| Articles |
| A Virtual Perspective |
| Using avatars to experience the world |
| by:
Christian Auclair
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| 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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| Blinded by the Light |
| Understand your school’s real niche |
| by:
Dave Bird
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| Categories: Administrators, Curriculum and learning, Leadership and management, School heads |
| In August 2009, the U.S. Congressional Budget Office acknowledged that the American budget deficit estimate had soared to $1.6 trillion (U.S.) and that the current recession is now “the most severe since World War II.”
Unlike those “Mad Hatters” in Washington, or their Canadian counterparts in Ottawa, private schools don’t have... (read article) |
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| Culture Of Communication |
| Save money while making your school shine |
| by:
Jennifer Jones
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| Categories: Finance, Leadership and management, School heads |
| Cut costs. Maintain services. And preserve your culture. That was the mandate delivered to Brent Hall, executive director of Discovery Academy, by the school’s board of directors recently. The therapeutic boarding school, located in Provo, Utah, charges families almost $6,000 (U.S.) a month for tuition.
Despite a rocky economy, Hall... (read article) |
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| Environmental action plans |
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| by:
Stephanie Foster
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| Categories: Administrators, Curriculum and learning, Environment, Leadership and management, Lesson plan, School heads, Science |
| The following examples show how five independent schools that I have worked with, have moved forward in terms of developing and implementing their own environmental sustainability action plans. Each example demonstrates different approaches and tactics that have helped them to move forward with their efforts to become green schools.
The... (read article) |
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| Expert Answers | Anne-Marie Kee |
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| by:
Anne-Marie Kee
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| Categories: Curriculum and learning |
| What skills are companies of the new economy looking for?
According to research conducted last year by the McKinsey management consulting company, 70 per cent of the executives surveyed named innovation as one of their top three priorities for driving growth. The report also revealed that the vast majority of these... (read article) |
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| Expert Answers | Don Tapscott |
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| by:
Don Tapscott
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| Categories: Global education |
| What can be done today to help students become global citizens?
They’re already off to a good start as they are part of the first-ever global generation, courtesy of the Internet. And my research shows that this has given them a common outlook, regardless of what country they live in. They... (read article) |
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| Expert Answers | Jeffrey Beard |
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| by:
Jeffrey Beard
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| Categories: Global education |
| What can be done today to help students become global citizens?
At an IB conference in 2007, Jean-François Rischard, the World Bank’s vice-president for Europe, described two forces at work that will continue to change our world at accelerating rates. The first force he referred to as a “demographic explosion,” where... (read article) |
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| Expert Answers | Mike Lipkin |
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| by:
Mike Lipkin
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| 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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| Expert Answers | Patrick Bassett |
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| by:
Patrick Bassett
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| Categories: Finance |
| How can schools become more efficient?
School leaders should evaluate their board composition and structure. What skill sets will you need in the next five years? Are your committees and task forces the right ones for the needs of the school? A good way to assess objectively one’s board efficiencies is... (read article) |
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| Expert Answers | Per Ledin |
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| by:
Per Ledin
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| Categories: Demographics, Global education |
| How can independent and private schools be made more financially accessible?
In Sweden, there are public (85 per cent market share), independent (13 per cent) and private schools (two per cent). Independent schools are privately owned but financed—in the same way as Sweden’s public schools—by a tax-financed public school voucher (tuition... (read article) |
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| Expert Answers | Simon Jeynes |
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| by:
Simon Jeynes
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| Categories: Finance |
| How can schools become more efficient?
There are only two ways for schools to become more efficient: for teachers to teach more students per class, thus increasing income per salary; for teachers to teach more classes, thus increasing workload per salary. This is still assuming the 20th-century model of one teacher/one... (read article) |
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| Expert Answers | Stacey Caillier and Rob Riordan |
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| by:
Rob Riordan , Stacey Caillier
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| Categories: Curriculum and learning |
| How can schools support teachers so they can keep abreast of the latest teaching techniques?
It’s less about techniques and more about creating a culture of collaboration where teachers can pursue their passions, share their plans and dilemmas, get into each other’s classrooms and reflect on teaching and learning together. At... (read article) |
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| Expert Answers | Trina Innes |
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| by:
Trina Innes
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| Categories: Environment |
| What is one thing everyone can do to help the environment?
Each and every time you make a purchase, you have the ability to influence the environment. Buy products that minimize negative environmental impacts. Consider the way a product is manufactured, transported, used, recycled or disposed of.
What could a school do... (read article) |
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| Growing Global Citizens |
| Experiencing the world from the classroom |
| by:
Dorothy Byers
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| 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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| Independent School Collaboration |
| Migrating interactive courses online |
| by:
Lesley Monette , Mary Anne Ballantyne
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| 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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| Introducing students to risk awareness at a young age |
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| by:
Our Kids Publications
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| Categories: Leadership and management, Technology |
| Safety is everyone’s responsibility and there is no exception in educational environments. A general awareness of one’s surroundings is necessary and students can be trained to become aware of potential risks. Involving youth in risk management and making them aware of potential dangers at a young age can have a... (read article) |
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| Online Giving: Six Tips to Help Your Efforts |
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| by:
Dale Carter
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| Categories: Finance |
| Online giving, once the domain of large non-profits and major fundraising organizations is now the mainstay of independent schools. The concept of having donors come to your website and leave a donation is very appealing. The process reduces costs and helps move away from time sensitive, periodic solicitations.... (read article) |
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| Panel Discussion | What types of skills will today’s children need? |
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| by:
Alan November , Christopher Shannon , Dr. Karen Gazith , Jason Rogers , Mary Anne Ballantyne
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| 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) |
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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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| 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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| Shifting Revenues |
| Ideas to keep tuition affordable |
| by:
Don Rickers
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| Categories: Administrators, Finance, School heads |
| On January 1, we bid farewell to “the naughts,” a decade many would choose to forget. Terrorist attacks, global warming, mounting casualties from war in the Middle East and economic turmoil dominated the news headlines. The last fiscal year has been gruelling for most educational institutions—even those with deep pockets.... (read article) |
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| Sustaining School Identity |
| Montessori teaches about remaining true |
| by:
Pat Gere
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| Categories: Administrators, Curriculum and learning, Leadership and management, Lesson plan, School heads |
| In 1907, Dr. Maria Montessori opened the first Montessori classroom in a tenement just outside Rome, Italy. Here began her experiment of applying scientific observation to the education of children. Since then, Montessori has become the world’s most practised pedagogy, with more than 8,000 Montessori schools on six continents educating... (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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| Uncovering Tomorrow’s Leaders |
| Seven school leadership characteristics |
| by:
Courtenay Shrimpton
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| Categories: Administrators, Demographics, Leadership and management, School heads |
| According to leadership experts Paul Bernthal and Richard Wellins, “In a complex and changing world, highly skilled and experienced leaders at all levels—not just senior leaders—are becoming harder to find.” Today, two key questions face all independent schools: “Where will the next group of future leaders come from?” and “What... (read article) |
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| Weighing Financial Options |
| Making the right choices during tough times |
| by:
Beth McKay
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| Categories: Administrators, Finance, Leadership and management, School heads |
| The recent economic crisis has refocused attention on the financial sustainability of independent schools. Pre-recession discussions questioned whether tuition increases above the level of inflation were sustainable in the long term or would negatively affect the diversity of our students. The Higher Education Price Index (HEPI) continues to rise by... (read article) |
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