Dr. Sheryl Smith-Gilman

Title: 
Faculty Lecturer
Dr. Sheryl Smith-Gilman
Contact Information
Email address: 
sheryl.smithgilman [at] mcgill.ca
Phone: 
514-398-1867
Address: 

Education Building
3700 rue McTavish
Montréal, Quebec H3A 1Y2
Canada

Group: 
Associate Dean
Department: 
Department of Integrated Studies in Education (DISE)
Professional activities: 
  • Arts, Languages & Literacy Education
  • Diversity, Identity & Indigenous Topics
  • Teacher Education, Pedagogy & Leadership
Area(s): 
Teacher Education, Pedagogy & Leadership
Areas of expertise: 
  • Early Childhood (play; culture & identity development, best practices)
  • Museum Education in the early years
  • Bilingual Education
  • Teacher Education
  • Teacher professional development
  • Reggio Emilia Approach
  • Classroom processes/professional development
  • Teacher education/student engagement

 

Biography: 

Sheryl Smith-Gilman has dedicated many years to the Department of Integrated Studies in Education (DISE), with a focus on enhancing teacher education. Her work addresses contemporary curriculum challenges and embraces diverse teaching methods and pedagogies. As a researcher and consultant, her efforts have concentrated on early childhood education, particularly in the realms of teaching and pedagogy. She is deeply committed to advancing the goals of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) by developing Indigenous knowledge and cultural approaches into early childhood education. Her work particularly emphasizes the arts as a means to enrich educational experiences and strengthen cultural identity.

In addition to my academic pursuits, she has served as a pedagogical consultant to the Quebec Ministry of Education, focusing on preschool education and is recognized as an authority on the Reggio Emilia approach in preschool settings. Sheryl Smith-Gilman's contributions to the field are reflected in several journal articles and book chapters that she has authored, which explore various aspects of her teaching and research interests.

Degree(s): 
  • PhD, McGill University
  • MA (Educational Leadership) , McGill University
  • B.Ed. (Early Childhood), McGill University

 

Selected publications: 
  • Xu, P., Ritchie, J., Jacob, E., Lehrer, J., Smith-Gilman, S. (in press). Pedagogy of third space in Aotearoa, New Zealand: exploring the power of Indigenous culture in play. Critical Social Educator.
  • Smith-Gilman, S. (2023). 'Museum mindfulness' as space, place, and provocation: Supporting global development, community, and identity in early childhood. International Journal of Education & the Arts, 24(si1.3). http://doi.org/10.26209/ijea24si1.3
  • Jacob, E., Pacmogda, P., Lehrer, J., Smith-Gilman, S., Ritchie, J. and Basile J. (2023). Socio-cultural perspective of Innu children's games in preschool education. International Journal of Communication and Socialization.
  • Jacob, E., Lehrer, J., Smith-Gilman, S. Ritchie, J., Paquet, A., Basile, J. and Vassiliou, T., (2022). Collaborating to better understand Indigenous knowledge mobilized in children's games, In K. Hele (ed.), Proceedings of the symposium Engaging Indigenous Communities: Respect, Reciprocity and Reconciliation, Sackville, NB, Canada.
  • Smith-Gilman, S. (2018). The arts, loose parts and conversations. Journal of the Canadian Association for Curriculum Studies, 19(1), 90-103. https://jcacs.journals.yorku.ca/index.php/jcacs
  • Smith-Gilman, S. (2018). Developing a pedagogy of listening: Experiences in an Indigenous preschool. Studies in Social Justice (Special edition: tribute to Jackie Kirk) https://journals.library.brocku.ca/index.php/SSJ/issue/view/108
  • Smith-Gilman, S. (2016). Culture matters: The arts, the classroom environment and a pedagogy of Etewate'nikonri:sake. A study in a First Nations preschool. Canadian Review of Art Education, 42(2). http://crae.mcgill.ca/article/view/1/3
  • Smith-Gilman, S. (2009). Social stories: Pathways to inclusion. English Quarterly, 39(20), 33-45.
  • Smith-Gilman, S. (2007). Including the child with special needs: Learning from Reggio Emilia. Theory into Practice: Reggio Emilia (4)1, 1-4.
Graduate supervision: 

Not taking new students during the upcoming application period.

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