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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
These days, Dr. Banting would be a fish out of water. Born in 1891, in Alliston, Ontario, Frederick Banting, together with Charles Best, discovered insulin and earned the 1923 Nobel Prize in Medicine. But he'd be lost in today's medical world. CAT labs, advanced micro-computers, laser surgical... (read article)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
Without a real understanding of creativity and what the research on creativity means to us as educators, we come dangerously close to reducing it to an empty term or buzzword.
Researchers wrestling over definitions of creativity mention one common quality again and again: newness. Traditionally, it was believed that producing... (read article)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
Kawarthas Trips Classes make three-day fall and winter trips to our own outdoor education site in the Kawarthas. There are opportunities for practical math, science and environmental studies coupled with activities like hiking, canoeing and cross-country skiing. Students develop new social skills and problem-solving skills as they function together outside the classroom setting.
Below are some comments that we heard at our last editorial advisory board meeting for Dialogue magazine and Dialogue Online. Please share your comments, feedback and ideas.
"The use of technology in schools is changing so quickly. It might be an area you want to cover in every issue."
"School marketing. Every school is always struggling with how to market themselves and increase enrolment."
forward this page to a friend
