SAFE SPACES AND ARTISTIC RESPONSIBILITY

Theatres and other artistic venues have often been referred to as a safe space. Based on a survey of adults between the ages of 18 and 67, of all genders, and 40% coming from non-arts-related careers, it was determined that 70% of people believed that an artistic space should be required to be a safe space. Survey participants demonstrated that a safe space meant a judgement free zone, a space of mutual respect and collaboration. This contradicts the official definition, which requires a safe space to be free of bias, conflict, criticism, or potentially threatening actions, ideas, or conversations. With this dissonance between the official definition and the public\u27s views on safe spaces, the arts have been misbranded as a \u27safe space.\u27 The misbranding of theatre has become a toxic characteristic that promotes censorship of threatening or challenging work. In this two-part study, public opinions on safe spaces are presented and a conversation between theatre artists on the basis of threatening work is analyzed. Jackie Sibblies Drury\u27s play We Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as Southwest Africa, From the German Südwestafrika, Between the Years 1884-1915 and Bruce Norris\u27s Downstate are analyzed for their threatening content and challenging benefits to audiences. Although the theatre cannot be defined as a safe space because of its innate characteristic to challenge artists and audience members, it can provide a supportive and equitable environment. This branding provides the audience experiences they desire while not inhibiting work that is presented onstage. By supporting the theatre as an equitable space, artists have the opportunity to present challenging work that provokes an open dialogue

Creating unity within an album for compositions defined as jazz style

Unity is an important factor when I compose music as it creates a sense of logic elements upon which the language of music can be communicated to the listeners. By the term ‘listener’ I am referring to anyone, novice or educated, who listens to my music. Without the logic of unity, communication breaks down and the language of music consisting of both emotional and structural elements is no longer experienced by the listener. As part of my compositional approach, I have developed a set of rules that would allow unity to be created throughout the pieces to be recorded on the album. During the compositional process, it occurred to me that the largest unifying factor between all my compositions is that they were all written in “jazz fusion style”. If I was to consider style as a unifying feature, I needed to come up with a definition for what I believe qualifies my compositions as having been stylistically composed and performed as jazz, a major part of which, is the process of interplay and interaction between members of the ensemble. All the compositions on the album were recorded live with no multi-tracking or overdubbing. Using a live recording creates the maximum amount of interaction and interplay amongst the ensemble members necessary for my definition of jazz style in my compositions. It is my aim that the listener should be able to experience unifying factors between my compositions in some form while listening to the recording provided. They should also be able to recognize elements of interaction and interplay between ensemble members creating a sense of jazz style throughout my compositions

La Politique énergétique du Québec 2030 : rencontrer les cibles fixées

Rédigé en réponse à l’inauguration de la nouvelle Politique énergétique 2030 du Québec, l’objectif de cet essai est de déterminer quelles mesures concrètes doivent être mises en place par le gouvernement du Québec pour rencontrer les cibles émises dans le document. Cet objectif général est accompagné de trois objectifs spécifiques, soit de poser un diagnostic de la situation actuelle de l’énergie au Québec, de réaliser une analyse critique de la Politique énergétique du Québec 2030, ainsi que d’émettre des recommandations quant à sa bonne implantation. L’analyse de la Politique énergétique 2030 démontre que le gouvernement s’est doté de cibles ambitieuses pour faire face aux enjeux énergétiques de la province. En effet, les cibles visant à amorcer une véritable transition énergétique, à diminuer la dépendance du Québec envers l’importation de produits pétroliers ainsi que la promotion des énergies renouvelables, entre autres, permettent de rapprocher le Québec d’un futur faible en carbone. Malheureusement, le manque d’actions concrètes complémentées d’échéanciers réalistes, de prévisions budgétaires ainsi que d’autorités responsables affaiblit la crédibilité générale de la nouvelle politique énergétique. De plus, l’insuccès du gouvernement d’assurer un financement et un support administratif convenable à Transition énergétique Québec, de mettre davantage de l’avant le développement des transports collectifs, de faire face à long terme aux surplus énergétiques de la province et de développer une vision cohérente en matière d’exploitation des énergies fossiles sonne l’alarme au sein de la population québécoise. Dans ce sens, les principales recommandations de l’auteur incluent l’utilisation du gaz naturel et du biométhane pour l’alimentation des transports de marchandises, l’augmentation du financement des réseaux de transports collectifs, la promotion du développement d’une expertise québécoise en matière de production et vente de véhicules électriques, ainsi que la remise en question du développement de nouvelles infrastructures hydroélectriques et éoliennes. De même, l’évaluation de la complémentarité entre l’exploitation des gisements fossiles au Québec et la possibilité de ce dernier à atteindre ses objectifs de réduction des gaz à effet de serre pour les années 2020 et 2030 doit aussi être mis de l’avant par le gouvernement pour respecter ses engagements en matière de protection de l’environnement

Supporting Pre-service Elementary Teachers Early Algebraic Thinking with Technology Through Lesson Planning and TPACK

Algebraic thinking is an essential component of the K-12 mathematics curriculum. Early algebra focuses on the overall numeric structure (Kaput, 2008 ; Kieran,2018; Kieran et al., 2016) which focuses on the noticing of arithmetic patterns leading to generalizations supported by justification, reasoning and justifications (Blanton, 2008; Blanton et al., 2018; Kieran, 2018; Kieran et al., 2016; Kieran et al., 2017; Kieran, 2018). This study focuses on investigating the conceptualization pre-service teachers develop as they participate in an elementary mathematics methods course with an intentional focus on algebraic reasoning, lesson planning, and use of technology. An additional component of supporting student algebraic thinking through the use of technology and the use of the Technological, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge (TPACK) (Mishra & Koehler, 2006) was used to document shifts in pre-service teachers’ developing knowledge. Through mixed methods analysis, this study provides insight into the course development and sequencing of mathematics content, pedagogy, and technology to support pre-service teachers’ learning of algebraic thinking and lesson planning. Practical implementations for algebraic thinking and teaching of elementary mathematics methods courses are discussed, as well as the theoretical implications for the TPACK framework