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PRESS RELEASE / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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PRESS RELEASE / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
is awarded to
"I am so humbled by this acknowledgement. My work has been, and will continue to be, motivated by the amazing young people I am fortunate to work with." winner quote
The Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP) is pleased to announce that the 2024 CAP Award for Excellence in Teaching High School/CEGEP Physics (Atlantic) is awarded to Lindsay Janes, Center for Distance Learning and Innovation, in recognition of her passion and dedication in teaching physics, particularly through her use of universal design for learning and deep learning principles. Lindsay’s extra-curricular support for her students is far-reaching and has included many STEM-related competitions and opportunities for students to create and connect beyond the classroom. Her dedication to developing students’ conceptual understanding and to ensuring that distance learning students are receiving accessible, rich, and engaging physics education is truly admirable. Within the teaching community, Lindsay is a known mentor to others in both physics and assessment, as she has shared her ungrading experiences and resources with others province-wide. announcement
Lindsay’s journey into research informed teaching began in 2019. Motivated by the need to encourage student engagement, she discovered the Universal Design for Learning and learned about Deep Learning practices. She immediately converted her lesson plans to apply the “6Cs” – Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration, Creativity, Citizenship, and Character together with metacognition. She found the results outstanding, with students pushing themselves as they loved what they were doing. It was common to see students in Lindsay’s lab during lunch breaks working on their projects. Lindsay had students take part in events like the 2021 University of Waterloo Sir Issac Newton Exam, Brilliant Labs’ Sustainable Entrepreneurial Design Challenge, and had guest speakers from universities virtually visit her classes.
On May 31, 2021 Lindsay was suddenly and unexpectedly put off work by her doctor due to a Grade 2 Spinal Ependymoma. Though not in the classroom, Lindsay insisted on virtually being “in school” to see the students through the end of the year, especially for their virtual culminating project presentations. The day before surgery, Lindsay gave a professional learning session to a high school surrounding her Deep Learning and Ungrading practices. The day after it, she was virtually watching her students’ graduation from her hospital bed.
The surgery Lindsay endured saw her paralyzed from mid-body down. Now a paraplegic, Lindsay insisted on returning to teaching as soon as physically possible. Though she is currently unable to work in a classroom, she continues innovatively teaching physics online to remote communities of Newfoundland and Labrador through Center for Distance Learning and Innovation. Here she has continued to take on the challenge of improving lesson design and has become active in provincial and Atlantic committees with interests in science education. nominator citation
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