PROFILE

Glenn Cockerline, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Teaching & Learning
& Graduate Studies Program
Faculty of Education

Contact Information
Phone:   (204) 727-7484
Office:    223-3, Education Building
email:     CockerlineG@BrandonU.ca
. . . . . . . . bu.glenn.cockerline@gmail.com
Twitter:  @DocCoc

Historical Perspective
I didn’t set out to be an academic.  Initially I started out into a world of agri-business, with various positions as a technician in food labs responsible for chemical, bacterial, organo-palatability, and sanitation tests.  However, the life of a lab technician is not for everyone and I eventually pressed the ‘reset’ button.

Fast-forward a few decades:  A certain sense of restlessness resulted in teaching experiences at many grade levels in diverse educational settings; working with children from suburban Montreal, inner-city Chicago, and northern Manitoba.  As for a favourite grade level, it has been a tie:  Grade 6 has always been particularly rewarding, but then so has Grade 11.

It’s the journey, not the destination
The art of teaching is–or at least should be–in a state of flux. The traditional format for teaching is based on a centuries old paradigm whereby the teacher stood at the front of the room dispensing knowledge while students sat in rows, memorizing information to be recited verbatim.  Over the past decade, research has been challenging our understanding of how people learn. At the same time, a not-so-quiet revolution has been taking place on the Internet, challenging our understanding about the teacher and/or text being the source of all information. These two factors combined demand that we reevaluate our understanding of what it means to be a ‘teacher’.

Generally speaking, my interests center on the transition from the old paradigm of teaching and learning based on the transfer of knowledge to a newer paradigm which is more consistent with our understanding of constructivism and more consistent with the new reality of where knowledge is to be found and how it can be accessed.  Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a blueprint for such a transition.  Therein lies the journey!