1.+Why+Change?

The education system in Canada has been through a myriad of changes since the early 1800s when the first school house was built by community members in Norfolk County, Ontario. A teacher was hired to teach reading, writing, Arithmetic and English grammar. As one room school houses rapidly cropped up across Canada, most children were able to receive a public education consisting of the Lord’s Prayer and seat work in reading and writing. Throughout the two world wars schooling continued to focus on the basics of reading, writing and math.
 * __Why Change?__ **

By the 1950s Canada was prospering and people were beginning to expect more from public education. Education was seen as an investment in the future of the country and the economy. Schooling was viewed as a ticket to good employment. The demands of our educational system have continued to change based on social, political, cultural and economic realities.

The Canadian public is now demanding changes to the educational system to better meet the needs of the 21st Century learner but there is no consensuson what those changes should be. The wide range of responses to a 2001 poll conducted by COMPAS Research for the National Post indicate that Canadians see education as fulfilling a variety of needs. The largest demand (32%) was for training students for the work world, while creating good citizens was important to about a quarter (23%) of respondents. Developing inquiring minds was a priority for 17% (Ungerleider, 2006).

We do know that in this age of globalization, rapid change due to technology and ubiquitous information school can not prepare students for a certain future. Rather, education should provide a strong foundation in reading, writing and math while providing the future generation the skills needed to collaborate, communicate, think critically and be ethical global citizens.

We also know that it is our students that are the essence of our change efforts. Timperly (2011) emphasises that "students must be the touchstone and the reasons for teachers to engage, the basis for understanding what needs to change and whether those changes have been effective." The core of our efforts must be to improve teaching, ultimately improving learning for all children "irrespective of where they may be located or their socio-economic background" (Harris & Jones, 2011, p.3)

__** Learning to Change, Changing to Learn: A Canadian Perspective **__ //"Teachers have the most powerful force ever for transforming the schools and that is the students. Engage students in the process and your little island of a classroom can become an exemplar, a pilot, and a model for the rest of the school. Change a single classroom and change the world."//

- Don Tapscott

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__**Envision:**__

**If you were given the opportunity, the resources AND the necessary supports to change one aspect of the curriculum or educational organization in your school, what would it be? Feel free to think BIG!**

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