Improving K-12 pedagogy via a Cloud designed for education

Cloud computing offers an opportunity to improve K-12 pedagogy with services tailored to teachers’ needs in individual classrooms. The Cloud can deliver services such as remote access to learning tools in a cost effective manner to school systems struggling with reductions in local and state funding. This article explores the distinct ways that a Cloud designed specifically for education can be applied to K-12 education's academic mission. It uses observations from a case study in North Carolina rural high schools using an educational Cloud called the Virtual Computing Lab to access dynamic geometry and algebra software.     

Managing the Change From On-Site to Online: Transforming ESL courses for teachers

In Canada, all regular K-12 teachers face the challenge of teaching both native and non-native English speaking students. Consequently, working with students who use English as a second language (ESL) has become everybody's business, irrespective of whether they are teaching language or mathematics, at elementary or secondary levels. As a result, it is essential for in-service teachers to gain knowledge and develop skills in working with ESL students. Teaching English as a second language (TESL) courses have been delivered traditionally at the Faculty of Education at Queen's University through on-site training and with opportunities for working with ESL students. These courses, however, are now delivered online to teachers in different locations across the province and even in other parts of the world. This paper addresses the challenges of converting the on-site courses to an online format.     

From Competence in the Curriculum to Competence in Action

The article begins by drawing a distinction between the concepts of “curriculum” and “programme of study”, and goes on to show that curriculum reform involves much more than simply rewriting programmes of study. The reforms that are presently sweeping across education systems throughout the world qualify, in many cases, as true paradigm revolutions, given the magnitude of the transition from an objectives-based to a competency-based pedagogy. The authors discuss the complex nature of a situated approach to competence by exploring the theoretical foundations of a number of contemporary perspectives: situated action/cognition, distributed cognition/intelligence, collective intelligence and enaction. The value of a situated approach to competence is that it goes beyond an objectives-based pedagogy, while at the same time incorporating the best of what it has to offer. Original language: French Philippe Jonnaert (Belgium) Doctoral degree in educational studies from the Université de Mons; formerly, a professor at the Université de Louvain-la-Neuve in Belgium and the University of Sherbrooke in Canada; a visiting professor at the Université René Descartes, Paris 5-Sorbonne; he is currently a full professor at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQàM); director of the Observatoire des réformes en education (ORé); and consultant to various international organizations on issues related to curriculum development. E-mail: philippejonnaert@yahoo.ca Domenico Masciotra (Canada) Doctorate in educational studies from UQáM and completed post-doctoral studies at the Massachussetts Institute of Technology; he is a researcher for ORé and consultant to the Ministère de l’éducation, du loisir et du sport (MELS) of Quebec. E-mail: masciotra.domenico@videotron.ca Johanne Barrette (Canada) A graduate student in a doctoral programme of educational studies at UQáM; her dissertation concerns informal and tacit learning acquired through practice in business settings. She has worked as an educational consultant for adult education in the workplace; as an adult education teacher; as a project manager in charge of a number of Quebec-based and international projects on the development of competencies in the workplace; and is currently a researcher at ORé. E-mail: barsav@sympatico.ca Denise Morel (Canada) Denise Morel holds two master’s degrees: in philosophy (McGill University, Montreal) and in Applied Linguistics (Concordia University, Montreal); has worked as a teacher, educational consultant and analyst for the English Montreal School Board, and as a part-time lecturer at Concordia University; has participated in several programme development projects for the MELS of Quebec, and collaborates with ORé. E-mail: dmorel@emsb.qc.ca Yaya Mane (Canada) Holds a doctorate in educational studies from the Université Montréal; has taught at the Institut supérieur des sciences de l’éducation de Guinée (ISSEG); he is presently a lecturer in the Faculty of Education at the Université Montréal;, a research officer at the Centre interdisciplinaire de la formation de la profession enseignante (CRIFPE) at the Université Montréal;, and a researcher at ORé. E-mail: yaya.mane@umontreal.ca     

Family preparation for school entry and the role of transition practices

Entry into school represents as much a challenge for children as it does for their parents. The authors examined the ways in which transition practices help children and their families feel prepared for school entry, as measured by the child's emotional adaptation during the first days in class and the family's sense of being prepared for this transition. Data were collected from a sample of 412 parents. The results indicate that children's emotional adaptation during the first days in school is related to their families' preparedness for school entry. Moreover, families' preparation is partly explained by the number of transition practices perceived by the parents. These data support the importance of transition practices in the preparation of the family as a unit. Transition practices could serve to reassure parents and their children that the school is ready to welcome them.     

Strengthening collaborative capacity: experiences from a short,intensive field course on ecosystems,health and society

A key capacity for engagement in the emerging field of ecohealth is the ability to work collaboratively. Between 2008 and 2010, the Canadian Community of Practice in Ecosystem Approaches to Health collectively designed and delivered three foundational, intensive, field courses. This paper presents findings derived from both quantitative and qualitative student course evaluation survey data. New insights arise around: the diverse opportunities for learning collaboratively in order to tackle complex socio-ecological issues, the social dynamics of collaborative relationships and learning, and the learning challenges that arise during intensive field courses. The lessons learned from these foundational years have enhanced understanding of the interrelated contributions to collaborative learning and relationship building and their relevance to addressing issues spanning ecosystems, health and society.     

Teaching sociology of education in Canada: a comparative study of the two solitudes

This study aims to contribute to the fields of sociology of education and Canadian sociological teaching. English and French Canadian sociology of education course outlines were systematically analysed in order to assess how national context, language and internal divisions influence the undergraduate teaching of sociology of education. The findings indicate that: (1) identity and national questions are solely discussed in French Canada, (2) English Canada is experiencing a split between mainstream and critical approaches and (3) required readings parallel the national linguistic divide between English and French. In addition, there is no consensual ‘core’ for Canadian sociology of education curriculum and inequality is the most covered topic in the field. Mutual intellectual exchange between English and French sociologists, a relevant discussion about a core in the field and a better integration of under taught topics are proposed to move forward. The implications and significance of these findings are also discussed.