News and Research

By Kelly Farrell Leave a Comment

What are the keys to a child’s growth, learning and development? Kelly Farrell, Star Academy teacher and Dialogue Online columnist, reflects on the lessons from the Brain Power conference. Read more…

By Mara Shapiro Leave a Comment

A revolution in childhood development is here. Thinking about how neuroscience or neuroeducation can help you train your students’ brain so you can teach them to learn better, smarter and faster? If you answered yes, then you’ll want to watch our tweets (see the live Twitter feed below or check out @ourkidsnet and the hash tags #brainpower and #ourkids) and Facebook page over the next two days. Read more…

By Paul W. Bennett Leave a Comment

A new Canadian study demonstrates that, with the exception of British Columbia, the spread of online learning and virtual schools has stalled. Find out why.

By Robert Gardner Leave a Comment

Only now is modern science coming to terms with Maria Montessori’s findings. The tragedy is that so much of what she saw so clearly has been forgotten and, continually, has to be rediscovered. Read More…

By Paul Keery Leave a Comment

Educators should be inspired by the new e-publishing world being opened up by Apple and be prepared to take creative advantage of Apple’s new tools. But they should be very aware of the pitfalls that may entrap them if they don’t think before they innovate.

By Karen Sumner Leave a Comment

Gifts, incentives and the constant affirmation of “you’re great!” can actually kill the desire to accomplish great things. The Country Day School’s Karen Sumner explores the research.

By Christl Dabu Leave a Comment

Appleby College and Upper Canada College will say farewell to Guy McLean and Innes van Nostrand, respectively, in June and make way for the next leaders who will help shape their future.

By Paul W. Bennett Leave a Comment

What stands out in the national educational landscape? Paul W. Bennett’s list of the best and worst of 2011 in education offers a few surprises.

By Christl Dabu Leave a Comment

It’s a brand new year and we’re excited to share more of your insights and ideas on Dialogue Online. Here are the top 10 posts from the past year.

By Christl Dabu Leave a Comment

Dialogue Online provides the education headlines, links and web resources you should know. Learn the seven deadly sins of creativity, why some want to ban Wi-Fi from schools, and why educators should “cut the excuses and lead” in technology transformation.

By Christl Dabu Leave a Comment

From South Africa to B.C., she has been an education leader in diverse environments with the mission of strengthening schools. Meet Elizabeth Moore, the new executive director of the Independent Schools Association of British Columbia (ISABC).

By Christl Dabu Leave a Comment

Dialogue Online provides the education headlines, links and web resources you should know. Find out why zero-tolerance policies may be damaging, what educators are doing about the bullying and teen mental health crises, and the role of digital education as a divider or equalizer.

By Doug Brown Leave a Comment

In School Spotlight, Dialogue Online features your private school’s innovative projects, programs and accomplishments. This column highlights how Greenwood College School became Canada’s top Movember fundraising high school out of more than 20,000 teams this year.

By Garth Nichols Leave a Comment

A Canadian History teacher finds an authentic way to bring history to life and show students that issues of the past continue to exist and persist today through the Occupy movement.

By David Wees Leave a Comment

When it comes to debating whether students should do mathematics by hand or by computer, we forget that we have used mathematics in many other technologies over the years, and that each of these technologies had their advantages and disadvantages, writes educator David Wees.

By Christl Dabu Leave a Comment

Dialogue Online provides the education headlines, links and web resources you should know. This week, a new education model focused on students’ well-being, teaching “good sex” in schools, and ideas and inspiration for teachers.

By Christl Dabu Leave a Comment

It was a day of passion, purpose and perspective. From a student “redefining jihad” to a poetry slam performer and educator, a fresh line-up of innovative minds gave their own TEDx talks at TEDxIB@York conference on Nov. 18. Read Dialogue Online’s live-blog archive of the event.

By Robert Gardner Leave a Comment

In the last article of this two-part series, educational consultant Robert Gardner explores how Maria Montessori’s experiences as an “enemy alien” in India during World War II led to her enlightenment in childhood language development.

By Manfred J. von Vulte Leave a Comment

What defines a student’s experience at school? Manfred J. von Vulte, deputy headmaster of Northmount School, reveals the factors to fostering a healthy school community beyond academics and IQ.

By Christl Dabu Leave a Comment

Dialogue Online provides the education headlines, links and web resources you should know. This week, the homework debate, schools walk the talk on mental health, and lessons on co-teaching and inclusion.

By Barry Hughes Leave a Comment

It’s no longer just about learning their A, B, C’s and 1, 2, 3′s. Grade 1 students at HTS, an independent school in Richmond Hill, have joined the iPad revolution with recently launched pilot projects. Barry Hughes, the head of school, weighs in on how the gadget is transforming their classrooms.

By Manfred J. von Vulte Leave a Comment

The much touted improvement in EQAO scores for the entire province isn’t quite accurate when one examines how each respective gender is performing. Manfred J. von Vulte reveals why alarm bells should be ringing for any parent of a male child — and how Northmount School was the exception.

By Christl Dabu Leave a Comment

Dialogue Online provides the education headlines, links and web resources you should know. This week, encouraging critical thinking with social media, a national strategy against teen suicide, and Facebook’s influence on children.

By Garth Nichols Leave a Comment

Over the last two years, Civics classes from across Canada have been treated to a wealth of excitement and resources through municipal, provincial and federal campaigns, debates and elections. Teachers have engaged their students in an authentic and exciting experience through the Student Vote program. Now the challenge is maintaining this engagement.

By Andrea Fanjoy Leave a Comment

While it may be the left brain that got us here, author Daniel Pink argues it is the right brain that will keep us here. Andrea Fanjoy of Kingsway College School comments on the brain book that is rocking the education world — and the role of schools in nurturing students.

By Christl Dabu Leave a Comment

Dialogue Online provides the education headlines, links and web resources you should know. This week, learn tips for helping youth achieve their dreams, guess who students voted for in the Ontario election, and find out a new but controversial response to dealing with bullies.

By Christl Dabu Leave a Comment

On World Teachers’ Day, Rob Lederer, Canadian High School Teacher of the Year, shares with Dialogue Online the top three things he does to help students succeed.

By Christl Dabu Leave a Comment

Dialogue Online provides the education headlines, links and web resources you should know. This week, recruiting globe-trotting teachers, what it takes to be a good principal, and the Twitter chat craze.

By David Wees Leave a Comment

To say that the problems in our math education system are entirely due to the introduction of the new math curriculum is irresponsible, given that any number of other factors could be contributing to the problem, writes David Wees.

By Christl Dabu Leave a Comment

Dialogue Online provides the education headlines, links and web resources you should know. This week, YouTube for teachers, tips for dealing with troublemakers and bullying as “drama.”

By admin Leave a Comment

Dialogue Online provides the education headlines, links and web resources you should know. This week, why we need failure, tweeting tots learn about the world and what makes a good teacher.

By Christl Dabu Leave a Comment

Dialogue Online provides the education headlines, links and web resources you should know. This week, hope for burned out teachers, cracking down on cheating educators and lessons for students beyond 9/11.

By Christl Dabu Leave a Comment

Dialogue Online provides the education headlines, links and web resources you should know.

By Christl Dabu Leave a Comment

As Ontario prepares to phase in its financial literacy curriculum starting in the fall, the first time ever the topic will be taught in a large scale in Canada, most private schools across the country will likely follow the province’s lead in integrating financial literacy in multiple subjects, says financial expert and author John Waldron.

By admin Leave a Comment

Our Kids Media got an exclusive interview with Maya Soetoro-Ng — educator, author, advocate for improving schools and U.S. President Barack Obama’s sister — at a town hall inspired by Waiting for “Superman” in their family’s hometown of Honolulu, Hawaii. Read the Q&A and listen to the audio interview.

By Dr. Stan Kutcher Leave a Comment

As a teacher you are in a unique position to help the student learn habits that will help them be successful. Teenmentalhealth.org shares successful tactics to help students with ADHD at school.

By Christl Dabu Leave a Comment

The Fraser Institute’s 2011 rankings have found that Ontario, B.C. and Yukon high school students performed better in exams. Private schools did better than public schools in B.C., scoring an average of 7.6, while the public average was 5.7 out of 10.

By Erin Leave a Comment

During some of Erin’s toughest moments, it was her guidance counsellor who helped her get through high school. Here is how schools can adapt some of these practices to give struggling students a hand during this difficult time in their lives.

By Dr. Dan Reidenberg Leave a Comment

Dr. Dan Reidenberg provides tips to help identify signs of mental illness and suicide.

By admin Leave a Comment

The highly anticipated grades are in for the Fraser Institute’s 2011 annual elementary and high schools report card. Find out the results, trends and expert analysis. Watch for news in Dialogue Online on more report cards, slated to be released by the Fraser Institute in coming months. Ontario, B.C. and Yukon High Schools Improve in [...]

By The Editor Leave a Comment

Teacher salaries at independent and private schools Comparing apples to oranges What do teachers make at independent and private schools in Canada and the United States? That’s a very generalized question, and we can only offer a very generalized answer. The exact answer depends largely on experience, as do all questions of salary – in [...]

By Richard Light Leave a Comment

How Harvard helped undergrad students succeed   Private and independent day and boarding schools pride themselves in providing an experience like no other. And we all recognize that a great experience at your school can develop into your best marketing investment as students and families “spread the word.” But do you know what students think [...]

By Luke Coles Leave a Comment

How Poetry Lets Boys Be Boys In response to a widespread sense of alarm over the state of boys’ literacy, the Ontario Ministry of Education assessed students at various grade levels. The subsequent report, Me Read? No Way! (StatsCan, 2002), showed that boys were not performing as well as girls in reading and writing, and [...]

By Melisande Tomory Leave a Comment

Character comes into play When we think of giants of creativity as recorded by history—Einstein, Michelangelo, Gandhi—we remember them for their great contributions, for the fruits of their labour. It is easy to ascribe their contributions to a stroke of genius and forget the incredible work that preceded their gift to humanity. (Think of Thomas [...]

By Grant Linney Leave a Comment

How outdoor education brightens the future of children and our planet As a long-time outdoor educator, I remain amazed at the impact that outdoor and experiential education (OEE) has upon participants. But how have we measured this impact? There are the usual program evaluations and the periodic concerted links to classroom curricula. And, sometimes, a [...]

By Kristopher Churchill Leave a Comment

National Differences, Global Similarities: World Culture and the Future of Schooling Author: David P. Baker and Gerald K. LeTendre Published by: Stanford University Press, 2005 Thomas L. Friedman’s recent book The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century reminds us that we increasingly live in a world without walls. In a similar [...]

By Kristopher Churchill Leave a Comment

Kurt Hahn’s Schools & Legacy: To Discover You Can be More and Do More Than You Believed Author: Martin Flavin Published by: Middle Atlantic Press, 1996 Independent educators likely will have heard of Kurt Hahn and may know at least some particulars of the man through various snippets of his thinking—“learning by doing,” “training through [...]

By Kent Warkentin Leave a Comment

In our changing world, ethics education is more important than ever Ethics/character education is a complex issue in Canada, the United States and around the world, connecting with many aspects of society. It helps shape the views and opinions of students in areas such as citizenship, political activism, career choices, global awareness, social justice and [...]

By James Christopher Leave a Comment

The Canadian Educational Standards Institute reports on the use of technology in schools After salaries, the financial outlay for information technology is rapidly becoming the largest line item in the budget of many independent schools in Canada. But it has become increasingly clear that little or no consensus exists as to how that money might [...]

By Linda Quirke Leave a Comment

Greater personal lattitude, long-term security and stability just a few of the advantages for principals The notion of a school principal running a for-profit private school is a century-old tradition. Canada’s earliest schools were primarily run by churches, but 100 years ago religious groups began to assume less responsibility for private schools, while lone owners [...]

By Frank Jones Leave a Comment

Is elementary school the best place to learn about the digital world? Are they learning? That insistent question keeps bubbling to the surface as more and more private elementary schools embrace computer learning. Are computers in the classroom a fad or are they a huge advance that will produce a better-educated generation of children? The [...]

By Marija Djondric Leave a Comment

Helps children stay focused The sight is a familiar one — a youngster excitedly chasing objects across a computer screen. In this case, however, the child has several electrodes attached to his head. The process is called neurofeedback, a relatively new drug-free approach to the treatment of attention deficit disorder (ADD), available through places like [...]