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Professor Norman Cornett: "Since when do we divorce the right answer from an honest answer?"

2009 1 h 20 min
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This feature documentary by Alanis Obomsawin is a thoughtful tribute to Norman Cornett, a McGill University professor celebrated by scores of students appreciative of his unconventional yet powerful teaching methods who was controversially dismissed from his teaching duties in 2007.

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Professor Norman Cornett: "Since when do we divorce the right answer from an honest answer?"

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This feature documentary by Alanis Obomsawin is a thoughtful tribute to Norman Cornett, a McGill University professor celebrated by scores of students appreciative of his unconventional yet powerful teaching methods who was controversially dismissed from his teaching duties in 2007.
  • director
    Alanis Obomsawin
  • writer
    Alanis Obomsawin
  • editor
    Alison Burns
  • camera
    Martin Duckworth
  • sound
    Glenn Hodgins
  • research
    Kirwan Cox
  • producer
    Adam Symansky
    Robert Verrall
  • additional camera
    Philippe Amiguet
    Chady Awad
  • camera assistant
    Sébastien Cassou
    Giulia Frati
  • narrator
    Alanis Obomsawin
  • recording
    Geoffrey Mitchell
  • digital imaging specialist
    Susan Gourley
    Philippe Raymond
    Louis-André Fortin
  • drawings
    Robert Verrall
  • rights clearances
    Elizabeth Klinck
  • sync rushes
    Hilary Thomson
  • post-production co-ordinator
    Steve Hallé
    Marysol Moran
    France Couture
    Brigitte Sénéchal
    Annie Lessard
  • digital editing technician
    Danielle Raymond
    Martine Forget
    Pierre Dupont
    Amélie Bolduc
  • sound editor
    Don Ayer
  • mixer
    Shelley Craig
  • online editor
    Denis Pilon
  • titles
    Susan Gourley
    Gaspard Gaudreau
  • still photographer
    Liam Maloney
  • production co-ordinator
    Christine Williams
  • marketing manager
    Moira Keigher
  • studio administrator
    Dan Emery
  • executive producer
    Ravida Din

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Education

Ages 18+
School subjects

This documentary can inspire research, discussion, projects and deeper learning about teaching pedagogies and the role of critical thinking in society. What is dialogic education and what place does it have in higher learning? How did learning take place within Indigenous original ways of education and what parallels can be drawn to the methods discussed in this film? What does quality education look and feel like to you? How have pedagogies of teaching shifted throughout history? Does higher education mean learning how to think critically for oneself or is it only about learning how to regurgitate information dictated by educational institutions? What is the difference between being taught how to get a life rather than being taught how to get a job? How important is creativity in learning? How do we learn to think for ourselves, to make our own decisions and to make informed decisions? What role does connection and relationship with educators play in student success? Why would promoting critical inquiry be deemed as a threat to some powers that be? Consider characteristics and methods of engagement your most memorable teachers used that made an impact on you.  

Professor Norman Cornett: "Since when do we divorce the right answer from an honest answer?"
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