Susan Hoenhous and other teachers of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario participate in a full withdrawal of services strike in Toronto on Jan. 20, 2020.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
Short answer: they don’t. But striking teachers often receive a bit of financial help during a strike from money they themselves have already paid to their unions.
A photo of the last truck to be assembled on the General Motors production line, shown at a sports bar where GM workers congregated after their work work at the General Motors plant in Oshawa, Ont., on its final day of vehicle production, on Dec. 18, 2019.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Aaron Vincent Elkaim
The federal government must take a stronger leadership role to ensure the many bodies that co-ordinate employment training programs are sharing information to develop best practices.
Illustration by Wiehan de Jager from the story by ‘I Like to Read,’ by Letta Machoga, originally from the African Storybook project. This story is now available on Storybooks Canada in 28 languages.
(African Storybook)
A free, open-access repository of multilingual children’s stories is one response to the United Nations’ urgent call to promote equitable education on the International Day of Education, January 24.
Violations of academic integrity show Canada is not immune to academic misconduct — and more research is needed to effectively ensure academic quality.
(Shutterstock)
Many countries monitor higher education at the federal level, partly to take a systemic approach to overseeing academic integrity. Why not Canada?
Controversy erupted after a lecturer at the University of Alberta posted on Facebook in November that the Holomodor is a “myth.” Canada recognized the Holomodor — the death of millions of Ukrainians in 1932–33 due to Soviet policies — as an act of genocide in 2008. Here, the Holodomor Memorial, Kyiv, Ukraine.
(Flickr/Matt Shalvatis)
Those teaching in publicly funded universities should be held accountable for denying the public record, whether in their classrooms or beyond.
“With art, you have all the colours in the world to share your thoughts,” wrote one youth in the Holistic Arts-based Program at Laurentian University.
(Unsplash/Rahul Jain)
Important learning takes place through experiences of fun and belonging at an arts-based mindfulness program.
Facebook announced Jan. 6 it will remove videos edited to mislead in ways that ‘aren’t apparent to an average person,’ and are the product of artificial intelligence or machine learning. Here, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies at a hearing at the U.S. House Financial Services Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 23, 2019.
AP Photo/Andrew Harnik
The abilities to detect and analyze deepfake videos is of the utmost urgency. Deepfakes are a serious threat to people’s security and our democratic institutions.
Canadian universities need to reform the culture of the humanities so that careers outside the university are seen as just as valuable as tenure-track jobs.
(Annie Spratt/Unsplash)
With the support of universities, PhD graduates working beyond the academy could bring their knowhow into PhD seminars or classrooms to help current students expand their career horizons.
Countering extremist anti-immigrant and racist attitudes and recruiting in Manitoba requires new approaches. Here, on the right, Hazel Ismail, with No One Is Illegal, calls for Winnipeg to become a sanctuary city, Feb. 3, 2017.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods
Manitoba faces pressing facing demands for new ways of forming relationships with young people to counter hate.
The keeper of hundreds of Kwakwaka’wakw songs, Kwaksistalla Wathl’thla (Clan Chief Adam Dick), chanting at a feast (qui’las) with Mayanilh (Dr. Daisy Sewid-Smith).
(Bert Crowfoot)
Ancestral Indigenous songs often encode territorial responsibilities and rights, such as in relationship with ‘lokiwey’ (coastal clam gardens) on the Pacific Northwest Coast.
A 2019 UNICEF Canada report shows that only 21 per cent of children aged five to 11 engage in at least 1.5 hours a day of active play and unstructured activities.
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On the 30th anniversary of the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child, let’s remember children’s right to play.
Imagination and play encourage children to think through hypothetical situations and create new worlds — and even to develop new possibilities for our shared world.
(Shutterstock)
For many children, the anticipation of Santa’s imminent journey down the chimney to deliver gifts is nothing but magical.
A replica of Nubian Tribute Presented to the King, Tomb of Huy, showing Nubians with their children paying tribute to the Egyptian Pharaoh. Based on the original from circa 1353–1327 B.C.
(Wikimedia)
Coming to a greater understanding of children in ancient history raises important questions for how societies respond — or not — to children’s vulnerability.
More recently, the study of reading has turned to examine the social and emotional benefits of storybook reading.
(Shutterstock)
The benefits from shared storybook reading do not depend on whether books are bought, borrowed or new or used. Some suggested read-aloud books for children aged about kindergarten to Grade 2.
Students walk on campus at the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ont., in March 2017. An Ontario court recently ruled in favour of student associations and struck down an Ontario government directive that threatened their survival.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Hannah Yoon
The survival of Ontario student associations, and the services they provide, depends on whether the government finds a way to lawfully implement its Student Choice Initiative after a legal defeat.
The new sign commemorating the anniversary of the 1989 École Polytechnique shooting now recognizes that it was an attack against women and feminists.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz
Thirty years after the Montreal Massacre that killed 14 women, new threats such as the incel movement pose dangers to the feminist movement.
Following a negotiation impasse, Ontario public secondary teachers walked off the job on a one-day strike. Here, striking teachers are seen outside the Toronto District School Board office on Yonge Street in Toronto, Dec. 4, 2019.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston
Ontario high school labour negotiations broke down over student quality of learning — including mandatory e-learning. Ontario has yet to explain how this will work for students with special needs.
A sign and stuffed animal lay at the entrance to Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School ahead of a vigil for murdered 14-year-old Devan Bracci-Selvey, at his high school in Hamilton, Ont., in October 2019.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Cole Burston
A truly new approach to combating bullying would investigate the factors that make bullying attractive, rewarding and legitimized in the first place, both in schools and beyond.
Engineering programs can learn about recruitment, inclusion and retention from different fields.
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On Dec. 6, 1989, 14 women were murdered at École Polytechnique. Women in a mechanical engineering class were targeted, and 30 years later the ratio of women to men in engineering hasn’t improved much.
‘Frozen II’ sees Elsa move towards being herself without fear of harming others. Here, Elsa, voiced by Idina Menzel, sprinkling snowflakes on Bruni, a salamander.
(Disney via AP)
Frozen II teaches children that venturing into the enchanted forest — stepping outside of comfort zones while looking to trusted guides or companions — can be a place of positive transformation.
A 19-year-old first-year student from Promoting Opportunities for Women in Engineering at McGill addresses Grade 11 students in 2017 in Montréal. Progress has been made to encourage more women to study STEM since the Montréal Massacre in 1989.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson
Engineering is in a better place than in 1989. More women are studying the field, and academic administrators and managers want to hire female engineers. But more work is still needed.
Students involved with the Resilient Schools Consortium in New York City quickly grasped the need for climate resiliency in their school buildings. Students from Mark Twain Intermediate School are seen here in October 2017.
(Heather Sioux)
After Hurricane Sandy, educators in New York City partnered with environmental and governmental organizations to put youth at the centre of preparing for risks and hazards in their school buildings.
Countries such as Japan and Finland have consistently boasted top scores — and high secondary school graduation rates.
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Implementing educational policies that promote long-term achievement and attainment is possible, but requires going beyond news headlines.
The Beardy Blackhawks show solidarity after a game, thank each other and bring the game to a close, at Beardy’s Okemasis First Nation, Sask., Nov. 21, 2019.
Robert Henry
The Saskatchewan Hockey Association (SHA) recently eliminated the Beardy’s Blackhawks Midget AAA team — but needs to reconsider the team’s crucial community role in an era of reconciliation.
