Education Library Blog

Stay up to date on news, events and special features.

A two-tier system? As lectures grow, special classes emerge for the academically-inclined

Schools, both east and west, are setting aside boutique programs, small seminars for keen students, and other perks for those who have proven they’re especially academically inclined. McMaster University’s hotly contested Integrated Science (iSci) program has small classes specifically for students with extremely high marks in high school math and science courses and who have proven, by way of special application, that they’re especially interested in research. There are other perks to iSci, too, including a state-of-the-art interactive classroom and dedicated study areas where students can interact with other advanced students, rather than wasting time wandering through crowded libraries and coffee shops looking for seats.

The University of Calgary offers students with marks above 95 per cent in at least two high school courses a different set of perks: bookstore discounts, early course selection and one-on-one mentoring. Alison Fyfe, from Cochrane, Alta. (90-plus average), hadn’t even written her first mid-term, but the engineering student, who plans to go to medical school, had already formed plans to help with her mentor’s robotic surgery research.

To be clear, proponents of these programs and courses aren’t calling them elite. But there’s a common theme. Schools are creating oases for the academically inclined among an increasingly skills-obsessed student body, whether intentionally or through natural selection like at Guelph. Another thing is clear, too. They work. Research from Guelph shows that students who take First-Year Seminars get much better marks by their fourth year, even when self-selection bias is taken into account.  But to really understand the benefits, just look at Helferty’s class. Tucked away inside the office wing of the ’60s-built MacKinnon building, she sits around a heavy wooden table with nine others (yes, nine) waiting for Gender, Sex and Sexuality to start. “Does anyone have Jaz’s number so we can text her?” asks Murray, who’s sitting right there beside them—the class doesn’t even start until all nine students are seated. In the worst of Helferty’s big lectures, students play on BlackBerry Messenger while someone drones on at the front of the room. It’s easy to drift off. In this seminar, students wouldn’t dare pick up their smartphones because they’re too busy working, thinking, asking questions. More, they have a top researcher there to prod them and assess their individual progress each week.

Benedikt Hallgrimsson, senior associate dean, education, in the faculty of medicine at the University of Calgary, sees entire programs for high achievers, including his own school’s bachelor of health sciences, as one part of the solution to better education. He says it isn’t elitist to suggest that Canadian universities carve out more programs for such students, because the sooner we admit that most students aren’t suited to research-based degrees, the sooner we will offer them a university-hosted curriculum that serves them equally well. “Universities are no longer the place where the academic elite go,” says Hallgrimsson. “They’re not quite an extension of high school, but an extension of general education. We’re still trying to expand the old models to fit the needs of all students and it’s clearly not working.”

The new model Hallgrimsson proposes includes two streams. The general university stream would teach the cultural literacy and technical skills needed to adapt to the knowledge economy. The other stream, “boutique” research-intensive programs, would offer more contact with professors and more academic work. Those students would be chosen in part by marks and in part by interviews, a step he’s hoping to take next year. There are two big caveats to his plan. First, to ensure fairness, students who show promise for academic research in their first year should be able to switch into the boutique stream. Second, the general stream also needs to be of high quality, even if it inevitably involves big classes.

James Côté, who literally wrote the book on student disengagement and the quality crisis, takes an even bolder approach. He says that many students shouldn’t come to university at all, but, instead, be streamed into vocational trades, diplomas and four-year applied degrees that match their interests and abilities better than research degrees. In order to do so, he agrees with Hallgrimsson that we need a culture change, that non-academic skills need to be highly prized in our society, like university degrees.

Click here to read the entire article, written by Josh Dehaas.

THIS JUST IN: New Book @ Education ->Classroom Management, Grades 3-8: 24 Strategies Every Teacher Needs to Know

 

A former classroom teacher, principal, and superintendent, David Adamson offers his most effective and easy-to-use strategies for organizing and managing classrooms that support students’ learning and achievement. Written with both new and experienced teachers in mind, this classroom-tested approach helps teachers prevent behavior problems and effectively intervene when they do occur. Adamson shows teachers how to focus and maintain their students’ attention, maximize instructional time, increase student participation, set clear expectations for classroom rules and procedures, encourage a respectful learning environment, and more. For use with Grades 3–8. (via Google Books)

Link to item in our catalogue

$353 million to build 9 new schools and 4 school additions

British Columbia will spend $353 million to build six elementary schools, one middle school, two secondary schools and four school additions while also purchasing six new school sites, Premier Christy Clark announced today.

Surrey, the province’s fastest-growing school district, will get two new elementary schools, in South Newton and East Clayton, and additions at Fraser Heights and Panorama Ridge secondary schools. The province is also purchasing four school sites for future construction in the Clayton and Grandview Heights neighbourhoods.

Vancouver, the second largest district, will get one new elementary school in the International Village near False Creek.

The province also announced a new elementary school and a middle school for Langley’s Willoughby neighbourhood and an addition for Richmond’s Henry Anderson elementary school. Central Okanagan school district will get one new elementary school in West Kelowna and an addition for Okanagan Mission secondary; Sooke gets money for a new school to replace Belmont secondary and a new Royal Bay school while the Conseil Scolaire Francophone has approval to build a new school near False Creek.

Patti Bacchus, Vancouver’s chairwoman, described the news as terrific, saying a new International Village school has been the district’s No. 1 priority since 2009. The new school is expected to ease enrolment pressures at Elsie Roy elementary.

Clark said the capital plan responds to pressures in some parts of the province. “There are school districts in our province that have experienced tremendous student enrolment growth in recent years and are in need of funds to expand current schools or build new ones,” she stated. “This investment will also create more jobs, which is great news for B.C. families.”

Overall, enrolment in B.C. public schools has been declining for years. But student numbers in Surrey rose by eight per cent between 2007 and 2011, and the district has had to accommodate students in 255 portable classrooms.

Click here to read the complete Vancouver Sun article.

B.C. announces plans to modernize education system

British Columbia is promising more choice for students, speedier assistance for those who struggle and policies that allow them to bring smartphones, tablets and other electronic devices into the classroom to help with their learning.

A reform plan announced Friday by Education Minister George Abbott would also promote personalized learning, critical thinking and quality teaching, with regular teacher evaluations and a new-teacher mentorship program, although details have yet to be worked out with the B.C. Teachers’ Federation (BCTF).

“The world has changed and continues to change,” Abbott told student leaders from around the province during a meeting of BC Student Voice in Richmond. “To keep pace, we need to shift the way we look at teaching and learning.”

Abbott has been discussing the plan with education partner groups for many months but this was the first time details were made public. It’s not clear when changes will take effect because the government is seeking feedback from students, parents, teachers and others through a newly created website (www.bcedplan.ca) before proceeding.

A final draft is expected by spring, but Abbott gave no dates for implementation.

To read the entire Vancouver Sun article, click here

Event: Celebrate Learning Week — Celebrate School Libraries

Our annual School Library Day Colloquium hosted by the UBC Education Library and School of Library Archival and Information Studies will be held on Wednesday, November 2 at 4:30PM. 

Speaker: Mike Eisenberg, Professor and Dean Emeritus, The Information School, University of Washington

Topic: Project Information Literacy: What College Students Say about Conducting Research in the Digital Age

Time/Location: Wednesday November 2, 4:30-6:00PM, Dodson Room, IK Barber Learning Centre, UBC campus

Abstract: Project Information Literacy (PIL) is ongoing research project, based in the University of Washington’s Information School. The project seeks to understand how early adults conceptualize and operationalize research activities for course work and “everyday life” use and especially how they resolve issues of credibility, authority, relevance, and currency in the digital age. Research in 2009-2010 collected data from over 10,000 students. Most recently, PIL studied how 560 college students managed technology and multitasked while they were in the library during “crunch time” (the final weeks of the term). Prof. Eisenberg will discuss the findings and implications of PIL research–for higher education but also for information work across settings and contexts.

Speaker Bio: Mike Eisenberg is the “founding dean” of the Information School at the University of Washington, serving from 1998 to 2006. His current work focuses on information literacy, information problem-solving in virtual environments (funded by the MacArthur Foundation), and information science education K-20.  His “Big6 approach to information problem-solving” is the most widely used information literacy program in the world. Mike is a prolific author (9 books and dozens of articles and papers) and has worked with thousands of students-pre-K through higher education-as well as people in business, government, and communities to improve their information and technology skills.

SLAIS Colloquia are free and open to the public. These talks are recorded and broadcast through the generous support of the IK Barber Learning Centre.