Jeff Stickney

Jeff Stickney is a part-time Lecturer in the Department of Curriculum, Teaching & Learning at the University of Toronto's Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), where he has taught since 2006. Prior to this academic role, he spent thirty years as a secondary school teacher in the York Region District School Board teaching Astronomy, Geography, English, Philosophy, and Theory of Knowledge, and served as a Teaching Assistant at UTM (1979-1982). He remains active in educational unions as CUPE Unit 3 Rep for OISE's Joint Health & Safety Committee.

Stickney's research centers on Philosophy of Education through Wittgenstein and Foucault lenses, with significant contributions to Environmental Education. His work explores place-based and arts-based learning, land-based education, political philosophy, teacher autonomy, and social justice initiatives. This dual focus manifests in publications examining philosophical walks, emplaced transcendence, and pandemic-responsive adaptations of environmental pedagogy, while maintaining critical analysis of teacher training frameworks and educational power structures.

His recent scholarly output shows increasing emphasis on ecological education, with 8 of 15 most recent publications (2019-2023) addressing environmental themes. Stickney bridges theoretical philosophy with practical classroom applications, particularly in sustainability education where he developed OISE's Master of Teaching sustainability course through improvisational methods during the pandemic. His editorial work supports emerging scholars while his international conference participation extends OISE's academic reach.

Stickney has supervised two doctoral candidates to completion (OISE 2013, York 2018) and mentors students through Master of Teaching courses in Sustainability Education and Social Sciences. His teaching philosophy integrates decades of K-12 experience with philosophical rigor, evident in his development of Ontario's Grade 12 Philosophy curriculum and his current focus on creating meaningful place-based learning experiences despite institutional constraints.