Visit us at booth 47 at the World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education, July 26 – July 28

We are proud to be supporting our partners Kenjgewin Teg Educational Institute(KTEI) and Treaty 4 Education Alliance at the World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education (WIPCE), A Celebration of Resilience. The event, taking place in Toronto July 24 – 28, is the largest and most diverse Indigenous education event in the world and continues to lead the discussion on education that support Indigenous world views.

 

Join us at Ignite Session 63, July 28th – 10:00-10:45

 

Hear Lori Whiteman Executive Director, Treaty 4 Education Alliance and Debbie Debassige, Director of School Services, KTEI present on the subject of culturally responsive education and how they are using Confident Learners Literacy Program in their schools to identify and meet the literacy learning needs of their students. We will also be at booth 47 if you’d like to come by and ask any questions.

The event is an outstanding opportunity to learn about:

Health and Wellness
Indigenous Knowledge and Ways of Knowing
Innovations in Indigenous Education
Justice and Equity
Language and Culture
Partnerships in Education

We hope to see you there.

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Insights Alberta: Thanks to everyone that attended or joined us online

Building a Data Culture

Thank you to everyone who was able to attend or tune in to hear our presenters discuss how schools and districts are using their student data to make informed school improvement decisions. If you were unable to join us or if you wish to revisit the experience or share these strategies and interventions with colleagues, the videos of the individual presentations are now available online along with copies of the slides. 

Equality, equity, and educational prosperity – what does it mean to Alberta schools?
Dr. J. Douglas Willms, President and CEO, The Learning Bar

Duration: 1:01 mins

“Breathing life into data”: St. Dominic Fine Arts School Case Study
Kevin DeForge, Principal, St. Dominic Fine Arts School and Supervisor of Educational Technology, Calgary Catholic School District

Duration: 22 mins

Building skills and taking action: System supports for connecting student voice to quality instruction, collaborative practice and purposeful engagement
Joanne Pitman, Director of Administration and Learning, Grande Prairie School District

Duration: 38 mins

Student Engagement
Doug Stevens, Director of Distributed Learning, Foothills School Division

Duration: 9 mins

Data Analysis and Collaboration
Carra Aschenmeier, Lead Teacher of Assessment and Mentorship, Grande Yellowhead Public School Division

Duration: 29 mins

Using OurSCHOOL data to inform a focus on mental health and wellness in Fort McMurray Public Schools
Dr. Brenda Sautner, Associate Superintendent, Fort McMurray Public School District

Duration: 27 mins

Engaging students in district planning
Dr. Marianne Barrett, Associate Superintendent, St. Albert Public School Division

Duration: 10 mins

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Are your students ready for life after graduation?

The critical process of career planning starts in early childhood and intensifies during adolescence. Despite the emphasis placed on identifying a vocation before graduation, less than 20 percent of students make a stable career choice by age 17.

Do you have the complete picture?

 

The new Career Pathways module was developed by our in-house research team to help educators better understand and support their Grades 7-12 students’ transition from school to higher education and employment. 

The module, a part of the OurSCHOOL Secondary Survey, consists of 10 main question areas which capture:

student aspirations after graduation;
level of commitment to a particular job;
current exploration into career options;
students’ career knowledge;
perceived obstacles;
current use of school-level resources and opportunities; and,
perceived importance of specific skills.
How can you use the data to prepare your students for success?

A Thematic Report outlines student goals, vocational knowledge and career identity. Make informed decisions on the support and instruction students need to explore careers, guide them to relevant programs, and gain the vocational experience they need to succeed.

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Dr Willms interviews with Global News. ‘New Brunswick literacy expert calls for more training to teach children how to read’

On 18 May 2016 Dr. Willms was honored to be a keynote speaker at the Canadian Association of Principals Conference, in Saint John, New Brunswick. He presented his latest research in the development of a framework for Educational Prosperity which embeds his previous work on student engagement, wellbeing and effective teaching.  The teaching looks at a life-course approach to monitoring childhood outcomes and includes explicit links to policy and practice and the measures included in the foundation for success.

Watch the interview as he talks about the importance of literacy and reading by grade 3 in an interview with Global News.
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Confident Learners Literacy Program launch

The Learning Bar, lead by president Dr. J. Douglas Willms and project leads Colette Wasson and Norma Barron were proud to be part of the official launch of Confident Learners Literacy Program at Lakeview School, M’Chigeeng First Nation in Ontario.

“One of the most rewarding moments of my career!” – Dr. J. Douglas Willms

Dr. Willms spoke about his vision for wholeschool literacy. “I am so pleased to be here for the launch of Confident Learners Literacy Program at Lakeview School, M’Chigeeng First Nation. Witnessing the success of its students in developing their reading skills is especially rewarding.”

Confident Learners Literacy Program, a whole-school community-based program aimed at increasing the literacy skills of Aboriginal children. The initiative focuses on the development of literacy skills during the primary school years. Learning to read fluently, and with confidence, opens up many opportunities for learning through a child’s school year career and beyond.

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EYE-Teacher Assessment Learning Symposium a Great Success!

Thank you to all who participated in the Early Years Evaluation-Teacher Assessment Learning Symposium lead by Christine Hole on October 1st, 2015 in Edmonton, Alberta. The session offered educators suggestions on how to easily incorporate the EYE-TA within their regular classroom routines, create intentional/purposeful play-based centres, provided an in-depth look at understanding the EYE-TA class reports and how these reports help to inform educational planning. The Edmonton Regional Learning Consortium (ERLC) and The Learning Bar teamed up to put on a fully-subscribed event with over 125 teachers attending the symposium, representing 16 Alberta school divisions!

Next session: The Learning Bar, in partnership with Central Alberta Regional Consortium (CARC), are teaming up to offer “After the EYE-Teacher Assessment (EYE-TA) Reports”, a training session ideal for teachers with at least 1-year of experience implementing the EYE-TA in the classroom Date: November 25th

Location: Red Deer, Alberta.

Register: http://tinyurl.com/p2229na

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The Learning Bar co-founder assumes Presidency of International education research organization

Dr. Douglas Willms of Fredericton, New Brunswick, an internationally renowned researcher on systems to evaluate and improve classroom learning, has been elected President of the Brussels-based International Academy of Education.

The combination of Dr. Willms and the Academy of Education seems a perfect fit. The Academy is dedicated to strengthening the contributions of education research, solving critical educational problems throughout the world, and providing better communication among policy makers, researchers and practitioners. Dr. Willms through The Learning Bar, a company he co-founded in Fredericton, New Brunswick, has been in the forefront of much of this research. He plans to further the work of the Academy by leading a team of scholars in advancing his research on educational issues, disseminating knowledge about best teaching practices and evaluation, and strengthening communications among educational researchers and school administrators and teachers.

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Specifically, Dr. Willms and the Academy will be working with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, on assessment tools for several low- and middle-income countries in Africa, Latin America, and Asia.

Dr. Willms is looking forward to the challenge. “An educated population is the key to a prosperous and thriving society. As these countries strive to overcome the effects of extreme poverty, they are also trying to develop the foundations of a successful education system. I feel honoured to be able to contribute by helping teachers and administrators use the instructional models and evaluation tools our researchers have developed.”

Aside from his position as President of The Learning Bar, Dr. Willms is Director of the Canadian Research Institute for Social Policy at the University of New Brunswick, and holds the Canada Research Chair in Literacy and Human Development.

In his capacity with The Learning Bar, Dr. Willms has led a multidisciplinary team of researchers in developing systems for improving education methods and evaluation. His work encompasses the healthy development of early learners and strengthening childhood education to reduce segregation and the effects of poverty. The Learning Bar’s products include the Early Years Evaluation, an assessment framework evaluating children’s developmental skills at ages 3 to 6, and the OurSCHOOL Improvement System, an evaluation system for the continuous monitoring of student engagement and well-being. These tools are currently being used in over 3500 schools across Canada and nearly 1400 in Australia.

Dr. Willms’s research is driven by a passion to address a question facing educators worldwide: “How can we improve the learning, behaviour, and health outcomes of our children and youth, while reducing inequalities associated with their socio-economic background?”

For more information thelearningbar.com
Email: inquiry@thelearningbar.com
Or call: 1.877.840.2424

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TLB supports NBACL annual luncheon

This month, staff from The Learning Bar joined supporters of children and adults with an intellectual disability at New Brunswick Association for Community Living’s annual luncheon.

Krista Carr, Executive Director of NBACL, presented a speech focusing on “What If?” She reminded the audience that we often magnify our own issues, not considering the larger, daily obstacles people with intellectual disabilities and their families must contend with.

“NBACL is vital to Fredericton and New Brunswick, and we support their mission of inclusivity,” said TLB President and CEO, Dr. Doug Willms. “The Learning Bar works to place children on a pathway to success, and to give every student a voice in academics, school safety, physical activity and advocacy. We share NBACL’s vision of ‘whatever it takes, for as long as it takes’ to ensure every voice is heard.”

Each month, over 200 NB families come to NBACL for assistance. The organization’s programs include Early Learning (assisting with inclusive childcare and transitioning to school) and Kindergarten to Grade 12 guidance providing onsite teaching of tools and strategies to NB educators to improve inclusion.

“It’s a really good feeling to work for a company that cares about the community,” said Early Years Evaluation account manager Stephanie Guignion, who attended the luncheon with a team of TLB employees. “The financial commitment to NBACL is wonderful, and that comes from a sincere interest in seeing children achieve success.”

TLB is a major sponsor of the luncheon and the association annually. That, in addition to TLB’s donation-matching program for its employees, will help to support NBACL to accomplish its mission.

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