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WHAT'S NEW - AUGUST 2004
CHANGING EXPECTATIONS OF TEACHERS IN TODAY'S SOCIETY
Welcome to the website for the Council on Alberta Teaching Standards (COATS).
This area of the website changes monthly.
The theme for this month will be of interest to teachers, administrators, and parents who are exploring issues related to changing expectations of teachers in today's society.
Although it is difficult to predict the future with accuracy, it is sometimes useful to imagine that circumstances can indeed change and to extrapolate from current trends.
The section below identifies web links related to possible elements of the future for teachers.
We hope that you find this website to be a valuable resource and an occasion for reflection. For quick reference bookmark http://www.teachingquality.ab.ca today!
WEBSITES RELATED TO CHANGING EXPECTATIONS OF TEACHERS IN TODAY'S SOCIETY
Aboriginal Education for Winnipeg's Future. 2003
Silver, J., & Kathy Mallett, K.
http://www.policyalternatives.ca/manitoba/fastfactsjan2303.html
This online article originating in Winnipeg points to the importance of Aboriginal education for Canada's future. According to the most recent statistics, Winnipeg has the largest urban concentration of Aboriginals in Canada and given the youth of this population, Aboriginal education will clearly be a priority in the years ahead. This article reports the results of some interviews conducted in Winnipeg regarding Aboriginals' experiences with schools. The findings reveal a need to change schools to meet Aboriginal needs, a desire for more Aboriginal teachers and the need of development of an Aboriginal curriculum. For those who are farsighted, there are opportunities to develop the Aboriginal component of multiculturalism. Jim Silver is a Professor of Politics at the University of Winnipeg. Kathy Mallett is a longtime activist in the Aboriginal community and a former Winnipeg School Division Trustee.
Alberta's International Education Strategy
© 2004 Government of Alberta
http://www.education.gov.ab.ca/IntlEd/
International educational initiatives from Alberta are anticipated to grow in importance in the years ahead. This announcement from Alberta Learning presents the educational resources of the province with a distinctly international flair. The approach represents a response to trends of globalization within education. Alberta citizens need to be prepared economically and culturally for the changes associated with globalization. Without a doubt, Alberta's excellent educational services are a drawing card in the recruitment of foreign students.
Canadian Teachers Attend Summer School at the Canadian Space Agency. 2003
Canadian Space Agency
Apogee
http://www.space.gc.ca/asc/eng/apogee/2003/09_teacher.asp
http://www.space.gc.ca/asc/eng/media/press_room/news_releases/2003/030815.asp
This electronic newsletter Apogee contains clues to the excitement of the future-all genuinely gathered from outer space. More than 100 teachers recently attended a summer conference sponsored by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) in St. Hubert, Quebec. The themes of the 25 hands-on workshops ranged over topics such as robotics and astronomy to planetary exploration and satellite communications. With the continuing exploration of outer space, space technologies are likely to have a growing influence on society. This web page will be of particular interest to science and technology teachers.
Changing Expectations for Schools and Teachers
North Battleford Comprehensive High School
North Battleford, SK
http://lox.nbchs.north-battleford.sk.ca/~Thompson/psychcontract/sld007.htm
What kinds of expectations might the future hold for teachers? This research report in PowerPoint begins with the observation that family life is changing the responsibilities of teachers in secondary schools. The psychological contract, a tacit understanding about the balance of parent and teacher responsibilities within the school setting, is going through change. Based on a small number of interviews, the researchers present their findings related to this topic. To some interviewees, it appears that schools are being asked to assume more responsibility. Suggestions are advanced regarding how teachers can better cope with the increased demands. Teacher professionalism is identified as a key element in teachers' coming to terms with the changing expectations.
Education in Canada: Raising the Standard. 2003
Statistics Canada
http://www.statcan.ca:8096/bsolc/english/bsolc?catno=96F0030X2001012
One way of preparing for the future is to examine descriptions of population trends. Many of the people who will want to be educated in Canada in the decades ahead are already alive, resident and identifiable as members of a group. Within such a perspective, this Statistics Canada catalogue, released in 2003, offers useful demographic information regarding various segments of the Canadian population. The information will be available online in a series of articles. On the basis of data from the 2001 Census, this document assures Canadians that education is still very much a priority concern. The data also show that the Canadian population has risen progressively with regard to the level of educational attainment.
Education in the Twenty-first Century.
Book Review of Edward P. Lazear (ed.) (2002).
Stanford, CA: Hoover Institution Press.
By Crichton, S.
University of Calgary
Calgary, AB
http://edrev.asu.edu/reviews/rev216.htm
This book review by Susan Crichton highlights prominent themes in a set of essays describing the future of education in North America. Many of the essays deal with educational reform and public policy regarding education. Many of the essays advance sound economic and human resources rationales for investing in education. Although the essays are most immediately concerned with the American situation, the reviewer remarks that they have relevance to other settings. Lazear is keenly aware that at present education is not meeting the needs of many students. Overall, the book comes highly recommended with few reservations. Susan Crichton is an Assistant Professor in the Education Faculty at the University of Calgary and has taught in Canada, the United States and Australia.
Exploring a National Framework for Education.
© 2004 Canadian Educational Association
http://www.cea-ace.ca/dia.cfm?subsection=cef&page=dec-03
What does the future hold for education in Canada? This online article, part of a discussion forum, explores a recurrent question for Canadian educators: What reasons are there at this time to establish a national framework for education? Provincial jurisdictions in education are, of course, carefully guarded in the Canadian constitution, but recent trends toward globalization have breathed new life into the familiar arguments pro and con, giving new prominence to the prospects of a federal role in education. Do Canadian educators indeed have a shared national sense of mission? The article suggests how a national framework for education might be established.
Changing Times, Changing Needs, and Developing Strategies.
© 2004 by Phi Delta Kappa International, Inc.
http://www.pdkintl.org/pdkconf04/friday.htm
Phi Delta Kappa International is sponsoring a conference for the fall of 2004 entitled, "Changing Times, Changing Needs, and Developing Strategies." Major themes of this conference will include preparing for the future of education, teamwork in schools, and combining a passion for learning with accountability. The conference themes are intended to reflect an international perspective. Professor Fenwick English has been chosen as the keynote speaker for the occasion.
Investing in Language Learning Now and for the Future
© 2004 Government of Alberta
http://www.education.gov.ab.ca/news/2004/June/nr-LanguageScholarships.asp
This announcement from Alberta Learning of second language scholarships and bursaries for Alberta teachers heralds future developments in Alberta. In the future, greater numbers of teachers will be involved in second-language instruction as all Alberta students, from Grade 4 to 9, will have the opportunity to learn a second language. This language learning initiative is indicative of Alberta's increasing awareness that its people are part of a global society. The bursaries offered under this initiative permit the possibility of teachers' studying in a foreign country. Information is available on how to apply for funds dedicated to second-language learning.
Ten Educational Trends Shaping School Planning and Design. 2001
Stevenson, K. S.
© 2002 by the National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities
Washington, DC
http://www.edfacilities.org/pubs/trends.html
For the architects who plan how the schools of the future will be constructed, it is important to imagine which trends will be operative in the schools of tomorrow. This website scans the educational environment and presents a checklist of 10 trends against which to compare one's own predictions about the future shape of school facilities. The trends take in controversial assumptions, for example, that small neighborhood schools will become more acceptable. The website contains a useful section with comments on how awareness of such trends can be of assistance in school planning. References are included. This website will be of particular value to those school administrators interested in planning the school facilities of the future.
Teaching, Learning, and Schools for the Future.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
© 2004 OECD
http://www.oecd.org/department/0,2688,en_2649_34521_1_1_1_1_1,00.html
As the world grows together under the press of globalization, it becomes important to develop an international perspective on educational developments. This OECD website draws attention to a conference recently held in Toronto concerning "Schooling for Tomorrow." The website provides access to a variety of OECD papers presented at the Toronto conference, including, for example, a paper on the role of technology in schools of the future, and another on schooling scenarios-possible futures. In addition, the website offers a link to a paper on what the OECD considers an issue of concern internationally, namely, the quality of teachers.
Untangling the Web: The Internet and Schools
Weier. R.W.
© Copyright Orbit Magazine
http://www.oise.utoronto.ca/orbit/core4_technology.html
Subtitled, "The Net Generation," this online article is a sample edition of Orbit Magazine, the University of Toronto's magazine for schools. This article deals with how the law and freedom of expression for students might collide with technology in the decade ahead. The article brings to the fore how the Internet enhances freedom of expression, even of unpopular views. Students' access to the Internet has increased rapidly in the past years. Will teachers be able to discipline students for the opinions that they express, even when the material is disruptive or offensive to the school? Weier notes selected precedents from other parts of North America to alert teachers to the challenges ahead. In short, the author counsels that this new sphere provides scope for teachers to act prudently and with common sense.
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