Through What did you do in school today?: Transforming Classrooms through Social, Academic and Intellectual Engagement, the Canadian Education Association, in partnership with the Canadian Council on Learning and school districts across Canada, are bringing life to the idea of student engagement in the classroom, and exploring its powerful relationship with adolescent learning, student achievement, and effective teaching.

A first look at the initiative’s results are presented in the initiative’s first national report – What did you do in school today?: Transforming Classrooms through Social, Academic and Intellectual Engagement, written by J. Douglas Willms, Sharon Friesen and Penny Milton, along with two supporting documents,Exploring the Concept of Student Engagement and its Implications for Teaching and Learning in Canada by Jodene Dunleavy and Penny Milton, and Teaching Effectiveness: A Framework and Rubric, by Sharon Friesen.


Link: 
http://cea-ace.ca/res.cfm?subsection=wdy

Human beings are communal by nature and living together – in communities – is our most common and most natural state of life. John Abbott discusses the fact that communities must be created and sustained by the conscious intentions and actions of their members, and that we must attend to health and vitality of our communities in order to thrive – and to learn! – as a species.

About this paper
This paper was written for the first International Baccalaureate Organization Worldwide Electronic Conference in 2004, which had the theme of “Enriching Communities”. John Abbott, as a contributor/leader, noted that the theme suggested that “right now, many people fear that communities are not what they once were, or indeed might be in the future, and that somehow they have to be enriched.” He contributed four papers to the conference; with We Are a Small Group Species being the first in the series.

“Every kid is different. Why force each mind to fit the same timetable?” asks this article written by a British Columbia teacher. If individuals learn in a variety of styles and on different schedules, who benefits from the formal rigidity of current school timetable? And if we know that learning is not confined to the classroom, couldn’t we ‘do’ school differently? Nick Smith, a veteran teacher, discusses the current ‘factory education model’ in contrast to mastery learning, self-directed studies, a continuous progress model, and other innovative ideas being put into practice at alternative B.C. high schools.

Link: 
http://thetyee.ca/Views/2008/09/19/SchoolClock/

The new research synthesis produced by SEDL’s National Center for Family and Community Connections with Schools examines the impact of different family and community connections on student achievement.

Authors Anne Henderson and Karen Mapp reviewed more than 50 research studies published since 1995 to compile A New Wave of Evidence.

The synthesis shows that for parent involvement to have an impact on achievement, schools must link parent activities to student learning goals and be respectful of difference among families. Schools that succeed in engaging families from very diverse backgrounds:

* Focus on building trusting collaborative relationship among teachers, families, and community members * Recognize, respect, and address families’ needs, as well as their differences * Embrace a philosophy of partnership where power and responsibility are shared.

Link: 
http://www.sedl.org/pubs/catalog/items/fam33.html

The second edition of Historical Statistics of Canada was jointly produced by the Social Science Federation of Canada and Statistics Canada in 1983. This volume contains about 1,088 statistical tables on the social, economic and institutional conditions of Canada from the start of the Confederation in 1867 to the mid-1970s.

Section W is the section on education. This section is in three main parts as follows: Summary Statistics (series W1-66); Elementary and Secondary Education (series W67-306) and Post-secondary Education (series W307-532). Within each part there are series on enrolment, number and qualifications of teachers and financial data. Additional information on degrees awarded and libraries is given in the third part.

NB: Statistics Canada, the nation’s central statistical agency, provides social and economic data and analysis used for planning, evaluation, research and decision-making. Information produced and disseminated by the agency describes most of the characteristics, conditions and activities of Canadians.


Link: 
http://www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/11-516-XIE/sectionw/sectionw.htm

“ While schools and parents elsewhere push young children to read, write and surf the Internet earlier in order to prepare for an increasingly cutthroat global economy, some little Germans are taking a less traveled path — deep into the woods. Germany has about 700 Waldkindergärten, or “forest kindergartens,” in which children spend their days outdoors year-round. Blackboards surrender to the Black Forest. Erasers give way to pine cones. Hall passes aren’t required, but bug repellent is a good idea.”

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(Source: Wall Street Journal)