Margaret Norrie McCain

• • We Are a Small Group SpeciesHuman beings are communal by nature and living together – in communities – is our most common and most natural state of life. John Abbott discusses the fact that communities must be created and sustained by the conscious intentions and actions of their members, and that we must attend to health and vitality of our communities in order to thrive – and to learn! – as a species.
    
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    The Ingenuity Gap: Facing the Economic, Environmental, and Other Challenges of an Increasingly Complex and Unpredictable FutureMon, 03/03/2008 - 17:02 -- adminDespite all of society’s advances, our problems proliferate. Wars abound, environmental degradation accelerates, economies topple overnight, and pandemics such as AIDS and tuberculosis continue to spread. The Internet and other media help to disseminate knowledge, but they’ve also created an “info-glut” and left us too little time to process it. What’s more, advances in technology have made the world so bewilderingly fast-paced and complex that fewer people are able even to grasp the problems, let alone generate solutions.
    
    
    
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    In the interconnected world in which the vast majo-Howard GardnerMon, 02/18/2008 - 17:52 -- adminIn the interconnected world in which the vast majority of human beings now live ... it is not possible for parts of the world to thrive while others remain desperately poor and deeply frustrated. Recalling the words of Benjamin Franklin, “We must indeed all hang together, or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately”.
    
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    Cleverness will never be enough - our world needs -John AbbottMon, 02/18/2008 - 16:37 -- adminCleverness will never be enough - our world needs creativity, and the ability to think holistically and ethically.
    
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    Think about what kind of world you want to live an-Peter Kropotkin 1842-1921Mon, 02/18/2008 - 16:21 -- adminThink about what kind of world you want to live and work in. What do you need to know to build that world? Demand that your teachers teach you that.
    
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    Catching the Knowledge Wave: The Knowledge Society and the Future of EducationThu, 02/07/2008 - 14:08 -- adminJane Gilbert says that knowledge is now a verb, not a noun – something we do rather than something we have – and explores the ways our schools need to change to prepare people to participate in the knowledge-based societies of the future. 
    Read our staff review of Catching the Knowledge Wave?, below.
    
    About the author
    Jane Gilbert is a chief researcher with the New Zealand Council for Educational Research. She has a background in teaching at both secondary and tertiary levels.
    
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    Exploring Democracy: ICT and Inquiry Fuel the JourneyWith the tools of technology, the support of the Galileo Educational Network, and an inquiry-based model of learning, grade 10 classes took on the question: “What are the implications of living in a democratic society within a larger global context?” Working closely with a specialist in middle east politics from the University of Calgary, students examined democracy in light of the invasion of Iraq. The study culminated in a video conference where students from two different cities presented and defended their positions around this controversial topic.
    
    
    
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    Children to Try Out Six Languages in Elementary GradesPrimary school children are learning six different languages from the age of nine under a pioneering new plan.
    
    The idea is to give them a taste of all six so they can then decide for themselves which language to opt for when they transfer to secondary school.
    
    
    
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    Enriching Communities: Concepts of Communities in the Future“Enriching Communities” was the theme of the first International Baccalaureate Organization Worldwide Electronic Conference in 2004. John Abbott, as a contributor/leader, noted that the theme suggested that “right now, many people fear that communities are not what they once were, or indeed might be in the future, and that somehow they have to be enriched.” He contributed four papers to the conference, all on the topic of community (attached as one document, below).
    
    
    
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    expanding world view“I believe that current formal education still prepares students primarily for the world of the past, rather than for possible worlds of the future….[we have] not yet figured out how to prepare youngsters so that they can survive and thrive in a world different from one ever known or even imagined before.” Howard Gardner
    
    
    
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    Is falling voter turnout linked to diminished civics education?Recent analyses suggest that the drop in voter participation is largely the result of precipitously low election day turnout among young voters. Why? Are young Canadians too cynical? Busy with other forms of political expression? One answer that does find some support is that young people are less engaged in and knowledgeable of current political issues.
    (Source: Canadian Council on Learning)
    
    
    
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    Aboriginal learners can make unique contributions to fields of science and technologyThis report from the Canadian Council on Learning notes that aboriginal people in Canada are sharply under-represented in science and engineering occupations. More can – and must – be done to increase the relevance of learning and engagement of Aboriginal students in science and technology. Choosing careers in science and technology will benefit Aboriginal students directly through employment, but more importantly they can make a tremendous contribution to Canada.
    
    
    
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    Redefining Knowledge for the Post-industrial AgeJane Gilbert discusses the modern knowledge-based society and and explores the meaning of ‘knowledge’ in our current context. Gilbert also explores the history of thinking about education and how and why these ideas need to change.Read the article by clicking on the live link to the Canadian Education Association website, below.
    
    Jane Gilbert, formerly a secondary teacher, is a chief researcher with the New Zealand Council for Educational Research.
    
    
    
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    Educating the heart as well as the mindThis articles discusses the role of schools in fostering social and emotional learning as key components of success in both school and life. 
    (Source: Canadian Education Association )
    
    
    
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    Report: Citizenship Education in CanadaThis piece contains information on the history, trends, questions, programs and initiatives, issues and future directions of citizenship education, in addition to providing an extensive list of references. 
    (Source: Canadian Education Association)
    
    
    
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    Five Minds for the FutureMon, 12/17/2007 - 16:36 -- adminWe live in a time of vast changes that include accelerating globalization, mounting quantities of information, the growing hegemony of science and technology, and the clash of civilizations. Those changes call for new ways of learning and thinking in school, business and the professions. In Five Minds for the Future, noted psychologist Howard Gardner defines the cognitive abilities that will command a premium in the years ahead:
    
    
    • the disciplinary mind – mastery of major schools of thought (including science, mathematics, and history)and of at least one professional craft
    
    
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    education for today and tomorrowThere’s no question that the world is a very different place than it was when public schooling became a common practice in North America. In fact, the rate of change itself has accelerated dramatically during this time frame.
    
    
    
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