The Fashion Community is Inspired by Tavi. The Education Community Should Be Too!
I was listening this morning to an interview on Q with Jian Ghomeshi and was struck by how much the world of learning has changed. Jian was interviewing 13 year old Tavi Gevinson from Chicago. Tavi has taken the fashion world by storm with her Style Rookie blog. Tavi started blogging about fashion when she was 11 years old. She has used the Internet to learn about every aspect of the fashion world from history to production to media coverage. Not only has she acquired a vast knowledge of fashion, but she has also developed incredible insight and an impressive writing style. Her accomplishments as a blogger have landed her in the front row of some of the most prestigious fashion shows in the world. Recently, she was a guest reporter for Fashion Television at the New York Fashion Week.
In listening to the interview with Jian, I was reminded how important it is for educators to provide students with opportunities to explore what interests them, to encourage them to embrace technology in their pursuit of knowledge, and to provide meaningful learning tasks which connect with the world outside the classroom. Kudos to Tavi. You are an inspiration for all educators!
- Anita Sherwin-Hamer, Director, Evaluation Services
School of Life
I work for Curriculum Services Canada:
This organization has its roots tendrilled to the very walls of educational life.A dynamic company extending to books, film, government, daycare, paper, pen, multimedia. We are multifaceted in our reach and dedicated to the education of the future minds. I know my commitment has been balanced on the idea of helping the children learn, supporting all the creatives and gaining understanding of the system and the direction of its future.
It’s all access, all applications, all the time. Where do you go to find out how, where and what teachers need?
The adventure of researching web conferencing software has been an arduous one. I ran into a teacher and application developer to whom I posed the question, “Which is the best?” The developer answered “Open up Facebook page so that you can find out what teachers want, a Moodle’esc platform that would allow for blogs, research, marking, wiki capabilities and platform information, easy to use with a relevant layout. “
The teacher answered “When on God’s good earth would I get the time to do this? They expect us to maintain our core responsibilities and research while implementing and developing a socially and educationally sound tool.” Back to the mental drawing board, I explained that we are constantly met with the ideas for further development but would the idea of receiving a relevant and active ideas through said platform, one that gave immediate grade scores and capacity building be of interest to the teacher?
It got quite heated. It was a resounding No.
I am a mother of a young man who will be joining the public school environment this month, and I am scared, confused and needless to say feeling a bit helpless.
And then I heard it the magic word, the item in life that we crave and hope happens in the monotony of daily practice, the smile, the giggle, the knowing, the nod, the truth. With lack of guilt and direction I heard it: Creative…
It’s simple examples:
- Having the quality or power of creating.
- Resulting from originality of thought, expression, etc.; imaginative
- Originative; productive
- One who displays productive originality
How can we be creative, stay grounded, stay sane and productive while achieving our full capacity? How do you help our children learn?
So the teachers, children themselves are called on very strongly, to provide, direct, guide and put in hours for the good of us all.
What a burden to bear.
And it’s a new year, one where summer kids us into believing that the seasons are really not digressing backward, really, it’s ok that at 9:00 you can get a sunburn, by noon you’ll get drenched in a tumultuous and gory storm and promptly catch the Pneumonia by 2:00pm!
Even the weather is taken by the massive growth and heaving landslide of an understanding that people are gaining ground running so fast we might go back on ourselves.
I feel like I may be able to grow, directed creative growth…..
We have quality; we are by design not inside mulching machines, mulching time, energy workspace oxygen. And I ache always to be more than that.
I am a part.
I’ve come back to the beginning, how do we help our children learn? At CSC we gain everyday treasures in the mountain that is the education system. A loosely braided carpet, so dynamic, made up of those who can and those who think they can’t, and imagine with all the absolutes that exist, there is always the question of can you do more?
I don’t have the answer but I love the idea of working towards one, the hope of creating an environment for expansion and capacity building, my A+, to me, for hope.
I am a part and I think that that’s enough for now; we’re still all here together and hopefully exploring the use of innovative ideas never begrudges the work it may take to implement creativity, productivity and sensibility.
Not my words but all encompassing and good to share:
“Why am I here?
All Truth is one in this light. May Science and Religion endeavour here for the steady evolution of mankind. From darkness to light from narrowness to broadmindedness from prejudice to tolerance. It is the voice of life which calls us to come and Learn.” – Unknown
Happy School of Life!
- Project Coordinator, Lewanne Salmon
New! CSC’s Interactive Annual Report
New! CSC’s Interactive Annual ReportThis year, Curriculum Services Canada has created an interactive version of the 2008-2009 Annual Report at http://www.curriculum.org/csc/report2009.shtml. At CSC, we are increasingly using technology as a pathway for learning, a concept that is reflected in this year’s theme – The Future Of Learning: It’s At Your Fingertips.
In addition to the content from the print copy, we have included extra information for you to explore – right at your fingertips! Included are links to external websites, areas of our own website, (http://www.curriculum.org) video clips from each of our Directors, a video clip from the summer interns, a glossary of technological terms, and more!
We welcome you to leave your comments right here on our blog to share your thoughts with us and other online viewers.
We look forward to the discussion, thanks for visiting!
- CSC Interns
Bringing Meditation into the Workplace
What exactly is meditation? Webster’s Dictionary defines meditation as: “to engage in mental exercise (as concentration on one’s breathing or repetition of a mantra) for the purpose of reaching a heightened level of spiritual awareness”.
So how does meditation fit into today’s workplace? The workplace, for many, is an environment of multiple, competing tasks and demands resulting in long hours and fractured focus. The genius of technology has turned our work ethic into being ready, willing and able to address any work demand at any given moment. Unless we are vigilant, work can easily take priority over family, health and creative outlets.
The question becomes how long can an individual be effective in their work (let alone remain healthy) when they ignore the mind, body, spirit connection? The argument is that there isn’t time to do and be everything for everyone let alone take care of one’s own personal needs. No surprise there, it does boil down to prioritizing; but also recognizing that there are small ways to take care of yourself that can make a noticeable difference in your ability to cope with and meet life’s demands.
One solution the management at CSC have offered to its staff, are optional 20 minute guided meditation sessions a couple of times per week. The meditations are held in a quiet room that has been booked for the sessions. The meditations themselves are a contribution from a member of staff who plugs in an MP3 player to a set of speakers and everyone is given the opportunity to participate for those 20 minutes.
I have personally found meditation improves my focus, clarity and perspective. It’s a breath of fresh air during a busy or stressful day and is most effective when done first thing in the morning or just before retiring for the night. Even stopping for literally one (yes one) minute to take a deep breath can shift the insanity of any given moment. It’s bizarre to think that we need reminders to breathe, but in our fast paced society we often forget to do this consciously. If you want to work on this on your own, try setting up a task on your email for an hourly reminder to take a deep breath, and note what subtle shift occurs
Namaste.
Gina Melvin, Director, Operations
Making Accessibility, Accessible
I recently began working on a project that considers accessibility for all. One often thinks of accessibility as ensuring that buildings have ramps, automatic doors, and elevators, but it really encompasses so much more than just the physical barriers. Making things accessible for all is really a state of mind.
Working on this project has opened my eyes to how little society is educated around accessibility. Many people are still unaware that you should never pet, talk to, or make eye contact with a service animal, unless you have the permission of the person that the service animal is working with, and that permission is rarely given. How do we educate adults and children around accessibility? Which really means, how do we ensure that all people in our society are respected?
I’ve found that with each step in this project, there has been something new to consider that isn’t considered in the development of most projects. Such as making our video recording consent forms accessible for the visually impaired by offering the consent forms in several different formats.
Take a minute to consider your commute to work, and your work space. Are the TTC stops you frequent wheel-chair accessible? Does your building have a ramp, automatic doors, and elevator? Is your building service animal friendly? How do you make people with hearing or visual impairments comfortable?
Although making things accessible can seem like a large undertaking at times, it really is all about opening up your mind to creative solutions of potential barriers, and opening up your heart.
Jennifer Coens, Project Leader, Professional Learning Services
The Net Generation Brain
I was reading in Don Tapscott’s book, Grown Up Digital, about the Net Generation brain. Tapscott points out that, although not everyone is in agreement, early evidence suggests that those who are digitally immersed, experience a positive impact on brain development. He points to studies which support the notion that a brain region which is used continually and intensely responds like a muscle and increases in size and efficiency . He also discusses studies which have shown that playing action video games increases one’s ability to gather information in one’s field of vision and also increases the speed at which an individual can process visual information (Tapscott, 2009).
That sounds pretty positive to me! But contrast this with an article in the most recent edition of “Educatiional Leadership” where Marilee Sprenger talks about the downside of hyperconnectivity for tweens and teens. Sprenger points out that digitally immersed young people run the risk of placing themselves in a constant state of partial attention in which they perform tasks inefficiently.
I guess the question is “How do we help learners capitalize on what digital immersion can offer them while mitigating the possible negative impacts?”
- Anita Sherwin-Hamer, Director, Evaluation Services
Office Life & Tea Time
We have a month left of summer, so here’s something to lighten things up:
One of the easiest ways to bond with your co-workers is to make them a cup of tea. Who doesn’t like tea?!
Well frankly there are a lot of people out there who are scared of new flavours and stick with coffee. Don’t get me wrong. I am a huge advocate for coffee, but if you are trying to get co-workers on to tea, you have to ease them into it.
Easing others into Tea:
One word – Honey.
Honey is one of those beautiful natural sweeteners that is very healthy for you. Apparently it even helps kill viruses!
But really you need to find some teas that are not as strong as a nice black tea. Green Tea, or white tea are a good start, or of course the various mixes out there.
I’d suggest a nice fruit blend that offers a bit of a juice-like flavour to your caffeine kick.
Make a huge pot for all your coworkers so that everyone can have a try, and let the aroma waft over the office or staff room floor. You will create a reason for people to come together to try new things or share old favourites.
Enjoy!
-Shaan Singha, Office Production Assistant
The “raison d’être” of Bilingualism in the Workplace
It is a well known fact that bilingualism in the workplace is an asset. Bilingualism can enhance your resume, give you an edge over other applicants and can even help you develop a deeper relationship with clients by better understanding their needs.
Top 10 Benefits of Being Bilingual:
- More job opportunities
- Better job security
- Deeper cultural understanding
- Breaks down communication barriers
- Meet new people
- Expand your thinking
- Broaden your horizons
- Helps you to make connections
- Facilitates the learning of third or fourth language
- Combat ignorance
What is bilingualism?
Webster’s Dictionary defines bilingualism as “the ability to speak two languages”. However, it must be noted that there is a distinct difference between basic comprehension of two languages and fluency in two languages.
When employers list French as a requirement, the applicant knows that a high level of proficiency is expected. For example, because the majority of my day as a bilingual project leader at CSC is spent speaking, reading, and writing in French, I know that bilingualism is a requirement in my job.
You might be asking, what if I can easily read French but have trouble participating in a conversation? What if I can speak French but don’t understand all of the grammatical rules necessary for writing in French? Will I be able to get the job done?
The answer to these questions depends on your comfort level with the language. If you feel comfortable speaking another language, even if you make a mistake, you’re still further ahead than someone who avoids speaking the language for the fear of making a mistake. Keep in mind that because languages are a mode of communication and can be used at a whole range of understandings, perfection does not have to be the end goal. In the workplace, the level of language that is expected for a job should be something that you are comfortable with. If you are comfortable reading, writing, and conversing in another language, your confidence will surely be noticed. It has been my experience that people appreciate the efforts of others to speak their language, even if it isn’t perfect.
Here are some ways to get comfortable with a second language:
- Practice, practice, practice. The saying is true: what you don’t use, you lose.
- Immerse yourself. Go to an area where they only speak French.
- Join a class. It is always a good idea to brush up on your skills with the help of an expert.
- Join a group. There are lots of people who would love to practice too.
- Watch French TV. Lots of people have learned English this way.
- Read in French. Read anything you can in French (book, magazine, newspaper, menu)
- Listen to French. There is so much French around us. Listen to the radio, audio books, songs, etc.
- Use the internet. There are a lot of great resources on the web to help you learn, including chat groups and courses.
-Carrie McLaren, Bilingual Project Leader
Coaching in the Education System
These days, the term coaching is all the rage in education. It has become synonymous with mentoring, feedback, performance management, and advice. We hear of principals coaching teachers, teachers coaching students and colleagues coaching colleagues. People are certainly recognizing that coaching skills can be powerful tools to achieve increased effectiveness, improved performance and the development of capacities such as leadership.
Because coaching is so popular, and has many different definitions depending on who you talk to, it is important to clarify what someone means when they use the term. For example, coaching, as I understand it, entails supporting an individual in making meaningful, lasting change by accessing their own strengths and resources. In other words, coaching is not about telling someone what to do or even directing them down a certain path. It is about leveraging their own motivation to change and working with them to develop a personalized strategy to achieve it.
Another important distinction is between coaching skills and being a coach. Anyone can use coaching skills, however, a professional coach, should be someone who has no vested interest in the outcome of the coachee’s choices. These days there are life coaches, business coaches, executive coaches and many, many more. The International Coaching Federation sets standards for how these coaches are certified, what code of ethics they must adhere to and the types of relationships that are and are not appropriate for coaching.
Coaching skills, whether practiced by a professional coach or someone who uses coaching skills in their own professional capacity, can be used effectively to support the development of an individual or group. The popularity of coaching in the education system today speaks to a recognition that we can each continuously improve and serve learners more effectively.
As coaching is increasingly recognized as a powerful development tool in education, there are many excellent opportunities to develop one’s coaching skills. For example, the Ontario Principals’ Council provides training for principals on both mentoring and coaching. As we all strive to improve, the development of coaching skills will not only support the educators, learners and other stakeholders we serve but also help each of us to become better at what we do.
Amy Coupal
Online Education: Breaking Down the Barriers to Post-Secondary Education
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) predicts that 70% of new jobs created across Canada will require some form of post-secondary education, and only 6% of new positions will require less than high school. With so much emphasis being placed on the attainment of these credentials, it is critical that post secondary education is accessible and affordable for all who have the desire to pursue it.
Online education has the potential to break down some of the barriers to post-secondary education faced by Canadian learners.
What are some of the advantages to online education?
1) Communication with peers and instructors:
Unlike traditional paper correspondence courses, online education allows for continuous discussion between course participants, and significant interaction with the instructor. Many courses have real-time discussion components using chat functions, and the ability to write questions and respond to readings on a class message board. Additionally, because of the collaborative nature of these courses, students are also free to post content that they feel would be beneficial to the learning of other students in the course.
2) Availability of a comprehensive suite of courses, certificates, diplomas and degrees that can be completed mostly, or entirely online:
The amount of full certificates, degrees, and diplomas that can be earned online has increased exponentially in the last five years with most accredited colleges and many universities offering programs of study in this format. A link below to Ontario Learn (a consortium of 22 community colleges that have partnered to deliver online education) and Athabasca University will provide two examples of the breadth of programs available to learners.
http://www.ontariolearn.com/avail_programs/programs.htm
http://www2.athabascau.ca/programs/undergraduate.php
3) User friendly applications:
Many institutions offer free seminars to first time online learners to acquaint them with the programs that they will be using in their courses. Help functions are available to assist users trying to figure out software on their own, and most schools have toll free numbers dedicated to helping learners through technical issues. The amount of assistance available, combined with new user-friendly technologies make online learning a possibility even for novice computer users.
4) Flexibility:
Though most distance education courses do have a course schedule and deadlines for assignments and exams, all other aspects of the learning experience are controlled by the student. Studying can take place at anytime and anyplace, and online course materials are usually web-based so the student can sign into their class from any computer with an internet connection with no programs to install or download.
Technology advances, ongoing improvements to distance education teaching methods, and the availability of full online programs of study are leading to greater options for students looking for an alternative to a traditional “bricks and mortar” institution. This greater flexibility combined with lower tuition fees might open post-secondary education up to students who otherwise would not be able to attain a college or university credential. By making accessible education a priority we are moving towards a more equal and inclusive society where the barriers of location, family responsibilities, work schedules, and financial constraints are no longer as significant a hindrance to educational pursuits.
Distance Education/Professional Development at Curriculum Services Canada (CSC):
In keeping with the ideal of breaking down geographic barriers to learning, CSC brings educators from different locations together for virtual professional development. Through the use of web conferences, social networking, and online course management systems (such as Moodle) CSC is able to facilitate educators coming together to further develop their professional competencies and knowledge base. By eliminating the cost and time constraints that physical travel places on face to face meetings, educators are able to meet more frequently and maximize their professional development time and resources.
-Amanda Doggart
