If parents and educators want to stress more of “the basics” in public schools, something is going to have to give because the school day and the school curriculum are just too crowded. It’s odd, really, how people will complain that the education system does not respond to public input and pressure when, in actual fact, [...]
Filed under: Education, Society by Sandy
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There can be power in labels, both positive or negative because labels can predetermine beliefs and expectations about people, a phenomenon that is often referred to as the “pygmalion principle.” While this article is primarily about learning disabilities in a school context (no matter what th learning level), it can also relate to an employment situation and the point that people [...]
Filed under: Education, Society by Sandy
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I received an e-mail from a regular reader yesterday who explained that her daughter had just graduated from high school and was about to start university in September – without the English grammar and spelling abilities one might expect — and wondered how she would survive university without those skills.
It was also explained to me that she, the mother, had asked her [...]
Filed under: Education, Technology by Sandy
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Given that far too many of Ontario’s school boards’ elected trustees cannot be trusted to manage the public interest regarding board budgets and what goes on in Ontario’s schools, that model should be completely abolished in favour of the New Brunswick model of “School Districts.”
Yesterday, for example, Ontario’s Education Minister Kathleen Wynn, had to take over the Toronto Catholic [...]
Filed under: Education, Politics by Sandy
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While there are definitely some Toronto parents and public school supporters who agree with the notion of an Africentric program from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12, the speed at which Toronto District School Board (TDSB) trustees and members of its “advisory panel” are putting forward and approving proposals is clearly political.
For example, today’s Toronto Star editorial comment states:
“Bureaucrats at the Toronto [...]
Filed under: Education, Politics, Society by Sandy
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Congratulations to the staff and students at Britannia Elementary School on Vancouver’s east side! From a previous school ranking by the Fraser Institute of 2.8 a number of years ago, this year they made in on the honour roll with a 7.5 out of ten. Well done!
What an inspiring example of what can happen when everyone involved [...]
Filed under: Education, Society, Uncategorized by Sandy
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So, the latest census figures released by Statistics Canada tell what many of us have been saying for years, that whether you complete a trades certificate (to become an electrician, a carpenter, a plumber or a brick layer), a college diploma (for a career as a police officer or fire fighter), or a bachelor’s degree “staying in school [...]
Filed under: Education, Society by Sandy
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According to the Saturday edition of the Toronto Star, Louise Brown says that the Toronto District School Board is proposing to put “Canada’s first Africentric alternative school within a school — not a free-standing building — for a wing of sprawling Sheppard Public School near the northwest corner of Sheppard Avenue West and Keele Street” in Toronto.
Scheduled [...]
Filed under: Education, Society by Sandy
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Like so many people, I don’t particularly like change. So, when I was faced with having to upgrade to Word Press 2.5, the latest version, I was a little nervous. Particularly because it was reported to be quite different and I am not a techie by any stretch of the imagination. Well, I can report [...]
Filed under: Education, Technology by Sandy
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So, when is cheating not really cheating? Has the goal post moved or is it the changing technology that is making defining cheating that much harder? And, what exactly are study groups and peer tutoring and when are they considered cheating?
For example, is it okay to work with a group of fellow students if you are working [...]
Filed under: Education, Society by Sandy
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