Education is full of acronyms and AISI is another. So what does it stand for- Alberta Initiative for School Improvement. AISI has been in existence since 1999 and has provided substantial funding to school divisions across the province with a goal of encouraging and promoting creativity and innovation in Alberta schools. Projects are three years …
Category: Educational Updates
Feb 10
What does our future hold?
I graduated from McCoy High School in 1979. Although I may have had a slight inkling of where I was going, there was no way I had an understanding of how much the world around me was going to change. Imagine that the kindergarten children entering school in September 2012 will begin retiring (assuming an …
Feb 03
Painting the fence or building a new one!
Alberta Education is involved in a high school flexibility project that is focusing on how learning can be improved outside the Carnegie Unit. The Carnegie Unit was developed from a business point of view and is based on the factory model of education. It was initiated to standardize education. A parallel process in Alberta is …
Jan 27
In search of failure and purpose!
This past week, I had the privilege of presenting at a TEDxYouth event in Lethbridge, Alberta. The youth aspect of the event allowed me to hear some outstanding students and young adults. Some may have been more polished than others, but the messages of all were powerful. Events that allow youth to speak about what is …
Jan 20
Connected Educator equals Informed Professional Judgment
There are times in our careers that we use the term professional judgment as a license to do whatever we believe is right! We’ve earned our degree! We’ve “practiced” our skills! We’ve been inducted into the profession! The very definition of a professional supports our “right” to trump any disagreement of practice. Quite honestly, a rigorous pre-service …
Jan 13
Early Learning: A great way to start!
In June 2011, Alberta Health and Wellness and the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health released a document entitled, “Let’s Talk About the Early Years.” This major report highlighted the importance of early childhood development on life-long health, well-being, learning and behaviour. It is a powerful reminder of the need to focus on …
Dec 31
Not another New Year’s resolution
You can probably tell from the title that I’m not a fan of New Year’s resolutions. It really doesn’t make sense to me to wait until the beginning of a new year to change some aspect of your life. Why is January 1st so important? Didn’t we want to have a healthier lifestyle, lose weight, …
Dec 09
Learning and Innovation
I need days like today! The busyness of the work week is replaced by the quietness in my office. Days like today are filled with reviewing my Twitter, reading articles and watching video clips…and of course responding to never ending e-mails. But most important, days like today allow me to reflect on what I do as …
Nov 25
Perspective!
Yesterday, I hit the gym as I’ve already put some pre-Christmas weight on and was feeling a little disappointed in myself. While riding a stationary bike, I noticed a young mother pull into the parking lot, get out of her car, into her wheelchair and then unload two small children. Perspective! Often my exercise regime …
Nov 21
Maintaining the status quo is falling behind!
Alberta continues to be recognized as one of the best educational systems in the English speaking world. Parental choice, high-quality teaching, centralized curriculum and significant government funding are examples of the many reasons for this recognition. Given that, it may be surprising to many of our public that Alberta Education and local divisions continue to …