I AM SOMEONE WHO BELIEVES IN...
- the value of giving back to one's community
- caring for all of our living relations
- being the change I want to see in the world
I live in London, Ontario with my husband, Zach, son, Leif, and 3 cats.
I am the President of the Johansen Larsen Foundation.
I am a TVDSB trustee (wards 2-6).
I am a dedicated and engaging educator with over 30 years experience teaching diverse learners, across different local and global contexts (Canada, the U.S. and the U.K), at elementary, secondary and post-secondary education levels.
Love is at the heart of my teaching; love for learning, love for teaching and love for the students I teach.
A world renowned expert in comparative and international education focusing on research on education policy, teacher's work, the internationalization of education, and global citizenship education.
An education researcher skilled in conducting qualitative research studies using a variety of data collection tools.
A scholarly writer with an extensive output of publishing academic books, book chapters, journal articles, conference papers, and articles for professional magazines
I believe it's important to give back to the community you live in and that's why I've always engaged in volunteer work wherever I live.
I've volunteered in the following areas:
Þ education (elementary, secondary + post-secondary)
Þ peace, environmental and social justice
Þ anti-poverty, homelessness
Þ immigrant and refugee support
2004 PhD in Education
University College London, UK Institute of Education
Department: Lifelong Education and International Development
1999 MA (Distinction) in Education
University College London, UK Institute of Education
Department: Culture, Language and Communication
Ontario Teacher Certification(Registration #258110)
Additional Qualifications Courses
1997 Honours Specialist in Contemporary Studies, University of Toronto
1993 English as a Second Language (ESL), York University
1990 B.Ed. (Honours)
Mount Allison University, Sackville, NB, Canada
Department: Education
1986 BA (Honours)
University of Toronto, ON, Canada
Department: History
As President, my key responsibilities include board and stakeholder communications; oversight of grant application and program evaluation processes; distribution of funds; planning and chairing all annual general and board meetings; financial management; and acting as a spokesperson for the JLF, an organization committed to enhancing the lives of those marginalized in our communities (both human and animal) through inclusive initiatives that foster learning and well-being.
I am a volunteer with Academics without Borders, an organization that supports capacity building in Global South universities. AWB projects include a full range of university and college activities from expanding and improving existing institutions and programs to helping create new ones. The project I'm involved with is creating an internationalization strategic plan for Karatina University in Kenya.
The Thames Valley Parent Involvement Committee (TVPIC) supports, encourages and enhances parent engagement at the Board level in order to improve student achievement and well-being.
The committee consists of parent members, community representatives and staff who meet on a monthly basis during the school year to increase parent engagement, support school councils, and organize district-wide events. I have served as a parent volunteer.
I am a qualified ESL teacher and have used my training as a mentor for English language learners in London. This program is offered through the London Public Library and matches up learners wishing to improve their English verbal skills with volunteers. The matched pairs have met remotely through the pandemic once a week for conversations. My tutor partners have all been from South America so far.
The vision of Climate Action London is to embolden all citizens, communities and institutions in London and Middlesex County to meet and exceed London's Climate Emergency Action Plan targets by 2030. Most of my work with CAL is as a member of the coordinating team of Greening Sacred Spaces (London), an initiative to support faith communities who want to engage in greening activities to address the climate crisis.
Circles® is a community initiative coordinated by Goodwill Industries, Ontario Great Lakes that is comprised of caring and compassionate individuals who meet to share information, support, resources, meals, and friendship. I was an Ally, a volunteer mentor who built intentional and genuine friendships with Leaders to help them build the resources and social capital to meet their own goals and get ahead.
Preservice /B.Ed. Courses Taught
a) Western University Faculty of Education (2005-2021)
· Social Foundations of Education
· Framing International Education in a Globalizing World
· Internationalizing curricula: Teaching for a global perspective
· Curriculum and Pedagogy in Elementary Social Studies
· Multicultural Education
b) Trent University School of Education
· History Curriculum Methods
· Socio-cultural Contexts of Schooling
c) University of Wisconsin (Madison) School of Education (2003)
· School and Society
Graduate Courses Taught (Western Faculty of Education) (2005-2021)
9715 – PhD Doctoral Seminar
9426 – MPEd Fieldwork/Research Project
9424 – MPEd Conducting Site-Based Research in Intercultural Settings
9203 – MA Globalization and Education
9514 – MA Comparative & International Education
9500 - MEd Power, Politics and Policy in Education
9577 – MEd Action Research
9600 – MEd Education Policy
9511 – MEd Canadian Education and Social Change
Public School Teaching
Volunteer Teacher (London, ON) 2016-2017 Social studies teacher in grade 5 class, Victoria Public School, TVDSB
Occasional Teacher (London, UK) 2000-2003
Substitute teacher in primary, middle and secondary schools in south, east and north London, U.K.
Secondary School Teacher (Toronto, ON) 1990-2000
Riverdale Collegiate Institute and City Secondary School, Toronto District School Board
Courses Taught: Senior Contemporary World Studies (Sociology, Economics, Families in Canadian Society, World Issues, Politics); Intermediate and Senior History; Geography; English and Media Literacy
Secondary School Teacher (El Paso, Texas) 1994-1995
Courses Taught: Intermediate World History and World Geography
Long-term Occasional Teacher (Toronto, ON) 1989-1990
Contact Secondary School, Toronto District School Board
Courses Taught: Canadian History, English
My Webinars/Podcasts/Youtube Videos
January 2020 Internationalization of Higher Education – Moving Towards Global Learning for All Keynote speaker for the Intercultural Competence Conference, Tucson, Arizona
October 2018 Internationalization and Higher Education: Barriers and Inequalities. Faculty Seminar
July 2016 Space in International Education Research. FreshED podcasts. Available at
Feb. 2016 International Service Learning and Host Community Impacts and Insights. Campus Compact.
Professional Publications
Larsen, M.A. (2021). Western halts negotiations with Navitas following faculty mobilization. UWOFA News. Available at https://www.uwofa.ca/article/western-halts-negotiations-navitas-following-faculty-mobilization
Larsen, M. with C. Lock and M. Lee (2005). Professional Certification and Entry-to-Practice Assessments. A Report for the Teaching Policy and Standards Branch, Ontario Ministry of Education.
My Books
Larsen, M. (2016). Internationalization of Higher Education: An Analysis through Spatial, Networks, and Mobilities Theories. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Larsen, M. (Ed.) (2015). International Service Learning: Engaging Host Communities. New York: Routledge.
Larsen, M. (2011). The Making and Shaping of the Victorian Teacher: A Comparative, New Cultural History. London/New York: Palgrave MacMillan.
Larsen, M., Rosati, D., Tomasi, M., Sheik, J. and Faden, L. (2007) ACT! Active Citizens Today: Global Citizenship for Local Schools: A Teaching Kit for Middle School Social Studies Teachers. Ottawa: CIDA.
Larsen, M., Rosati, D., Tomasi, M., Sheik, J. and Faden, L. (2008) AGIR! ACTIONS POUR UNE GÉNÉRATION IMPLIQUÉE ET RESPOSABLE: LCITOYENS ACTIFS: La Citoyenneté Mondiale dans nos Écoles Locales. Ottawa: CIDA. [French translation of ACT!: Active Citizens Today]
Larsen, M. (Ed.) (2010). New Thinking in Comparative Education. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.
My Book Chapters
Larsen, M. A. (2020). Teachers and Teaching. A Cultural History of Education in the Age of Empire (v. 5 Cultural History of Education series). H. Ellis (Ed). London, UK: Bloomsbury.
Larsen, M. & Al-Haque, R. (2020). Canadian Internationalization Policy Network as Assemblage (pp. 336-357). In R. Desai Trilokekar, M. Tamtik & G. Jones (Eds.) International Education as Public Policy in Canada. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press.
Larsen, M. (2019). Historical Context in Secondary Education (Canada). Bloomsbury Education and Childhood Studies. M. Tatto and R. Heydon (Eds.). London: Bloomsbury.
Larsen, M. (2019). Hygge, Hope and Higher Education: A Case Study of Denmark (pp. 71-89). In A. Peterson (Ed.) Higher education and hope: institutional, pedagogical and personal possibilities. New York/London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Larsen, M. (2018). Governing (im)mobile academics in global times: an analysis through spatial/mobilities historical sociology (pp. 205-220). In J. McLeod, T. Seddon & N. Sobe (Eds). World Yearbook of Education, 2018. Abingdon/New York: Routledge.
Al-Haque, R., Larsen, M., Searle, M. & Tarc, P. (2017). Western Faculty of Education 2-Year B.Ed. Program: Focus on International Education Cohort Specialization. In D. Petrarca & J. Kitchen (Eds.). Initial teacher education in Ontario: The first year of four-semester teacher education programs. Ottawa, ON: Canadian Association for Teacher Education/Canadian Society for Studies in Education.
Larsen, M. & Al-Haque, R. (2016). Higher Education Leadership and the Internationalization Imaginary: Where Personal Biography Meets the Socio-Historical. In Assembling and Governing the Higher Education Institution. L. Shultz & M. Vizcko (Eds.), New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Kozak, J. & Larsen, M.A. (2015). International Service Learning and Host Communities – Relationships and Responsibility. In M. Larsen (Ed.) International Service Learning: Engaging Host Communities. New York: Routledge.
Larsen, M. (2010). Creativity and Curiosity in Comparative Education. In New Thinking in Comparative Education . M. Larsen (Ed.), Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.
Larsen, M. (2009). Comparative Education, Postmodernity and Historical Research: Honouring Ancestors. In International Handbook of Comparative Education. R. Cowen & A. Kazamias (Eds.), Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer.
Larsen, M. & Faden, L. (2008). Supporting the Growth of Global Citizenship Educators. In Citizenship Education in the Era of Globalization: Canadian Perspectives. M. O’Sullivan and K. Pashby (Eds.), Rotterdam, Netherlands: Sense.
Larsen, M. (2008). Teachers, Stereotypes of. (pp. 765-767) & Reproduction, Education. In Encyclopedia of the Social and Cultural Foundations of Education. E. Provenzo & J.P. Renault (Eds.), Vol. II, Sage: Thousand Oaks, CA.
Larsen, M. with Majhanovich, S. and Masemann, V. (2007, 1st edition). Comparative Education in Canadian Universities. In Comparative Education as Discipline at Universities Worldwide. N. Popov & C. Wolhuter (Eds.), Sofia: Bulgarian Comparative Education Society.
Larsen, M. (2004). Making the Twenty-First Century Quality Teacher: A Postfoundational Comparative Approach (pp. 129-151). In Re-Imagining Comparative Education: Postfoundational Theory and Application for Critical Times. P. Ninnes & S. Mehta (Eds.), London: Routledge/Falmer.
Papers in journals
Larsen, M.A. (2020). Transnational Academic Mobility: A Case Study of Fifteen Academics. Comparative and International Education, 48(3).
Sperduti, V. & Larsen, M.A. (2019). Comparative and International Education/Éducation comparée et international. Scholarly Research Communication, 10(2), 1-14.
Larsen, M.A. & Tascón, C. (2018). Social Capital in Higher Education Partnerships: A Case Study of the Canada–Cuba University Partnership. Higher Education Policy, First online, 1-21.
Larsen, M.A. (2018). The Possibilities and Potential of Transnational History: A Response to Kazamias’ Call for Historical Research. European Education, 50(2), 101-115.
Larsen, M. A. (2017). International Service Learning: Rethinking the Role of Emotions. Journal of Experiential Education, 20(3), 1-16.
Larsen, M. A. & Searle, M. (2017). International Service Learning and Critical Global Citizenship: A cross-case study of a Canadian teacher education alternative practicum. Teaching and Teacher Education, 63, 196-205.
Searle, M. & Larsen, M.A. (2016) Host Community Voices and Community Experiences: Tanzanian Perspectives on a Teacher Education International Service Learning Project. Partnerships: A Journal of Service-Learning and Civic Engagement, 7(2), 1-16.
Larsen, M. A. (2016). Globalisation and Internationalisation of Teacher Education: A Comparative Case study of Canada and Greater China. Teaching Education, 27, 1-15.
Larsen, M. A. (2015). Internationalization in Canadian Higher Education: A Case Study of the Gaps between Official Discourses and On-the-Ground Realities. Canadian Journal of Higher Education, 45(3), 101-122.
Larsen, M. A. (2014). Critical Global Citizenship and International Service Learning: A Case Study of the Intensification Effect. Journal of Global Citizenship and Equity Education, 4(1), 1-43.
Beech, J. & Larsen, M. A. (2014). Replacing Old Spatial Empires of the Mind: Rethinking Space and Place through Network Spatiality. European Education, 46(1), 75-94.
Larsen, M. A. & Beech, J. (2014). Spatial Theorizing in Comparative and International Education Research. Comparative Education Review, 58(2), 191-214.
Larsen, M.A. & Gough, R. (2013). Personal and Political Transformation: Two Case Studies of a University Based International Service Learning Internship. International Journal of Education for Social Justice, 2(2), 109-129.
Larsen, M.A. (2013). (Im)possibilities of Courageous Creativity in Comparative and International Education Research. Canadian and International Education / Education canadienne et internationale. 42(1), Article 2.
Larsen, M. (2012). Beyond Binaries: A Way Forward for Comparative Education. Española de Educación Comparada, 20, 145-164.
Larsen, M. (2010). Troubling the Discourse of Teacher Centrality: A comparative perspective. Journal of Education Policy, 25(2), 307-231.
Larsen. M. (2009). Stressful, Hectic, Daunting: A Critical Policy Study of the Ontario Teacher Performance Appraisal System. Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy, 95, 1-44.
Larsen, M. (2008). North American insecurities, fears and anxieties: educational implications. Comparative Education, 44(3), 265-278.
Larsen. M.A. & Mehta, S. (2008). Insecurity and desire: North American perspectives on education’s contested ground. Comparative Education, 44(3), 255-263.
Larsen, M. & Faden, L. (2008). Supporting the Growth of Global Citizenship Educators, Brock Education: A Journal of General Inquiry. Special Issue - Citizenship Education in the Era of Globalization: Canadian Perspectives, 17(1), 71-86.
Larsen, M., Majhanovich, S. & Masemann, V. (2007). Comparative Education in Canadian Universities. Canadian and International Education, 36(3), 15-30.
Larsen, M. (2007). Self Study in a new school of education: Moving between Vulnerability and Community. Studying Teacher Education, 3(2), 173-187.
Larsen, M. (2006). Comparing Connecticut and Finland: Teacher Friendly Policies in an Age of Accountability. Canadian and International Education, 35(2): 17-34.
Larsen, M (2005). A Critical Analysis of Teacher Evaluation Policy Trends. Australian Journal of Education, 49(3), 292-305.
Larsen, M. (2002). Pedagogic Knowledge and the Victorian Anglo-American Teacher. History of Education, 31(5), 457-474..
In October 2022, I was elected to serve as the Thames Valley District School Board trustee for London-based schools in Wards 2-6. You can contact me at m.larsen@tvdsb.ca for my work as a TVDSB trustee.
Bonaventure Meadows P.S.
Lord Nelson Public School
Clarke Road Secondary School Princess Anne French Immersion P.S.
Prince Charles P.S
Cedar Hollow Public School
Chippewa Public School
Evelyn Harrison Public School
F.D. Roosevelt Public School
Hillcrest Public School
Montcalm Secondary School
Knollwood Park Public School
Lord Elgin Public School
Louise Arbour French Immersion Public School
Northbrae Public School
Sir John. A. MacDonald Public School
A.B. Lucas Secondary School
East Carling Public School
Jack Chambers Public School
Northridge Public School
Stoney Creek Public School
Stoneybrook Public School
Old North Public School
St. George's Public School
Orchard Park Public School
University Heights Public School
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion initiatives aim to ensure that students who are marginalized because of their backgrounds find a meaningful place of belonging in our schools.
For effective learning and teaching to take place, everyone in our schools needs to feel safe, connected, and welcome. The key to any safe schools’ policy is the capacity to implement the approach.
Reconciliation, which means establishing and maintaining a mutually respectful relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous (settler) peoples, must be a guiding principle for all that is done at the TVDSB.
Music and arts education enhances academic achievement, creative and critical thinking, social and emotional development, civic engagement, and equitable opportunity. That's why I support music & arts education.
The climate crisis is real, but we must not give up hope. Schools and school boards can be environmental leaders in modelling how we can reduce greenhouse gases. This can include creating pollinator gardens, and encouraging students to walk/bike to school.
Above all, my main campaign priority is to listen to the residents of Wards 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6, hear their educational concerns, and be an advocate for them at the board level.
As Kay Lindahl writes, "Perhaps one of the most precious and powerful gifts we can give another person is to really listen to them, to listen with quiet, fascinated attention, with our whole being fully present."
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