| Articles |
| 3 Rs and an M |
| Reading 'riting, 'rithmetic and morality |
| by:
Tony Young
|
| Categories: Leadership and management, Opinion, School heads, Teachers |
| Why do we not teach ethics as a discipline?
Many academic disciplines have formal methodologies educators use explicitly to guide students in mastering subject areas. Scientific method steers inquiries in chemistry, physics and biology. Rules of grammar — despite the many exceptions — direct language development. Why, then, is so... (read article) |
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| A Day in The Life of an OE Teacher |
| The itinerary of an outdoor classroom |
| by:
Erin%20 Farrow
|
| Categories: Opinion, Physical education, Teachers |
| In the heart of the Muskokas, 20 km east of Gravenhurst, Ontario on Ryde Lake, lies a quaint 40-bed outdoor education centre (OEC). Each year, close to 700 Grade 5 to 8 students from Mentor College and TEAM School, located in Mississauga, Ontario, leave their busy city lives to experience... (read article) |
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| A Fresh Start |
| Fall camp helps kids kick off a new school year |
| by:
Cheryl%20 Phillips , Stuart%20 Palmer
|
| Categories: Curriculum and learning, Physical education, Teachers |
| During the first week of September, our entire student body heads for the hills. Our Orientation Camps are a time for new and returning students to learn about and review the expectations, goals, vision and core values of our school community.
Rundle College Academy, a member school of Rundle College... (read article) |
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| A Moment of Morality |
| Discovering the soul of teaching |
| by:
Peter Sturrup
|
| Categories: Opinion, Teachers |
| Those of us engaged in the art of teaching live in perilous times. We are living on the edge of history — a moment that is but a fraction of humanity’s time on this earth, but one that may present more change, more challenge, more uncertainty and, ironically, more opportunity,... (read article) |
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| A Moral Understanding |
| Raising ethical children |
| by:
Erica Sprules
|
| Categories: Administrators, Curriculum and learning, Parents, Teachers |
| In today’s world—where so many people seem preoccupied with celebrities, appearances and material wealth at any cost—developing ethical children is no small task. But this is exactly the quality one school is trying to instill in its students by implementing a revolutionary new program that focuses on a type of... (read article) |
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| A New Kind of Learner for a New Kind of World |
| Today's educators and students need to become virtual entrepreneurial leaders |
| by:
Brian White
|
| Categories: Marketing, Opinion, School heads, Teachers, Technology |
| Futurist Alvin Toffler predicted in his 1991 book, Powershift, that product lines would become much more segmented, and foresaw products like shoes being manufactured to suit the wants of specific groups. He forecast that, because of the shift to a world dominated by information and technology, consumers would be able... (read article) |
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| A Virtual Perspective |
| Using avatars to experience the world |
| by:
Christian Auclair
|
| Categories: Curriculum and learning, Global education, Lesson plan, Teachers, Technology |
| Imagine two business people, half a world apart, meeting in a virtual world. Virtual reality goggles allow them to see each other in three-dimensional space, headsets let them hear in stereophonic sound, and a haptic body suit that fills with thousands of air bubbles simulates the pressure of a handshake... (read article) |
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| A Wonder-filled and Imaginative Education |
| Technology does not replace creativity and inspiration |
| by:
Chris van Donkelaar
|
| Categories: Administrators, Art, Opinion, Teachers, Technology |
Violins vibrate, colours smell and books have texture — isn’t that wondrous? In order to exist, wonder must observe something either unexpected . . . astonishing . . . perhaps verging on miraculous. We must be careful, when weighing the benefits of technology within the classroom, to secure a sense... (read article) |
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| ADD Treatment |
| Helps children stay focused |
| by:
Marija Djondric
|
| Categories: Administrators, Research, Special needs, Teachers |
| The sight is a familiar one — a youngster excitedly chasing objects across a computer screen. In this case, however, the child has several electrodes attached to his head. The process is called neurofeedback, a relatively new drug-free approach to the treatment of attention deficit disorder (ADD), available through places... (read article) |
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| Beyond the Blackboard |
| Resources and tools give educators and students a high tech edge (from 2004) |
| by:
Dan Nieuwland
|
| Categories: Administrators, Parents, Teachers, Technology |
| USB pen drives | Small but mighty
Over the last several years, Universal Serial Bus (USB ) pen drives have slowly increased in popularity as their capacity and speed rise, and their price decreases. With almost every new computer sold on the market today supporting USB devices, and the USB standard... (read article) |
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| Caught On Tape |
| Making movies helps students help others |
| by:
Anita Griffiths
|
| Categories: Art, Global education, Lesson plan, School heads, Teachers, Technology, Video |
| To prepare students for the real-world business situations they eventually will encounter, William and his fellow students learn by doing through a unique film project. Moments of authentic learning include sitting in meetings and trying to mesh divergent business objectives, and balancing creative ideas within tight time... (read article) |
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| Character Sketch |
| Developing positive parent relationships |
| Categories: Administrators, Marketing, Parents, School heads, Teachers |
| At Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the boarding school featured in the Harry Potter series, “teachers reign supreme and parents stay away, safely on the other side of the solid brick wall at Platform 9¾… no e-mail, no Internet, only owls to carry the rare letter back and forth,”... (read article) |
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| Choices and Consequences |
| Students must learn to be responsible for their actions |
| by:
Marisa Ferrera
|
| Categories: Leadership and management, School heads, Teachers |
| As educators, we have a responsibility to do more than teach the 3 Rs. Some might argue that there simply is no time to incorporate anything else into the curriculum and that to do so would compromise the academic program. But if we do not nurture the emotional and social... (read article) |
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| Classroom Technology & Teacher-Student Interaction |
| A key challenge facing schools is how to best empower teachers to take advantage of the new technology available in their classrooms |
| by:
Jay Lakhani
|
| Categories: Leadership and management, Teachers, Technology |
| With widespread investments in technology, a key challenge facing schools is how to best empower teachers to take advantage of the new technology available in their classrooms. More than 90% of students in grades 6-12 currently use computers regularly during school hours. The increase in technology creates new challenges for... (read article) |
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| Cold Comfort |
| How an icy expedition can warm up a classroom |
| by:
Eric%20 Waters
|
| Categories: Curriculum and learning, Lesson plan, Physical education, Teachers |
It's 8 o'clock on a February night, and I'm crawling headfirst into a narrow, glowing hole in the snow in an otherwise desolate landscape.
"Hey, you guys, how are you doing? Everybody warm?"
Muffled replies come from three cinched-up sleeping bags: "Yeah." "I'm too hot." "I can't believe I'm... (read article) |
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| Computer Literate |
| Critical tools should take precedence over technological tools |
| by:
Steven Laffoley
|
| Categories: Administrators, Opinion, Teachers, Technology |
| Recently, a friend told me that the same degree of technology it took to put a man on the moon now can be found in a digital watch. He commented on how lucky we were to live in an age where technology improves so quickly and is so readily available.... (read article) |
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| Creating a new culture of teaching and learning |
|
| by:
Our Kids Publications , Alan November
|
| Categories: Administrators, Curriculum and learning, Global education, Research, Teachers, Technology, Video |
| On May 1, 2009, Alan November, an international leader in education technology addressed more than 200 teachers and administrators at the 2009 CAIS Best Practices conference at Lower Canada College in Montreal. November spoke in detail about exciting ways to incorporate technology in the classroom, to improve teaching and learning.... (read article) |
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| Creativity Unbound |
| An Outward Bound weekend workshop nurtures creativity |
| by:
Fiona Hough
|
| Categories: Art, Curriculum and learning, English, Lesson plan, Physical education, School heads, Teachers |
| At last spring’s graduation, a student told me the greatest thing I had taught her was to “throw the rubric out the window.” This might not be the first thing I’d brag about to a prospective parent, or the Ontario Ministry of Education inspector, but I took it as a... (read article) |
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| Documenting Hope |
| A trip to Zambia opens students' eyes and changes the course of their lives |
| by:
Rebecca Levere
|
| Categories: Curriculum and learning, Global education, Safety and Health, Teachers |
Rebecca Levere travelled to Zambia with 10 of her students from the University of Toronto Schools to film a documentary about the AIDS pandemic. In this article, she explores the long-term impact of that journey, exploring the dilemmas and decisions young Canadians face as "haves" in a "have-not" world.... (read article) |
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| Ethical Evolution |
| To start going forward we must first look back |
| by:
Todd Royer
|
| Categories: Leadership and management, Opinion, Parents, Teachers, School heads |
| In the film The Day After Trinity, a group of scientists involved in making the atomic bomb reflect on “what happened.” How could the best educated men and women in the world work toward such destructive ends?
Robert Oppenheimer, the Trinity Project’s lead scientist points to the problem: “I have felt... (read article) |
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| Expert Answers | Mike Lipkin |
|
| by:
Mike Lipkin
|
| Categories: Administrators, Leadership and management, School heads, Teachers |
| How can independent schools achieve success through pre-eminence?
Pre-eminence it is not just about being the best; it is about being recognized as the best. What is your discipline? What is the core your school stands for? The moment I go outside these areas is when I am being less pre-eminent.... (read article) |
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| Feed The Imagination |
| Cultivate the fields of math |
| by:
James Hay
|
| Categories: Math, Opinion, Teachers |
| Magic and mystery run like mineral veins through bedrock in our mathematics. Poetry, beauty, music, elegance—there is much to ponder of the strange and wonderful in things numeric, geometric and algebraic. But how often do our middle-school students have access to these higher bands of bright metamorphic thought? For all... (read article) |
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| Fitting in Fitness |
| How students at one school got a move on |
| by:
%20Jennifer%20 Powles
|
| Categories: Curriculum and learning, Physical education, Teachers |
| The media report almost daily on rising obesity levels in Canada. The Canadian Medical Association states that in the past 15 years, the prevalence of obesity has grown by more than 50 per cent in Canadian children six to 11 years old and 40 per cent in those aged 12... (read article) |
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| For Goodness Sake |
| Consider students' hearts as well as their minds |
| by:
Patricia Parisi
|
| Categories: Opinion, Parents, Teachers |
| At St. Clement’s School, we have always provided moral education and recently decided to emphasize the importance of this commitment in our mission statement. It now reads: “Our mission is to develop women of character by encouraging academic excellence, self-confidence, leadership and independent thinking in an enriching, supportive environment.”
Our goal... (read article) |
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| Forging a New Way |
| Tragedy transforms the landscape of outdoor education. |
| by:
Sarah%20 Wiley
|
| Categories: Administrators, Curriculum and learning, Physical education, Safety and Health, Teachers |
| It was February 3, 2003 and I was driving the hour-long commute through snowy Muskoka to work, the head office of Outward Bound Canada (OBC) in Burk's Falls, Ontario. As the national director of educational programs for OBC, I oversaw all the contract programs we delivered for independent schools across... (read article) |
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| Genius At Work |
| Character comes into play |
| by:
Melisande Tomory
|
| Categories: Art, Research, School heads, Teachers |
| When we think of giants of creativity as recorded by history—Einstein, Michelangelo, Gandhi—we remember them for their great contributions, for the fruits of their labour. It is easy to ascribe their contributions to a stroke of genius and forget the incredible work that preceded their gift to humanity. (Think of... (read article) |
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| Global Intelligence Quotient |
| Making studies human and relevant |
| by:
Nick Szymanis
|
| Categories: Curriculum and learning, Global education, Teachers |
| The days of a teacher being the first person from whom students hear about far-off times and places are long gone. Today's educators realize students walk into class for a break from the daily bombardment of information, images, even music.
Drawing on students' knowledge of the world and its people... (read article) |
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| Go Outside and Play |
| The steps to teaching outdoors |
| by:
Christian%20 Stapff
|
| Categories: Opinion, Physical education, Teachers |
| We played “Cowboys and Indians” in the woods behind our house. We built fire rings like those we saw in cowboy movies. We hung out in teepees made of branches and plastic sheeting. Sometimes we brought food; sometimes we just sat around the fire. For a country with little true... (read article) |
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| Going Global Keynote Address |
| Creating the 21st century school |
| by:
Our Kids Publications
|
| Categories: Curriculum and learning, Global education, Opinion, School heads, Teachers |
| Children come into schools with vast amounts of creativity but by the time they graduate their creativity has mostly disappeared. Patrick Bassett, president of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), says educators must begin to achieve just the opposite.
On Oct. 30, Bassett presented the keynote address (watch... (read article) |
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| Going Global Panel Discussion |
| What is international education and how can schools work to achieve global citizenship |
| by:
Our Kids Publications , Anne-Marie Kee , Guy McLean , Kim Gordon , Mark Evans , Paul Miller , Robert Snowden
|
| Categories: Curriculum and learning, Global education, Leadership and management, Opinion, School heads, Teachers, Video |
| On Oct. 30, 2008, a Going Global conference was held at Ridley College in St. Catharines, Ontario, sponsored by the school and the Canadian Educational Standards Institute (CESI). Educators, students and parents, joined by others tuning in via a webcast, questioned a panel of experts about creating a global future... (read article) |
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| Growing Global Citizens |
| Experiencing the world from the classroom |
| by:
Dorothy Byers
|
| Categories: Curriculum and learning, Global education, Lesson plan, School heads, Teachers |
| We are often told our world is shrinking. In the 2005 book The World Is Flat, Thomas Friedman’s commentary about the flexibility of time, space and learning makes the shrinking boundaries of nations, continents and hemispheres crystal clear. It is into this world that our students will venture once they... (read article) |
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| Hello, World? Listen To This |
| Using technology to create a voice |
| by:
Michael Furdyk , Peter Skillen
|
| Categories: Curriculum and learning, Global education, Teachers, Technology |
"I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do."... (read article) |
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| Hit The Road |
| Building stories for a lifetime |
| by:
Gordon%20 Phippen
|
| Categories: Curriculum and learning, Opinion, Physical education, Teachers |
| A good number of children in our increasingly digital society experience a disconnect from organic experience, often lacking an appreciation for the beauty of their natural world. It's easy for them to overlook the earth beneath their feet, the majesty of a sunset or the wonder of the ocean's surf.... (read article) |
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| How to Talk Like a Techie |
| Some web definitions, from ASCII to XML |
| by:
Matthew Pioro
|
| Categories: Administrators, Marketing, School heads, Teachers, Technology |
| ASCII
American Standard Code for Information Interchange, pronounced “ask-ee,” is a code for representing letters, numbers and punctuation. In ASCII, each character is associated with a number. For example, lower-case “p” is 50. This common coding system allows data to be transferred from one computer to another.
Blog
A method of publishing on... (read article) |
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| IB Impact |
| Adoption of the IB program brought a new ethical framework to this school community |
| by:
Ruth Penny
|
| Categories: Curriculum and learning, Leadership and management, School heads, Teachers |
| The task of all educators is to help form fully realized human beings, who will bring skills, knowledge, empathy and courage to the world in which they live. Schools cannot teach character education as though it were a discrete subject, separate from the rest of the curriculum and unconnected to... (read article) |
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| If You Could Hear What I See |
| Visual Learning and Listening based on the works of Reggio Emilia |
| by:
Ellen Wright
|
| Categories: Art, Teachers |
| Creativity is not just the quality of thinking of each individual but is also an interactive, relational and social project. It requires a context that allows it to exist, to be expressed, to become visible. In schools, creativity should have the opportunity to be expressed in every place and in... (read article) |
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| In the Eye of the Beholder |
| The technology used for a global classroom |
| by:
Geoff Roberts
|
| Categories: Global education, Teachers, Technology |
| One beautiful day in Australia, a kind educator was on vacation, strolling along the quay, enjoying the gentle caress of the late morning salt spray on her face. She came upon a young aboriginal boy at play, proudly extending his "fishing pole" branch over a sizable puddle that had collected... (read article) |
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| Independent School Collaboration |
| Migrating interactive courses online |
| by:
Lesley Monette , Mary Anne Ballantyne
|
| Categories: Administrators, Curriculum and learning, Lesson plan, School heads, Teachers, Technology |
| Today’s educational and work environments demand 21st-century skills, including the ability and confidence to be a self-motivated and highly collaborative learner. Successful students must learn to be adept at being both analytical and creative. Learners need to be agile in taking risks, being entrepreneurial and being socially comfortable and responsible... (read article) |
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| It's a bad day to be a distraction |
| (sponsored feature) |
| by:
Codework
|
| Categories: Administrators, Safety and Health, Teachers, Technology |
| My name’s Duncan the Distraction and I’ve got a big problem! You see classrooms used to be my stomping ground. All the kids, especially the “cool” ones wanted to hang out with me. Billy would want to play solitaire, Suzan would use chat programs to talk to... (read article) |
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| Kindling |
| The Amazon eReader as an Educational Tool |
| by:
Colin Brezicki
|
| Categories: Teachers, Technology |
| I am thinking that the revolutionary electronic reading device, Amazon’s Kindle, is already obsolete.
Such is the breakneck speed of technology that the machine that supposedly spells the death of printed books, is already heading for the scrap heap, replaced by e‐Readers with i‐Phone technology that will access the Internet, make... (read article) |
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| Leader of the Pack |
| School heads set the moral tone for both students and staff |
| by:
George Rutherford
|
| Categories: Leadership and management, Opinion, School heads, Teachers |
| A number of years ago, I hired someone for a managerial position. After the successful applicant had been working with us for a relatively brief time, cracks started appearing in the working relationship between him and the people he was managing. He and I had a number of lengthy conversations... (read article) |
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| Learning to Swim in the Information Age |
| A look at Web 2.0 and social learning |
| by:
Brad Ovenell-Carter
|
| Categories: Teachers, Technology |
| Whenever I meet a group of teachers or school administrators I take a straw poll to see who is using what on the social web. While most everyone uses email and shared calendars, I typically find less than 15 percent of a room feels comfortable working with online collaboration and... (read article) |
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| Left Right Left Right |
| Striding toward intelligence |
| by:
Todd Royer
|
| Categories: Art, Curriculum and learning, Teachers |
| I am on playground supervision. Children ages six, seven and eight are playing together under the sweeping branches of great pines. Many have made houses by clearing away pine needles on the forest floor. Their “brooms” are pine boughs, and they keep very tidy homes. Some homes have several rooms;... (read article) |
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| Let's Get Together |
| A collaboration model for schools |
| by:
Anita Griffiths
|
| Categories: Administrators, Leadership and management, Parents, School heads, Teachers |
| Collaboration has become a buzzword in the field of technology. As technology becomes ever more diverse, and the idea that “no man is an island” becomes ever more real, collaboration between schools with similar philosophies about technology is now a requirement for success. The Bishop Strachan School... (read article) |
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| Light My Fire |
| Educators can help students by pointing them in the direction of innovative programming |
| by:
Mary Lamey
|
| Categories: Leadership and management, Parents, Teachers, Technology |
| Jacqueline Shaver is no slouch when it comes to teaching science to the girls of St. Clement’s School in Toronto, Ontario. A theoretical physicist by training and head of the school’s science department, she knows her stuff.
But even good teachers sometimes must step outside their comfort zones to give... (read article) |
|
| Lights, Computers, Action |
| Today's students make movies and music, run robots, design dresses and gaze at the stars |
| by:
Julie Stoyka
|
| Categories: Art, Science, Teachers |
| Today’s students are a techno-savvy group; they play computer games, host their own websites and chat endlessly on cellphones and online. And when it comes to their academic careers, students (and their parents) demand the same level of commitment to technology from their schools.
In recent years, many schools have... (read article) |
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| Limitless Boundaries |
| Challenging youth to succeed |
| by:
Dave Bird
|
| Categories: Opinion, Parents, Teachers |
| Some time ago, not long after the passing of my Scottish Presbyterian grandmother, but before the birth of my own two sons, “no” became one of those four-letter words. I don’t know why. “No” has saved my life many times. My parents yelled “no” to keep me from sticking my... (read article) |
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| Losing Touch With Canada's Modern Historical Achievements |
| Does the direct human link to the Great War slip away with the passing of John Babcock, Canada's last veteran of the First World War? |
| by:
Christopher Shannon
|
| Categories: Curriculum and learning, Global education, Teachers |
| Last week I entered my grade eleven history classroom and shelved the planned activity. This had nothing to do with curriculum reform or new ministerial priorities. My decision was motivated by a single notable event from the previous day. John Babcock, Canada’s last veteran of the First World War, had... (read article) |
|
| Lost in Translation |
| International students don't have subtitles |
| by:
Ron Rambarran
|
| Categories: Parents, Teachers |
| It was December 1980 during a Christmas school assembly that I had my first lesson in cross-cultural miscommunication. A teacher at Columbia International College in Hamilton, Ontario, gave a gift of an alarm clock to a student from Taiwan who was habitually late. The teacher felt that this was a... (read article) |
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| Meet the Parents |
| A teacher's survival guide |
| by:
Susan Vachon
|
| Categories: Opinion, Parents, Teachers |
| Being a teacher at an independent school is most definitely a blessing. Small class sizes, a keen population of students and abundant resources are some of the perks of the position. Involved parents are another characteristic of independent institutions; however, this characteristic can sometimes be a double-edged sword. Having parents... (read article) |
|
| Meeting the Needs Of Students Open Forum |
| Audience Question and Answer Comments |
| by:
Dr. Barb Smith , Dr. Karen Gazith , Dr. Stephan Grasmuck , James Christopher , Mary Gauthier , Rosemary Evans
|
| Categories: Curriculum and learning, Leadership and management, Opinion, School heads, Special needs, Teachers |
| On November 13, 2007, 165 independent school educators attended an engaging evening of discussion on the topic of differentiated instruction. The event, held at Upper Canada College in Toronto, was organized by the Canadian Educational Standards Institute (CESI) and hosted by CESI and CAIS (Canadian Association of Independent Schools), with... (read article) |
|
| Monitoring Computer Use |
| Is elementary school the best place to learn about the digital world? |
| by:
Frank Jones
|
| Categories: Administrators, Research, Teachers, Technology |
| Are they learning? That insistent question keeps bubbling to the surface as more and more private elementary schools embrace computer learning. Are computers in the classroom a fad or are they a huge advance that will produce a better-educated generation of children?
The one sure thing is that computers are here.... (read article) |
|
| Natural Conversion |
| Bringing a closer observation of the natural environment |
| by:
George%20 Briggs
|
| Categories: Curriculum and learning, Opinion, Physical education, Teachers |
| The opening chords of Bach's Cello Concerto played by
Yo-Yo Ma never fail to wash away my worries and cares.
I have a mix CD for the road trip to hiking trails, and the Bach piece is the opening selection. Not only is the music evocative and gentle, but it... (read article) |
|
| Panel Discussion on Meeting the Needs of Students, Toronto |
| Differentiating Instruction - What is it and how far should schools go? |
| by:
Dr. Barb Smith , Dr. Karen Gazith , Dr. Stephan Grasmuck , James Christopher , Mary Gauthier , Rosemary Evans
|
| Categories: Curriculum and learning, Opinion, School heads, Special needs, Teachers |
| On November 13, 2007, 165 independent school educators attended an engaging evening of discussion on the topic of differentiated instruction. The event, held at Upper Canada College in Toronto, was organized by the Canadian Educational Standards Institute (CESI) and hosted by CESI and CAIS (Canadian Association of Independent Schools), with... (read article) |
|
| Panel Discussion on Meeting the Needs of Students, Vancouver |
| Differentiated instruction sends many educators back to the drawing board, re-examining their methods |
| by:
Our Kids Publications , Anne-Marie Kee , Bob Corbett , Dr. Barb Smith , Gary Sylven , Leanne Foster , Nancy Richards
|
| Categories: Curriculum and learning, Opinion, Research, School heads, Special needs, Teachers |
| During the past decade, there has been a remarkable shift in private and independent schools across the country. Simply setting standards for students to meet—which used to be the accepted norm—no longer makes the grade. “Differentiated instruction” is the new buzzword in the staffroom, sending many educators back to the... (read article) |
|
| Panel Discussion | What types of skills will today’s children need? |
|
| by:
Alan November , Christopher Shannon , Dr. Karen Gazith , Jason Rogers , Mary Anne Ballantyne
|
| Categories: Administrators, Opinion, Teachers |
| On Thursday, November 12, 2009, at Lower Canada College in Montreal, Quebec, Alan November provided the keynote address before joining the panel discussion. Hosted by the ReThink IT ReFresh IT conference and moderated by Anne-Marie Kee of the Canadian Educational Standards Institute (CESI) , the panel discussed the skills that... (read article) |
|
| Panel Discussion: “Are We Moving Too Slowly in Using Technology in Our Schools?” |
| Our panel of experts weighs in on how to adapt curricula to new technology integration |
| by:
Our Kids Publications , Anne-Marie Kee , Brad Ovenell-Carter , Brenda Rilling , Stacy Marcynuk , Susan Einhorn , Tim Putt , Vincent Jansen
|
| Categories: Leadership and management, Teachers, Technology |
| Compiled and written by David Field, Editor at Our Kids Publications Ltd.
On April 30, 2009, the night before the CAIS Best Practices 2009 Conference, Susan Einhorn of the Anytime Anywhere Learning Foundation provided a 30-minute presentation that expressed the need to prepare students for a future with many issues... (read article) |
|
| Parent Participation as a Part of the Success of Therapy |
| Special curriculum developed for parents to reinforce school and home consistency |
| by:
The Glenholme School
|
| Categories: Administrators, Curriculum and learning, Leadership and management, Parents, Safety and Health, School heads, Special needs, Teachers, Technology |
Therapy Success Depends on Parent Participation
The Glenholme School is a therapeutic boarding school for children situated on more than 100 acres in Washington, Connecticut. Children, ages nine to 18 who need a highly structured learning environment to prosper academically and socially, find it at Glenholme. Many Glenholme students have struggled... (read article) |
|
| Parental Entitlement |
| Asking questions and demanding answers |
| by:
Sue Barnes-MacDonald
|
| Categories: Parents, Teachers |
| Parents are perhaps the most inscrutable aspect of teaching. We can figure out differentiated teaching and assessment, we can interpret the latest initiative or ministry document, but parents; they are the last frontier. Alternately, intimidating and demanding; understanding and grateful, they represent the unknown and sometimes, the unknowable. Yet, if... (read article) |
|
| Past Perfect |
| Today's technology makes yesterday come alive |
| by:
Paul Keery
|
| Categories: Curriculum and learning, Lesson plan, Teachers, Technology |
| History teachers rejoice! The new media—podcasting, moviemaking and student wikis—will change history teaching for the better. No longer do students have to rely just on the written word or a grainy film to learn about the past; they can work with historic artifacts and integrate them into their own audio... (read article) |
|
| Plenty of Rhyme and Reason |
| How Poetry Lets Boys Be Boys |
| by:
Luke Coles
|
| Categories: Administrators, English, Research, Teachers |
| In response to a widespread sense of alarm over the state of boys’ literacy, the Ontario Ministry of Education assessed students at various grade levels. The subsequent report, Me Read? No Way! (StatsCan, 2002), showed that boys were not performing as well as girls in reading and writing, and that... (read article) |
|
| Prescription for Change |
| Today's schools must find a cure for what ails them |
| by:
Audrey Hadfield
|
| Categories: Leadership and management, Opinion, School heads, Teachers |
| Have our schools lost their moral compass? According to some of our foremost educational thinkers, the answer is a firm yes.
Michael Fullan in The Moral Imperative of School Leadership asserts that the system is in deep trouble. In Professional Communities at Work, Richard Dufour and Robert Eaker claim that in... (read article) |
|
| Question: Do you have a creative curriculum program? |
| Teaching creativity and imagination is sometimes difficult. What activities, events and programs have exemplified creativity and imagination in your school? |
| by:
Our Kids Publications
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| Categories: Art, Curriculum and learning, Open House Question, Science, Teachers |
| We asked hundreds of schools to share programs and ideas on this topic. The following were published in the 2008 edition of Dialogue magazine. Join the discussion and post your own response.
Cross-Curriculum Voyage
Grade 7 students visited the Ontario Science Centre’s exhibit about the Titanic, learning in detail how the ship... (read article) |
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| Question: How are new literacies being taught at your school? |
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| by:
Our Kids Publications
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| Categories: Curriculum and learning, English, Lesson plan, Math, Open House Question, Science, Teachers, Technology |
| In every issue of Dialogue Magazine, we ask a question to the independent educator community to spark dialogue about the issue's theme. We've already heard from many schools and want to feature your story. Some of the comments posted below will be selected to be published in the Open House... (read article) |
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| Question: How do you teach character, values and virtue? |
| Many independent schools include 'character education' in their mission statements. Does your school have a specific program or approach to moral education? |
| by:
Our Kids Publications
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| Categories: Curriculum and learning, Open House Question, Parents, Safety and Health, Teachers |
| We asked hundreds of schools to share programs and ideas on this topic. The following were published in the 2005 edition of Dialogue magazine. Join the discussion and post your own response.
The Sterling Stewardship Program
The Sterling Stewardship Program is an initiative that combines character education, health education and guidance education.... (read article) |
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| Question: How is your school using technology and social networking? |
| Blogs, RSS feeds, Twitter, Skype? Are these meant for classroom use or school communications? |
| by:
Our Kids Publications
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| Categories: Administrators, Leadership and management, Marketing, Open House Question, Teachers, Technology |
| Everyday there are new programs, tools and online resources that emerge on the market. Information is at our fingertips and many schools are encouraging the use of some of these tools into both their operation and classroom activities. What are you doing with technology at your school? Do you run... (read article) |
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| Question: In search for outdoor education programs |
| What does Outdoor education mean to you? Do you run a unique or interesting outdoor education program at your school? |
| by:
Our Kids Publications
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| Categories: Administrators, Curriculum and learning, Lesson plan, Open House Question, Physical education, Teachers |
| We asked hundreds of schools to share programs and ideas on this topic. The following were published in the 2007 edition of Dialogue magazine. Join the discussion and post your own response.
Winter Learning
During a week of dogsledding and winter camping in Algonquin, the Grade 8 boys learn that at day’s... (read article) |
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| Question: What is being done at your school to encourage sustainability? |
| There are many ways for your school to ensure it is sustainable: financial, environmental, demographic, programmatic and global. What is being done at your school? |
| by:
Our Kids Publications
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| Categories: Administrators, Curriculum and learning, Global education, Leadership and management, Open House Question, Teachers |
| In every issue of Dialogue Magazine, we ask a question to the independent educator community to spark dialogue about the issue's theme. We've already heard from many schools and want to feature your story. Some of the comments posted below will be selected to be published in the Open House... (read article) |
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| Question: What is Global Education? |
| How is your school teaching global education? Is there a particular activity, event or program that has exemplified what global or international education means to your school? |
| by:
Our Kids Publications
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| Categories: Curriculum and learning, Global education, Leadership and management, Open House Question, Teachers |
| We asked hundreds of schools to share programs and ideas on this topic. The following were published in the 2006 edition of Dialogue magazine. Join the discussion and post your own response.
World at Lunch
Students and faculty were randomly divided into First, Second and Third Worlds as they entered the cafeteria.... (read article) |
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| Question: What is your school doing to engage parents? |
| Parents are your partners, patrons and customers. What is the view of your school? What programs are in place to engage parents? |
| by:
Our Kids Publications
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| Categories: Administrators, Leadership and management, Marketing, Open House Question, Parents, School heads, Special needs, Teachers, Technology |
Open Door Policy
At Trillium School, we constantly strive to make our parents feel welcome and a part of the school community. We have a very active PTA that meets regularly and organizes pizza lunches and ice cream days for the students throughout the school year. This year, we have also... (read article) |
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| Raising a New Generation |
| Today’s computer-savvy youth are ready for tomorrow |
| by:
Don Tapscott
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| Categories: Curriculum and learning, Leadership and management, School heads, Teachers, Technology |
| Digital technology in the classroom is transforming the traditional education model and reshaping the dynamic between teacher and student.
For centuries, the educational system embraced a one-way, teacher-centred broadcast model of learning. The teacher transmitted information from the front of the classroom to students, who were supposed to absorb the facts... (read article) |
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| Re-building Character |
| Why private schools can, and should, lead the way |
| by:
Dave Bird
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| Categories: Administrators, Opinion, Parents, Safety and Health, School heads, Teachers |
| We have devolved into a society of cheaters, who regularly evade taxes, steal from the workplace, lie and deceive, pirate Internet music, games and videos, and pinch satellite signals. What has happened to us? We commonly break “the rules” to get ahead personally, socially and financially. We, the “moral majority,”... (read article) |
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| Reaching Our, Maturing Within |
| Social action projects bring meaningful learning |
| by:
Peter Skillen
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| Categories: Administrators, Leadership and management, Teachers |
| "I am sorry Jill. I should have tried to get closer to you. I should have stood up for you, girl. I am sorry. Please forgive me. I guess I was scared, please forgive me."
- Megan, Canada, www.bullying.org
"Helping others - actually talking to other kids for this project -... (read article) |
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| Research Spotlight: For-Profit Schools Allow Principals Freedom |
| Greater personal lattitude, long-term security and stability just a few of the advantages for principals |
| by:
Linda Quirke , Scott Davies
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| Categories: Administrators, Leadership and management, Research, School heads, Teachers |
| The notion of a school principal running a for-profit private school is a century-old tradition. Canada’s earliest schools were primarily run by churches, but 100 years ago religious groups began to assume less responsibility for private schools, while lone owners picked up some of the slack. According to Carol Gossage... (read article) |
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| Resurrection |
| Breathing life back into an ailing concept |
| by:
James Raffan
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| Categories: Physical education, Teachers |
| The recurring dream goes something like this. A death has occurred. In a forest clearing stands solemnly a circle of tanned white women in polypropylene gowns (or are they made of noseeum netting? I can't tell without my glasses) and robust Caucasian men in ill-fitting Goretex blazers. The powers have... (read article) |
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| Reviews for the iPad are In |
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| by:
Laura van Eyck
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| Categories: Leadership and management, Teachers, Technology |
 With more than 300,000 iPads sold on the first Saturday, conversation about its relevance – and its shortcomings – abound. The question of whether it is a new medium, a short-lived bridge to more revolutionary technology, or a device that... (read article) |
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| Revolution |
| We all want to change the world |
| by:
Dean Gessie
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| Categories: Opinion, School heads, Teachers |
| When most of us think of revolution, our thoughts turn to armed siege of government buildings, purges and killings of key members of the political and socioeconomic elite, and the militarizing of international borders. We think of the seizure of media and religious institutions for the manufacture of new orthodoxy.... (read article) |
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| Social Networking—Do We Need a Policy (And Is It Any of Our Business)? |
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| by:
Simon Jeynes
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| Categories: Teachers, Technology |
| Many schools have an "Acceptable Use of the Internet" policy published in their employee handbooks—which we absolutely recommend, for the protection of the school and its employees. However, unless your HR policies are on the cutting edge (and kudos to you if they are!), the "acceptable use" policy probably doesn't... (read article) |
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| Spirituality, Joy and Play |
| Our annual Muskoka Woods camping retreat |
| by:
Gillian Martin
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| Categories: Administrators, Art, Curriculum and learning, Teachers |
| Each year, in just the second week at our all-girls’ school, our entire population—students, teachers, administration alike—travels to Muskoka Woods Resort on Lake Rosseau, Ontario. We leave behind the classes, textbooks, and walls of our school, and head up north, often grouping students or teachers who’ve never met before into... (read article) |
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| Stay Tuned |
| Radio Show Gives Student Writers A Voice |
| by:
Adrian Hoad%2DReddick
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| Categories: Curriculum and learning, English, Teachers, Technology |
| It’s 8:10 p.m. on a Thursday in the Student Centre at the University of Guelph. Crooked reggae beats resound from the dimmed on-air studio where Nicky Dread continues his 27-year run as CFRU DJ. Fifty minutes, then it’s our turn.
Students crowd the narrow hallway outside the studio, putting finishing touches... (read article) |
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| Staying Safe, Not Sorry |
| Risk management, outdoor education philosophy and organizational behaviour. |
| by:
Ross Cloutier
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| Categories: Administrators, Physical education, Safety and Health, Teachers |
| American mountain climbers Willi Unsoeld (1926-1979) and Tom Hornbein were members of the first American expedition to summit Mount Everest on May 22, 1963. Unsoeld and Hornbein's legendary climb was the first ascent from the peak's West Ridge. Thirteen years later, Unsoeld held his 21-year-old daughter, Nanda Devi, as... (read article) |
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| Suggest a Future Theme for Dialogue Magazine |
| Let us know what stories or topics you would like to read about |
| by:
Our Kids Publications
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| Categories: Administrators, Art, Curriculum and learning, English, Global education, Leadership and management, Lesson plan, Marketing, Math, Opinion, Opinion, Parents, Physical education, Research, Safety and Health, School heads, Science, Special needs, Teachers, Technology |
| Since the magazine’s birth in 2004, Dialogue has aimed to stimulate discussion between private and independent school educators. As always, Dialogue magazine and Dialogue Online remain the place to express your ideas and to share your expertise with your peers. Dialogue shares educator knowledge and skills, reducing the workload and... (read article) |
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| Tea and Sympathy |
| The Way To A Young Man's Creative Heart |
| by:
Keri%2DLyn Durant
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| Categories: Art, Curriculum and learning, Special needs, Teachers |
| Portsmouth, United Kingdom: a local school put into “special measures” (a dreaded label that denotes schools that are underachieving, filled to the rafters with students, lacking parental and community support, usually in economically challenged areas, seldom able to offer pupils teacher continuity and seemingly steadily sinking into the educational mire);... (read article) |
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| Tearing the Labels |
| Tailoring to different learning styles |
| by:
Leanne Foster
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| Categories: Curriculum and learning, Teachers |
| When Karen first started teaching during the early ‘70s, parental involvement was generally limited to fundraising or volunteering in the school library. Parents might come in to talk about friendship issues or trouble on the playground, and inevitably, some would ask where their child ranked in the classroom, but rarely... (read article) |
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| Technology in Schools |
| Friend or foe? |
| by:
Paul Duckett
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| Categories: Administrators, Opinion, Teachers, Technology |
| Does technology belong in our schools?
This may seem a very odd question to be posed by a head of school in the year 2004. I think a certain amount of skepticism, even towards something as seemingly commonplace as technology, is healthy. No aspect of school life is exempt from... (read article) |
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| That's Going To Leave A Mark |
| Helping students make a permanent impression |
| by:
Nigel McCarthy
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| Categories: Curriculum and learning, Global education, Physical education, Teachers |
| Remember that sun-soaked summer day, coming upon a freshly poured cement sidewalk; remember looking at your friend who had already picked up a stick; remember the wet grey mass floating and coalescing slowly; and, finally, remember dragging the wood through the wet concrete and stamping your names into something lasting,... (read article) |
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| The Elephant in Our Classroom |
| Let's not ignore our most important subject |
| by:
Geoff Roberts
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| Categories: Leadership and management, Opinion, Parents, Teachers |
| Stop me if you’ve heard this one. For the first time in living memory, the school’s hockey team is in the finals. The place is absolutely humming with anticipated greatness. Banners proclaiming “The Puck Stops Here” and other witticisms decorate the hallways. The head has brazenly announced that, if the... (read article) |
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| The Gift of School |
| Education has no return policy |
| by:
Kevin McHenry , Michael Paluch
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| Categories: Administrators, Marketing, Opinion, Parents, Teachers |
| You may have seen it on YouTube: spoken word artist and teacher Taylor Mali responds to the lawyer who dares to ask him, “What do you make?” Mali concludes his angry, yet powerful, response with the words:
“I make a difference!”
There is a perceived divide between teaching and, well,... (read article) |
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| Think Inside The Box |
| Get back to basics, teaching time should be spent on developing abilities that can be taught practically in a school |
| by:
John Lambersky
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| Categories: Administrators, Curriculum and learning, Opinion, School heads, Teachers |
| Many burdens are placed upon a modern school: It must create a nurturing atmosphere for students; keep youngsters active; mould students into ethical, caring individuals; and, for at least a generation or two now, ensure students leave school as creative, innovative and imaginative beings. This last demand—for the school to... (read article) |
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| To Market, To Market |
| Harnessing the power of the web |
| by:
Chris Daniels
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| Categories: Administrators, Marketing, School heads, Teachers, Technology |
| When investigating whether or not to send his now 17-year-old son to private school, Ken Wong turned to the web to do some research. “I didn’t go to the web to pick a school, but I used it to find information that I thought my son would be interested in,”... (read article) |
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| To Tell The Truth |
| How one journalist turned his world around |
| by:
Doug McGill
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| Categories: English, Global education, Opinion, Teachers |
| Is globalization a good thing or a bad thing? A hopeful or troubling trend? A harbinger of global peace based on the theory that people who trade and talk with each other don't bomb each other? Or a dangerous divider of nations because of all the new ways that globalization... (read article) |
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| Today's Homework |
| How heavy should a backpack be? |
| by:
Kristopher Churchill
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| Categories: Administrators, Opinion, Parents, School heads, Teachers |
| As independent school parents, teachers and administrators, we are well meaning when it comes to homework. In fact, our default position often reflects the so-called “hyper-active” approach now the subject of scholarly analysis, whereby many career-orientated, highly-motivated parents (and, yes, some teachers) feel compelled to ensure the same level of... (read article) |
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| Truly Rewarding Creativity |
| The means is the end |
| by:
Meg Fox
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| Categories: Curriculum and learning, English, Teachers |
| Traditionally, education has focused on product, on what the creative, the professional, the recognized, the leading persons have produced, what they do. But we cannot develop our own creativity simply by cataloguing the creative results of others. Instead, as an effective way to build imaginative skill, we can focus on... (read article) |
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| Trumpeting A Cause |
| How learning in depth nourishes the imagination |
| by:
Kieran Egan
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| Categories: Curriculum and learning, Lesson plan, Teachers |
| What does it mean to be an educated person? Commonly mentioned, among other things, are a significant breadth and depth of knowledge: The educated person must be aware of a wide array of the forms of knowledge humans have created, and must know something in considerable detail. Fulfilling the... (read article) |
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| Turning Green |
| The transition to a sustainable future |
| by:
Stephanie Foster
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| Categories: Administrators, Curriculum and learning, Environment, School heads, Teachers |
| Twenty-five years ago, I graduated from an independent school for girls. Looking back,
I wonder what being a “green school” would have meant then. Apart from our green uniforms, I am not sure the topic of environmental sustainability ever really entered the lexicon. Fortunately, times have changed!
Does your school... (read article) |
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| Virtually Useless |
| Are computers in the classroom doing our children a disservice? |
| by:
Andrew Nikiforuk
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| Categories: Math, Opinion, Teachers, Technology |
| In 1985, Steve Jobs and the ingenious folks at Apple Computer started a $25 million US educational experiment called Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow. The project began with a handful of schools; a decade later, 13 schools from across the United States had been picked and wired up, with the goal... (read article) |
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| Warm & Fuzzy Just Won't Do It |
| A moral education requires more than that |
| by:
Mark Holmes
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| Categories: Leadership and management, Opinion, Teachers |
| If, in the early 1950s, a typical parent had been asked if her child should be given a moral education in school, she would have been puzzled, “Well, I certainly don’t want an immoral education. Morality is part of the Education Act and the school program, isn’t it?” If the... (read article) |
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| WebQuests |
| Send students on a modern day treasure hunt |
| by:
Julie Stoyka
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| Categories: Curriculum and learning, Lesson plan, Opinion, Research, Teachers, Technology |
| In the nine years since Bernie Dodge and Tom March developed the WebQuest model, this technique has become synonymous with useful web-based learning. Teachers everywhere use WebQuests to guide students online and extend their learning in a real and interactive way.
Like all good things, WebQuests came about by necessity and... (read article) |
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| When parents become partners, the rewards are great for all |
| A current parent speaks volumes to incoming families |
| by:
Patti Pilon
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| Categories: Administrators, Leadership and management, Marketing, Parents, School heads, Teachers |
| It is not unusual for parents to take a deeply vested interest in their children’s education, and at most independent schools, there is no exception. Conversely, independent schools rely heavily on the support of parents. It is a well-known fact that tuition alone often does not cover the cost of... (read article) |
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| Whole Child, Whole World |
| Creativity and the Montessori method |
| by:
Mark Wagner
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| Categories: Opinion, Teachers |
| Accelerated change, unimaginable opportunities, unforeseeable challenges: The future our students face will demand creativity of the highest order. How can today’s schools help students meet what tomorrow brings?
Educators must shift from an over-emphasis on academic ability to a balanced whole personality approach that includes and respects individual talents and... (read article) |
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| Why Ask Why? Ask Why Not |
| Social activism in students' everyday lives |
| by:
Lorna Pitcher
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| Categories: Curriculum and learning, Global education, School heads, Teachers |
| We have faced and overcome many "why nots" at Toronto's Sterling Hall School (SHS) over the years in our quest to create social activists. Crowded curriculum, lack of age-appropriate resources, time constraints, parental priorities, board pressures, stretched faculty . . . we've heard them all.
How did our small school... (read article) |
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| Window On Tomorrow |
| How outdoor education brightens the future of children and our planet |
| by:
Grant%20 Linney
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| Categories: Administrators, Curriculum and learning, Physical education, Research, Teachers |
| As a long-time outdoor educator, I remain amazed at the impact that outdoor and experiential education (OEE) has upon participants. But how have we measured this impact?
There are the usual program evaluations and the periodic concerted links to classroom curricula. And, sometimes, a parent writes to describe how much a... (read article) |
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| Wrapped in Cellophane |
| Unravelling specialization in education |
| by:
Meg Fox , Seth Halvorson
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| Categories: Parents, Teachers |
| “Our children have been wrapped in cellophane by well-meaning adults; they have been carefully and overzealously protected from the unpleasant. Now they can no longer be.”
—Alice Dagliesh, author
When Dagliesh wrote these words in 1941—the key to this date lies her choice of cellophane as a metaphor for protective... (read article) |
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| You Who Are on the Road Must Have a Code That You Can Live By |
| Our writer talked with a group of private school students |
| by:
Peter Cheney
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| Categories: Administrators, Leadership and management, Opinion, School heads, Teachers |
| Students have endless choices to make: Will it be snowboards or skis? Snoop Dogg or Green Day? What do you do when a friend tells you he has the answers to next week’s exam?
A group of students, aged 14 to 17, gathered to ponder that very question, and others like... (read article) |
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