The fifth artifact is filing, demonstrating my contributions to organizing a one-day symposium in UPEI. This section discusses the symposium, my vision for further growth, and significant milestones in my professional competency development. The symposium was organized on December 19, 2019, at Bill and Andrews Hall. Dr. Bill Montelpare, Dr. Ronald MacDonald, Dr. Sean Wiebe, Dr. Tess Miller, and other researchers from the Applied Science Department of UPEI led the symposium. Two other research assistants and I helped the team make the symposium a reality. We used the symposium to solicit ideas on interventions to address the literacy and numeracy needs of K-12 schools in the province and identify an appropriate place to establish a Literacy and Numeracy Centre. There were thirty-six (36) participants. They included Heather Morrison (PEI Chief Public Health Officer), Jamie Mosher (Early Learning Centre Director), David Costello (VP and Mathematics Expert), and Carolyn Sark (Education Director - Abegweit First Nations). Others were Laura Brake (Mathematics Coordinator, DELL), Lisa Beals (Grade Two Teacher, Parkdale Elementary), Ray Doiron (UPEI Professor Emeritus and Literacy Expert), Carolyn Rowe-Turner (FSL Literacy Leader K-6, DELL), and Doreen Gillis (Acting Director of Early Childhood Development, DELL).

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With the help of the other research assistants, we conducted investigations that informed the direction of the symposium. We formulated questions for roundtable discussions through an in-depth literature review and investigations on PEI's literacy and numeracy needs. We examined fifty-four materials. These included records on the Pan-Canadian Assessment Program (PCAP), the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Others were the role of literacy in early childhood education (Strickland, 2004), Supporting numeracy: A handbook for those who assist in early years settings (Hayes, 1997), the role of parent literacy and numeracy expectations and activities in predicting early numeracy skills, mathematical thinking and learning (Segers et al., 2015), and early childhood education and care reform in Canadian provinces: Understanding the role of experts and evidence in policy change (White & Prentice, 2016). Questions we formulated comprised how much trust should stakeholders put in literacy and numeracy assessments? How can stakeholders engineer assessments to measure higher-order thinking and competencies? What interventions will encourage parents to participate in their children's learning? Why is there a gap between numeracy and literacy programs on the island, and what strategies will ensure educational equity for underprivileged communities? Their responses included prioritizing formative assessment over summative assessments. Ensuring assessments inform practice, encouraging literacy and numeracy coaching for teachers and parents, and increasing funding and support for underprivileged communities.

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Events at the symposium marked a significant development in my professional competency. In particular, our research meetings were welcoming. I was most appreciative of the opportunity to create original computer software to facilitate activities during the symposium, and I was honoured to moderate roundtable discussions and interact with the participants. In our research (assistants) meetings, I was responsible for investigating and reporting on the numeracy needs of PEI and suggesting numeracy-related questions for roundtable discussions during the symposium. My experience at the meetings was humbling. It changed and refined my perceptions of literacy and numeracy and further served as a platform that improved my presentation and communication skills. Moreover, developing computer software for the symposium was a conduit for strengthening my technical, organizational, problem-solving, and metacognitive skills. I used the software to print name tags and customize participants' schedule sheets according to a seating arrangement. I further used the software to rotate the participants for the roundtable discussions such that they did not meet at the same table or answer a set of questions more than once (see sample printout, artifact 1 – item 1). Moderating roundtable discussions and interacting with the participant was the most exhilarating experience. It strengthened my confidence and interviewing skills. I was happy to meet David Costello (mathematics expert), Carolyn Sark (Education Director - Abegweit First Nations), Laura Brake (Mathematics Coordinator, DELL), and Ray Doiron (UPEI Professor Emeritus and Literacy Expert). I enjoyed our conversations, and I took copious notes for our final report. 

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This section introduced artifact five, assisting with organizing a one-day symposium on the literacy and numeracy needs of K-12 schools in Prince Edward Island. As I advance my academic career, I will take up more research assistant opportunities and yearn to present papers at local, regional, and national academic conferences. I am optimistic that through this effort, I will meet my academic heroes at the conferences, refine my thinking, and receive knowledge on new trends in my areas of research.