British Columbia’s fourth-grade students rank among the world’s top readers at their grade level and had the highest average score in Canada, according to a new international report.

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Webcast sponsored by the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre and hosted by the Faculty of Education’s CREATE series. George Belliveau is Associate Professor at the UBC Department of Language and Literacy Education. He gave the Opening Keynote address, “Shakespeare and drama in the primary classroom” for the Drama New Zealand National Conference in April, as well as conducted workshops with elementary and secondary teachers on drama in the classroom. As a Visiting Professor at the University of Auckland for April 2011, he was invited to present a public lecture on “Research-based theatre.” In May, Belliveau presented “Research-based theatre: Shakespeare in the Elementary classroom,” an invited research presentation at the University of Melbourne.

You are cordially invited to re-imagine the role of libraries – specifically the Education Library, First Nations House of Learning Xwi7xwa Library, and more broadly, school libraries will be examined.

The re-imagined teacher education program has inspired revision in the role Education librarians play to respectfully and meaningfully integrate First Nations history, content, and world-views; commit to inquiry and research oriented education; and emphasize diversity and social and ecological justice. Our libraries can support teacher candidates as they acquire theoretical understandings for teaching and apply those theories in their practice. We bring teacher candidates and ideas together in library spaces that offer unique learning environments, where inquiry, collaboration, the role of Indigenous Knowledge, relationships and ways of knowing are celebrated. This session will be interactive: we present our re-imagined roles and seek feedback and ideas to further ensure our relevance for faculty and teacher candidates.

Presented by:

Sarah Dupont
Aboriginal Engagement Librarian, First Nations House of Learning—Xwi7xwa Library

 Jo-Anne Naslund

Instructional Programs Librarian, Education Library

Danielle Winn
Reference and Instruction Librarian, Education Library

Scarfe Building, Education Library Room 155, 12:30pm

The conference program features a range of sessions that will interest teacher-librarians and educators from all levels, and anyone interested in improving their teaching skills in literacy (e.g. visual, critical, etc.), research, and technology.  Please contact Heather Daly if you have questions: hdaly@sd43.bc.ca or 604-937-6380.

Keynotes include: Dr. David Loertscher, San José State University School of Library & Information Science and Chris Kennedy, CEO / Superintendent of Schools, School District #45 West Vancouver.  Featured speakers include: Dr. Joanne de Groot, Dr. Ann Ewbank, Adrienne Gear, Judith Comfort, and over thirty other amazing educators.

October 18 and 19

Riverside Secondary School, Port Coquitlam

Detailed program information and registration is now available here.

~text from the BCTLA Coquitlam 2012 Website

Open Education has come of age. The tiny movement that began in the late 1990s as a desire to increase access to educational opportunity has blossomed into requirements in national grant programs, key strategies in state legislatures and offices of education, content sharing initiatives at hundreds of universities and high schools, and a wide range of innovation and entrepreneurship in both the commercial and nonprofit sectors.

For over a decade the focus of the open education community has been on open educational resources. As we celebrate the success of that work the Open Education 2012 Conference will also lay out a road map for the next decade where open education moves beyond content.

OpenEd12, the ninth annual Open Education Conference, will frame the conversation about the future of open education. Come be part of the discussion – we need your energy, brains, passion, and dedication!

Join us for the “annual reunion of the open education family,” spanning three stimulating days in Vancouver, BC, October 16-18.

~from the Open Education: Beyond Content Website. Further information and registration here. 

The theme of International Literacy Day 2012 is Literacy and Peace. This theme was adopted by the United Nations Literacy Decade (UNLD) to demonstrate the multiple uses and value that literacy brings to people.  For over 40 years now, UNESCO has been celebrating International Literacy Day by reminding the international community that literacy is a human right and the foundation of all learning. 

~text from the UNESCO Website

More on United Nations International Literacy Day: Literacy and Peace here.

The B.C. Ministry of Education plans to overhaul the Kindergarten to Grade 12 curriculum, with a focus on thinking, ideas, and concepts over facts.  See BC’s Curriculum Transformation discussion paper here. 

Full Vancouver Sun article here. 

By Janet Steffenhagen, Vancouver Sun September 4, 2012

© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

September marks Life Literacy Month – a month to celebrate literacy and lifelong learning. Did you know that nearly nine million adult Canadians struggle with low literacy? Get involved this month, increase your own literacy skills, and encourage everyone to get the skills they need to live a fully engaged life. Don’t forget to also look out for learner stories throughout the month, and be inspired by how literacy impacts lives.

~text from ABC Life Literacy Canada website

“B.C. Education Minister wants new focus on reading: One-third of students aren’t meeting expectations.  Reading in the early grades will be the top priority for the next school year in B.C. because one in three children still struggle with literacy.”

~ quoted text, full Vancouver Sun article here.

By Janet Steffenhagen, Vancouver Sun July 25, 2012

Ministry of Education’s A New Focus on Reading document here.

© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

Children’s Literature in the Classroom: Engaging Lifelong Readers

“Many reading programs today overlook an essential component of literacy instruction—helping children develop an enduring love of reading. This authoritative and accessible guide provides a wealth of ideas for incorporating high-quality children’s books of all kinds into K-6 classrooms. “

~from the Publisher’s website

Author profile here.

UBC Library Holdings Information here.