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Back to School: Preparing for Day One | Edutopia

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Secret to Making It a Great School Year

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The Secret to Making It a Great School Year

AUGUST 30, 2012

Photo credit: venosdale via flickr

If I could, I'd lay money on the claim I'm about to make: If you do the one little thing I'm about to suggest, you will have a great school year. Here it is:

At the end of every day, identify three things that went well in your classroom. That's part one -- what went well? When did you see indicators that your students were learning? That they were happy to be in school?

And part two: For each thing that went well, what was your role in it? What action did you take that resulted in the positive outcome?

Let's say, for example, that the thing that went well was that the first day of school was calm and everything went as planned. When you explore your role in this successful first day, you might name that your lesson plans were three pages long, your materials were all organized five days before, and you got a good eight hours of sleep the night before.

This exercise can be done mentally, perhaps on the drive home. It is even more powerful if it's written down and you compile a record of these daily successes throughout the year. And finally, it can also have a tremendous impact if it's verbalized -- perhaps shared with a colleague as an end-of-day ritual together. The key is that it becomes a habit of mind.

So what is this habit and why is it important?

This habit trains your mind to find the positive in every day and to identify your own agency in creating that positive. Rick Hanson, the author of The Buddha's Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love and Wisdom, describes our brains as "like Velcro" for negative experiences -- we dwell on them, and "like Teflon" for positive experiences -- they slide right out of our minds. Our minds are practically programmed to notice and remember the things that aren'tworking -- and as teachers we know there are plenty of those each day. The little successes, growth, and positive moments are washed away by the tidal waves of what's not working in schools.

As the waves of what's-not-working batter us day after day, our emotional resilience erodes. We burn out. The practice I'm suggesting can be as an antidote. It won't resolve all the problems we deal with in schools, but it can help us build emotional fortitude so that we maintain our energy. If every day, you can identify what's going well within your sphere of influence, and how your actions resulted in those going-well moments, you might have a very different kind of school year than you've ever had. Try it!

Discovering a Foreign Culture Cultural Activities on Educational Tours Create Cultural Understanding and Produce Citizens of the World

Discovering a Foreign Culture
Cultural Activities on Educational Tours Create Cultural Understanding and Produce Citizens of the World

  When students encounter a foreign culture their reaction is likely incredulity. Their first instinct is normally to resort to stereotypes that provide them with a safety net, and explain what they cannot comprehend. As a teacher, it is our duty to break these stereotypes and show the value of understanding other customs. The more students learn, the more likely their initial culture shock will progress to empathy and acceptance of other possible lifestyles.
Traditionally culture was regarded as the addition of different fine arts. Knowing one country’s culture would be reduced to being acquainted with the literature, painting, sculpture, classical music and history of the land. Recently the concept has been expanded, and whilst recognizing the validity of the above definition in a specific sense of the word, it has been recognized that culture can further be defined as a set of ideas, beliefs and ways of behaving of a particular group of people, which may be influenced or illustrated by artistic manifestations of any kind. Culture in this larger sense has always been an important element of several subjects, such as foreign languages, history, art, literature, and the social sciences, and it is significant that more often than not it can best be acquired in extra-curricular activities and everyday situations outside school.
There is a metaphor that is commonly used to describe how culture works, which is called the Cultural Iceberg (Weaver, 1986): a small part of the iceberg is clearly visible (aspects of culture which are evident, such as literature, music, dress…), but most of the iceberg goes deep under the surface (all those customs, values, etc. that we as members of the cultural community know but do not or cannot articulate).


Consequently, there is a series of features that are distinctive characteristics of a particular society or
culture and are very complicated to explain and define, although they are perfectly clear for the natives of the language. A society and its culture normally relate to elements such as:

• Everyday living: food and drink, meal times, table manners; public holidays; working hours and practices; leisure activities (hobbies, sports, reading habits, media). One is never aware of how early or how late dinner is in one country until there is a confrontation with other customs. We often find that there is no other explanation than “because that is the way it is” or “my mum always used to do it that way”.
• Living conditions: living standards; housing conditions;
welfare arrangements.
• Interpersonal relations (including relations of power
and solidarity) with respect to relations between sexes, relations between generations even social greetings and ways to address neighbors, friends or teachers.
• Values, beliefs and attitudes in relation to factors such as social class, occupational groups (academic, management, public service, skilled and manual workforces); wealth; regional cultures; security; ethnic minorities; national identity; arts; humor.
• Body language: knowledge of the conventions—something especially important when one cannot only rely on verbal communication because of gaps in knowledge.
• Social conventions: hospitality (presents, punctuality,
dress, meals, behavioral and conversational conventions and taboos, length of stay, farewells).
• Ritual behavior in areas such as rites (birth, marriage,
death), audience and spectator behavior at public performances and celebrations, etc.


BREAKING THROUGH THE ICEBERG

All this explains why we can sometimes spot someone who is not from our community just by looking at what they are wearing, or seeing how they greet when they meet. It would also explain the surprises we can experience when foreign people speak about their family relationships, celebrations or job expectations. This part of culture is the most difficult one to learn and to teach, as it requires a deep understanding of the country and its people, one that is best acquired by actually being in the country or by reading extensively about it.

We should take this into consideration when we choose the cultural topics to be included in our syllabus. The natural tendency is to include cultural elements such as art, music, literature, geography and history. But those elements that convey the deep culture of a country such as the notion of kinship and non-verbal communication are just as important, or even more so than the surface culture. Some of the techniques and tasks that teachers can include in their teaching are:

• Quizzes on aspects of the target language such as traditional customs, festivals, daily habits in cities and villages. These are relatively easy to find and complete with the aid of the Internet.
• Listening to folk music and traditional songs, which very often reflect the most common beliefs and myths of a particular culture. When these songs celebrate a particular attitude we must bear in mind that they are known by most children in the country and whichever values they transmit will have been taken in by the population of the country.
• Talking and reading about traditional customs and important holidays. When a day or an event has been deemed so important that it is celebrated as a holiday it is because in the popular conscience it must have a relevant meaning. The same applies to the number of holidays in a country, which transmits
an idea of the attitude towards work in that particular country.
• Reading contemporary articles in magazines and comics, or online.
• Producing a poster, brochure or web page for visitors
that should include cultural explanations.
• Watching films and videos and commenting on particular
aspects that students may not understand because they are culturally-specific.
• Making presentations or projects on the differences between the two cultures about meals, timetables, leisure activities, etc.

In this digital age in which the Internet provides instant communication, telling students a few facts and details about the target culture is clearly insufficient. Students have access to many of the same resources as teachers, so educators must become facilitators of knowledge rather than just the source of knowledge itself.

We have to take teaching culture a step forward. Students need to participate and get a first-hand experience. When visiting another culture, all that had been considered a “strange” habit or something “weird” that happens abroad, achieves a new dimension. Of course, this cultural awareness is a slow process when it is done inside a classroom but it happens very quickly when the students travel and experience all that they have learnt in their textbooks in genuine situations. Teachers are always trying to introduce realia, authentic materials, in their lessons, but there is nothing more real than being in the foreign country itself and having to communicate with native speakers.


We as educators know that in those situations language skills are not enough. For this reason we are constantly trying to introduce the cultural component in our lesson plans. All this is becoming easier thanks to new technologies, but doing a virtual tour of a city will never substitute the thrill of finding your way around once you are there, seeing and feeling the atmosphere, and even getting lost and reading a map or asking the locals for directions.

ACTIVITIES’ IMPACT
Teachers have been organizing trips for years, but we also know going to a place doesn’t guarantee your full immersion into the target culture. Here is where cultural activities come in. Making educational trips interactive and providing a hands-on experience for all participants can add great value. Activities must be properly introduced in order to be meaningful; they need to be done in the right place and at the appropriate stage of a trip. The same as a language item needs to be learnt in context, a cultural activity needs to be explained beforehand and reflected on after it has been carried out. Students have to see a purpose in what they are doing, so that they immerse themselves in the activity and get the most out of it.

One of the advantages of learning through cultural activities in the country is that they cater for all learning styles by involving reading, listening and doing things. They are multi-sensory experiences, which are a key part of the learning process but often hard to do in a classroom environment. When a student can first read or hear about the typical dishes of a country and then prepare and eat the food in situ it is more likely that those dishes and the whole experience will be fully enjoyed, and even repeated at home. The horizons of every student will be expanded in many fields, not just the socio-cultural one.

Cultural activities carried out on site teach life skills such as orientation (both in a city and in nature), sports and physical education, musical appreciation, cooking techniques or world literature and philosophy. There are also more culturally-specific activities such as learning gestures and body language distinctive of a country, traditions and games, folklore and dancing, arts and crafts, etc. Most of these are very difficult to understand unless you are actually in the country. In a classroom environment they can only be explained and anticipated. For example, you need to play pétanque at least once before deciding whether it is a fascinating hobby or an unexciting waste of time.
The advantages of travelling are not restricted to cultural awareness, since educational tours can provide a great environment to teach values. Travelling to a different country and going through the process of not understanding what you see because it is strange, then trying to comprehend what is going on, and finally taking it in makes people more tolerant. When students realize that other countries have different value systems that are based on a set of beliefs that make as much sense as their own, they are getting a very valuable lesson on tolerance and inter-cultural understanding. In a time when the new generations are very likely to travel abroad and even live or work in a different country, this awareness of cultural differences and acceptance of such diversity is fundamental.

A trip to a different country can be the perfect setting to gain insight into current affairs by visiting conservation projects, local schools, humanitarian institutions (e.g. an orphanage), and old villages. Cultural activities also take into consideration the importance of ecology, tolerance, fair play in sports, a healthy lifestyle, racial equality, and other aspects that are taught at home but have special relevance in other environments.

Foreign language skills are also enhanced when students are involved in cultural activities. Simply visiting another country does not guarantee advanced lingual skills will be used, since the first uses of a foreign tongue tend to be restricted to very basic interaction. But, when we motivate our students by setting the right context and explaining what they are doing and why, they will try to speak the language. In order to get to a confidence level that will allow them to maintain a conversation, students tend to start with exchanges carried out to fulfill basic needs. When they realize that they can understand the answers students will feel a remarkable sense of pride and become ready for the challenge of using their foreign language skills to the fullest.

Everyone who speaks a foreign language can still remember their first meaningful conversation in the target language; that sense of achievement when you see that after so many years of hard work and classroom exercises, vocabulary tests and grammar explanations, it all makes sense and it is transformed into something alive and useful. This is much more likely to happen when you are in a country where you are exposed to the language and when you understand and empathize with the culture in which you are living, no matter for how long or short a period of time. This process will greatly increase students’ motivation to keep learning and improving the language, which is one of the aims of travelling to another country. If students understand what they are doing and why they are saying something, they will be compelled to keep trying the language. And if this can be done in a culturally appropriate way, their feeling of achievement will be even bigger.
In conclusion, when we say that “travel changes lives” we have to be specific about what type of travel achieves this aim. We know that just boarding a plane, getting to a different place, having a business meeting and returning that same night, will only make you tired. But it is true that when you go to a place and see, understand and experience what is going around you, that experience is very likely to stay in your mind for many years to come. The influence that travelling can have on young people is rather impressive, and teachers are in the privileged position of offering students their first chance not only of going to a different country and speaking the language, but also of understanding a different culture by actually doing some of the things that natives of the land do. Cultural activities that offer a true insight into a foreign country allow them (and us) to become citizens of the world.


References:
Byram, M., Nichols, A. & Stevens, D. (Eds.) (2001), Developing intercultural competence in practice. Clevedon,
UK: Multilingual Matters.
Council of Europe (2001). Common European Framework of Reference for Languages:
www.coe.int/T/DG4/Linguistic/Source/Framework_EN.pdf.
Damen, L. (1987). Culture learning: The fifth dimension in the language classroom. Reading, MA: Addision-Wesley.
Fantini, B. C., & Fantini, A. E. (1997). New ways in teaching culture. Arlington, VA: TESOL.
Kramsch, C. (1993). Context and culture in language teaching. New York: Oxford University Press.
Paige, R. M. (Ed.) (1986). Cross-cultural orientation: New conceptualizations and applications. Lanham, MD: University Press of America.
Elena

Nine tips for collaboration

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Starting a New School Year: Nine Tips for Collaboration

Photo credit: weejin

Late August or early September is a make-it-or-break-it time for educators. The non-stop, brutal schedule that is a school year starts with all the finesse of trampling elephants, and doesn’t relent for the next nine months (not coincidentally, the same amount of time it takes to gestate a baby). That makes starting the year right important -- and there are few more critical pieces to an educator's success than collaboration.

Collaborating In the Classroom

1) Call Home

Yes, having a blog is great, and you're ahead of the curve if you use Edmodo,Facebook, Schoology or any other of a number of platforms built to help educators and families connect. But as busy as you -- and the parents of your students -- are, the more personal the initial communication, the better. If you can make five phone calls each day before heading home, you should be able to reach out with a positive message to each parent by the end of the first month of school. An alternative is hand-written postcards, but phone calls -- or better yet, face-to-face meetings -- are ideal.

2) Use Team-Building Activities

Team-building activities are excellent ways to get the year started right by connecting with students. So many students believe that they're starting off the year at a major deficit. Success -- or mere participation -- in an early team-building activity can change that.

3) Know the Names

This can be huge challenge for some teachers (don't ask me how I know), but do whatever it takes to learn the names of your students. Use your district's grade and attendance software if it provides student images from the year before. Developing five-minute games to start each class will help speed the process. Use assigned seats or nametags. Whatever you do, learn those names, and do so quickly. Nothing de-authenticates a relationship quicker than, "I really care about your learning Mr. -- wait, what's your name again?"

Collaborating In Your Building and District

4) Step Out of Your Comfort Zone

We all have comfort zones, some more confined than others. You need not live beyond your comfort all the time, but don't be afraid to step outside your normal stomping grounds to make new friends, or at least show yourself to be accessible, curious and ultimately collaborative even if you're not a social butterfly.

5) Show Up Early to Meetings

Oftentimes, more collaboration happens in the five minutes before a meeting than in the meeting itself. Showing up early isn't always easy, but if you're going to try, better August than March. And during meetings, try building off your colleagues' ideas in PLCs, Data-Team, team and staff meetings. This can go a long way toward laying the groundwork for future collegial dynamics. Using stems like "Piggy-backing off what Lianne said . . . ," or "Duane's insight regarding the posting of learning targets was spot-on . . . " helps build a collaborative atmosphere that's conducive to deeper future connections.

6) Use Post-it Notes

The most thoughtful ways to collaborate are also the simplest. Post-it notes reacting to an idea given at a staff meeting or thanking another educator for his or her effort are casual but meaningful ways to build trust and a collaborative spirit in a school. Stick one to the screen or door of a fellow educator with a specific, authentic message, and establish the helpful tone of your working relationship early on.

Your Global PLN

7) Ask for Help

Early in the year, many other educators worldwide face the same challenges you do. Pinging your PLN early on can make them feel needed, and equip you with resources it might have taken you hours of Googling to find.

8) Connect Little with Big

Connecting your local colleagues with those national and global can spark new professional relationships while honoring everybody involved by showing that you're thinking of each one. And because keeping distance through digital networks is easy, it’s totally different from setting up your best friend for a blind date. Totally.

9) Prune your Networks

While that Pinterest account or Facebook group may have served you well last year or even last month, our needs as educators change as we grow. You may need more of this, and less of that. So prune your networks without guilt. Move on. The world's greatest teachers survived for millennia without social media. Your world won't stop spinning because you stop using the platform that you held so dearly this time last year.

In fact, I'd be more concerned if changes weren't made.

It's About the People

Getting the school year started right can mean calling home with a positive message, stepping out of your comfort zone or simply asking for help. The connections you make in August can serve you well through the trials of K-12 education. You never know when you're going to need help -- from an encouraging smile to a better way to assess a standard. While the Internet and social media are great, they are merely tools to connect you with the people behind all of the accounts. With so much to do, it can be easy to push collaboration back, but this can have a long-term erosive effect on your happiness in teaching.

The earlier you start, the easier it becomes.

10 ideas for transforming your teaching....

10 ideas for transforming your teaching this school year

By Shelly Sanchez Terrell 

Many of us will face new learners as another semester of classes begin. For some of us, this can be a frightening and stressful experience. It should be. We have an enormous responsibility as educators to inspire our students to be continuous learners, explore their curiosities and search for solutions to problems that need to be solved. We have the responsibility to inspire our learners to immerse themselves in the beauty of learning whether it is for their own passions, curiosities or self-discovery.

Unfortunately, the system isn’t exactly cut out to support students in exploration. Students are taught that only one answer is correct and if that one answer isn’t given, then the road stops there for learning. The reality is that our learners have to take standardized assessments, curricula will focus on them passing these assessments, colleges will admit those who receive high enough scores on these assessments, and education policy will continue to focus on outcomes based on these assessments. As educators, we often see these realities as shackles. We think we do not have the freedom to truly inspire great learning in our classes. We feel we do not have permission to teach in the way we know promotes effective learning.

I have often been a new teacher in my career. I have been placed in new systems and in various institutions where I felt powerless. I was so afraid that if I did not teach according to their standards, I would be fired. Although, in my more than 15 years of teaching, I have never seen any teacher fired because an administrator did not like the way the teacher taught. I was so immobilized by my fear that I hid from administrators and other teachers.

Then I began to grow some confidence and maybe I was also a little fed up. I began to start teaching the way I knew was effective and began to take back control of my classes and curriculum. I decided that I’d ask for forgiveness later and gave myself permission to be the kind of teacher I always wanted to be if I thought I had the support and freedom to be that. Years later, I do not regret that decision and I am now the kind of teacher I want to be, and I have never met with any negative consequences. Instead, I have a string of learners worldwide who have thanked me for helping them along their learning journeys.

I want to give you permission. I want to tell you that yes, you have the freedom and power to inspire incredible learning this year. You are the instrument in your classroom that determines whether your students will love learning or hate learning. So how do you begin to implement that power and ensure your students learn effectively? Try a few of these ideas in your class this year. They are meant to be accomplished in only one class period in one semester. This way you can take baby steps and reflect on the outcomes in the coming months. If these ideas don’t work, you can always go back to your regular way of teaching.

1. Ask a question that has many answers or no answer at all.
2. Give your students the reins for one class period. Give them the topic or learning objective, then ask how they would like to learn about that topic. They might suggest a game, project or exploration with technology.
3. Allow your students to choose how they will be assessed for one topic. They might suggest a project, game or another method.
4. Ask your students what they really are interested in learning and for the day, allow them to interview an expert in that field online. Your students can search for the e-mail address, blog address, Facebook account or Twitter handle of that person. For example, a student might be interested in skateboarding. Have that student connect with Tony Hawk on Twitter or another famous skateboarder.
5. Tell your students everyday for a week that you are glad to be their teacher. Do this by greeting them at the door with a smile, handshake or high five.
6. Conduct a class in a different environment, such as outdoors or in another part of the building.
7. Stand for an entire classroom period. Break students into groups or pairs and move around constantly, asking them questions or taking notes about the way they learn.
8. Play a fun game in your classroom. Find a way to incorporate games and play to teach your subject matter. Scavenger hunts, board games and video games have all been used to teach various subject matters.
9. Contact each parent and share with them specific ways their children made you proud of them.
10. Have your students work together in performing an act of kindness for either a charity, organization or other students. This could be as simple as creating books and reading them to younger kids or volunteering to clean up the campus.

Many of these ideas can be found at Teacher Reboot Camp. Join nearly 10,000 educators online who are using various free social networks to support each other in accomplishing 30 short-term goals related to education. We support each other through various social networks, Facebook, YouTube, GooglePlus, Twitter and blogs.

Les compétences du 21e siècles

Le Canada risque de perdre du terrain dans la course mondiale aux compétences, signale un rapport

CEO Council

Selon un rapport qui vient de paraître, le Canada pourrait accuser du retard par rapport aux autres pays sur le plan économique, à moins que les éducateurs et les gouvernements n’arrivent à persuader davantage de jeunes de suivre des carrières liées à la science.

Le rapport, intitulé Competing in the 21^st century skills race (La course aux compétences au 21^e siècle), affirme que le Canada est aux prises avec une pénurie de plus en plus prononcée de travailleurs dotés d’un diplôme universitaire en sciences, en technologies, en génie et en mathématiques. Cela s’explique en grande partie par le fait qu’un trop petit nombre de diplômés du secondaire décident de poursuivre leurs études dans ces disciplines.

Le rapport cite une enquête réalisée en 2010 auprès de Canadiens âgés de 16 à 18 ans, où seuls 37 % des personnes enquêtées ont exprimé le désir de suivre ne serait-ce qu’un cours de sciences dans le cadre de leurs études postsecondaires.

« Notre étude montre que les étudiants canadiens savent qu’il faudrait recruter davantage de jeunes dans les programmes de sciences, mais la plupart d’entre eux ne se sentent pas attirés par ce type d’études ou de travail », expliquent les auteurs du rapport.

Les auteurs du rapport sont Graham Orpwood, professeur émérite d’education à l’Université York, à Toronto; Bonnie Schmidt, présidente et fondatrice de Parlons sciences, un organisme national sans but lucratif, et Hu Jun, professeur agrégé de l’Institut national des sciences de l’éducation de Chine, à Beijing.

Les auteurs conviennent que le système d’éducation canadien comporte bien des forces. Les taux de littératie et de numératie sont relativement élevés par rapport aux normes internationales, tout comme le taux d’inscription dans les collèges et universités.

Toutefois, le Canada enregistre de piètres résultats par rapport aux autres pays en ce qui concerne le taux d’inscription à des programmes de niveau universitaire en sciences, en génie et en mathématiques. Pour ce qui est du pourcentage de titulaires d’un doctorat par 100 000 habitants, le Canada se classe aux derniers rangs des pays industrialisés.

Le rapport souligne que l’Inde, la Chine et d’autres pays asiatiques à croissance économique rapide mettent tout particulièrement l’accent sur la formation d’un grand nombre de diplômés très qualifiés dans des domaines liés aux sciences, notamment en génie. Par exemple, en Chine, plus d’un diplôme sur trois est décerné dans une discipline liée au génie, alors qu’au Canada, ce taux est seulement de un sur dix.

« Lorsqu’on se demande comment procéder pour perfectionner le système canadien d’éducation, il est essentiel d’étudier attentivement de quelle manière les autres pays s’y prennent pour combler leurs besoins en travailleurs hautement qualifiés », signale le rapport.

L’article publié aujourd’hui est le sixième d’une série de publications commandée par le Conseil canadien des chefs d’entreprise (CCCE) pour évaluer les incidences sur le Canada de la croissance économique rapide de l’Asie. Les opinions exprimées dans cet article sont celles des auteurs et ne traduisent pas nécessairement la position du CCCE ou de ses membres.

Le CCCE est la principale voix de la communauté des d’affaires du Canada, représentant les chefs d’entreprise et les entrepreneurs de 150 entreprises chefs de file. Ses membres dirigent des entreprises qui administrent des actifs collectifs de 4 500 milliards de dollars, emploient plus de 1,4 million de travailleurs et travailleuses, et représentent la grande majorité des investissements, exportations et formation du secteur privé du Canada.

En septembre, le CCCE accueillera une conférence intitulée « Le Canada à l’ère du Pacifique », qui rassemblera plus de 200 PDG, hauts fonctionnaires, enseignants et autres dirigeants de la société canadienne triés sur le volet. La conférence vise à trouver des stratégies qui permettront au Canada de réussir dans un monde où la puissance économique se déplace vers l’Asie.

Pour plus de renseignements au sujet de la conférence et de la série de publications, veuillez consulter le site Web suivant : www.ceocouncil.ca/pacific/fr/.

Rapport d'étape 2012 - Ministère de l'éducation

Voici le lien:
http://www.ontario.ca/fr/initiatives/progressreport2012/ONT05_040348.html

Maternelle et jardin d’enfants à temps plein 

Depuis septembre 2011, environ 50 000 enfants de quatre et cinq ans de 800 écoles profitent de la maternelle et du jardin d'enfants à temps plein.
En septembre 2012, 900 écoles de plus offriront ce programme. L’Ontario protège la maternelle et le jardin d’enfants à temps plein et, dès 2014, ce programme sera disponible dans toutes les écoles élémentaires financées par les deniers publics.

Saviez-vous que?
En fonction de la demande, certains conseils offrent des programmes avant ou après les cours pour aider les élèves à faire une meilleure transition entre les classes et la garderie.

Nombre d’élèves par classe 

Les élèves de classes plus petites obtiennent plus d’attention, ce qui les aide à améliorer leurs compétences en lecture, en écriture et en mathématiques de telle sorte qu’ils auront plus de chance de réussir. C’est pourquoi le budget de l’Ontario de cette année choisit de maintenir des classes avec des effectifs réduits :

• Il y a neuf ans, seulement 31 % des classes du premier cycle élémentaire avaient des effectifs de 20 élèves ou moins. De nos jours, il s’agit de 91 %.
• De nos jours, toutes les classes de la 1^re à la 3^e année ont 23 élèves ou moins comparativement à 64 % il y a neuf ans.

Saviez-vous que?
Les élèves de l’Ontario se classent parmi les meilleurs au monde.

Résultats aux examens 

Résultats de l’évaluation 2010–2011 de l’Office de la qualité et de la responsabilité en éducation (OQRE) :

• 69 % des élèves des 3^e et 6^e années atteignent ou dépassent la norme provinciale (une note de « B »). Il s’agit d’une augmentation de 15 point de pourcentage par rapport à 54 % il y a neuf ans.
• Plus de 50 000 élèves de plus en 3^e, 6^e et 9^e années atteignent ou dépassent la norme provinciale en lecture, en écriture et en mathématiques comparativement à 2002–03.

Les élèves de l’Ontario se classent parmi les meilleurs au monde lors de l’examen du 2009 Program for International Assessment*. Les prochains résultats seront disponibles en décembre 2013.
* Site en anglais seulement

Les élèves de l’Ontario sont en tête de liste parmi leurs consœurs et confrères canadiens

Les élèves de l’Ontario continuent de briller. Les résultats de 2010 du Programme pancanadien d’évaluation démontrent que nos élèves de 8^e année comptent parmi les meilleurs au Canada.

Réussite scolaire 

L’Ontario vient en aide aux élèves de la 7^e à la 12^e année pour qu’ils puissent acquérir une éducation qui correspond à leurs forces, à leurs objectifs et à leurs intérêts. Voici ce que cela comporte :

• Majeure Haute Spécialisation : Permet aux élèves de mettre l’accent sur une carrière future par l’intermédiaire de cours magistraux, d’expériences en milieu de travail et de certifications sectorielles. Cet automne, environ 38 000 élèves de 11^e année et 12^e année participeront à 19 majeures, portant notamment sur l’aviation et l’aérospatial, l’environnement, la justice, la sécurité communautaire, les services d’urgence et bien plus.
• Apprentissage électronique Ontario : Donne un accès aux élèves à des cours en ligne et permet aux enseignantes et aux enseignants de partager des ressources dans l’ensemble de la province.
• Double reconnaissance de crédit : Peut être utilisé pour un diplôme d’études secondaires de même que pour un certificat de collège, un diplôme ou un stage d’apprentissage. En 2011–2012, quelque 15 000 élèves en ont profité.
• Programme élargi d'éducation coopérative : Les élèves peuvent obtenir jusqu’à deux des crédits d’études secondaires dont ils ont besoin pour recevoir leur diplôme par l’intermédiaire d’un apprentissage pratique en milieu de travail.

L’Ontario aide également les étudiantes et étudiants du niveau secondaire à reprendre le chemin de la réussite et à recevoir un diplôme :

• Chaque conseil scolaire a un leader pour la réussite des élèves qui travaille avec les directeurs et directrices d’école afin d’améliorer le taux d’obtention de diplôme.
• Des équipes responsables de la réussite des élèves fournissent un soutien additionnel et une attention particulière à tous les élèves des écoles secondaires qui en ont besoin.
• En moyenne, il y a une enseignante ou un enseignant responsable de la réussite dans chaque école secondaire.
• Cette année, dans l’ensemble de l’Ontario, 124 écoles secondaires, soit 39 de plus que l’an passé, ont pris part à des ateliers qui aident à développer des qualités de leader parmi les membres du personnel.

Saviez-vous que?
Tiffany Sherri Caldwell, de l’école secondaire du district de Saugeen de Port Elgin, est devenue une soudeuse compétente de même que la reine de sa promotion. Lisez ici  d’autres histoires tout aussi inspirantes.

 

L’aide aux devoirs donne de meilleurs résultats chez les élèves

L’aide aux devoirs est un site en ligne où les élèves de la 7^e à la 10^e année peuvent s’inscrire pour obtenir de l’aide pour mieux comprendre les concepts mathématiques qu’ils apprennent à l’école.

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Taux d’obtention de diplôme 

C’est en travaillant avec les élèves, les parents de même que les éducatrices et éducateurs que la Stratégie visant la réussite des élèves de l’Ontario a augmenté le taux d’obtention de diplôme d’études secondaires.
Il y a neuf ans, seulement 68 % des étudiantes et des étudiants terminaient leurs études secondaires. Aujourd’hui, ce chiffre est de 82 %.
Cela signifie qu’environ 93 000 étudiantes et étudiants de plus ont reçu leur diplôme que si le taux était demeuré le même.

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Collège, université et stage d’apprentissage 

Programme de réduction de 30% des frais de scolarité 

Cette année, l’Ontario a présenté un nouveau Programme de réduction de 30 % des frais de scolarité pour aider à réduire les coûts d’une éducation postsecondaire.
Les étudiantes et étudiants à un programme universitaire ou collégial menant à un grade économiseront 1 680 $ tandis que les étudiantes et étudiants à un programme collégial menant à un diplôme ou à un certificat économiseront 770 $ chaque année. Il s’agit d’argent qui peut servir à défrayer des manuels ou du logement.
Jusqu’à maintenant, 200 000 étudiantes et étudiants ont profité d'un remboursement.
Cette nouvelle bourse est la plus récente amélioration apportée au Programme d'aide financière aux étudiantes et étudiants de l'Ontario. L’Ontario dispose de l’un des plus généreux programmes d’aide financière aux étudiants au pays, qui rejoint environ 230 000 étudiantes et étudiants cette année par l’intermédiaire de prêts et de bourses.

Si vous êtes étudiante ou étudiant, vous pouvez économiser

Lorsque des étudiants, comme Michael, entreprendront leurs études postsecondaires l’automne prochain, ils auront droit à une réduction de 30 % de leurs frais de scolarité, ce qui les aidera à réduire les coûts de leurs études.

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Un plus grand nombre de places 

Au cours des neuf dernières années, nous avons créé des places pour environ 210 000 étudiantes et étudiants de plus du niveau postsecondaire, dont 60 000 stages d’apprentissage de plus.
Le taux d’inscription dans les universités de l’Ontario est en hausse de 46 %. Les inscriptions dans les collèges sont en hausse de 24 %.
Depuis 2003, l’Ontario a créé presque 15 000 nouvelles places en 2^e et 3^e cycles. Il s’agit d’une augmentation de 57 %.
Au cours des huit dernières années, l’Ontario a créé 260 places de plus pour les étudiantes et étudiants en première année de médecine.

Saviez-vous que?
L’an dernier, en Ontario, les travailleuses et travailleurs (âgés de 25 ans et +) qui ont une éducation de niveau secondaire ont obtenu 900 emplois nets tandis que les travailleuses et travailleurs avec une éducation postsecondaire ont obtenu 107 600 emplois nets.

Stages d’apprentis 

De nos jours, environ 120 000 apprentis sont en train d’apprendre un métier spécialisé, soit près de 60 000 de plus qu’en 2002–2003.
Au cours des neuf dernières années, les inscriptions annuelles aux stages d’apprentissage ont augmenté d’environ 13 000 et atteindront plus de 30 000 cette année. Nous allons continuer d’augmenter le nombre des nouvelles inscriptions tout en fournissant du soutien pour aider les apprentis à terminer leur formation.
Afin de moderniser le réseau des programmes d’apprentissage et des métiers spécialisés de l’Ontario, nous avons mis sur pied l’Ordre des métiers de l’Ontario.

Modernisation des installations 

Nos étudiantes et étudiants méritent d’avoir les meilleures installations possibles afin de leur permettre de mieux apprendre. C’est pourquoi nous agrandissons, rénovons et modernisons nos collèges et universités, de telle sorte que ces lieux seront en mesure de soutenir la recherche à longue échéance et de combler les besoins pour acquérir des compétences en Ontario.
Parmi les investissements, on compte :

• 100 places additionnelles dans les écoles de médecine
• 7 installations de formation professionnelle dans les collèges
• 24 grands projets d’immobilisation dans les collèges et universités
• Renouvellement des installations dans les collèges et universités de l’ensemble de l’Ontario
• 49 projets en partenariat avec le gouvernement fédéral par l’intermédiaire du Programme d'infrastructure du savoir.

Dans la Zone à l'Université Ryerson

Des choses amusantes se produisent sur le campus du centre-ville de l’Université Ryerson de Toronto grâce aux idées et aux talents de certains des étudiants et des étudiantes les plus brillants de l’Ontario.

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Formation 

 

 

Le programme Deuxième carrière offre aux travailleuses et aux travailleurs mis à pied jusqu’à deux années de formation pour les aider à se trouver des emplois dans des secteurs florissants de l’économie.

Depuis juin 2008, Deuxième carrière a aidé plus de 55 000 employés mis à pied à se recycler. Plus de 92 % des clients de Deuxième carrière qui ont répondu à une enquête de suivi ont indiqué que cette formation professionnelle les avait aidés dans leur futur emploi.

Deuxième carrière, deuxième chance

Découvrez comment Dennis a transformé la perte de son emploi en une possibilité de progresser grâce au programme ontarien Deuxième carrière.

Entreprise d’été 

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Le programme Entreprise d'été fournit jusqu’à 3 000 $ et offre des séances de mentorat aux étudiantes et aux étudiants âgés de 15 à 29 ans afin de les aider à créer et à faire fonctionner leur propre entreprise.
En 2011, 695 entreprises d’été ont vu le jour, ce qui est un record, puisque cela dépassait les précédents records de 650 en 2010 et de 602 en 2009.
Depuis les débuts d’Entreprise d’été en 2001, les étudiantes et étudiants ont fondé plus de 4 000 entreprises dans une vaste gamme de secteurs, dont la conception graphique, l’aménagement paysager, la fabrication, le dessin de mode, la réparation d’ordinateur et les services alimentaires. Ils ont acquis et développé des aptitudes à l’entrepreneuriat qui les aideront à renforcer l’économie de l’Ontario.

Emplois d’été 

Cet été, nous avons aidé plus de 76 000 étudiantes et étudiants à se trouver des emplois et à avoir accès à des services. La stratégie Emplois d’été comprend des ressources ciblées pour les jeunes qui vivent dans des quartiers qui ont des besoins élevés.
Le site Web d'Emplois d'été aide les étudiantes et étudiants à :

• Trouver des listes d’emplois
• Rechercher un emploi par l’intermédiaire d’Emplois Ontario
• Obtenir l’aide nécessaire pour améliorer leur employabilité et la rédaction de leur curriculum vitae
• Postuler pour un emploi au sein du gouvernement de l'Ontario.

Les employeurs sont également encouragés à embaucher des étudiantes et des étudiants et à offrir des formations pratiques à l’intention de la main-d’œuvre de demain grâce à une incitationà l’embauche de 2 $ l'heure.
Les services et programmes d’emplois d’été de l’Ontario sont ouverts aux étudiantes et aux étudiants qui envisagent de reprendre leurs études l’automne prochain.

Que peut vous apporter un emploi d’été?

Tyrone Crawford, recrue de la NFL, parle de son emploi d’été avec Perspective Jeunesse à Border City Boxing de Windsor.

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Professionnels formés à l’étranger 

Depuis 2003, nous avons investi dans plus de 240 programmes de formation relais qui ont aidé plus de 50 000 nouveaux arrivants à obtenir la formation dont ils ont besoin pour trouver un emploi dans leur domaine.
Nous avons adopté la Loi de 2006 sur l’accès équitable aux professions réglementées et créé le Bureau du commissaire à l’équité pour assurer un processus juste et transparent d’inscription et d’immatriculation à 40 professions réglementées.
Expérience Globale Ontario est un centre unique d’information et de ressources qui a aidé jusqu’à maintenant près de 10 000 personnes formées à l’étranger.
Au cours de la présente année scolaire, l’Ontario a offert des Programmes de formation linguistique sans frais de scolarité qui permettront à plus de 120 000 nouveaux arrivants d’améliorer leurs capacités à parler anglais ou français.
Le financement pour soutenir le recyclage des diplômés internationaux en médecine a quintuplé depuis 2003, ce qui veut dire que, depuis 2010, il y a 1 277 diplômés internationaux en médecine de plus qui pratiquent en Ontario.

Saviez-vous que?
L’Ontario offre plus de postes en formation et d’évaluations à l’intention des diplômés en médecine de l’étranger que toutes les autres provinces combinées.

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Classroom Management

Dogs as Role Models: A Lesson in Classroom Management

August 17, 2012

Otis Credit: Richard Curwin

One of the questions I am most frequently asked is, "What do I do when several students act out at the same time?" Without resorting to S.W.A.T. gear, there are at least two methods that work almost all of the time. I learned them in a very unusual way.
About 20 years ago, I suffered a horrific event that resulted in a near-death experience. I acquired a trained therapy dog to help me deal with the panic attacks that followed. I took Otis everywhere with me -- 49 states (Hawaii was too complicated) and two countries. Some readers might remember meeting Otis during a training session.
After I stopped taking Otis with me, I'd bring him to his trainer's house when I traveled, a place where several other dogs stayed. Otis was so unhappy when I left that I snuck around to the back window to see how long it took him to adjust. (I did the same when I dropped my children off at day care, as I'm sure many of you have done.) After watching the interaction between the dogs, I was so fascinated that I started taking notes.
I'm not an expert on dog behavior, and I don't claim to be, but I began noticing certain patterns, specifically related to leadership. After a while it was obvious who the dog leader was. That dog ate first, went through the door first and had an effect on all the other dogs. Size, breed or toughness didn't seem to be factors in the dogs choosing the leader. It seemed as if some – the "alpha" dogs -- had a special "charisma" that the other dogs recognized.

Leader of the Pack

Soon I began to look at classrooms to see if students interacted the same as dogs in choosing and following a leader. While I have no scientific evidence and no formal research to back me up, I believe that there is a great similarity between dogs and students in this regard. After many years of working with teachers, I believe that the strategy I call "leader of the pack" works in most cases of multiple disruptions.
This strategy seems simple to explain in three steps, but in practice, it's much more complicated.

Step 1) Find the Classroom Leader

The first question relates to who the leaders are and how many there are. Just like dogs, student leaders aren't always the biggest, loudest or most visible. Oftentimes the most obvious source of trouble is not the real leader but rather someone who is egged on by someone else. In the classes I have observed, I've seen up to two leaders who sometimes vie for control. I've never seen three or more, because there is simply no room for more than two.
To find out who the real leaders are, compare the behavior and attitudes of the class once a suspected leader is absent. If the behavior changes, for better or (more typically) worse, that student is a leader. If the class behavior stays the same, then that student does not have a strong influence on the others. You don't need to wait for a random absenteeism. With an administrator's help, set up a situation to remove the students for at least a half hour, preferably even longer. Make it a positive removal, definitely not a punishment.

Step 2) Stop the Leader and the Others Will Follow

Once you discover who the real leader is, ask that student to help you keep the class under control. Say something like, "Juan, you are so respected in this class and other students trust you. I want them to learn. Can you help keep things cool in here?" If they are young enough, you can offer them deputy sheriff status. But never offer that to a high school student who will only think you're crazy! If the leader refuses, accept his or her decision gracefully, but then position yourself right next to the student and continue teaching the lesson. Your proximity will control the student and thus, most of the class.
When there are multiple disruptions, do not try to deal with the class as a whole. Most of the time, this only makes things worse, because you become the common enemy of the group. Deal with students one at a time, even if there is chaos around you. Start with the most influential students and work down. In most instances you will soon regain control.

Step 3) Create New Leaders

This strategy is a variation of the previous two. Divide the class into groups. Change the group membership each week. Chose a group leader, picking the natural leaders at first then giving all students a turn over time. The leader's responsibility is to help you keep his or her members quiet when necessary and in control if things get out of hand. When you set this strategy up, be sure to explain clearly and completely how the process will work to your class.
When necessary, tell the leaders to quiet their group or to stop disrupting. This way, you are not dealing with a whole class, but maybe five or six leaders, depending on class size.
These strategies will not always work, but they are effective most of the time. They give you an intermediate step before calling in the S.W.A.T. team.