The author believes there are three conceptual and somatic (from the Greek, meaning "of the body") changes that could be made in order to better educate the student body and, thereby, help sustain the intellectual and social relevance of the liberal arts as a program of study. First, the commitment to what Sir Ken Robinson has called "the…

When the author attended a Network for Academic Renewal conference sponsored by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) in 2011, he was surprised by the level of skepticism expressed from the podium about proprietary higher education. This article is intended as a response. From his perspective as a for-profit educator, the…

In recent years, the health professions have moved from "eminence-based" solutions to "evidence-based" problem solving. This evolution provides new opportunities to implement integrative curricula for those preparing for the health professions. These new curricula can be built on the Essential Learning Outcomes identified through the Association…

As far as the foundational education of artists and designers is concerned, there is a sense that the natural sciences are of marginal importance, that they deal primarily with matters of material fact rather than the concerns of critical thought or cultural discourse. The author contends that the natural sciences can be quintessential liberal…

In 2010, when the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development's (OECD) released its 2009 PISA results, the big story was that eight of the top ten performing systems were Asian. Almost everyone overlooked the strong performance of Canada: sixth overall and the highest English-speaking and French-speaking nation in the world. The four…

Productivity has become the raison d'etre of Western capitalist societies, supported by its fundamental principles, quantity and impact. Both of these principles have taken hold in universities, and both place "useful" applications of knowledge above exploration of the human condition, above doubting, questioning, and wondering. The predominance…

Remix is the practice of recombining music, sound, images, and words from sources such as film, television, video, online games, advertising, and novels into new kinds of creative blends. It is a process of re-assembling, recontextualizing, and creating new meanings, and a practice at which young, media-savvy creators excel. Increasingly, youth…

When students are directly engaged in group activities, what factors make it more likely that group work will serve as a conduit to creativity? And--since working with groups means working with people--does the concept of "two minds are better than one" lead to greater creativity? An analysis of student teacher narratives uncovered six main,…

The Canadian Education Association (CEA) has just completed a research project that looked at young people's confidence in their learning environments and their future. We know that students' future trust in institutions is significantly shaped by their school experiences, in particular by whether there is an open climate for classroom discussion…

The hiring process is the intermediary step between teachers' pre-service education and their ongoing professional development journey. It's a critical juncture, and it's important that employers get it right. Within the education sector, the cost of a poor hire can be very high; an underperforming teacher may hinder student learning and undermine…

Rather than speak from a place of authoritative knowing on Aboriginal matters, why not work from a place of wondering and invite our students to learn with us in gaining a deeper understanding of First Nations perspective? Two teachers from Rockridge Secondary School in West Vancouver did just that. One afternoon a new understanding of the…

In some provinces, Interactive White Boards (IWBs) have been recommended for every classroom. The primary and alluring claim made in the promotional and anecdotal literature is that IWBs promote interactivity, which in turn is the crux of three secondary claims of achievement, engagement, and motivation. Careful analysis of research shows these…

Education Canada asked Tom Thompson, president of Olds College and a prime mover behind the Community Learning Campus (CLC): What were the lessons learned from this unusually ambitious education project? Thompson mentions six lessons he learned from this complex project which include: (1) Dream big, build small, act now; (2) Keep a low profile at…

Dorothy Negropontes was a key player in the creation of the Community Learning Campus (CLC), an innovative collaboration of education and community leaders in Olds, Alberta. A former Assistant Superintendent with Chinook's Edge School District, she co-chaired the steering committee that developed the project, served as its executive director…

In fall 2010, after several incidents of student suspensions and expulsions at a nearby provincial high school, members of Potlotek First Nation in Nova Scotia talked about having a school of their own. Discussions came to a head several weeks later for the Mi'kmaw community on Cape Breton Island when two more students were suspended on the same…