Educational assessment in Canada

This article describes the Canadian education system and provincial/territorial, national, and international large‐scale assessment (LSA) programmes that currently operate within this large multicultural country. We highlight the policy implications of LSA programmes within Canada’s 10 provinces and three northern territories, and how the country balances international pressures with the demand for independence in the educational practices of its distinct provinces and territories. The discussion outlines how the systematic use of performance information is institutionalised through two kinds of accountability, ethical‐professional and economic‐bureaucratic accountability.     

Peer–led Approaches to Care

In this paper the reasons for and research on the importance of peer–led approaches to care are explored. Examples of peer–led approaches are explored and these include peer–led pastoral care systems and initiatives such as befriending, circle of friends and peer mediation. Finally the development of resilient schools is discussed and the necessary context of peer–led approaches examined.     

Examining the Effectiveness of a Professional Development Program: Integration of Educational Robotics into Science and Mathematics Curricula

Journal of Science Education and Technology - This study describes a professional development (PD) program designed to support middle school teachers in effectively integrating robotics in science...     

Using a Virtual Agency to Teach Research

ABSTRACT

Use of instructional technology in social work has grown rapidly in recent years. Despite this increase, there is limited empirical investigation of its impact. In this paper we describe the use of a virtual agency for the teaching of research methods and program evaluation at a school of social work. Evaluation of the virtual agency showed that students in general were satisfied with its use and that higher satisfaction led to higher satisfaction with the overall course. The authors also discuss some of the strengths and weaknesses of using a virtual agency for teaching research and program evaluation.     

Assessing the Validity of a Stage Measure on Physical Activity in a Population-Based Sample of Individuals With Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes

This study was designed to test the validity of a transtheoretical model's physical activity (PA) stage measure with intention and different intensities of behavior in a large population-based sample of adults living with diabetes (Type 1 diabetes, n?=?697; Type 2 diabetes, n?=?1,614) and examine different age groups. The overall specificity (classified correctly as inactive) for Type 1 diabetes was 69.3% based on the percentage of individuals in precontemplation, contemplation, and preparation not meeting Canada's PA guidelines. Sensitivity (classified correctly as active) was 82.5% based on the proportion of active participants in action and maintenance. In the Type 2 diabetes group, the overall specificity and sensitivity was 63.9% and 88.2%, respectively. No significant differences were found between the diabetes groups for stage distribution patterns, and sensitivity and specificity values. The majority of the study hypotheses related to intention and behaviors were confirmed, providing further supportive evidence for the utility of this PA staging measure for the diabetes population.     

Write this way: examining teachers’ supportive strategies to facilitate children’s early writing in preschool

Reading and Writing - Writing is essential for communication in literate societies, and its successful acquisition and development is central to academic achievement. Beginning in early childhood,...     

Exploring metacognitive strategy use during note-taking for students with learning disabilities

This mixed-methods study analysed over 200 interviews from 20 seventh-grade students with learning disabilities (LD). Students were instructed how to use a note-taking intervention during science lectures. The interview analyses were supported by pre- and post-intervention quantitative data. Data suggest that the intervention helped students identify important information; systematised the process of listening to, interpreting and using that information; and offered students a means by which to organise the information they were hearing. A discussion about metacognition and attention explores how these processes altered students’ awareness of their own learning, as well as how they equipped students with a new strategy for holding onto and translating information from their science lectures into a useful set of notes. These findings have implications for how theorists conceptualise the relationship between metacognition and attention and how teachers use scaffolding to support the learning of students with LD.     

Professional Learning Community Assessment-Revised (PLCA-R) questionnaire: translation and validation in Spanish context

Learning Environments Research - The analysis of professional community is a good indicator of the degree of professional and institutional development of a school. The Professional Learning...     

Letter coding affects movement production in word writing: an English–Italian cross-linguistic study

Reading and Writing - The present research is a cross-linguistic study indicating that the timing of motor production not only depends on the shape of a letter and the activation of its motor...