Jennifer Tupper

Dean, Faculty of Education | University of Regina

Regina , SK, CANADA

Associate Professor and Dean of Education at the University of Regina specializing in anti-oppressive teaching and learning.

Biography

Jennifer received her B.Ed. from the University of Alberta in 1994, her M.Ed. from the University of British Columbia in 1998 and her PhD from the U of A in 2004. She has been a high school teacher, curriculum consultant, teacher educator, associate dean and now Dean of a Faculty of Education. Her research in citizenship education, treaty education, and anti-colonial education has been funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Stirling McDowell Foundation. Her current interests include Faculties of Education responses to the TRC Calls to Action, and how schools can be sites of reconciliation. She has two daughters, Alise (8 years old) and Ayla (14 years old) both of whom have strong social justice orientations.

Industry Expertise (1)

Education/Learning

Areas of Expertise (1)

Education and social justice

Accomplishments (2)

Outstanding Publication Award - Canadian Association of Curriculum Studies (professional)

2009-06-01

Award for her co-authored article with Michael Cappello, Teaching Treaties as (Un)Usual Narratives: Disrupting the Curricular Commonsense. Curriculum Inquiry 38(5), pp. 559-578.

University of Alberta Graduate Student Teaching Award (professional)

2002-02-25

Award for undergraduate teaching in the Department of Secondary Education.

Education (3)

University of Alberta: Bachelor of Education, Education 1994

University of British Columbia: Master of Arts, Curriculum Studies; Education 1998

University of Alberta: PhD, Education 2005

Doctoral Studies were supported by a Killam Fellowship and a University of Alberta Doctoral Award

Links (1)

Faculty of Education Profile

Languages (1)

English

Media Appearances (2)

Four women in provincial cabinet not nearly enough say critics

Regina Leader-Post online

2016-08-24

“I think that there’s some progress in terms of women willing to put their names out and run for public office, but at the end of the day, the electorate makes the decision as to who their representative is going to be and unfortunately this time it was a very small number of women,” said Jennifer Tupper, dean of the faculty of education at the U of R. Tupper tweeted her displeasure about the cabinet Tuesday: “So much for gender balance in the Wall cabinet. 4 women of 17! #BecauseIts2016 Shame on SK.”

Nothing to Cheer About

CBC radio

2014-03-19

A photo of University of Regina cheerleaders dressed as cowboys and Indians raised questions about stereotypes and racism. Jennifer Tupper, the Associate Dean from the university's Education Faculty, joins Garth to talk with listeners about what happened.

Event Appearances (2)

Keynote: Citizenship Education in a time of Truth and Reconciliaiton

CERN Annual Meeting University of Calgary

2016-05-30

"Since Time Immemorial": Unpacking the Canadian Colonial Narrative Through Treaty Education

Dr. Ottilia Chareka Memorial Lecture in Education and Social Justice University of New Brunswick

2015-02-19

Research Grants (4)

Aboriginal Perspectives at the Cultural Interface: Researching the Interventions,

Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada $263,713

2016-04-01

Co-Investigator of this four year study.

High School Teachers Working Towards Reconciliation: Examining the Teaching and Learning of Residential Schools

Stirling McDowell Foundation $19,933

2016-05-01

This study explores how high school history / social studies teachers are teaching about the history and legacy of Residential Schools. Collaborative project with Dr. Tana Mitchell.

Storying Treaties and the Treaty Relationship: Digital Storytelling to Enhance Treaty Education

Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada $67,909

2011-06-01

Co-researcher with Dr. Alec Couros (PI), Dr. Ken Montgomery, & Dr. Patrick Lewis.

High School Students’ Understandings and Experiences of Citizenship

Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada $117,000

2006-04-04

3 year study exploring civic understanding and engagement.

Articles (4)

Digital Storytelling for Historical Understanding: Treaty Education for Reconciliation

Journal of Social Science Education, 15(1),

2016-08-18

Hildebrandt, K., Lewis, P., Kreuger, C., Naytowhow, J., Tupper, J., Couros, A., & Montgomery, K. (2016). Digital Storytelling for Historical Understanding: Treaty Education for Reconciliation. Journal of Social Science Education, 15(1), 7-16. DOI 10.4119/UNIBI/jsse-v15-i1-1432

The possibilities of reconciliation through difficult dialogues: Treaty education as peacebuilding

Curriculum Inquiry

2014-12-01

Tupper, J. (2014). The possibilities of reconciliation through difficult dialogues: Treaty education as peacebuilding. Curriculum Inquiry, 44(4), 469-488.

Social Media and the Idle No More Movement: Citizenship, Activism and Dissent in Canada.

Journal of Social Science Research

2014-12-01

Tupper, J. (2014). Social Media and the Idle No More Movement: Citizenship, Activism and Dissent in Canada. Journal of Social Science Research..13(4), 87-94.

Teaching Treaties as (Un)Usual Narratives: Disrupting the Curricular Commonsense

Curriculum Inquey

2009-01-09

This article examines the importance of treaty education for students living in a province entirely ceded through treaty. Specifically, we ask and attempt to answer the questions “Why teach treaties?” and “What is the effect of teaching treaties?” We build on research that explores teachers’ use of a treaty resource kit, commissioned by the Office of the Treaty Commissioner in Saskatchewan. Working with six classrooms representing a mix of rural, urban and First Nations settings, the research attempts to make sense of what students understand, know and feel about treaties, about First Nations peoples and about the relationships between First Nations and non–First Nations peoples in Saskatchewan. It is revealing that initially students are unable to make sense of their province through the lens of treaty given the commonsense story of settlement they learn through mandated curricula. We offer a critique of the curricular approach in Saskatchewan which separates social studies, history and native studies into discrete courses. Drawing on critical race theory, particularly Joyce King’s notion of “dysconscious” racism, we deconstruct curriculum and its role in maintaining dominance and privilege. We use the term (un)usual narrative to describe the potential of treaty education to disrupt the commonsense. (Un)usual narratives operate as both productive and interrogative, helping students to see “new” stories, and make “new” sense of their province through the lens of treaty.