Dr. Sean Lessard Scholarly Dossier & Curriculum Vitae
I’ve conducted Narrative research on diverse topics, including early school leaving, urban Aboriginal youth experiences in and outside of school, wellness in after-school programs, and the school preparation of urban Aboriginal families.
Tonight, I close my eyes and try to dream
My head rests gently as I move towards sleep
Back and forth with my busy thoughts
I toss and turn I sure miss you alot
I am calling out
I am wondering where
where is he with his playful skip
Muskwa – boy it’s on my lips
I am scared these days
I don’t know how
Big Brown Bear I need you now.
Lessard, 2023
Published Works
Coming back: Negotiating ethical research and tensions
alongside Indigenous youth and community
Schaefer, L., Lessard, S., Ferguson, L., lisahunter., Wasyliw, D., Storey, K., Torrence, B. (accepted Feb. 23’).
In Chambers, F., Sandford., R., Hooper, O., & Schaefer, L. (Eds.), CREATE: The inclusion of ‘voice’ in research with Children and Youth. Routledge.
The Temporal Turn to
Narrative Inquiry: Bumping Places and Beyond. In M. Baguley, A. Jasman, and Y.
Findlay (eds.), Meanings For In and Of Education Research, 17–29.
L. Schaefer, S. Lessard, S. Panko, and N. Polsfut (2015)
New York: Routledge.
of Lives Lived In and Out of Schools. In K. Tilliczek and B. Ferguson (eds.), Youth,
Education and Marginality: Local and Global Expressions, 197–216.
V. Caine, S. Lessard, P. Steeves, and D. J. Clandinin, (2013)
Waterloo:
Wilfred Laurier University Press.
Engaging in
Narrative Inquiries with Children and Youth
Clandinin, D.J., Caine, V., and Lessard, S., Huber, J. (2016)
New York: Routledge, 238 pp.
into the Experiences of Urban Indigenous Families as they Ready Their Children for, and During Kindergarten. Journal of Childhood Studies, 43(2) 46–57.
J. Huber, V. Caine, S. Murphy, S. Lessard & D.J. Clandinin (2018)
Exploring neglected narratives: understanding vulnerability in narrative inquiry, Irish Educational Studies, 37:2, 191–204
S. Lessard, V. Caine & D. J. Clandinin (2018)
Worlds of Curriculum Making: Familial Curriculum Making Worlds and School Curriculum Making Worlds. Journal of Family Diversity in Education, 1(3): 1–16.
S. Lessard (2014)
Potentials and Possibilities of Collaborative Research. Shvilei Mehkar, 17: 20–41.
D. J. Clandinin, F. Glanfield, S. Chung, S. Lessard, L. Schaefer, and V. Caine (2010)
Lingering departures:
reverberations through, and in, narrative inquiry response communities. In
Michael Hanne and Anna A. Kaal (Ed.), Narrative and metaphor in education: Look
both ways (pp. 278–290)
Vera Caine, Sean Lessard, and D. Jean Clandinin (2018)
Abingdon, UK and New York, NY: Routledge.
A Reflective Turn: Looking
Backwards, Looking Forward. In D. J. Clandinin, P. Steeves, and V. Caine (eds.), Composing Lives in Transition A Narrative Inquiry into the Experiences of Early
School Leavers, 241–259.
V. Caine, S. Lessard, P. Steeves, and D. J. Clandinin, (2013)
London: Emerald.
Narrative Inquiry:
Philosophical Roots
Clandinin, D.J., Caine, V., and Lessard, S. (2021)
Bloomsbury Academic, 256 pp.
Resisting concepts as starting points in a high school leadership pathway alongside Indigenous youth. LEARNing Landscapes.
Dubnewick, M., Lessard, S., Hopper, T., & Lewis, B. (2023)
Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 11(5) 48–57.
M. Dubnewick, D.J. Clandinin, S. Lessard & T.-L McHugh (2018)
Living Tensions of Co-Creating a Wellness Program and Narrative Inquiry Alongside Urban Aboriginal Youth.
Learning Landscapes, 10(2): 1–28.
Schaefer, L, Lessard, S and Lewis, B (2017)
Opening the Door to Physical Literacy. Physical and Health Education Journal, 79(4): 30–32.
B. Lewis, S. Lessard, and L. Schaefer (2014)
At risk? A narrative
inquiry into the experiences of urban Indigenous youth in an after-school wellness program. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, section Physical Education and Pedagogy.
Lewis, B., Schafer, L., Lessard, S., & Koch (2022)
Working with Indigenous Elders in Narrative Inquiry: Reflections and Key Considerations, Qualitative Inquiry, 11(2), p. 93–108.
Lessard, S., Whiskeyjack, F., Kootenay, I., Caine, V., & Clandinin, D.J. (2020)
Composing a
Life as Teacher Educator. In C. Craig and L. Orland-Barak (eds.), International Teacher Education: Promising Pedagogies (Part C), 235–252.
S. Lessard, L. Schaefer, J. Huber, S. Murphy, and D. J. Clandinin (2015)
London: Emerald.
A Narrative Account of Skye. In D. J. Clandinin, P. Steeves, and V. Caine (eds.), Composing Lives in Transition A Narrative Inquiry into the Experiences of Early School Leavers, 191–205.
S. Lessard (2013)
London: Emerald.
The Relational Ethics in
Narrative Inquiry
Clandinin, D.J., Caine, V., and Lessard, S. (2017)
New York: Routledge, 220 pp
Spaces of Appearance, Qualitative Inquiry, 11(2): 93–108.
S. Lessard, V. Caine & D.J. Clandinin (2020)
S. Lssard, V. Caine & D.J. Clandinin (2020)
The centrality of reflexivity through narrative beginnings: Towards living reconciliation. Qualitative Inquiry, 24(6): 413–420.
M. Dubnewick, D.J. Clandinin, S. Lessard & T.-L McHugh (2018)
A Narrative Inquiry into Familial and School Curriculum Making: Attending to Multiple Worlds of Aboriginal Youth and
Families. Journal of Youth Studies, 18(2): 197–214.
S. Lessard, V. Caine and D. J. Clandinin (2015)
D. J. Clandinin, V. Caine, and S. Lessard (2013)
Growing Young Movers Program
Growing Young Movers (G.Y.M.) is a non-profit that aims to bridge gaps for underserved communities in Regina. Through an intergenerational mentorship approach, high school students from Scott Collegiate engage with children and youth in North Central. G.Y.M. focuses on building capacity and leveraging the strengths within the community.
Brian Lewis, Lee Schaefer, and I co-founded G.Y.M more than a decade ago. Together, we initiated an inter-generational after-school program, mentoring high school and elementary students. This initiative flourished into a core neighborhood research hub, employing hundreds of indigenous youth, engaging thousands of children in active play, contributing to community-based research, and securing over $1 million in grants. Initially Integrated into the Regina Public School Board, it now holds direct partnerships with the City of Regina and the University of Regina. It is one of the most innovative programs for Indigenous youth in Canada.