On October 25, 2012 the BBC News posted an interesting short article where a screening test for stuttering can predict those who will still stutter as teens. 

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

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“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.

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See the latest news update on the B.C. School Trustees’ Association Annual General Meeting and teacher bargaining in British Columbia.

Full article here: The Report Card by Janet Steffenhagen, April 30, 2012. 9:44 am

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Adolescent Literacy in the Academic Disciplines: General Principles and Practical Strategies  (New York: Guilford Press, © 2012)

Edited by Tamara L. Jetton and Cynthia Shanahan

Guilford Press Publisher’s description and review here.

UBC Library Holdings Information here.

Is Our Education System Headed for Success or Failure?

Review the Vancouver Sun’s Education Blog The Report Card for today’s forum of the future of education in British Columbia.

The forum is free: register here.

Guest speakers: 

• Charles Ungerleider, former Deputy Education Minister and University of B.C. education professor
• Paul Shaker, former Education Dean and Professor Emeritus at Simon Fraser University

School Effectiveness and Improvement Research, Policy and Practice: Challenging the Orthodoxy?

Publisher: Taylor and Francis, 2012-01-23.     312 pages

Publisher and Author information here.

UBC Library Holdings Information here.

It is easy to talk about what could be, what should be and what other people could do.  Instead, I would like to share what I have done, and what we are trying to do, as we engage in and embrace this learning evolution.

I began my career trying to emulate the teachers I remembered most, and through the stories I remembered from my school experiences.  The teacher was mixing content, stories and weaving a narrative. While hardly an actor, there was something about the performance of teaching I really did enjoy. I would organize the desks in a circle, and while this was great for students to engage with each other, it also gave me centre stage.  I was very focussed on the lesson plan and activities in the classroom.  I saw myself as the expert, and it was up to me and the textbook to help students understand the content. Now, here is a true confession — I loved being the ‘sage on the stage’. In my Social Studies and English classes I would often retell the stories my memorable teachers had told me.

As I became more comfortable, I tried to allow students more of an opportunity to tell their stories.  I worked to create situations where students could simulate the real world.  In History class this might have been a United Nations role-play lesson, or reviewing a series of case studies in Law class. Students loved the examples drawn from the “real world”.  In Law, we would study cases making headlines in the news, and other Social Studies’ classes leant themselves ideally to current events.  I loved the relevance that came from these lessons, as well as the engagement.  Combining my lectures with hands-on activities, like putting Louis Riel on trial, led to an even richer teaching and learning experience.

Read Chris Kennedy’s article here.

By Chris Kennedy, February 22, 2012 The cultureofyes Blog

VANCOUVER SUN MARCH 13, 2012

The University of B.C. says it might use Grade 11 transcripts this year in assessing B.C. applicants who do not have a Grade 12 report card due to teacher job action.

But it’s reassuring students who didn’t do as well last year as this year that Grade 11 marks will not replace Grade 12 marks.

“No student will be disadvantaged by the use of Grade 11 grades,” Andrew Arida, director of undergraduate admissions, said in an interview. “If the substitution of Grade 11 grades works and gets you in, great. If it doesn’t we will not make a final decision on you until we see your full Grade 12 grades in May so there is no detrimental effect of this change in policy – if it’s approved.”

The UBC Senate is expected to decide Wednesday whether the university should accept students based on Grade 11 marks. A similar decision will be made for the UBC Okanagan campus.

As a result of job action, B.C. teachers have not written report cards this year. Their union, the B.C. Teachers’ Federation (BCTF), says students who need marks for post-secondary or scholarship applications need only ask for them.

Read The Vancouver Sun full article here.

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The Vancouver Sun

January 16, 2012. 5:47 pm • Section: Report Card, STAFF

The B.C. government has appointed Dianne Flood as acting commissioner for teacher regulation until a permanent commissioner can be found.

Flood will handle reports about teacher conduct and competence and will decide whether to order investigations.

The Education Ministry announced the appointment Monday, saying Flood has extensive experience in administrative law. She was an executive director in the Attorney General’s Ministry and a former chair of the Property Assessment Appeal Board. She has also served as an assistant deputy minister with the Manitoba government and vice-chairwoman of Manitoba’s Municipal Board.

The commissioner will play a key role in the new teacher regulation branch, which replaced the B.C. College of Teachers this month. It’s responsible for regulating 67,000 B.C. educators who work in public, independent and First Nations schools.

While on the topic of appointments, I need to correct an earlier post that said Theo Vandeweg is B.C.’s  new independent schools inspector. In fact, he has been acting inspector since the unexplained departure of Ed Vanderboom. The competition for the full-time position closed Dec. 20, and the ministry said it’s received applications from a number of very qualified people.

Including one from Vandeweg, my sources say.

By Janet Steffenhagen, Vancouver Sun 

jsteffenhagen@vancouversun.com

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