Constructivism is an educational philosophy that deems experience as the best way to acquire knowledge. We truly understand something – according to a constructivist – when we filter it through our senses and interactions. We can only understand the idea of “blue” if we have vision (and if we aren’t colour blind). Constructivism is an education […] … learn more→
Blog Archives
Knowledge is a process of discovery: how constructivism changed education
Legal win doesn’t mean Ontario student associations are in the clear
The Ontario government’s so-called Student Choice Initiative was recently declared unlawful following a court challenge launched by the Canadian Federation of Students and the York Federation of Students. The Ontario Divisional Court’s decision voids the government’s requirement that post-secondary institutions must distinguish between fees that are considered compulsory and those deemed non-essential. The directive also allowed more students to opt out of paying fees to […] … learn more→
Chinese students top the PISA rankings, but some Shanghai parents are turning away from the school system
Australian 15 year olds were around three and a half years behind their counterparts in China in maths, according to the OECD’s latest results for education systems around the world. The four cities of China (Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang) that participated in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) topped the league tables in maths, science and reading. […] … learn more→
Ontario’s high school e-learning still hasn’t addressed students with special needs
Among the issues for Ontario secondary public school teachers who walked off the job for a one-day strike on Dec. 4 is quality of learning for students, including class sizes and mandatory online learning. For months Ontario families have been on tenterhooks about looming school strikes after the Doug Ford government announced both education funding cuts and larger class […] … learn more→
5 ways to check a college’s financial healt
The financial health of colleges and universities is much in the news these days. An enrollment cliff – a drop-off in traditionally aged college students – will hit in the next decade and may threaten more small, regional and marginally resourced public and private colleges and universities. A recent article in Forbes offered some sound advice recently: “If you […] … learn more→
How to learn mathematics the smart way- A definitive guide!
It seems that the majority of the students know about Mathematics but do not understand the concept behind it. This is nothing but the fear of complex and rigid formulas and analytical problem-solving skills. However, the solution is comparatively easy, and subjects like this provide well-paid jobs in the field of engineering, statistics, education, and […] … learn more→
U Iowa officials might be personally liable for discrimination
One thing which perhaps drives me the most nuts about the corruption in our higher education system (and to a similar extent in our corporate system) is how when the corruption is found out, the people, the actual human beings, who are responsible for the corruption get away free, while the institution pays some sort […] … learn more→
Positive education, hollow word, or real revolution?
For the past ten years, the expression “positive education”, often linked to benevolence, has been a great success, whether with school institutions or families. A whole series of variations is possible: positive parenting, positive authority or positive discipline. Although its definition is yet to be done, it already appears that it is above all a question of respect […] … learn more→
When to start teaching a second language to our children?
The families of young children who emigrate to another country, who are going to spend a long season abroad or are composed of mixed couples in which each parent has a different mother tongue end up inevitably asking the same question: When is the best time to start teaching a second language to our children? […] … learn more→
Beyond fact-checking: 5 things schools should do to foster news literacy
When it comes to news literacy, schools often emphasize fact-checking and hoax-spotting. But as I argue in my new book, schools must go deeper with how they teach the subject if they want to help students thrive in a democratic society. As a new poll shows that Americans struggle to know if the information they find online is […] … learn more→
