Skip to main content

Bing - A Charter School in Calgary.

Calgary Science School
 
A school whose philosophy claims to bring the natural world and the digital together, "infused with ubiquitous access to laptops, an exciting environmental and outdoor education program".  I wonder if this is possible.  I wonder if there is truly something unique happening here, or is this simply a traditionally modelled school with access to money and permission to deny unwanted students entry.

The web-page confirms a 'placement test' and waiting list of over a thousand students.  It is a publicly funded school and so unlike the private model should avoid some of the issues of a tiered education system based on parental income that exists in the UK and United States.  A look at the Calgary Science School blog suggests great things are happening.  In fact, it is a site full of ideas and worth exploring:


Is this school truly something different?  I don't know, I would like to arrange a visit in the fall and find out for myself.  

But, it does fulfill the mandate of providing a different model that will challenge students.  Are students engaged because they are engaged students to begin with?  Probably.

Is it worth pouring the considerable resources into a single school like this?  Is it fair?  Again.  I don't know.  

Online, this school looks amazing.  So - why aren't there more of them?











Comments

  1. Richard Schwier19 July 2011 at 18:26

    I think you ask great questions, Stephen, and your skepticism is a healthy thing. I also wonder about how innovative it might actually be, and waiting lists of 1000 don't impress me; in fact they concern me as a marketing tool. I wonder, not who gets in to the program, but who doesn't. And who doesn't even bother applying?

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Charter schools and Khan - Don't we need both?

In true hypocrite fashion I am beginning this analysis by looking at a couple of programs in the U.S..  Despite years of ranting about the inability of Canadians to consider models outside of North America, and our insistent comparisons to alternatives south of the border, even when models are clearly inferior to our own or others is infuriating.  I will begin here, but promise to cast a broader net moving forward. I have been curious about Charter schools for a long time, particularly because they offer the promise of diversity.  Charter schools are an opportunity within public education to offer something different from the current replicated model.  They offer hope for variation, experimentation and an opportunity to put into practise some of the theoretical ambitions that are so often constrained by the regulations of traditional structures. A couple of interesting quotations about Charter schools in the U.S. that I feel are worth exploring. "Charter schools offer a way to emb
6 comments
Read more

Nexgen: A Road Trip to Mastery

In Canada there is a long tradition of learning on the road.  For generations young people have developed leadership skills from the hull of a canoe as they explore the country's lakes, rivers and forests.  Education on the move has led to wonderful progressive programs like Class Afloat  and the Expedition Education Institute that just re-opened in the United States.  At the re-launch gathering  many of the alumni present spoke of their transformative experiences spending multiple semesters travelling on converted school buses to every corner of North America learning from the land and people they visited. Increasingly, the advances in digital media are freeing us to allow mobile connectivity at all times. Rather than seeing less of these programs, I would expect to see more.      I recently read an article by Richard Sagor who used skateboarders as an example of an independently motivated group collaboratively seeking mastery through focused repetition and failure. Sagor clai
2 comments
Read more

Harvard for Everyone?

Remember this guy?   His assertions garnered a deluge of responses - many countering his claims that post-secondary schooling was getting in the way of his education. Perhaps Dan Brown should have a look at the University of the People, a tuition-free online University.        Harnessing multiple pedagogical models, UoPeople changes the way        in which education can be accessed. We utilize open source technology      and open educational resources to provide access to educational material      from some of the most prominent institutions. Distance learning allows those      in all corners of the world to access information.( HuffingtonPost ) University of the People believes that online learning is the way to offer access to higher education for millions of people in developing nations. They believe that education can build a road away from poverty and oppression. There is an ‘application fee’ and an ‘exam fee’ each of which cost between $10 and $100 each depending on
5 comments
Read more