Alternative Education

For the past nine years, Grade 6 students in Saskatoon, SK, have applied for a coveted program that sees them learning and growing with elders on a daily basis.

When thinking about what schools of the future will look like, it’s hard to imagine them without grades, exams, or even subjects.

From shorter school days to an increased amount of teacher autonomy, the Finnish educational system has many innovative strategies to offer.

Teachers are constantly look for ways to make best use of their limited class time. That’s one reason why many have taken to “flipping” their classrooms in recent years.

Nothing commits knowledge to memory better than having to teach it. Thus, what better way to teach students a piece of literature than to have them teach it themselves?

Imagine a math class where kids are hopping up and down, swinging their arms side to side, and shouting out numbers. They’re enjoying themselves—and they’re still learning.

School closures, especially lengthy ones, may cause some teachers to worry if lost time will keep them from completing curriculum or put students at a disadvantage.

The mid-winter sun is peeking from behind the clouds and a cold breeze is blowing across the open soccer field. A line of grade two students, dressed in puffy coats, colourful hats and mitts, and carrying clipboards, skip along behind their teacher. They are heading to the back corner of the schoolyard, where a carefully formed semi-circle of large, white, flat stones sits surrounded by a half-dozen young trees, leafless for the approaching winter months.