srta newsletter december 2012
TRANSCRIPT
7/30/2019 SRTA Newsletter December 2012
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PresidentSuzanne Moore , DTS
Vice-PresidentPat Liss , DTS
Secretary Jenn Seesahai, ESNI
TreasurerChantal Tytgat, CLC
Collective BargainingPat Liss, DTS
Professional Development Jonathan Waite, ARB
Health & WellnessColleen Kachur-Reico,
EIDCS
Equity & Social JusticeRebecca Sheffield, DO
Education Finance Jason Sparling, CSNC
ResolutionsSuzanne Moore, DTS
Employee BenefitsWendy Chase, SAC
Public RelationsRebecca Brown, EIDCS
Workplace Safety &Health
Kathy Dubesky, CSNC
Contact Information:
204-270-0215
http://seineriverta.weebly.co
December 201
Volume 8.2
My Dear Colleagues:
Report Cards There was a collective, palpable exhale and release
tension across the division once the first round of the provincial
report card was completed. A discussion with the superintenden
confirmed that the late release of the final template of the
provincial report card exacerbated attempts to have timely train
for all teachers in Seine River. A letter from Curriculum and Instruction Assistant-
Superintendent Simon Laplante highlighted the work teachers put in to comply wi
the provincial guidelines for reporting and offered continued support and thanks o
behalf of the Seine River School Division.
Want to Receive the Newsletter in Your Inbox?
Please send your personal email address to
[email protected] and you will be added to the mailing
list. We will not send the newsletter to work emails, as
this domain belongs to our employer.
Not sure if you need help?
Give me a call or send me an email and I will help find the proper resources uniqu
your situation. Don’t wait until the situation worsens; be pro-active.
Until we meet again, I would like to wish you and your loved ones a wonderful Ch
mas holiday, full of laughter, warmth, rest and good cheer.
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Workplace Safetyand Health
ravo to Rob Beal, SRSD’s new Safety and
ealth Officer, and the Workplace Safety
nd Health committee who drafted the
ew SRSD policies around Violence in the
Workplace and Harassment in the
Workplace. As part of the review
ommittee, it was our mandate to
ritique and recommend possible
hanges to the policies and their
eporting forms. With permission, Inlisted the help of Andrew Peters, then
taff officer for WSH at the Manitoba
eachers’ Society to critique the
ocuments; his finding was that they
were among the best in the province.
Andrew then joined us at the December
council meeting, and educated the reps
nd executive members about the
mplications of these two documents.
The WSH bulletin board at your worksite
will be updated shortly to include the
wo newest documents. It is important
hat you become familiar with the
egislation and the importance of
reporting incidents of violence and/or
harassment from staff and students alike.
Without your help, working conditions
for teachers in our schools cannot
improve. If you are not sure if you
should be reporting an act of violence
and/or harassment, give me a call and we
will find the right answers for you.
Reporting forms can be found on
Sharepoint under WSH.
Girls’ Provincial Volleyball Tournament
esponding to a request for funds, the SRTA donated $200.00 to the girls’ provincial volleyball tournament that was held November 22-24
ollege Lorette Collegiate. Our banner was displayed on the sponsors’ wall that overlooked the fast-paced, exciting volleyball games feat
uring the three-day event. Congratulations on a job well done, Tony Fiorentino, JF Godbout, Melanie Layton and the staff of CLC!
MTS Workload Survey
n order to plan for the next round of bargaining, MTS is compiling
bi/tri annual paper survey for all MTS members, including
dministrators and non-classroom teachers. Reps will hand out
he one-page, two-sided survey in the new year and members are
sked to return the anonymous surveys back to the reps for
mailing to me. I will then forward all the responses to MTS.
Budget Consultation
Jason Sparling, Education Finance
Chairperson, Chantal Tytgat, Pat Liss and
prepared and presented recommendatio
to the board forconsideration to its 20
2014 budget. Some o
recommendations incl
increased counselling
personnel for the thre
collegiates, financial
support for peer helpe
an automated sub-find
system, and beautifica
of divisional property.
Please look for me as I travel arou
the division visiting worksites in t
new year, bearing goodies and
snacks. I would especially like to
meet with the teachers who are n
to our division, but I certainly loo
forward to seeing familiar and de
faces again.
Health & Wellness ForTeachers
� Available from the SRTA
Health & Wellness Budget
� Amount per Worksite in-
creases by $100.00 this year
� Due January 31, 2013
� Go to Sharepoint under SRTA
for info and forms
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Bill C-377
he federal Conservatives are
n the brink of passing
rivate Members Bill C-377.
he purpose of this Bill is to
quire unions to make their
nances public, including
ssets, liabilities, andxpenses. The Bill targets
nions and not other
rganizations or corporations.
nions already provide this
formation to their members
rough financial audits,
ports, and regular
embership meetings.
Why should you care about
ll C-377?
this Bill passes personalformation about you (name,
ddress) will be posted on a
overnment website for all to
ee if you receive benefits of
ore than $5,000 related to
our membership in MTS,
cluding:
Employee life and health
trusts;
Group sickness or
accident insurance plans;
Retirement compensation
agreements;
Death benefits;
� Counseling services
(including counseling for
mental or physical health
of themselves or
a family member, and re-
employment)
Additional human and
material resources will be
required for organizations to
do the necessary paperworkmandated by the proposed
law?
There are concerns that any
organization will be able to
access the most competitive
proposal for services when
the names of suppliers and
winning contract bids over
$5,000 will be made public.
There will be added costs forunions to comply with the
legislation.
There will be millions of
dollars in federal costs to
advertise the new
requirements.
Doctors, lawyers and other
professionals who have
similar individual tax
exemption provisions will not
be subject to the samescrutiny.
mbteach.org
Development of the teacher
contract form
Before 1928, teachers were hired on the basis of oral
contract or the exchange of letters.
Boards and teachers were free to decide when they
chose to terminate the agreement between them, ex
as restricted by the common law, although the norma
period of engagement was considered to be for the
school year, The result was that teachers might decid
seek a position elsewhere, or boards might decide to
dismiss the teacher in the middle of the summer.
Frequently boards waited until the examination resu
were out at the end of July before deciding whether o
not to retain the teacher.
As a result of this unsatisfactory situation, the Manito
Teachers’ Federation took the initiative in drawing up
form of contract which it encouraged teachers and
trustees to use. It proved popular and in about 1928,
Department of Education had a modification of it ma
into a statutory agreement form.
MTS Presidential Election
Deadline: April 16, 2013
Ballots will be sent to all schools
Want to nominate someone?
Need nomination form and signature
of 25 members in good standing
Forms available from Ken Pearce
204-831-3078 or 1-866-494-5747
by 4:00 p.m., Friday, February 15, 201
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Lunch at Arborgate
On October 11, I was privileged to deliver
a catered lunch to the staff of Arborgate
chool, in recognition of their
professionalism and hard work in bringing
education to the students under adverse
conditions. Many classrooms in the new
chool were not ready for the beginning of
he school year, and teachers had to share
classrooms, move between classrooms for eaching, and do without library and multi
purpose room facilities for quite some
ime. EA’s and caretakers pitched in to
make the situation smoother and the support staff lent a hand wherever they could. Bravo on a job well done, Arborgate!
Province agrees to
change legislation to
allow increase in
penalties for
unprofessional conduct
v. 27, 2012
e Manitoba government has introduced
gislation which would improve the
ocess by which the Manitoba Teachers'
ciety investigates complaints, conducts
ernal disciplinary procedures and
cuperates costs in cases of proven
professional conduct by a teacher.
We are committed to working with the
anitoba Teachers' Society to continue to
sure all teachers adhere to the highest
ofessional standards," Allan said. "This
l help ensure our students receive the
ality education they need to succeed."
e amendments come following the last
TS annual general meeting. The society
quested an increase in the range of
nalties for members found to have
gaged in unprofessional conduct or
conduct unbecoming a teacher. Following
an MTS internal disciplinary review panel
hearing, the society would be able to
suspend or terminate a teacher's
membership in the society or impose a
fine to help offset the costs of hearings
related to investigations.
"Any profession worthy of the name is
one that holds itself to the highest
possible standards of conduct. Teachers
recognize the need to work together
professionally and effectively, and never
forget our duty to
remain worthy of the
public's trust. This
legislative change isintended to provide
our Professional
Conduct and Review
Committees with a
greater and more
nuanced ability to
uphold those
standards in those
rare cases when
infractions occur,"
said Paul Olson,
president, MTS.
"Along with initiatives, like the
standardized report card and class s
reductions for kindergarten to Grade
this legislation is part of a broader
framework to work with teachers an
parents to improve the overall quali
the education system in Manitoba a
move the province to the top tier of
educational achievement in Canada,
Allan.
http://www.mbteach.org/news/
news12_13.html#province
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Employee Benefits:
What’s New?
Dental Implants: Added to the plan July
, 2012 at no cost: Covered up to the
east expensive cost of a three-unit bridge
ab fees covered up to 50% of the cost of
three-unit bridge
estoration on top is then reimbursed at
ormal charge
Changes to SRSD Dental Plan
effective January 1, 2013
Due to a dental plan surplus Singles will
et a refund of $57.75; Couples $31.50.
ased on current information, premiums
will decrease by 21.6% and might changen about three years. The proposed rates
or 2012-2013 are as follows: Single
25.00, Couple $51.25 and Family $82.75.
n addition coverage will increase from
1200 to $1500 per year.
n SRSD, Short Term Disability
Benefits plan will take effect January 1,
013. All sick days must be exhausted
efore accessing Disability Benefits Plan
Manitoba Public Schools Employees Life
nsurance Plan Terminates on retirement,
an apply for a plan until age 70 New
September 1. 2012 – administered as 90
days before or after a Life Event
(marriage – including common-law, birth
or adoption of first child or death of
spouse). This is aimed more for new
parents instead of waiting until returning
to work
Extended Health Benefits:
The following motion was passed at the
last meeting of the Provincial
Executive. The motion sets the premiums
for the Extended Health plan effective
January 1st
2013, and increases coverage
for some service categories. Essentially
the premiums decrease, 1.7% for
mandatory plans and 4.0% for voluntary
plans with no change to the retiree
premiums and non teacher premiums.
That the monthly premium rates,inclusive of the three plan amendments,
� Increase the annual maximums for all
paramedicals to $850.00 per calendar
year
� Increase the maximum for eye
examinations to $75.00 once every
two years
� Increase the dispensing fee cap to
$7.00 per script
� If you would like to opt into the
Extended Health Benefits plan or
Dental plan, here is what happen
� Extended Health Benefits: during
first year you pay no premiums a
receive no coverage
� Dental Plan: you pay the premium
but you are limited to $250 covefor the first year
� If you would like to save $$$$,
consider buying a 3 month suppl
maintenance prescription drugs
you will save on the dispensing fe
Wendy C
Employee Benefits
Law and Education:
En-CAPSLE-ating
Human RightsAPSLE is pleased to invite presenters
nd participants to the 2013 conference,o be held from May 5-7 at the Fairmontotel, Winnipeg, Manitoba. Theonference will be of interest to allhose interested in how the law canffect leaders in education, includingducators, lawyers, school boardfficials, board staff, faculty, students,arents and representatives of rofessional organizations, academia and
government.Nancy Kerr and George Coupland,Conference Planning Committee Co-Chairs Presenters and participants willbe invited to explore educationalleadership and law by examining such
concepts as:� privacy rights
� freedom of expression
� special education
� school board governance
� occupational health and safety
� human rights
� student rights
� safety in schoolsand how each of these affect the abilitof various stakeholders to be the best
possible educational leaders, for todayand tomorrow.If you have any questions about theconference, please contact CAPSLE.Fax: (905) 873-0662E-mail: [email protected]
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Elections for SRTA for 2013
The following positions are up for election
this year:
� President
� Secretary
� Public Relations
� Workplace Safety and Health
� Employee Benefits
� Education and Finance
� Professional Development
Is it time you got involved?
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I am substituting for a teacher for
two weeks. This week there is an
in-service on Friday. Do I have to
start over counting days on the
following Monday in order to receiv
retroactive full teachers’ salary?
No. According to our collec
agreement,
4.07 a) Effective July 1, 2007
substitute shall be paid 1/200 of
her salary under Article 4according to the substitute teach
classification beginning on the s
day of continuous substitution w
the Division. On the sixth day
continuous substitution in the sa
assignment the substitute shal
entitled to be paid 1/200 retroac
to the first day of the assignment
32.07 In-service, Administration, Inclement Weather days
paid sick days taken as per 32.03 shall not constitute a brea
substitute teaching.
If there is an in-service day on Friday, you do not
continuity, so starting on the following Monday, you sho
start receiving 1/200 of the teaching salary, retroactive to
1 of this particular assignment.
At what point can a substitute
teacher become a term teacher?
According to our collective agreement:
CA: 32.04 LIMITED TERM TEACHER- GENERAL
CONTRACT (FORMERLY FORM 2 A CONTRACT)
A substitute teacher who has been employed for at
least twenty (20) consecutive days of
substitute teaching in the same assignment
shall on the twenty-first (21st) day, be
signed to a limited term contract unless the
return of the regular teacher or conclusion
of the assignment is expected to occur within 5 working days.
Can substitutes receive
benefits under Short-term
Disability or Long-term
Disability plans if they are
injured on the job?
Unfortunately, substitutes injured on the job have no
recourse to income supplements under the collective
agreement.
I want to opt back into our
Extended Health Benefits.
What can I expect?
If you would like to opt back into the Extended Health
Benefits plan, your application will be approved, and
you will pay the premiums for one full year before you
will receive any of the benefits. This safeguard was put
into place to ensure that members pay into the plan
before receiving immediate benefits.
I would like to opt back into ou
Dental Plan. What’s going to
happen?
If you opt back in, you will pay regular premiums, but will b
limited to only $250 in benefits during th
first year. Keep in mind that if you opt
again, you will never be allowed to
back in again.
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Why don’t I have to submit
receipts for food and drinks
when on an out-of-area PD
event as sponsored by the SRTA
PD fund?
n order to streamline the payment of expenses for
out-of-area PD events, the PD committee has agreed
hat a per diem rate of $40.00 would be allowed for
participants. That per diem covers all meal and drink
expenses for the day and no proof of expenditure is
required.
Do I have to accept a student’s work right u
to the last day of the school year?
According to the document, Provincial Assessment Policy
Kindergarten to Grade 12 — Academic Responsibility,
Honesty, and Promotion/Retention, teachers may establish
Why are non-classroom
teachers being charged $195.00
per day for a sub cost on their PD
applications when they don’t
need a substitute?
he PD committee saw an inequity in the
imbursement of funds between teaching and non-aching members. Two members could both go to the
me out-of-area event, for example. The teaching
ember would have to claim two sub days @ $195.00
er day, or $390.00. Therefore, the most
imbursement that member could receive would be
1110.00. The non-teaching member could receive
imbursement of $1500.00 because there was no sub
quired.
Why was there only one spot on the
provincial report card for a signature
and that was for the
principal?
According to the
Education Administration
Act: 28(3) The principal
is responsible for placing
pupils in classes and
issuing statements of
their standing, subject to the approval of the superintendentwhere one has been appointed. 29(2) A principal must ensure
parents are provided with information on their children's
individual achievement on a regular basis.
Therefore, it is the principal’s responsibility to ensure that paren
receive regular report cards; therefore, that is the only signatur
that the province requires on the report card.
One of our permanent teachers retire
last year, and yet her position was fille
by a term teacher. Why couldn’t it be
permanent position?
In the present employment climate of all school divisions, there
a plethora of qualified, eager personnel looking for permanent
employment, but there are not as many people leaving their
posts. So, divisions are taking their time to evaluate and hire t
teachers that suit their needs. They have the freedom and tim
‘test drive’ new teachers without making a commitment to the
Once these teachers have proved themselves, the division then
tries to offer them a permanent position. However, a division
only so many full-time-equivalent permanent positions on the
payroll. When that particular teacher retired, her permanent
position may have been given to a term teacher from another
school who has proven him/herself. So, in the grand scheme o
things, the permanent position went to another school, but is s
one position in the pool of a select number. No one can get apermanent position until a permanent teacher resigns, retires o
dismissed within the division, not just a school.
Can I be forced to resign?
teacher should never resign under pressure. In a legal
nse, a resignation is a voluntary act. Once a teacher
signs, all rights under the agreement are forfeited.
here a board (or superintendent or principal)
emands, requests or advises a resignation, the teacher
ould consider the matter carefully before complying.
efore making any decision in response to the request,
emand or advice to resign, the teacher should contact
he Manitoba Teachers' Society for consultation and
vice.
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Best practice:
Translating or
Bridging?
Chantal Tytgat CLC
n mid-October, I had the opportunityttend a conference in St-Paul, Minnesota
bout how best to help our immersion
tudents’ succeed in both their first
anguage as well as their second language
alled immersion 2012: Bridging Context
or a Multilingual World. At this
onference, we (Melanie Layton and I)
were able to attend many seminars over
he course of three days. We were also
ortunate enough to also do some
etworking with various teachers,dministrators and support staff members
hat teach French all over North America
hat will hopefully become a useful
ometime in the near future.
ne particular seminar that we both
ound particularly useful spoke about the
ower of bridging two languages rather
han simply translating one language to
he next. This seminar was hands-on and
ractical which was different than some
f the other seminars which were simply
bout a research paper on various studies
one with students and teachers. They
tarted off explaining a little about their
ast experiences in the classroom and
heir new role at the Illinois Resource
enter. They then continued the seminar
y explaining the importance of Spanish
nd English in the United States of
merica which was a little less relevant to
ur particular case in Immersion schools
n Manitoba since Spanish is a minorityanguage within a majority culture. What
his means is that although many of their
tudents come from Spanish families, the
nly language that is valued in the States
English.
he second part of the seminar was an
ctivity where both Karen Beeman and
heryl Urow took the group through what
ridging would look like in a classroom.
What I found brilliant is that they did not
explain to us what bridging is but rather
they started the seminar by completing
the activity and then showing us by
example some of the key concepts of
bridging. The activity was done
COMPLETELY in Spanish and despite me
having minimal understanding of the
language, I was still able to understand
the lessons and I learned new vocabulary
in a new language without having to dothe translation in my head.
The first key concept was to begin the
activity with a highly comprehensible,
concrete and interactive activity focused
on preparing the students to understand a
text. The presenters started by going
through a pro-activity which spoke about
the cycle of a butterfly and was done with
images rather than words to showstudents what they were about to learn.
This allows the students to understand
the topic without bringing in the
maternal language and without
translating any vocabulary. The
primary goal is for the lesson to be
done completely in the desired
language without any support of a
second language to allow the brain to
process the information directly
through one language. Once the
students have mastered the basic
vocabulary which was also associated
with gesture to maximise the students’
comprehension, the teacher went
through the text that talked about
butterflies. By this point, the students
have mastered the basic vocabulary
which would then allow them to
understand what they are reading
again, without the support of a second
language.
Once the students have mastered the
vocabulary through a series of differe
activities, the teacher will then make
connection with a second language. T
important aspect of this concept wou
to make sure the students’ are makin
connection between the Spanish wor
and the English word without having
translate it in their minds but to rath
put the two simultaneously togetherthe image of a butterfly in their mind
Studies show that the students will
a much better success rate if they do
always have to translate a word or
sentence from one language to anot
as both languages are different and
to be taught in a different way.
In general, I found this confe
to be very useful to my professional
development and I have every inten
on continuing my studies on the bespractices for acquiring a second
language. I would definitely recomm
to anyone interested in going to not
attend the general conference but th
workshops that are offered on the da
before as my article is based on a
workshop we attended the day befor
actual conference. I felt that they we
generally more hands on and practica
the classroom.
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Closing the Gap
Conference
- by Gisele Charr
The Closing the Gap
conference is an annual
Assistive Technology
conference that covers a
broad spectrum of technology as it is being
applied to all disabilities
and age groups in
education, rehabilitation,
vocation, and independent
living. The conference was
held from October 17-19th
with 20 preconference
workshops held on the 15th
and 16th of October, 2012.
I attended the
“Implementing
Proloquo2go : How to
Customize Vocabulary and
Teach AAC Use”
preconference on October
16th, 2012. This full day
workshop provided by the
AAC Institute provided in-
depth training on the
programming of the
communication app and
strategies on how todirectly teach AAC use.
There were several
presenters including the
creators of the app, Speech
-Language Pathologists and
Directors of Assistive
Technology. The lab
component of the training
provided hands-on
activities that were
conducted on iPads(provided by CTG)to try all
of the strategies that were
being discussed. Although
the training on how to
program the Proloquo2go
2 for students was
invaluable and I have had
opportunity to implement
this training on several
occasions for students in 3
different schools since my
return, the information
how to implement AAC
was the highlight of the
days of sessions. Sever
books in addition to the
key vocabulary that cou
be targeted in each boo
and how to program th
core vocabulary pages w
shared with participant
We then had an
opportunity to work wi
partner and use the
Communication Partne
Training techniques wit
the resources we had ju
reviewed. Two pages o
resources were shared
both In-app help and on
line help for the
Proloquo2go 2. Teach
AAC Resources were alsshared and these includ
sites for general AAC
resources, Assessing AA
skills, Aided Language
Stimulation, Functional
Communication Trainin
Curricular activities and
variety of other teachin
models.
During the 3 days of the
conference I was able t
select from over 200
presentation hours
covering a variety of to
I attended 8 hrs of sess
daily in the areas of
literacy, professional
development, assessme
autism, early childhood
development and
augmentative
communication. The
sessions on literacyfocused on shared read
for students with
significant intellectual,
communication and
physical challenges. Th
2.5 hour session focuse
on the interactive
component of the litera
process and shared
(Continued on pa
FEBRUARY
2013 MTS
WORKLOAD
SURVEY
All MTS members,
egardless of their
osition in schools, are
ighly encouraged to
ll out their workload
urvey which will be
mailed out to schools
uring the month of ebruary 2013. The
urpose of the survey
s to provide objective
ata collected from
members like yourself
o help inform your
Association’s collective
argaining committee
bout your workload
ressures (i.e., time,
lass or case size,
xceptional students,
nd stressors). This
data is used by your
local teachers’
Association in two
ways. It providesinformation which
assists:
(1) Collective
bargaining by providing
data which is useful in
preparation of your
Association’s opening
negotiations package
(note: Associations will
generally start
negotiations in the Fall
of 2014); and
(2) In the event of a
bargaining impasse,
this information can be
used at interest
arbitration.
The bottom line is that
this information is used
to help improve your
collective agreement
and obtaining as many
responses as possible
from your Association
is extremely important
to ensure reliable
results.
The survey is paper
based and should takeabout 15 minutes of
your time to complete.
The surveys are
completed
anonymously as your
Association only
requires aggregate
research data. If you
have further questions
about the survey,
please do not hesitate
to call your Association
President for
clarification or
additional information.
MTS and your local
Association executive
thank you in advance
for participation in this
very important activity!
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merous accessible
ok sites (. http://
kbuilder.cast.org/, http://
f.prairiesouth.ca/
sidy.kathy/browserbooks/
x.htm, http://
w.literactive.com/Download/
ies.asp?Sub=READ, http://
eelreader.org/ . ) These
a few of the key sites
ave been able to share
h colleagues.
sessment tools, rubrics
d developmental
eeners to work with
dents with significant
allenges were reviewed
d shared.
ategies to facilitate
cial interaction and the
ulation of behavior for
dents on the Autismectrum and other
velopmental
abilities was another
a of focus that I
ended. The technique
video modelling was
ofiled and AT such as
ovie, Pictello, and
veral windows based
ograms were reviewed.
ill be working jointlyh Dianne Bulloch, who
o attended the
nference to use the
eo modelling
hnique with some
dents who we share
our caseload.
gmentative
mmunication sessions
h Symwriter a
tware that we
rently have licensingin
e
division was reviewed in
terms of how to design
environments for
students to help them
access the curriculum and
a project on how this
program is being used in
the UK state wide for a
UDL model in education
and both the medical and
judicial systems. An ICEcard that was created
was shared with
participants and is a
resource that will be used
for many non-verbal
students who will now be
able to share and express
personal health
information in an
emergency or other
medical situation.
The conference also
afforded the time to
network with many
vendors who provide
software that we are
currently using in the
division. We were able to
discuss our concerns and
look to possible trial new
software programs. A
variety of text to speech,
literacy, andaugmentative
communication software
and materials could be
trialed and hands-on
demonstration were
provided which will
greatly assist in providing
informed decisions when
looking to add to
materials in the division.
ntinued from page 10)
New anti-
bullying
initiatives
announced Dec. 4, 2012
The provincial government
has announced an action
plan aimed at protectingstudents from bullying in
school, on the street and
on the Internet.
“Our government is
committed to supporting
schools and communities
in providing safe and caring
learning environments for
our students," said
Education Minister Nancy
Allan. "We all share a
responsibility to work
together to provide safe
schools where all students
feel respected and can
reach their full potential.
Our anti-bullying plan will
further protect students
and provide a safe
environment while
fostering understanding
and inclusion.”
The broad anti-bullying
strategy includes:
� help for teachers
including expanded
training supports,
workshops and other
professional learning
opportunities, and ongoing
support for the Respect in
School initiative;
�
help for parentsincluding new online
information and resources
online on how to
recognize, deal with and
report bullying; and
help for students including
strengthened anti-bullying
legislation and the Tell
Them From Me Survey to
allow schools to hear
directly from students
about bullying.
The minister also sa
province will move f
with strong legislatio
would further suppo
students, broaden
reporting of bullying
respect diversity.
“New legislation wil
address the role of s
media in bullying an
student-supported
initiatives at schoolsat promoting an incl
environment such a
and activities that p
gender equity and re
for people of all sex
orientations and gen
identities, anti-racis
respect for people w
disabled by barriers,
Allan.
The minister said, in
months ahead, she wmeet with schools,
students, teachers, p
and principals acros
province to discuss f
bullying prevention
measures and creat
safer environments
students in and out
school.
Global Conference on Education
Submitted by Melinda Roy, Resource Teacher, CSNC
I attended the “Global Conference on Education” hosted by Riverside
University in Ontario, California. When I was looking for an “out of are
conference to attend, I came across this one. The website stated abou
different topics in education that included ones I was very interested in
Special Education, Autism, Community Living and Cross-disciplinary are
Education to name a few. And the fact that it was “global” sounded re
appealing and interesting.
Well, it was not at all what I expected!! I
envisioned several break-out sessions
could choose to attend. But the whole
conference was in one room, with 30 minu
sessions on each of the topics. Talk about a
enriching experience. The presenters wer
from all over the world including countries
South Africa, Australia, South America, Sau
Arabia, Turkey, Nigeria, South Korea, and m
more. By the end, we all felt like a global
family. There was never a chance for the mind to wander, as the
(Continued on p
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Connect.
Engage.
Learn—
Learning
Forward
Conferenceston, MS
ecember, 2012
has been my
easure to network
th colleagues from
ross the world over
e past several days.
y experience at the
arning Forward
nference in Boston,assachusetts was
paralleled. The
nference
ganization and
ssions truly modelled
e “Connect, Engage,
arn” theme of this
ar’s conference. I
und time to connect
th colleagues from
nada and the United
ates, to engage in
discussions with some
of the most innovative
practitioners and
thought leaders in our
field and to learn from
other conference
attendees as we
explored the most
effective ways to
support studentsuccess.
Specifically, I attended
the following sessions:
� Breaking Through
Conflict and Hard
Conversation
Barriers to School
Improvement (R.
Garmiston & J.
Abrams)
� Support Staff:
Important and Not
Forgotten (C.
Adams, K. Leeser,
& P. Mueller)
� The Data Toolkit (R.
Hess & P. Robbins)
� Imagineering
Tomorrow:
Redesigning
Schools Through
Artful Professional
Learning (S.
Biancaniello, C.
Russo, S. Bennis)
� Educurious –
Learning thatConnects (J.
Chadsey)
I also spent time
reviewing the
publisher’ displays and
presentations.
I would be willing to
discuss my learning in
more detail.
Respectfully,
Shannon Corbett
formation and discussion was always fresh and motivating.
ad several “ah-ha” moments
roughout the conference. The
eynote Speaker was addressing
e group and made a statement,
f you ask anyone who has been a
udent in school what they
member the most about their
acher, they will usually forget
hat they taught but will never forget how that teacher made
em feel.” I have heard this several times before but being in a
om with educators from all extremities of the planet made it
ry valid and real. Many of the struggles that educators are
cing around the planet are the exact struggles that we face
ere in Manitoba such as government funding, motivating
udents, parental support and making experiences relevant to
e learner. On the opposite side of that, I also realized as I
tened to some of the struggles other countries were having,
ow very fortunate I am as a teacher in Canada. And further to
at, how very fortunate our children are to be given this gift of
education, and that we really do “measure-up” on a global s
Another “ah-ha” was this session c
“ Thinking Together” by James Han
of Australia. He presented the the
of how grouping people together w
always seen as an advantage and h
we perceive that “two heads are be
than one”. His research was so
interesting. It showed how “group
are less likely to receive opinions
outside of the group as they may feel pressure within their
group as well as influences from other members of the grou
They can in fact be less tolerant in a group then when makin
judgments for themselves. As an educator, it made me awa
how all concepts and approaches should be looked at with a
balanced methodology. And that all teaching approaches h
advantages and disadvantages. This conference allowed m
look at some of our practices through different eyes and the
experience was very enlightening.
ontinued from page 11)
45thANNUA
MANITOBTEACHER
SOCIETBONSPIE
February 22, 23 & 24 , 2013Hosted by the Western Tea
ers’ AssociationMorden Curling Club
327 2nd StreetMorden, Manitoba
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Daily 5 & Café Workshop
November 13th -14th, 2012Kelly Baker, DTS
n November 13th
and 14th
, I attended
he Daily 5 and Café Workshops in Las
egas, Nevada put on by Gail Boushey
nd Joan Moser, the 2 Sisters. My
terest in the 2 Sisters began after a
acher at our school attended the
nference last year and shared
formation with me. My goal was to
arn about how The Daily 5 and Café
should look in a classroom and how it
should be implemented.
Over the two days, the 2 Sisters
explained The Daily 5 and Cafe
while backing up their strategies
with research as well as many
examples of how to implement
the strategies in the classroom.
The Sisters explained the
importance of the Daily 5.
Various tools were introduced to
assist teachers with their record
keeping of their students’
progress while using the Café
strategies, and numerous videos were
shown demonstrating how The Daily 5
and Café could be u
in various types of
classes. The Sisters
also gave little hints
that could assist
struggling readers,
several of which, I h
not heard before. I
looking forward to
trying some of their
(Continued on pag
he History of Appropriate
ducational Programming
egislation
ll 13 allowed the Minister of Education,tizenship and Youth to developgulations regarding appropriate
ducational programming and disputesolution.
ppropriate Educational Programming
November 2003, Bill 13 - The Public
hools Amendment Act (Appropriate
ucational Programming) was introduced
the Provincial Government. The Bill
ade an amendment to the Public
hools Act.
n May 12, 2004, Bill 13 received
ncurrence and third reading in the
anitoba legislature.
n June 10, 2004, the Bill received Royal
sent to come into effect on a yet to be
etermined date fixed by Proclamation.
n October 28, 2005, the Bill and
pporting regulations were proclaimed.
hat is the purpose of the legislation?
e Amendment to the Public Schools Act:
ppropriate Educational Programming
ovides the regulation to guide policyd programming for all students,
rticularly those with special needs, in
ceiving the appropriate educational
ogramming they require.
e regulations confirm in legislation that
students in Manitoba are entitled to
ceive appropriate educational
programming that fosters student
participation in both the academic and
social life of the school. The legislation
supports Manitoba’s philosophy of
inclusion.
Student Services
Philosophy of Inclusion
The Public Schools Acts supports
Manitoba's philosophy of inclusion, which
states:
Inclusion is a way of thinking and acting
that allows every individual to feel
accepted, valued, and safe. An inclusive
community consciously evolves to meet
the changing needs of its members.
Through recognition and support, an
inclusive community provides meaningful
involvement and equal access to the
benefits of citizenship.
In Manitoba , we embrace inclusion as a
means of enhancing the well-being of
every member of the community. By
working together, we strengthen our
capacity to provide the foundation for a
richer future for all of us.
What is Manitoba’s philosophy of
Inclusion?
Inclusion is a way of thinking and acting
that allows every individual to feel
accepted, valued, and safe. An inclusive
community consciously evolves to meet
the changing needs of its members.
Through recognition and support, an
inclusive community provides meaningful
involvement and equal access to the
benefits of citizenship.
In Manitoba, we embrace inclusion a
means of enhancing the well-being o
every member of the community. By
working together, we strengthen ou
capacity to provide the foundation fo
richer future for all of us.
What does inclusion mean to a stude
with special learning needs?
Students with special needs shouldexperience school as much as possibl
their peers without special needs.
To make inclusion applicable in Manit
schools, educators will:
Foster school and classroom commun
where all students, including those w
diverse needs and abilities, have a se
of personal belonging and achieveme
Engage in practices that allow studen
with a wide range of learning needs t
taught together effectively.
Enhance students’ abilities to deal wi
diversity
http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/specedu/aep/inclusion.html
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nts!
hat I was excited about the most
as how the students on the videos
ere engaged in their learning and
ere involved in their learning
ocess. Students are allowed
oices with respect to activities
hich increases their level of
engagement. Students
were also aware of
where their strengths
and weaknesses lie and
why they needed to
work on certain
strategies more than
others.
I enjoyed listening and learning with T
Sisters and appreciated how they
incorporated humour into their
workshops. I enjoyed the opportunit
attend the workshop with colleagues
our division and have already had
conversations around what I learned
some of the teaching staff at Dawson
ontinued from page 13)
For a
country as
big as
udi Arabia there has to be at
ast some sort of flowing
ater. Well, there isn’t. Most
their fresh water comes from
salinization plants or
derground reservoirs. Therenot a single river, creek or
ook in the entire country.
enerally the world’s youngest
untry is determined by
lculating the portion of the
pulation that is younger than
. Presently it is Niger that
lds this distinction with
ughly half of its population
ving barely reached puberty
49 percent.
th a natural increase in
pulation of minus .8%
nually, Ukraine is in danger
becoming an empty nation.
cause of its extremely low
rth rate and high mortality
te, between now and the
ar 2050, Ukraine is expected
lose around 30% of its
pulation.
r a variety of reasons,
cluding a poor economy, the
and nation of Malta has had
e highest emigration rate of
y other nation. There are
w more Maltese living
road than those who reside
thin the country itself.
e world’s two smallest
tions, Vatican City with .17
a square mile of territory and
Monaco with .8 of a square
mile, they are the smallest
permanently inhabited nations
in the world and would easily fit
into Manhattan’s Central Park.
Singapore is just one big city. It
has no farms other than the
occasional window-box garden.
Monaco and the Vatican lackfarms, too, but Singapore is the
largest of the three city-
nations.
Although English is the official
language of the island nation of
Papua New Guinea, only 1-2
percent of the population
actually speaks it. Over 820
languages – 12 percent of the
world’s total – are spoken
there.
With 50 percent of its
population having graduated
from high school and then gone
on to at least one semester of
college, Canada easily has the
most educated population of
any nation on Earth. It is
followed by Israel at 45 percent
and Japan at 44 percent.
With 99% of its vast territorycountry covered by the Sahara
Desert, the oil-rich nation of
Libya is one of the most arid
places in the world. In some
regions, decades may go by
without a single drop of rain.
A nation with no government
and on-going conflict between
the many warlords that rule
over its ruined cities, Somalia is
a land of constant war. There is
no law, no police, no army. It is
basically dominated by street
gangs who constantly compete
for control of ever-shifting turfs
– and who send out pirates to
terrorize shipping off the
African coast.
Producing a whopping 95
percent of the world’s opium,not even 10 years of occupation
by American forces have
slowed down Afghanistan’s
illegal drug industry.
Siberia is home to
approximately 25 percent of
the world’s forests – filling an
area larger than the continental
United States, making Russia
the largest converter of carbon
dioxide into breathable oxygen.
Surpassing even the United
States and famously devout
Poland, a higher percentage of
citizens of the Philippine
Islands regularly attend church
than anywhere else in the
world.
If, indeed, global warming
increases, the country most
likely to disappear beneath thewaves is the Maldives Islands.
With an average height of
around six feet above sea level,
their nation is the lowest on
Earth.
With over 95 percent of its
population overweight, the
small island nation of Nauru is
by far the most over-weight
country on Earth. Its obesity
epidemic is primarily attributed
to the importation of wes
fast food that coincided w
increased standard of livi
the 20th century due to t
global popularity of its
phosphate
exports.
Because Guam
doesn’t haveany natural
gravel, this island, which
actually a territory of the
United States, makes asp
for its roads using a mix o
and ground-up coral. Som
kinds of coral are conside
semi-precious stones, but
not the coral used for Gu
gravel.
With only about 3,000 hu
inhabitants, the Falkland
Islands, a British territory
the coast of Argentina, ar
home to approximately a
million sheep. Not surpris
wool is the major export.
China might dispute this c
but Egypt is the oldest co
in the world. Its existence
nation goes back to 3100
the time of the formation
first dynasty of Pharaohs.
yes, the pyramids appare
were ancient even back t
With over 3 million lakes,
percent of Canada is actu
fresh water. Canada is the
home for over 60 percent
the lakes in the world.
Sounds a bit strange doesn’t it?
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Closing the Gap
on Assistive
Technology – By
Dianne Bulloch
Thanks to the SRTA PD Fund,
was able to attend the
Closing the Gap conference
n Minneapolis this past
October. Closing the Gap is
an international, annual
onference with
presentations on the latest in
assistive technology. As an
Occupational Therapist in
SRSD, I use assistive
echnology with many of my
lients in order to help them
achieve a variety of different
occupations, includingearning, leisure, mobility,
and communication skills.
attended a full day, hands-
on presentation to learn
about free and low cost
echnology. As a take-away
rom this presentation, the
presenter created a website
sting all of the research he
eviewed and links to the
ree technology we learned
about. I would encourage
everyone to check out his
website at
www.udlresource.com
Some of the links that I really
liked included:
� Wordtalk: a fre plug-in
toolbar for MS Word that
adds text-to-speech forany text in a Word
document. It creates
audio files from text (wav
or mp3), and includes a
talking spell checker.
� Free NaturalReader 11:
can read aloud any text,
able to adjust the speed
and change the voice,
and it comes with a
floating bar to read anytext in other applications.
� Simple English
Wiktionary: Online
dictionary with
definitions that are easy
to read and understand,
and entries provide audio
files for pronunciation.
� Microsoft Mathematics
4.0: Free stand alone
program for Windows. It
allows the user to create
equations and
expressions, solve
equations, plot graphs
(2D/3D), etc. and insert
their work into word
processing documents.
For the next three days I
attended over 15presentations covering a
variety of topics related to
assistive technology. Some
of the topics included: High
tech assistive technology for
individuals with intellectual
disabilities; Using technology
for self-regulation for
individuals with Autism
Spectrum Disorder; Motor
cognitive learning; Switch
assessment for type and
location and switch
mounting; Seating and
positioning for success in the
classroom; and Accessible
science equipment and labs.
The learning was invaluable!
In addition to the
presentations, I visited the
vendors’ exhibition hall
where I had the opportunityto actually see, work and play
with the latest switches,
computer programs,
communication devices,
accessibility furniture, and
sensory regulation
equipment. It was fantas
to talk face- to-face with
certain vendors, and prob
solve together student
specific assistive technolo
related issues that I had.
One of the presenters use
this quote from Seth God
and it has really stayed wi
me… “The usual mantra i
try harder. Trying harder
impossible when you’re
already trying as hard as y
can. But you can always t
DIFFERENT.” Digital tools
facilitate flexibility, offerin
multiple ways of presenti
information to learners, o
engaging learners, and fo
learners to express
themselves and show wha
they know. Sometimes u
a “digital tool or assistive
technology” can be the
“different” approach that
may be needed to help
facilitate access to learnin
EDUA 7010By Georgina Dyck-Hacault
This fall, I had the
opportunity to participate in
he master’s level course
Educational Administration
as a Field of Study and
Practice, which focussed on
the
main intellectual traditions in
educational administration
and on the analysis of the
forces which shape
administrative practice.
During thepast
twelve
weeks, our
class
looked: 1)
at the
theoretical
frameworks which guide
research, 2) how educational
practice is affected by theory,
3) the strengths and
weaknesses of the theories
studied, and 4) the processes
administrators use to
accomplish their work.
Perhaps the most beneficial
part of this course was the
opportunity to dialogue with
and learn from my
colleagues. In small groups,
we each taught part of the
course, which allowed us to
research, digest, and present
our understanding of the
topic. For example, my
group explored the concept
of schools as instruments of
domination. We research
the theory of domination,
applied it to the school
setting, and then examine
the effect the theory had
staff/pupils and the healt
statistics behind it. Each
theory examined by the
groups, contained languawhich, when applied to th
school, shaped our
understanding of the scho
as well as our individual a
collective behaviour withi
the organization. An
understanding of our
individual behaviour is ke
working effectively with
students, staff, and
community.
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Inclusive
Classrooms,
Respecting
Diversity
Today’s classrooms have
increasingly diverse students
with diverse needs. Teachers
have to plan with everyone’sneeds in mind. Students may
have physical special needs,
academic special needs,
behavioural needs, and
social/emotional needs.
Manitoba Education has
an expectation that all
students have a right to a
complete and inclusive
education. The systemic
structure of education
historically has not been
very open to inclusive
education for all students.
Over the past 30 years,
education policy has been
slow to change, but it is
now law that every
student receives a
universally accessible
education in mainstream
schools. As evidenced-
based brain researchproves that each child is
special and unique; we must
adapt our learning strategies
and teaching styles in order
to support all our learners.
Adapting our learning
strategies and teaching styles
requires recognition of
different learning styles and
multiple intelligences of
students. It requireseducating and training
teachers in order to adapt
curricula that ensure
students’ success. Universal
Design for Learning (UDL)
and differentiated instruction
are designed to support the
diverse needs of our
students in an inclusive
environment.
Differentiated instruction
(DI) is defined as varying
instruction in order to meet
the needs of individual
students (Landrum &
McDuffie, 2010, pp. 6-7). It is
a ramp for brain-based
instruction which includes
multiple intelligences (MI)
(Katz, 2012, p. 16).
MI recognizes the differentways in which the human
brain processes information,
solves problems, and creates
products (Katz, 2012, pp. 21-
22). MI is the instructional
framework for differentiated
instruction. When MI and
multimodal learning and
assessment are respected, all
of the brain’s major areas
and methods of processing
are stimulated.
DI is based on therecognition that same aged
students are at diverse states
of school readiness (Landrum
& McDuffie, 2010, p. 9).
Students learn at a different
pace. Students learn best
when they can make relevant
connections between their
learning, their interests, and
their life experiences.
Differentiated instruction is
rooted in assessment.
Students are more successful
when they receive objective,
positive feedback, which
increases perceived
competence and intrinsic
motivation (Yeh, 2010, p.
173).
A truly inclusive classroom
not only recognizes thediversity of its learners; it
celebrates them. This is the
focus of universal design for
learning (UDL).
Universal design is rooted in
architecture, whereby
instead of retrofitting an
addition to a building it is
included in the design, in
order to benefit all users.
UDL is based on research and
best practice from many
domains, not justarchitecture (Rose & Gravel,
2011a, p. 2).
UDL is an approach to ensure
the means for learning, and
its results are accessible to all
students, not just those with
special needs. UDL creates
curricula that include
learning outcomes, methods,
materials, and assessments
that are flexible to
accommodate learners’
diversity (Meo, 2008, p. 2
UDL requires that teache
focus on planning for suc
by assessing where stude
requirements and intere
lie (Stanford, 2009, p. 4).
Instead of waiting for
students to fail because t
do not fit the teaching st
instruction is planned so
needs are met when
students begin the learni
process.
The diversity o
classrooms tod
requires think
outside the
tradition
curriculum box
To have inclus
classrooms,
students need
be centre stag
Their needs
require teache
adapt the
curriculums to
ensure studen
success. Stude
success needs
be the goal wh
planning lessoin order to sup
the diversity of learning
needs.
Brain research supports t
need to have students le
using their strengths and
foster a safe learning
environment wherein the
can develop their skills to
become expert learners.
socially inclusive classroo
will also foster positive
growth of the whole child
diverse learning climate
nurtures an environment
wherein all children feel
respected, and valued fo
what they have to
contribute.
Submitte
Sandy Tur
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By Francine Lepage-Lemoine
ast January I took my
rst course toward my
Master’s Degree in
ducation. This Fall, I
ave taken my fourth.What an enlightening
ourney it has been so
ar! The course I just
ompleted was
Introduction à laecherche en Éducation” .
is a mandatory course
hat provides the basic
nowledge of all aspects
f the research process.
he steps necessary toomplete a research
roject are: identification
f the research problem,
terature review,
pecifying the
urpose of
esearch,
etermining
pecific research
uestions or
ypotheses, data
ollection,
nalyzing and
nterpreting the
ata and
eporting and evaluating
esearch. The course
ontent enabled me to
repare for my eventual
omprehensive exam.
he course load was
eavy: 6 critical analysesnd one final project. For
he final project, we had
o develop all aspects of
he research but not
ollow through with it.
he topic of my research
was the Immersion
rogram: specifically
what factors motivate
rench Immersion
tudents to speak French
at the Grades 5 to 8
levels.
In the Literature Review
section of my project,
according to Turnbull,
Hart and Lapkin (2001),
on the Ontario English
Provincial exam, French
Immersion students had
similar or better scores
than the anglophone
students in English
schools. According to
Statistics Canada (2004),
15 year old students
demonstrated higher
reading levels than otherstudents not in French
Immersion. According to
Lazaruk (2007), students
who are taught all
subjects in French have
similar or better results
than students in English
schools even in Math,
Science and History.
Baker (2006) states that
bilingual children benefitfrom cognitive
advantages. They
possess a developed
linguistic awareness, a
great flexibility of
reflection and a greater
internal capacity to
examine language.
The Immersion program,
however, is not without
its’ challenges. Only 10%
of eligible students are
registered in the
Immersion program. The
greatest dropout rate
from the Immersion
program occurs at theGrade 8 level. Some
Immersion high schools
have difficulty offering
their students certain
courses due to lack of
enrollment in those
courses or lack of
qualified French speaking
specialists.
The purpose of the
project was to see if something could be done
at the junior high level
that would inspire
students to continue
their education in
French. I elaborated
a survey whereby
students at the
Grades 5 to 8 levels
would have to rate
the importance of certain activities in
motivating them to
speak French. Lucille
Mandin, professor at
the University of Alberta,
Campus Saint-Jean, gives
a course entitled “Moi comme apprenant delangue” in which students
must complete a portfolio
identifying key moments
in their academicexperience that
influenced their choice to
continue in French. Here
is what some of her
students reported as
being instrumental
factors: participating in
student exchanges to
Québec and/or France, a
good Immersion
(Continued on page 18)
Introduction
to Inclusive
Special
Education
Lori Gauthier
Introduction to
Inclusive Special
Education is a core
course towards a Post
-Baccalaureate in
Inclusive Special
Education. It is
fundamental to
teachers who want to
understand how to
program for ALL the
students in your
classroom. Before the
course began, Ithought it was
essentially to educate
teachers on how to
work with our
children with special
needs. It turned out
to be much, much
more.
The course talked
about SocialDevaluation and how
imagery, society and
media make us
consciously or
unconsciously
judge people
whether it is in a
negative or
positive way.
We devalue
people for many
different
reasons; not
only those with
disabilities but those
who are different
from what society
views as normal. It
has made me more
aware of how we
influence our children
whether it is in the
classroom or at
home. Understa
what Social
Devaluation is m
us not only bette
teachers, but be
people.
The assignments
included 2
presentations anwritten essays. O
presentation wa
show how chara
in movies or boo
are devalued. So
of the characters
studied were: Ne
Edward Scissorh
Maggie Fitzgeral
and Little Orpha
Annie. Learning fmy peers was a g
experience. It wa
interesting to se
hear other peop
views on social
devaluation. The
other presentati
was a group effo
called a “Change
Project”. Some t
presented were:
Anxiety in Childr
At-Risk Students
Multiple Intellige
Our group decid
create a teacher/
parent friendly
handbook for he
children with FA
the classroom an
home. We offere
tips for teachers
(Continued on p
ntroduction to Research in Education – Motivating students in
French Immersion
7/30/2019 SRTA Newsletter December 2012
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/srta-newsletter-december-2012 18/18
program, the fact of having a job
where the student needed to be
bilingual, and having the
opportunity to interact with
Francophones.
The students also reported where
mprovements could have been
made: having pronunciation
corrected more often, having manyoccasions to learn more
vocabulary, having a safe place to
make mistakes, and having
ncreased chances for oral
communication. Finally, the
tudents revealed that the ultimate
decision to continue studying in
French belongs to the learner.
These students were in University
when they came to this realization.
It is imperative that all junior high
French Immersion teachers stay
the course. Together, students,
teachers, administrators and
parents, must commit to creating a
rich academic milieu where theFrench language and culture is
perpetuated and where students
become impassioned and inspired
to continue the lifelong learning of
a second language.
Continued from page 17)
including children with FASD in their classroom
more effectively and provided coping skills for
parents as well.
The class was very rewarding and useful to my
professional learning. It gave me more insight o
how to better program for ALL students, not ju
students with special needs.
Inclusion is not just having a child with special
needs in the classroom doing their own thing; b
having that child actively engaged in what the
other children are doing. I’ve learned how to cr
a classroom that respects the diversity of all
students. It is so important to have a communi
learners who respect each other and recognize
gifts and talents each person has to offer; this
includes our children with special needs.
(Continued from page 17)