Education Library Blog

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

Jump Math changed my life: Vancouver teacher says

The Jump Math program, which is available for free online, is getting rave reviews from teachers and researchers.

Vancouver teacher Elisha Bonnis says it changed her life. After years of  being told she was just one of those people who doesn’t get math she recently completed a master’s degree in math education.

Click here to read the Vancouver Sun article

Education Minister speaks out

Education Minister George Abbott’s back to school message to parents was “We’re starting the year under a cloud. While I am disappointed at the timing, the BCTF president has assured me the pending job action won’t affect student learning and that teachers will continue to focus on students in the classroom.”

Click here to read the Vancouver Sun article

Twitter in the classroom

While still mocked in some quarters, the social networking service Twitter is gaining respect among B.C. educators and has even wormed its way into a few classrooms.Teachers who experimented with classroom tweeting during the last school year say it encourages concise writing because tweets are limited to 140 characters and opens a new channel for discussions, especially for students who are too shy to speak in class.

This Vancouver Sun article features opinions from teachers who have used Twitter to improve student learning outcomes.

B.C. Teachers confirm job action to begin on 6 September

British Columbia’s teachers have confirmed they’ll be going on limited job action when classes resume next week.Students and teachers alike will head back to school on Sept. 6, but teachers will do so under what they’re calling “Phase 1” of job action, which will eliminate day-to-day administrative duties typically handled by teachers.The 72-hour strike notice came as no surprise after six months of failed negotiations between the B.C. Teachers’ Federation (BCTF), and the B.C. Public School Employers’ Association (BCPSEA), left the province’s teachers without a contract.

Click here to read the full article, published in the Vancouver Sun.

Study finds full-day Kindergarten a success

According to a new study, the introduction of full-day kindergarten in half of B.C. elementary schools last year was a remarkable success.

Click here to read the full post, on Janet Steffenhagen’s blog.