Arising as regular as the whine of summer mosquitos are now annualized calls by school administrators and educators warning parents of the “summer slide“. The “summer slide” isn’t a fixture in the local playground but an imaginary bogey man that, allegedly, causes students to forget what they learned the previous spring in school. Believers in […]
Medieval Education Practices Must Evolve, Now!
“Medieval“: pertaining to the Middle or Dark Ages, a period characterized by primitive practices shaped by ill-formed knowledge. Our society has evolved in remarkable ways in my lifetime, inspiring me to believe that human beings just might squeak through to survive another century or millennium. We have extended life expectancies, we have scientifically detailed the […]
Back to School? Time to Learn Your Way!
The start of September marks back-to-school time across the land (though not quite yet in BC public schools). Legions of kids are walking through school doors for the first time in several months, my daughter among them. This week she is starting her fourth year at university. To all the children and youth re-joining the […]
UVIC Sci-Faculty Testing Procedures a Big FAIL
This blog is intended to be blunt and to the point. My hope is that it will help to provoke change. Below is a letter I wrote last week to University of Victoria President Jamie Cassels. It follows an exchange I had with the UVIC Dean of Science Dr. Robert Lipson in the past 9 […]
STOP THE PRESSES: Activity and Exercise are good for learning!
Unless you’ve been living in a cave the last month, you’ve heard or seen an outpouring of news stories linking exercise and activity to wellness, which in turn is linked to increased workplace productivity and improved cognitive functioning. While this strikes me as a memo from the “Blindingly Obvious Dept.”, I’m going to suspend my […]
Michael’s book, Learn Your Way! SelfDesigning the Life You Really Want, Starting Now is an ERAC-approved middle and high school textbook for career planning and health education courses (British Columbia), and it has received many endorsements. Contact Michael directly to obtain a pdf copy of the book.