Topics

Perspectives on the sesquicentennial

Can 50 years really have elapsed since Canadians celebrated the 100th anniversary of Confederation? Those of us who were around then remember well Expo 67 and Bobby Gimby’s Canada song, as well as school projects and community events geared to the centennial. Canada’s sesquicentennial provides us with many opportunities to reflect on the past, celebrate accomplishments, confront injustices and oppression, and take action towards a better future for all Canadians. Published with upper elementary and middle years students in mind,... +Read More

Addressing barriers to equity

The November 2016 issue of Educational Leadership, on the theme of disrupting inequity, gives a powerful overview of the many barriers that can create opportunity gaps for students. Feature articles such as Unconscious Bias: When Good Intentions Aren’t Enough, by Sarah
E. Fiarman, Let’s Talk About Racism in Schools, by
Rick Wormeli, Gender Insights Coming to Your Classroom, by David Sadker and Melissa Koch, and The Schools Transgender Students Need, by Ellen Kahn, provide strategies that educators can use to foster equity... +Read More

Innovation in the classroom

One need only read the articles in this publication, scan ThisIsTheClassroom.ca or tune in to any variety of media to see the countless ways that educators are innovators in their classrooms and schools. Their purpose is to improve learning for the students they teach by finding ways to engage them, build their critical and creative thinking abilities and foster innovative mindsets. A recent inspirational example is that of Aaron Warner, a teacher at Douglas Park School in Regina, who has... +Read More

Panelists talk about transformational change

Since the phrase transformational change became a recurring part of the PreK-12 education lexicon in Saskatchewan following this summer’s provincial budget, the invariable result has been confusion for teachers who remain unclear, to say nothing of apprehensive. At a panel,… +Read More

Principals are key in establishing collaborative cultures

Much has been written about the value and benefit of collaborative cultures in schools today. Over the past several years education experts around the world have offered numerous examples of turn-around schools, revitalized professional cultures and increased and sustained student… +Read More

Professional development as it should be

Let’s just clear this up right from the start – this isn’t meant to be some sort of essay about how I spent my summer months since that would be self-indulgent and arguably perhaps boring to those who might spend a few minutes perusing this space. Rather, it is my intention to share just a few moments of observation culled from the myriad of professional growth opportunities offered for teachers here at the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation building. Even though I... +Read More