"I never thought I would be a private school mom." So says the Vancouver mother of two, Tracey Axelsson, a public school supporter with her son enrolled in their neighbourhood school and her daughter now established in a private school. But a few years ago, when Tracey's daughter Helen was in grade five at their local public school, Helen was tentatively diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Read about her daughter's story, transcribed here from Tracey's CBC Radio interview and edited for clarity:

"She was being yelled at, you know? The teachers are overwrought, they have 28 or more kids in the classroom and they cannot possibly be on top of everybody at all times and making them do what they need and, you know, I heard later on at the end of grade five that she’s being yelled at, and that’s not on. There was not enough support for a student with her energy level and the contributions she could make."

That's when the Axelsson family decided to enrol their daughter in private school instead, which is when things started to improve with smaller class sizes, one-on-one tutoring, and greater teacher supervision.

"Of course that's $7200 [per year] we didn’t have to put on other things, but I’m really frugal, and certainly I’m a mom; I go without for myself [sic] to let my daughter or son have what they need."

Lindsay Kilum is another B.C. mother with a son enrolled in private school in the sixth grade. Her family also made the switch from the public education system to the private sector, and her son's education has improved ever since. For Lindsay's son, being the youngest in a multiple-grades classroom was creating a barrier to his development:
"So for him, I think academically it made him a bit self conscious because he’s evaluating himself all the time against these kids who are a lot older and ready to take on more challenges than he is... when you're sensitive you're just aware of that all the time and that difference and comparing to other kids, and I think overtime that affects kids' self-esteem."
Lindsay also cites smaller classroom sizes as the major impetus behind her decision to make the switch and enrol her son in private school, because all the other schools had classrooms that were wither two large, already full, or had too many grades assigned to one teacher.
While my above transcripts of CBC Radio serve as anecdotal evidence, there is plenty of empirical data to suggest that small class sizes benefit private school students by providing a more inclusive learning environment, greater teacher supervision, as well as more opportunities for children to receive help from their teachers.


Have a wonderful week everyone!
Carrie Nelson
12/9/2016
Source:
Vivian Luck. 6 September 2016, "Why two B.C. parents enrolled their kids in private school", CBC Radio: On The Coast, Episode 300261495 http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2694613049/
Last week Ontario’s Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) revealed this year's disappointing test results: half of grade 6 students failed to meet the provincial math standard. This news comes after a five-year trend in declining math performance. Reasons for this development range from criticizing elementary public school teachers for their own personal lack of understanding on the subject, to students' plummeting confidence about their ability to master math. EQAO results for the last five years also reveal that students falling behind in math in grade 3 only have a 13% chance of catching up by grade 6, indicating that students who fall behind in math continue lagging behind their fellow classmates.

Paul Wells from Star Touch, The Star, argues for two things to solve this looming crisis: educate public school teachers on up-to-date global techniques and concepts for teaching math effectively, and provide more practice time with one-on-one instruction for students to fail enough times in class before exams so that they have time to learn from their mistakes. Becoming proficient at math should be considered as learning new skills; it is not something that can be learned by rote memorization and passively staring at the board for an hour of lecturing. Teachers need to break down concepts into their many parts and explain them all individually. Because as soon as a student fails to understand one concept, they are at risk of misunderstanding the entire unit. Math lessons build upon each other, and without a strong understanding of earlier lessons, a student's foundation will crumble in the higher grades.  

It is times like these that make one realize how important private IB schools are. Because of the small class sizes and international, standardized curriculum, IB teachers are not struggling to help students like public school teachers are. Thanks to small class sizes, they have the time to implement the above techniques to help students succeed, and many private schools have a "no child left behind" policy, like at St. Jude's Academy. Their internationally successful IB program with fine-tuned teaching methods has already "solved the issue" while public administrators are still arguing over how to solve math innumeracy in the province (pun intended). If you are interesting in reading more on this topic, please check out Melissa Chin's post.

To all my readers, have yourselves a fantastic week!

Carrie Nelson
6/9/16

Sources:

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2016/08/31/half-of-ontario-grade-6-students-fail-to-meet-provincial-math-standard.html
http://startouch.thestar.com/screens/6795978c-e878-4ff6-b8cf-e4d070772994%7C_0.html
http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/low-math-scores-dont-add-up-heres-what-the-experts-say-needs-to-be-done

Mississauga private schools

Parents considering which Mississauga private school they should enrol their child in may consider their task to be quite daunting. However, with the aid of a few important research questions and pointers, it becomes much easier to narrow down your choices for choosing the best school for your family.

Firstly, once you have a potential private school in mind, it is recommended to analyze their online presence and resources. Does the private school have a credible website? How transparent are they about their program? What kind of information do they provide (i.e. do they provide access to their teachers' profiles)? Is it easy to schedule a campus tour with the school? These attributes will reveal just how invested a private school is with communicating openly with families.

After this rudimentary background research, there a number of key questions you can ask the administration on a school tour:

1. What is the private school's mission statement?
2. What is their affiliation?
3. What is the average classroom size?
4. Which universities does their graduating class get accepted into?
5. What policies are in place to help struggling students, or those with special accommodation needs?
6. What learning methods are used in the curriculum (i.e. concept-based learning or inquiry-based learning)?
7. How does the school promote an education for the "whole child" or well-rounded individual?

Selecting a private school is an important task, the outcome for which usually decides a child's education future. These questions will help you in your journey to select the best Mississauga private school for your child. Good luck!

Mississauga Peel private schools

For better or for worse, summer vacation is winding down and soon families will no longer be able to ignore those back-to-school ads on television. However, there are a few tips and tricks to get children excited for the upcoming school season, and St. Jude's Academy has a number of key events to attend this month in preparation for the return to school!

1. Back-to-school shopping. Children love to receive gifts, so take your kids shopping with you and allow them to pick out their own pencils, erasers, and backpacks. This will help them get excited for the upcoming school season by allowing them to pick customized supplies instead of getting regular business office supplies.

2. Organize a play-date with a fellow student. It may have been difficult for your child to spend time with their school friends during the summer, especially when everyone has different vacation schedules and activities. Arrange for a play-date before the official start of school, so the children can get excited about seeing each other every day in the classroom!

3. Sign your child up for extracurricular activities at the private school. Perhaps your family's schedule may have prevented you from signing up for sports this summer, but with the return to school comes the return of extracurricular activities! Encourage your child to participate in a sports team at your Mississauga private school, or even a lunchtime club. The key is to try to find a positive effect of having to return to school in September.

Starting this Monday August 29, St. Jude's Academy is hosting several orientation nights for various grades. This is a great way for SJA families, both new and returning, to hear important news and updates for the coming private school year.  Families will also have a chance to meet with their child's teacher, and view their child's classroom.

And if you missed out this year, don't forget for next summer that St. Jude's Academy organizes and hosts an 8-week long camp for children in the summer! Each weekday is filled with fun activities like games, crafts, sports, and baking, and special events are planned for the children to embark on, like outings to parks. To learn more, click here.

Mississauga private schools

Ontario's kindergarten classes are still overcrowded after the province instituted all-day kindergarten in 2014. In addition to the new play-based learning model that was implemented, elementary school teachers report an inability to effectively follow the new program of allowing children to move around the classroom freely and participate in low-key "playful" learning activities. This new administrative attitude to learning was expected to result in meaningful childhood development by reducing the time young children spend chained to a desk. However, due to the vastly overcrowded classrooms, kindergarten teachers are struggling to adhere to this new learning model which has great potential. With an inflated child-to-teacher ratio, public school teachers are worried that full-day kindergarten is de-evolving into an unmanageable and chaotic classroom experience. Heavy criticism is also coming from Ontario taxpayers because the shift to all-day kindergarten was a costly expenditure and continues to be a big provincial budget item.

I have said this before, but this is why one of the greatest advantages to enrolling your child in a private school is their small class sizes. The small student-to-teacher ratio prevents your child from having an overwhelming school experience. Instead they benefit from meaningful teacher interaction and a stress-free classroom with more available learning resources they do not have to compete with twenty other students for.

Source:
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/kindergarten/


What is the "whole child" philosophy, and why do so many educators support it, including those at St. Jude's Academy? It is a fairly recent education model adapted from Lynn Stoddard's book: Educating for Human Greatness. Take a moment to consider that the average person spends approximately 15% of their entire life in school, from junior kindergarten to grade 12. The "whole child" philosophy recognizes the immense role schooling possesses during childhood, and that great responsibility requires more attention to a child's growth and development than just a fixation with their measurable qualities and skills, i.e. standardized test scores and knowledge retention. It's about understanding the value of encouraging qualities that will serve students as they grow into adulthood and become civic-minded world citizens, part of a global network that has been set in front of us due to twenty-first century globalization and the Digital Age.
 
It is not prudent to ignore the inseparable social role schools occupy in addition to their educational role as centers of learning. Through the "whole child" approach, participating schools utilize holistic teaching models to augment and support children's "multiple intelligences" by tailoring lessons and instruction to focus on:
 
- cognitive-intellectual activity
- creative-intuitive activity (the arts) 
- structured physical movement and unstructured (self-directed play) 
- community involvement
 
Parents and university admission committees often cite "well-roundedness" as an ideal character attribute for students; yet how can a child become a well-rounded individual if they do not receive a well-rounded education? This is what the "whole child" philosophy seeks to rectify. When Lynn Stoddard surveyed parents for his book, he discovered that almost all parents believe that an education should provide character development for their children, not just an education strictly by the books. In today's school climate, the deciding factor for making the switch to private school is often cited by parents as the necessity for finding a school that provides equal support to developing a child's emotional and social needs in addition to their academic requirements. 
 
Reference:http://www.educatethewholechild.org/what-is-it/
private school benefits learning

In order to prevent students from becoming passive learners and instead develop important life skills such as collaboration, critical thinking, and problem solving, IB World schools encourage inquiry-based learning in the classroom. This is when classroom learning and discussions are driven by the students themselves, whose questions are utilized by the teacher and guided to ensure all the material is being covered, but in a way that allows students to exercise their agency, become confident speakers in front of their peers, and be curious about their education!

Research has demonstrated that when students participate in meaningful classroom discussions and actively participate in their own quest for knowledge, they make deeper connections to concepts which results in long-term academic and professional benefits. With inquiry-based learning, when students ask questions educators are not simply giving them the answers like a lightning round Q&A session. Teachers work with students to discover the rights answers together. Students are not simply being taught the answers, they are being provided with the process to discover solutions, which they will learn to adapt and apply to other situations. This enables students to feel proud about their progress, and motivates them to participate in class and become more interested in the material being covered.

To learn about the concept-based learning model we employ at St. Jude's Academy, please check out Ms. Chin's post!

I hope you all have a wonderful day!

References:
http://www.edutopia.org/practice/wildwood-inquiry-based-learning-developing-student-driven-questions
http://blogs.ibo.org/blog/2016/02/04/when-the-student-becomes-the-teacher/



In a traditional Ontario public school, students are told that only their course averages from grades 11 and 12 count towards their university admission profile. While this is true, it leads to the creation of the mentality among students that for grades 9 and 10, you do not have to really worry about your grades, because what Canadian university will ever see them? I would argue that this is a dangerous mindset for students to adopt in their early high school years. There is a significant jump in the level of difficulty for coursework and lesson material between grades 10 and 11, from the junior grades to the senior. This jump already exists independently, but it becomes much more difficult for students to overcome when they have no practice seriously applying themselves in the previous years of high school. Grade 11 then becomes a stumbling block for some students and sets them back from their peers who, mostly thanks to their own good habits, are prepared for the sudden demands of senior high school.

IB World private schools in Ontario do not offer the traditional grade denomination as public schools. The Diploma Program (DP) is for students aged 16 to 18 and provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into higher education, recognized by many universities worldwide. However, the Middle Years Program (MYP) is for children aged 11 to 16, thus covering and embracing a larger cohort of students than the traditional grades of  8, 9, 10 etc. do, which are single stand-alone entities. By belonging to an all-encompassing program, especially with the ultimate goal of graduating to the next IB Program, students are provided with the framework and support to achieve academically and stay on track towards pursuing their post-graduate dreams. Graduating to the IB Diploma Program is a great achievement within the private school journey, and motivates students to excel in their coursework during their time in the MYP. I strongly believe that this institutional organization of grades supports university-seeking students much more effectively than the status quo in our public schools.





Dr. Benjamin Bloom was an education researcher and psychologist who famously developed his taxonomy of learning in 1956. He classified types of learning into three major hierarchical models. For cognitive learning, he classified more passive learning like gaining knowledge, comprehension, and rote learning as low-level cognitive work, while more engaged learning such as evaluation, application, and synthesis was deemed to be high-level cognitive work. As part of his overall taxonomy, he identified three domains of learning: cognitive (thinking), affective  (emotion/feeling), and psychomotor (physical/kinesthetic).

His purpose was to engineer learning methods that would promote a higher level of learning by inducing high-level cognitive work. He therefore looked down upon rote memorization and passive learning methods, and in fact outlined and ranked the order of effective learning elements from worst to best (in his opinion that is):
- remembering - recalling basic facts
- understanding - explaining said newly learned facts or ideas
- applying - using the information in new situation
- analyzing - making connections
- evaluating - justifying a decision with reasoned argument
- create or synthesize - produce new or original work

His taxonomy has been highly influential for educators worldwide. Learning about Bloom's taxonomy is important for teachers wishing to develop an effective lesson approach. Based on his taxonomy, one can find great support for Switzerland's IB concept-based learning style, employed here at St. Jude's Academy. To learn about concept-based learning, please take a look at Ms. Chin's post: https://sjamypchin.wordpress.com/2016/07/19/private-schools-concept-based-learning/

Image Credit: K. Aainsqatsi, 5 May 2008, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Blooms_rose.svg, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported.  
Sources:
http://thesecondprinciple.com/instructional-design/threedomainsoflearning/
https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/blooms-taxonomy/


Toronto Star education reporter extraordinaire Louise Brown provides definitive research that shows that a university education does lead to an above-average income with a substantial growth in earnings over time. The study cited was conducted by the Education Policy Research Initiative in tandem with Statistics Canada, and reached its conclusion after tracking the annual income of over 340,000 graduates from 14 colleges and universities across four provinces from 2005 to 2013. One particular fact from the report that I would like to quote is: "University grads with a BA saw their salaries grow by about $4,200 per year".

But aside from reiterating these impressive statistics (which you can read for yourself over at The Star), I would like to impress upon my readers that now that the importance of a university education has been established in achieving a higher income, it is therefore equally important to ensure admittance into said university program. How can one guarantee this outcome? Enrolling at an Ontario private school is a good start. The majority of the province's private schools report a near 100% university admission rate among their graduating students. However, selecting an International Baccalaureate (IB) World school is even more prudent to ensuring student success and thereby gaining admittance to the most coveted universities. Because the IB Diploma Program is an international standardized education system, universities worldwide recognize its legitimacy, reputation, and prestige and it carries great weight during the application process.


Reference:
https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2016/07/26/higher-education-does-lead-to-higher-incomes-university-of-ottawa-study.html



I have compiled a few more tips for fellow educators and parents to use to help children stay focused during a lesson! I have personal experience with some of these, while others I learned from researching online and recommend trying out! You can click [here] for my first post.

4) Confiscate Cell Phones at the Start of Class. Many schools in South Korea do this, where students are notoriously tech-savvy and even the younger children come to school weighed down with a Samsung Note 7. As students enter the classroom, they are asked by their teachers (seun seng nim 선생님) to deposit their cell phones in a communal bin at the front, and can only retrieve their electronic property during the lunch break and then again after school. I am intrigued by this idea because it serves two purposes: is prevents students from ignoring the lesson, as well as preventing other students from disrupting the class whenever they forget to put their phone on silent. Cell phones are fast becoming public enemy number one in schools. They are exceedingly hard to regulate, and are a huge player when it comes to disrupting classroom learning.

5) Ask Questions. A healthy classroom should have questions coming from both sides: from instructors and students. But sometimes no matter how encouraging you are, there will be days when students do not ask any questions during the lesson. Now, this does not necessarily mean they are not paying attention, but studies demonstrate the important role questions play in learning, especially the right types of questions. For each lesson, try to come up with some questions to punctuate your lecture that will facilitate classroom discussion and students' engagement and participation. These questions shouldn't feel like you are "quizzing" your students, as if you are putting them on the spot. I highly recommend taking a look at this amazing resource from The Teaching Center that will teach you all about asking the right questions, and how different types of questions improve the retention of information and critical thinking. 

6) Enthusiasm is Contagious. Students will feed off of your energy. Even if they find the subject boring, students will demonstrate interest if they are captivated by an enthusiastic instructor who knows how to make the lesson interesting, entertaining, engaging, etc. If you can find ways to visibly show your own interest in the lesson, you really can inspire students to pay attention and get involved in the content.

Please let me know in the comments what you think! Have a fantastic day.



With the rise of ADHD diagnoses and declining test scores, it is more imperative than ever to ensure students are actively digesting the material they learn in class. The apathetic and unmotivated student can be an educator's worst nightmare. The following post is a comprehensive guide for fellow instructors and parents to learn about how to keep students engaged  in their education, compiled from my own experience and outside research. Some of these tips may work better for younger children, but mostly they provide a great foundation for students of all ages. Let's get to it!

1) Passive Learning Can Create Passive Learners. Passive learning is a traditional instructional style in which students merely take a compendium of notes while the teacher lectures. The bell rings, the students leave, and all of the day's lessons remain stowed safely away in a notebook, only to be viewed again during exam season. Now, some students are great active listeners, but the reality is students are either too busy feverishly recording the lecture to actually digest the information being thrown at them, or the wave of new knowledge inundates them and they spend the class in a daze, unable to get a word in edgewise. In the higher grades, this teaching style is necessary to impart the necessary material required for the course, but all things in moderation I say. And especially for students below the age of 14, an alternate teaching style that facilitates classroom discussions, group activities, and in-class assignments is much more conducive for the retention of new information. One solution? Check out private schools that offer concept-based learning.

2) Get Active. Especially for younger students, it is inevitable: kids get the jitters! Why do you think Sweden gives its students free time every hour for 15 minutes? Because it works! It dramatically improves a child's concentration and demonstrably affects their engagement in the classroom in a positive manner. Now, this is not something you are going to find in North American public schools. I think in Ontario especially the educational status quo needs a reform on this matter, especially since many elementary schools have eliminated their second recess (the second 15-minute break that used to occur after lunch). But I am proud to say that at St. Jude's Academy, students are not only allowed, but encouraged, to move around the classroom to support physical health. And it does help.

3) Change Up the Classroom Environment or Seating Plan. This is a good technique because it represents a simple and manageable change that will help keep students engaged. Sitting next to a new classmate every month in a different desk or in a rearranged classroom helps prevent stagnation. A new physical perspective might actually result in a new mental perspective!

These are just three of my top tips for now. If you are interested in reading more, I can publish a second post with even more ways to help keep students engaged in the classroom. Thanks for reading!



References and Other Great Resources:

http://www.edutopia.org/classroom-student-participation-tips
http://archive.brookespublishing.com/articles/ed-article-0212.htm
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2013/10/29/five-key-strategies-to-getkeep-kids-engaged-at-school/
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/columnists/mcdonald/mcdonald007.shtml
http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/06/how-finland-keeps-kids-focused/373544/


... Especially IB World schools. This is because many private schools share similar characteristics with universities. The most obvious example is the rigorous academic environment at IB private schools. Many first-year students entering university from the public education system are overwhelmed by the increased workload and thus witness a drastic grade drop; Maclean's has a fantastic article about this phenomenon. In addition to being unprepared for a university workload, public school students often receive inflated averages at high school which provides an unrealistic assessment of their skill to their detriment. University professors mark much more strictly because they are holding their students to a much higher standard; as evidenced by a real life scenario, in which a grade 12 public high school teacher gave an A+ letter grade to an English essay and an English professor evaluating the same paper assigned a B- letter grade instead. This disparity in grading systems makes the transition from grade 12 to first year much more difficult for students and demonstrates a severe lack of preparation.

Alarmingly, in addition to unrealistic grade assignments in public high schools, Ontario university professors in the sciences are reporting massive knowledge inconsistencies amongst their incoming first-year students. That is to say, in first-year science classes there is a huge diversity in background knowledge of core concepts with many students being insufficiently prepared for undergraduate chemistry and physics courses (which is reflected in their grades).

This is because Ontario has a huge spectrum of high school types and localized learning is leaving students unprepared for, and unaware of, university expectations. That is why I cannot stress how important IB private schools are for offering an international standardized education. This is the greatest solution for preparing students for university, by equipping them with all of the necessary tools to survive first-year courses. Private school students perform better on standardized tests than public school students, and by receiving a rigorous and advanced education they are less likely to experience a grade drop or learning gap when they enter university.

To all my readers, I hope you have a fantastic long weekend! And please let me know, what was your experience like making the switch from high school to university?


Private schools reduce the need for afterschool private tutoring. The ultimate benefits of this are a reduced education cost (depending on the external private tutoring company) and the elimination of a disjointed education experience (a tutor often complicates a child's learning experience because there is no coordination between school teacher and tutor).

In Canada, supplemental private tutoring is growing exponentially. Many parents are sending their children to afterschool tutoring sessions because the large classroom setting in public schools is overlooking struggling students. Private tutors also individualize students through their one-on-one tutelage. Many critics are pointing out this flaw in Ontario's public education system that is resulting in swarms of families having to supplement their child's education on their own time with their own money.

But instead of paying for a private tutor, why not just enrol your child in a private school instead? The guaranteed small classes eliminate the need for hiring a private tutor because no child is overlooked and the teacher has more time to mentor each student. Private schools also eliminate the disjointed learning experience that an independent tutor engenders, because a child will be receiving sufficient attention and education from one reliable source. Especially at an IB World school like St. Jude's Academy, you also know the exact qualifications of your child's mentor; whereas at independent tutoring companies you often do not know the education background of your child's assigned private tutor.

Also thank you for the almost 3,000 G+ views! If you haven't checked out my Google Plus profile yet, you can click here.




Bullying. It has become so commonplace in our society that it feels like an inescapable reality of school life. It is a parent's greatest fear, and too often it can feel like you are helplessly stuck on the sidelines, only able to hope that it does not happen to your child. Bullying is not okay: it is harmful and corrodes the purpose of school, which is to get an education. There does not seem to be a concrete solution for public schools to deal with this alarming issue. Often bullies only get a "talking to" and are rarely suspended, which only cultivates the fear that makes victims reluctant to ask for help from their teachers.

I do not profess to know a permanent solution to this troubling issue, but I do know one thing: Studies by the National Center for Education Statistics show that bullying is less prevalent in private schools than in public schools. A 2015 HILDA survey revealed that twice as many parents of public school students reported their children had been bullied compared to private school parents. Of course there are many different degrees of bullying, so that one definition does not fit all, but it is logical to assume that in at least some capacity, private schools do offer a solution to the problem.

The first way private schools are contributing to a workable solution is choice: if your child is being bullied at a public school and the school administration is unable to offer an acceptable solution, the existence of private schools allows you to enrol your child at a different school and thus escape the bullying.

But once at private school, how can you feel rest assured that your child will remain safe? One answer is small class sizes. Because private schools guarantee small classes, the teachers will be able to supervise students more effectively, and any whiff of bullying will not go undetected like it often does in public schools. Greater and more effective teacher supervision has been proven to be a strong deterrent against bullying, nipping the problem right in the bud.

Another reason why private schools have less bullying—and if they do, are more effective at dealing with it—is the nature of the school administration. Because private schools are independent, they possess more freedom and authority to deal with the perpetrators instead of having to adhere to a lot of bureaucratic red tape. If a case of bullying is proven to exist and has occurred on more than one occasion despite formal warnings, private schools have the ability to expel problem students; they don't expect the victims to solve their own problems by switching schools. Private schools have zero tolerance for bullying, because they have a greater responsibility to students' families (who are paying for their school experience after all).

I hope you enjoyed this post, and that one day public administrations can come up with a permanent solution for dealing with school bullying.


Beginning in 2005, Ontario's provincial policy mandates that all students from Grades 1 to 8 must receive at least 20 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every school day during instructional time; this is known as the Daily Physical Activity. The DPA is part of the government's "Healthy Schools Plan" and can range from students doing jumping jacks beside their desks to going for a walk, or playing physically active games in the classroom.
 
On average, regular PE or gym class only occurs twice a week for students under grade 9. In Ontario public high schools, gym class becomes an elective after grade 9 which has resulted in a sharp decline in student gym participation. While the provincial government's DPA initiative recognizes the importance of youth exercise and attempts to institutionalize regular fitness, the program falls short of actually meeting students' physical health needs, and it does not apply to high school students. That is why physical education needs a major facelift in Ontario.
 
In 2013, the National Academy of Medicine published a report stating students should be doing at least 60 minutes of vigorous or moderate-intensity physical activity at school, with more than half of the activity occurring during regular educational hours. In America, there is a movement to get the Department of Education to actually designate physical education as a core subject like math and reading, which reflects the level of importance fitness shares in a child's cognitive development.
 
All in all, this means that 20 minutes of classroom physical activity a day, infrequent gym classes, and optional team participation is not doing enough for students' health. There is a predominate culture of viewing gym class as merely "play time" interrupting regular lessons, and students in public schools are not required to join a team sport. However, more and more research is illustrating how important physical education at school is for a student's mental development and physical health (and that's without going into the added mental benefits of fitness, like reduced stress).
 
This is why lower school students at St. Jude's Academy take PE every day. In addition to regular gym class, each student participates in field days and is encouraged to take athleticism beyond the school. In grades 5-8, St. Jude’s delves deeply into the athletics with skiing, curling, rock climbing and tennis. Instead of going skiing or curling once a year, our students go multiple times in order to become proficient in these areas. St. Jude’s is a member of the Small School Athletic Federation (SSAF). With the SSAF, the school participates in competitive team sports: soccer, basketball, volleyball, and track.

Sources: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2013/05/23/physical-education-schools/2351763/


Last time I talked about the gender imbalance in STEM classes, programs and careers (in regards to female representation and unequal pay). Now I want to attempt to answer two big questions: why does this matter and what can be done to equalize the trend?

Mostly it relates to the general gender wage gap issue in North America. On average, in the workplace women make 77% of what their male coworkers make despite occupying similar positions and possessing a similar credentials. Getting more women into STEM could reduce the gender wage gap. Not only are there currently more jobs in STEM than in any other industry, but most of these high-tech jobs are high-paying, and STEM is the fastest growing industry today. Attaining STEM gender equality would be a major step towards achieving gender pay equity at large. Think about just a few the amazing scientific advancements and discoveries that we can't imagine living without: the nerve growth factor, the DNA double helix, nuclear fission, the AIDS drug AZT... all of these accomplishments were made by female scientists! And if we continue to limit female students from pursuing STEM programs, imagine all of the other scientific advancements we could be denying ourselves.

Possible Solutions: Addressing stereotypes early on and preventing their effects from snowballing. With standardized testing proving there is no biological impediment to girls thriving in STEM, that means we need social solutions. In our homes and schools we need to encourage girls to pursue a variety of interests, to introduce them to science as equally as the liberal arts, to encourage them to enter STEM programs if that is what they want. We need to nip harmful gender stereotypes in the bud, and teach girls they are just as capable of being scientists as boys. Lack of confidence is listed as the number one roadblock for girls entering STEM. In my personal experience, private schools greatly help to accomplish this goal because, as part of their inclusive nature, all students are expected to engage in all subject matter and are provided with ample opportunities to explore STEM classes and clubs thanks to the better funding in private schools. The private sector is also an important gateway: we need businesses to value female scientists the same as men, and to create programs supporting their female workers until more women start entering the STEM workforce.

If you're interested in learning more about girls and STEM, I highly recommend this fantastic website: https://ngcproject.org/engaging-girls-stem The National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP) has a lot of great resources and links to peer-reviewed publications and literature with detailed analyses about this complex sociological issue. In comparison my two posts are only the tip of the iceberg!



My references:
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/girls-stem-these-figures-show-why-we-need-more-women-science-tech-engineering-maths-1540590
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tamara-hudgins/why-more-girls-in-stem-is-a-win-for-all_b_9379214.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/celia-islam/closing-the-stem-gender-g_b_3779893.html


The STEM acronym represents the four non-liberal graduate streams: science, technology, engineering, and medicine. Gender parity in North America has been a running concern, but only recently has it become a well-known issue that in OECD countries, women comprise a very small percentage of the pool of STEM students and workers. (The 35 OECD member countries are democratic free market nations, mostly in the First World.)  To begin with, here are some statistics about the issue:
 
  • 57% of bachelor's degrees are earned by women, but only 18% of computer science degrees are earned by women
  • of all physics professors in the USA, only 14% are women
  • women hold less than 25% of STEM jobs in the USA
  • 28% of the world's researchers are women
  • STEM statistics for female visible minorities are even lower
  • in 2012 Yale published a study that proved physicists, chemists, and biologists are likely to view a young male scientist more favourably than a woman with the same qualifications, and that there is a major gender pay gap for female scientists IF they somehow manage to get hired instead of their male co-applicants  

As you can see, it has been well established by many independent researchers that there is a severe lack of women in STEM. Let's look at some of the explanations for this phenomenon:
 
  1. Social Anxiety or Herd Mentality. In the Yale study, many female university students cited high school stereotypes as a major reason for why they chose to enrol in liberal arts courses instead of STEM classes. The female students were anxious to apply to STEM university programs when they knew they could very well be one of the few women in the entire program, let alone in their courses. Let's look at a Canadian example: in Waterloo's Computer Science program, women made up only 12% of the program in 2011. That's a significant decrease in the female to male ratio when women made up over 18% of enrolment in 2001. And that's despite Waterloo's valiant efforts to support women in computer science. It is very hard to encourage more women to pursue STEM programs and break the trend when they must trust other women to also apply at the same time so that they won't feel isolated in a male-dominant space.
  2. Lack of Support and Role Models. This is mostly self-explanatory, but if girls aren't encouraged to pursue their STEM dreams, they might not even stop to consider STEM as a viable opportunity for their future. Teachers, professors, institutions and society need to help open the STEM door for women, and then they can make the decision whether or not they want to walk through. Confidence is another big part of the equation. For whatever reason, girls are less confident in math and science than boys. Studies have shown that when told that men score better in math tests than women, women tend to score worse; but when told that isn't true, both genders score equally well.
  3. Bias. Think about it from the point of view of a female physics PhD candidate: when you know for a fact that the tech industry is biased towards your male counterparts, that you'll face a greater degree of sexism in the workforce, that you'll probably be the only female scientist in your entire department, that you won't get pay equity... why would you try to pursue a job in STEM?
The irony is that up until university, high school girls in STEM classes perform exceedingly well: in most studies, it is revealed that they attain much higher grades than their male peers. Yet, researchers are witnessing a huge drop off with hardly any of these high-performing high school girls applying to STEM undergraduate programs.
But why does it matter? And what can we do about it? Check out Part 2 of my post, coming soon. I'll also talk about how private schools are helping encourage girls to take on and thrive in STEM subjects.

I highly recommend checking out this amazing info graphic on the subject: http://lifehacker.com/why-there-arent-more-women-in-tech-and-why-it-matters-1738317611


Sources:

The availability, variety, and participation of extracurricular activities is an important aspect of a child's school experience.
 
Hello everyone! I hope you are all having a lovely week. For today's post, I am writing about the importance of offering, and taking part in, extracurricular activities at school, a benefit that is often overlooked or taken for granted. After all, when parents are deciding to make the switch from a public education to private, or they are searching for a reputable private school to enrol their child in, they are not just choosing a school with a strong academic reputation. The number one thing parents look for after academic credentials is an impressive extracurricular program made up of a variety of sports and clubs.
 
The are a number of reasons why participating in extracurricular activities is important for students, thus explaining why parents look to private schools which have a history of providing quality sports and clubs and an environment of mandatory participation (extracurriculars are the first aspect of public schools to suffer or disappear because of provincial budget cuts).
 
CAIS Executive Director Anne-Marie Kee says: "A wider choice of extracurricular activities results in stronger effort in academic programs because [students’] individual needs and interests are carefully thought about and developed". When private schools strongly encourage or even mandate that their students participate in sports or clubs at school, a child's horizons are opened up. They learn more about themselves and their likes and dislikes, develop teamwork and leadership skills outside the classroom, make friends across many platforms, learn organization and time management skills, and hopefully have fun of course! Because many private schools demand participation, no child is "left behind". There is no student who does not "make the cut" and no student is a benchwarmer thanks to the many sports resources and options for them to choose from. Being involved and depended on in a group environment outside of the classroom helps a child feel good about themselves! Sports programs combine with academic work and extracurricular activities to develop "the whole child".
 
So there you have it: academics and extracurriculars are the axis of a great education experience. Please let me know in the comments what sports or clubs your child is enrolled in!
 
Sources cited:
 
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/education/extracurricular-programs-can-make-the-difference/article600793/


In the Ontario public school education system, there exists a phenomenon from 1999 known as "streaming", which you will most likely already know about even if you have never heard the term. "Streaming" is the division of grade 8 students entering the same high school into two distinct course types: applied and academic. At first glance all students look to be enrolled in the same survey courses with the same title (e.g. English and Science) but due to the differentiating course codes students will be taught a different curriculum by different teachers in different classrooms and will never mix with their fellow students within these core subjects. The implications of enrolling in either academic English or applied English are great: students enrolled in applied courses will never be able to apply to university because they are not taking the "correct" English course to qualify. This means all applied students are designated as college- or work-bound after receiving their high school diploma.

In a 2015 People for Education report, Dr. Alan Sears, a leading scholar in citizenship education, shared the findings of his review of grades 9 and 10 history and geography curricula in relation to citizenship education in Ontario. According to the report: "he found substantial differences between applied and academic courses, raising concerns about key content differences between the academic and applied courses".

Now, the existence of two course types is not an issue in itself if college or work is the ultimate end goal of the student and the best fit for their future. What many people are beginning to take issue with is when this critical, life-changing decision is being made: by students in grade 8. What is significant to note from the report is that recent research by the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) indicates that "rather than being connected to students’ interests and career aspirations, students’ placements in either academic or applied courses are more closely tied to achievement in grade 8".

So, what is the takeaway? There is international evidence against separating students early in secondary school. Many people consider streaming to be a serious flaw in our public education system. At the very least, requiring students to make this huge decision in grade 8—before undergoing relevant growth and maturity—that will lock them in to a set program is a dangerous setup. Many students could be set on pathways that will not align with career and life goals that only truly emerge as they enter and advance through secondary school. This hefty decision in grade 8 is either influenced by students' parents (which can be a pro if the child is not prepared to make this decision or a con if it results in them having no say in their future), OR is left up to the discretion of the child entirely.

This is why choosing a registered IB school for your child is a great alternative. At St. Jude's Academy, for example, there is no streaming: there is only the IB Diploma Program. As an international program, it follows a model of proven success to put children on the path to university or great careers. The IB Diploma Program is inclusive and does not segregate children into two different education camps. It also allows students to make their monumental life decision at the right time in their life. In their final year, they can choose whether to enter university, college, or the workforce with an IB diploma in hand.


Sources: Hamlin, D. and Cameron, D. (2015). Applied or Academic: High Impact Decisions for Ontario Students. People for Education. Toronto: April 13, 2015.

http://sjapypnelson.blogspot.ca/p/poll-what-do-you-value-most-in-school.html


While sincerely surveying what values are prioritized in the online community, I also want to draw your attention to the character of the entries. Each possible answer represents an advantage of a private school education. In regards to Academic Quality, being a registered IB World School requires a private school to adhere to a strict international standard of education. A Personalized Approach is what your child can look forward to in a smaller class size and an individualized learning outcome with more quality one-on-one time with teachers. This is also a must for students with learning disabilities. The benefits of a smaller class size are amplified by High Quality Teachers who are found in registered IB schools because they have undergone additional certification to meet the standards of the IB Governance. Extracurricular activities are usually more numerous in Ontario private schools, and in order to develop the IB World Model of the "well-rounded student", sports and clubs are strongly encouraged.


http://sjapypnelson.blogspot.ca/p/poll-what-do-you-value-most-in-school.html


In lieu of my traditional blog post, here are some important facts about the private school education system in Canada. Published in 2015, a Statistics Canada study compared the academic progress of over 7,000 public and private school students aged 15 to 23, collecting data from the year 2000 onwards. These are the most notable results:
  • private school students outperformed public school students by around 8% in the reading test. The gap was higher in the math and science tests. At age 15, private high school students scored significantly higher than did public high school students on reading, mathematics, and science assessments
  • private school students were more likely to pursue graduate and professional degrees (like medicine, law, dentistry)
  • By age 23, 99% of private school students had graduated from high school, about 3 percentage points above the figure for public school students
  • 35% of private school students had graduated from university by 23, whereas 21% of public school students graduated from university by the same age
Other interesting statistics:
  • Ontario private school enrolment made up only 1.9% of the student population in 1960. By 2006, it was 5.6% indicating a gradual increase
  • private high school students are more likely to attend postsecondary school by 5 to 9 percentage points
  • Including St. Jude's Academy, there are only 7 schools in Ontario that offer all three of the World IB programs: PYP, MYP, DP; and there are only 13 certified IB schools in Ontario total

These facts support an increasing awareness of the benefits of a private school education. Did any of these facts surprise you? Please leave a comment below!

Facts and figures from Statistics Canada and the Fraser Institute
As a parent sending your child off to school in the morning, you want to be sure they will be making the most out of their day in the classroom. But what if despite being enrolled in a good neighbourhood school with fantastic teachers, their potential for learning and development is being stifled by overcrowded classrooms? What if your child isn't getting the attention they need? This is just one reason why many parents in Ontario are starting to look at the benefits of a private school education.

There are many variables Canadian policymakers take into account when determining the best strategy for improving the quality of education and encouraging student achievement. At the forefront is the issue of class size, which has routinely been demonstrated to be a key factor that affects learning and the development of social skills for children and secondary students. A definitive review of existing research in 2014 by the National Education Policy Center (NEPC) at the University of Colorado Boulder has reaffirmed that a small class size plays a crucial role in improving a child’s learning experience, as well as promoting meaningful social interactions with other students. Authored by Associate Professor Diane Schanzenbach, NEPC’s review explains:
Small classes have been found to have positive impacts not only on test scores during the duration of the class-size reduction experiment, but also on life outcomes in the years after the experiment ended.
Tennessee’s STAR class size experiment between 1985 and 1989 was used for the basis of NEPC’s review, and provides concrete evidence for the benefits of a small class size. As for “life outcomes”, students assigned to small classes performed better than students in comparably larger classes in the areas of: high school graduation, college acceptance, marriage rates, homeownership and more. The rationale behind this positive review is that a small class size is conducive for solidifying meaningful social relationships and promoting teamwork between students. When an instructor can also dedicate more time and effort to one-on-one tutelage instead of spreading themselves thin and being sidetracked with behaviour management, individual test performances increase and students receive an education more tailored to their needs.


Thank you for reading!
Carrie Nelson
22/06/2016


Quotation Source: “Does Class Size Matter?” by Northwestern University Associate Professor Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach. http://nepc.colorado.edu/files/pb_-_class_size.pdf

Inquisitive, Passionate, Insightful

What you'll discover on this blog are regular updates on interesting news about education in Ontario, as well as factual commentary on learning trends and developments you need to know!

Whether you're looking to enrol your children in private school or are simply looking to learn more about our educational system in Ontario, Canada, then this is absolutely the blog for you!

Powered by Blogger.