Title: Adult Education Partnership With Seven Generations
Author: Jack McMaster, Director of Education
Detail:
The partnership with Seven Generations Education Institute will benefit Aboriginal adults to attain a high school diploma and be prepared for employment in the 21st Century. Our partnership with SGEI hopefully is proof of our commitment to recognize and value First Nation culture and ensure that Aboriginal adult education students see their culture in their learning and learning environment. Our goal is to provide opportunities for Aboriginal students to learn curriculum that establishes a caree ...
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Title: The Effects of Family Engagement on Student Success
Author: Jack McMaster, Director of Education
Detail:
Our schools interact with families in many ways with the desire to engages families as parnters in education. Research demonstrates that students who have engaged parents/guardians are more likely to succeed in school by;
earning better grades and enrolling in higher level courses
pass classes and earn more credits
attend school regularly
demonstrate better social interactions
graduate and pursue postsecondary education
Engagement does not always mean presence on a School Council, or s ...
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Title: Examinations
Author: Jack McMaster, Director of Education
Detail:
It is that time of the year again. Exams are beginning next week and students have begun preparation for them. The “exam cram” is hopefully not going to take place, as students should be setting aside time well prior to exams to begin to study the course content for the past semester. By beginning early, they can review and organize their notes, work on review assignments with classmates, and consolidate their understanding of the course content.
I refer to mathematics, as I taught ...
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Title: Happy New Year
Author: Jack McMaster, Director of Education
Detail:
I hope that the holiday season brought rest, relaxation and rekindling of friendships to carry you well into the new year. The concept of new year lends itself to resolutions, new beginnings and creates a sense of hope and motivation. This might be a good time to discuss kindergarten, as it is a new beginning for first time students and is also a time of hope for parents. As parents see their kids off to school for the first time, you want the very best for them. You want that bus ride to be saf ...
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Title: Give a Gift that Entertains the Mind
Author: Jack McMaster, Director of Education
Detail:
We are nearing the holiday season and will have the opportunity to engage in so many great activities with family and friends. This time of year is especially appreciated by me, because I can slow the pace down and really enjoy my time with my family. I am fortunate to have both parents living and can share the holiday with them. My wife, Jeannie, and our daughters Jennifer and Kailey, along with Kevin and the dogs, enjoy ice fishing, reading, the World Jr. Championships and visiting with many f ...
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Title: An Opportunity that Paid Great Dividends
Author: Jack McMaster, Director of Education
Detail:
I thought that with the KPDSB football season ending, and the Grey Cup on Sunday, I would write about an opportunity that came my way. Many years ago, I refereed football, and was asked to take it up again. This season provided four games that afforded me the time and opportunity to ref. Most games involved six referees and it was a pleasure to interact and learn from my colleagues.
Watching them interact with players to support their learning of the game, was very interesting. We are fortunat ...
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Title: Celebrating Diversity
Author: Jack McMaster, Director of Education
Detail:
I was recently in Toronto for meetings and found it interesting to attend public events in the evenings. I attended the Argonauts loss to Edmonton, and walked the streets of downtown Toronto quite a bit. The diversity that Toronto offers its visitors is very interesting and exhilarating. I was able to sample Middle Eastern, Thai, Chinese, and Italian cuisine, all the while taking in so many languages and cultures that I could not do them justice in this blog.
My taxi driver engaged me in conver ...
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Title: How Simple Can Education Be?
Author: Jack McMaster, Director of Education
Detail:
All an education system has to do is develop plans, align them with school plans and lesson plans to ensure that students have ample opportunity to learn. How difficult can it be? This sounds very simple, but when you consider the number of initiatives that there are in education versus the number of staff in a Board of Education to implement these initiatives, it is no wonder the targets for student achievement in the province are yet to be met.
So what are boards of education doing to simplif ...
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Title: World Teacher Day
Author: Jack McMaster
Detail:
World Teachers' Day is October 5, 2011 and is a day for teachers throughout the world to be celebrated. A good education opens many doors for people and it is no accident that countries with strong economies, generally have well-educated citizens
Ontario in the last few years has drawn much attention from many countries throughout the world for having one of the best education systems in the world. We are being studied by these countries for classroom to system strategies that result in gr ...
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Title: Sustainable Education - Part 2
Author: Jack McMaster
Detail:
My previous Blog question: What might we consider for research and discussion to impact on our future?
Responsible Local/Global Citizenship: Students will understand and act upon rights and responsibilities associated with leadership toward healthy and sustainable communities.
Cultural Preservation and Transformation: how cultural histories and the historical transformations impact upon sustainable communities. Students will learn together what to preserve/restore and what to change for f ...
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Title: Sustainable Education
Author: Jack McMaster
Detail:
This blog was stimulated by reading Curriculum 21: Essential Education for a Changing World
How do we create sustainable practices that will ensure a great education system in perpetuity? I believe that education is not about one person waving the flag, but rather ensuring that everyone in the system is a leader. Sustainability in education is also not about finding current best practices and "running" with them forever. Education is in a constant state of flux and thus requires members of the ...
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Title: Back to School
Author: Jack McMaster
Detail:
This summer, our region has had great weather for many to enjoy, but it also presented difficulties for many northern residents. I tip my hat to the residents of our communities for hosting many families from the north.
As we begin another school year with great excitement, I would like to remind you that your interest and involvement in your child’s education does make a big difference. Some parents think that because the curriculum has changed and it is difficult to do the “math&r ...
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Title: Summer Vacation
Author: Jack McMaster
Detail:
Our youngest daughter is schooling in Australia and our eldest daughter, my wife and I visited her in July. When we say that education is lifelong and not isolated to the classroom, I can assure you that our whole family experienced that in Australia. My daughter attends the University of Wollongong and her experiences in school and in the country are expanding her horizons immensely. We had a fabulous learning experience while visiting her.
The winter season in Australia is nothing compared to ...
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Title: Restorative Practices
Author: Jack McMaster, Director of Education
Detail:
I only remember one spanking as i grew up. For many people my age, spanking was a form of corrective action. I may only remember one spanking, but my parents assure me that I earned many more than one. The spanking that I recall was when I was about 7 years old. I was playing with my grandfather’s electric tools (he was a carpenter by trade and yes they had electricity when I was seven). It turned out that a seven year old was not to play with electric tools.
Times have changed and spanki ...
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Title: 21st Century Learning and Why it is Important
Author: Jack McMaster, Director of Education
Detail:
We have moved from the industrial age to the information age, and as much as having a good bank of knowledge is valuable, the days of memorization for expertise in one area are waning. We are able to access information about any subject and can build upon our knowledge very easily and almost instantaneously. Textbooks in schools are slowly being replaced with information from experts around the world.
There are 2 billion people connected to the internet. By the end of the decade it is predicted ...
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Title: Graduation
Author: Jack McMaster, Director of Education
Detail:
I thought that I would choose graduation as the topic for my first blog. High School graduation is an emotional time in a parent’s and student’s life. It represents a change in many relationships between parents and their child. Most graduates leave home to embark on a working career or move off to post secondary studies. This sense of independence is both exciting and ominous, and really can be influenced by discussion between the parents and youth.
I was fortunate to be able to pr ...
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