded content from Spring 2008 term to include greater detail on Canadian political structures and civic participation.
Reviewed and selected appropriate textbook for course, and supported all literacy levels providing comprehension and analytical questions to support their independent reading.
Used innovative teaching and assessment strategies to appeal to different learning styles. For example, prepared and conducted lectures provided opportunities for in-class collaborative learning, critical thinking, and problem solving.

Teaching Assistant (2008-2009)

Faculty of Education, York University

- One section of Teaching and Learning for the Inclusive Classroom

Monitored class content and provided one-on-one comprehension support for Teacher Candidates
Conducted research, created and evaluated an assignment on Reflective Teaching to support Course Directors

Instructor (2008)

Department of Liberal Arts, Seneca College (Seneca@York campus)

- Half-section Current Issues in Canada

Developed a half-term curriculum based on the understanding the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and electoral refor
Collaborated with co-teaching Professor regarding course objectives and assessment

- Two sections Academic Research and Writing

Developed curriculum, created lectures, and created in-class activities for this mandatory second-year course designed to help prepare college students for university
Post-course teaching evaluations demonstrated that I was consistently rated above average for both the department and college, with specific praise for the one-on-one support I built into the course structure

--- PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE ---

Senior Coordinator, Educational Programming and Exhibitions, Archives of Ontario (2012-Dec 2014)

Developed, delivered, and evaluated two robust and innovative public programs for youth and adults, Education and Exhibitions, by developing and maintaining an active schedule of high quality onsite, offsite, and virtual programming and corresponding materials.
Conducted a strategic needs assessment of targeted audiences for the redevelopment of both the Education and Exhibition programmes. The resulting programming resulted in a dramatic increase of public involvement and engagement. The Educational program grew by 250% in its first year, reaching 3,000 students and teachers every following year. The first exhibition under the Exhibition programming strategy had an unprecedented increase of visitor numbers, media mentions, and programming bookings.
Identified and communicated with key communities and established stakeholders to strengthen and develop partnerships that worked to the advantage of the institution and community. Partnerships resulted in multi-year collaborations with local, provincial, and national institutions such as the Harriet Tubman Institute for Research on Africa and its Diasporas, Ontario History and Social Studies Teachers’ Association, and Canada’s History magazine.
Developed and maintained a partner and stakeholder database for ease of communication and strategic relationship building with key communities.
Maintained strong and collaborative communication with colleagues and management in the institution, providing support, recommendations, and positive collaborative contributions in committees and meetings to promote departmental and institutional initiatives. Provided mentorship and support to junior staff and colleagues in the development and delivery of programs and events.
Presented and attended professional conferences, meetings, and courses to maintain professional competence, share professional knowledge, and develop professional networks.
Managed a yearly budget, compiled quarterly and annual statistics and reports, and provided recommendations to management on future directions of programming based on evaluations of spending, public participation, and engagement.

Social Networking Coordinator & Co-Chair of the Graduate Student Committee, The History Education Network/Histoire et Éducation en Réseau (THEN/HiER) (2011-2012)

Planned, developed, and delivered public programs that promoted and developed the history education community in Canada, specifically through managing social media initiatives, planning a national conference, and chairing a pan-Canadian graduate student committee.
Connected key stakeholders and reached out to new audiences in promoting organization and events, including establishing a local speaker series and creating new regional partnerships with the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, the Nova Scotia Archives, and Dalhousie University.
Developed and managed a national conference, including overseeing budget, registration, and an outreach and promotion strategy for engaging and building membership in the Maritimes.
Fostered a positive and productive work environment by providing on-going advice, consultation, and training to committee members and bloggers whilst maintaining deadlines and fulfilling mandate.

Program Manager, The Munk Debates (2008-2009)

Assisted in the planning and execution of the inaugural Munk Debate, an initiative of the Aurea Foundation, held at the Royal Ontario Museum May 26, 2008
Managed the membership of 1000+ people for debate ticket sales and associated events

Program Assistant, Dominion Institute (2007)

Planned an awards reception for the 2007 Aboriginal Youth Writing Challenge in Ottawa, Ontario
Conducted community and promotional outreach for the 2008 Aboriginal Youth Writing Challenge
Created pedagogical materials for individual and classroom participation for the 2008 Writing Challenge
Facilitated over 250 veteran visits into classrooms across the country

Programming Assistant, Black Creek Pioneer Village (2003-2005)

Created and implemented history-based programs for adults and children
Innovated teaching strategies in program delivery, such as introducing contemporary theory to established programs
Evaluated learning outcomes for programs on an individual and seasonal basis
Effectively negotiated demands of time, outcomes, and audience reception in daily programming

--- AWARDS AND DISTINCTIONS ---

Excellence for Exhibits, “Dear Sadie: Love, lives, and remembrance from Ontario’s First World War.” Ontario Museum Association. (2015).
Silver – Trade Show/Display, “Dear Sadie: Love, lives, and remembrance from Ontario’s First World War.” Summit International Awards. (2015).
Bronze – Art Direction/Graphic Design, “Dear Sadie: Love, lives, and remembrance from Ontario’s First World War.” Summit International Awards. (2015).
Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) (Declined, program complete) (2012-2013)
Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) (2011-2012)
Visiting Doctoral Student Grant, The History Education Network (THEN/HiER) (2011)
Tuition Scholarship, Graduate Program in Education – York University (2008-13)
Tuition Scholarship, Ontario Institute for the Study in Education – University of Toronto (2005-2007)
City of Toronto Women’s Studies Scholarship (2004)
Ontario Volunteerism Award (1997)

Comments