Laura Sokal

Laura Sokal is a Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Winnipeg, where she has served since 2000. She contributes to global educational discourse through roles on UNESCO’s expert panel on pandemic recovery (2022–2024), advisory work with the Canadian Mental Health Association on teacher burnout, and leadership in the Consortium for Inclusive Teacher Education and Development (CITED) as North American representative.

Her research focuses on mental health and burnout in educators, inclusive pedagogies, transformative learning, and the integration of animal-assisted activities to enhance well-being. She has led SSHRC-funded projects, published 4 edited books and 117 articles (85+ peer-reviewed), and popularized her work through RISE Research Lab, offering teacher-friendly infographics.

Recent publications analyze systemic solutions to teacher burnout, the impact of pandemic recovery interventions, and the reliability of global competence rubrics in teacher education. Her scholarly contributions highlight intersections between organizational health, inclusive education, and educator resilience.

Scientific Awards:

• Award-winning teacher

She has supervised international practicum programs in Turkey and Germany, served as Associate Dean and Acting Dean, and worked as a Child Life Therapist. Her teaching spans K–8 foundations, inclusive education, and educational philosophy, emphasizing collaborative learning with students.