Name: Julie Cyr
Professional Experience:
Current: Natural Maker Specialist, Brilliant Labs (1 year), Middle School Teacher, Rothesay Park School, ASD-S (10 years).
Previous: Outdoor Learning Coach for ASD-S (1 year), Forest School Practitioner at Tir Na Nog Forest School (1 year),
Residing in beautiful New Brunswick my whole life, my introduction to ‘nature as our teacher’ began when I became the mother of three children. I was drawn to alternative forms of education and practiced Waldorf-inspired homeschooling, then furthered my training to become a certified Forest School Practitioner with Child and Nature Alliance of Canada. I also have a MEd. from Trent University in Critical Issues where I focused on traditional Indigenous ways of knowing to incorporate into education. Working as an Instructional Coach for Outdoor Learning with ASD-S and part-time as a Brilliant Labs Natural Maker Specialist has allowed me to meet many wonderful educators who share the vision of learning beyond four walls. The challenges we currently face in implementing natural making pedagogies called me to pursue doctoral studies in Educational Leadership at Western University in London, Ontario. My dissertation focuses on developing training in outdoor learning pedagogies for teachers in public school settings.
Special interests in the Natural Maker Continuum: Cross-curricular exploration and natural making in, with, and for the environment (ex. Birding, tree identification, shelters, etc.), teacher start-up support with natural making pedagogies, teambuilding with students, traditional Indigenous worldview, project-based learning, Global Competencies, sustainable education.