tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10536145.post5626826337389946909..comments2023-10-08T09:01:17.216-07:00Comments on The Murgatroyd Blog: Reboot Alberta: Education - A CharterStephen Murgatroydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14407855028282306596noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10536145.post-25799660399352312572014-03-12T02:58:26.225-07:002014-03-12T02:58:26.225-07:00This is very good essay it tackles an important pa...This is very good essay it tackles an important part of education. I hope lots of essay and blogs are just like this. Thank you for sharing your knowledge to all <a href="http://www.royal-essay.com" rel="nofollow">essay writing services</a> students like me.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17918157988598211370noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10536145.post-36917687243282321172014-03-12T02:23:24.850-07:002014-03-12T02:23:24.850-07:00Good essay here. I was a little bit shock about th...Good essay here. I was a little bit shock about the situation of education in Alberta. I hope the government and those responsible will give their best in reinventing the education in Alberta.essay writing serviceshttp://www.royal-essay.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10536145.post-22169945479230476772009-12-14T18:45:40.351-07:002009-12-14T18:45:40.351-07:00Thank you for these helpful and focused comments. ...Thank you for these helpful and focused comments. I agree that a lot of what is in the Charter is also a focus for some of the work being done by others, especially as part of the Inspiring conversation and the submissions re the School Act2.0 - what I am hoping is that we can test the draft Act against these principles.<br /><br />Keep the comments coming.Stephen Murgatroydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14407855028282306596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10536145.post-51319070483007289342009-12-14T17:51:39.166-07:002009-12-14T17:51:39.166-07:00Thank you for this excellent post, Dr. Murgatroyd....Thank you for this excellent post, Dr. Murgatroyd.<br /><br />The Public School Boards' Association of Alberta is very encouraged to find Albertans drawing the connection between public education and the future of our province's democracy. We agree that public schools are the nurseries of citizenship, and that the School Act review process is about more than the future of education. These students must be taught in classrooms that foster the important values of our democracy. This is best reflected in the charter where it says "Schools... should be inclusive, creative communities which build tolerance, respect and empathy in young people."<br /><br />This charter, and the comments that have already been left here, suggest that Albertans have already asked themselves how our students should learn. It is interesting to note that the contents of this charter and the comments left here allign very closely to what has been suggested by school boards, other education stakeholders, and the public through the School Act review process and the Inspiring Education dialogues. These principles have more or less been captured by the Foundational Themes the department (Alberta Education) has presented to guide the School Act review.<br /><br />Teaching methods, learner outcomes, and curricula building are not the only important matters when it comes to overhauling an education system, however. Another fundamental question is: Who is responsible for educating our future citizens? Is this merely another provincial government service, or is it a valuable community endaevour? They say it takes a village to raise a child, and it is clear from the comments left here that citizens in the village already have important ideas to contribute. These kinds of questions (we call them governance questions) have largely been left out of discussions about the new School Act, both within the dialogue between stakeholders and the government, and within public conversations in the media, in coffee shops, and on blogs.<br /><br />The charter mentions that "The education of young people should be a partnership of schools, parents and the wider community in a local area." We feel that this is one of the most important principles in this charter. This principle is what allows parents and the wider community to interpret the rest of the principles within the charter in a way that suits their local area, and most importantly, implement them in the way that works for them. This is the message Albertans must carry to their elected officials when they articulate their support for these principles. Otherwise, these governance questions will remain unanswered until it is too late.<br /><br />For those that want to know more about the School Act review process, the principles being discussed, and the progress being made, our Association maintains a blog devoted to the subject.<br /><br />http://psbaaschoolactreview.wordpress.com/<br /><br />We encourage everyone to check it early, check it often, and leave their comments!Public School Boards' Association of Albertahttp://psbaaschoolactreview.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10536145.post-71509799662140121062009-12-14T10:10:36.102-07:002009-12-14T10:10:36.102-07:00Good observations - and I'd welcome more. I a...Good observations - and I'd welcome more. I am tracking these and will post an amended charter in mid January. Keep the comments coming and watch for my post on Reboot Alberta: Health CareStephen Murgatroydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14407855028282306596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10536145.post-12063142531132740282009-12-14T08:46:40.267-07:002009-12-14T08:46:40.267-07:00Excellent idea Stephen. I appreciate that my comme...Excellent idea Stephen. I appreciate that my comments below are implicit in what you have written but I would like to make them explicit. <br />First, we need to design a system that supports all learners. This means accommodating learners with exceptional needs emanating from disabilities (or differences). While we have a good accommodations policy in post secondary education in Alberta, incredibly, we do not have an accommodations policy in K to 12.<br />Accommodation is a term used to describe the supports, tools and/or services that are provided to individuals with disabilities to enable them to compensate for the difficulties arising from their disability. In an educational setting, accommodations are required in order for a student to access the curriculum, complete assignments and demonstrate and apply their skills and knowledge. Accommodations do not alter the provincial learning expectations for the grade. Appropriate accommodations are individually designed based on the unique learning needs of the student and reflect the demands of the curriculum including the approaches used for both instruction and evaluation.<br /> What this means is that students with various disabilities must be provided with the appropriate accommodations – be it technology, time and other supports specific to their needs, to demonstrate their mastery of a subject area. I have heard, over and over, that many educators, parents, etc., feel it is unfair to provide those accommodations, except in very rare circumstances. So, we hamper students in the early grades, putting up barriers for them to enter post secondary, and only at that level provide accommodations supports. It really is the educational equivalent of putting the cart before the horse. I believe an Educational Charter should embrace the principle of supports to learning that equalize the playing field, and enable all of our citizens, whatever their age or stage in the K to PhD continuum, to demonstrate their mastery in the most creative way possible. <br />Next, I think we must embrace, not just support, the full spectrum of subjects. We have become very Machiavellian in our delivery of education… the evolution to a singular focus on the subjects covered by PATs and diploma exams worry me. It is often the “optional subjects” that keep people in school or spark lifelong learning. What a bland and unexciting world we would have without design, the arts, our sports heroes, etc. Let us build that component into our new vision.Kathryn Burkehttp://www.ldexperience.canoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10536145.post-30789365294886948622009-12-13T18:39:57.769-07:002009-12-13T18:39:57.769-07:00Please, please, please add that government underst...Please, please, please add that government understands that education is more than 'job' training. <br /><br />It frightens me that the focus on making children and young adults, and also mature adults,ready for a work position has taken such a strong hold in our government, particularly in post secondary. <br /><br />You wisely articulate that learning is far more than attaining the ability to perform a certain function. It's about helping every indivdual open their mind.Linda Pushornoreply@blogger.com