91ÉçÇø

Dr. Patrick Dias, another long-term member of DISE, recently passed away. Here are some reflections from Anthony Paré, retired colleague and previous DISE chair, as well as Patrick's obituary, to honor his passing and service to the department.

Some in the Faculty will remember Patrick Dias, who passed away on December 29, 2024, at the age of 91. Patrick, a professor emeritus, moved to the newly formed Faculty of Education from St. Joseph's Teachers' College in the early 1970s. He helped create the Department of Secondary English Education and eventually served as its department chair. He was also the founding director of the 91ÉçÇø Centre for the Study and Teaching of Writing.

Patrick's main and passionate research focus was the teaching of poetry. As a lover of poetry himself, he was intrigued by the fact that secondary school teachers were intimidated by poetry, and he was appalled by the fact that students were turned off by it. His research explored how young people were capable of brilliant interpretations if given the right opportunity. His process was simple, but the outcome was profound: first in small groups, and then as a whole class, students were encouraged to take a gradual approach to meaning, to allow the sense of the poem to emerge through discussion. By the end of a regular class session, with minimal teacher input, students were speaking about the poems with confidence and insight. Patrick's findings were replicated in his International Response to Poetry project, which included colleagues from the US, UK, and Australia.

Patrick was also an exceptional teacher. He believed that teachers too often asked questions to which they already knew the answer, turning classes into games of guess-what-teacher-wants-us-to-say. By building a syllabus around curiosity and inquiry, his classes became collective efforts to find answers to complex problems in teaching. He kindled the love of learning and of poetry in generations of students, and he will be deeply mourned by those who knew him.

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