DJ Scott Mills Set For New Year At Home With Pals After Celebrating With Robbie Williams Last Year

RADIO 1 DJ Scott Mills has vowed to have a wild New Year with his family - after spending last year's sober at Robbie Williams' LA mansion.

Scott revealed: "I'm planning on staying in the UK as I've not seen my family for ages.

"Last year I went to LA after Christmas and stayed with Robbie Williams, as you do. He invited me to his house saying: 'We are going to be there so come over.'

"He asked me three or four times whereas if it had been just once I'd have thought, 'yeah, yeah'.

"I went and just sat there for a week at New Year, watching TV and doing lots of running up hills as Robbie was getting ready for the Take That tour.

"It was exciting but it was booze-free because Robbie hasn't touched drink for years. It feels weird drinking round people who don't drink.

"His place was like the Home Alone house, like a winter wonderland with snowmen and everything. I kind of wanted to stay there."

Scott got close to another Hollywood star, too - well, he saw Paris Hilton's staff taking down her decorations.

He said: "Paris Hilton lives down the road and at one point I saw them taking down the Christmas decorations from her house.

"She didn't do it personally, of course. They have someone in the road who takes them down for them. Obviously."

The chatty drive time host was in Carlisle yesterday for the world premiere of his film, Radio 1's Big Weekend Movie, at The University of Cumbria.

Scott and his team recorded footage for the feature at Radio 1'Big Weekend in May.

He said: "There are some really nice stories in there that might make you cry. I cried when I saw them.

"There is a wedding which is really sweet because you see the back story and get to know the There's couple. There's also a couple of best friends who have not seen one another in ages because one lives in Australia."

The film, which Scott describes as being "a day in the life with pop stars", also includes cameos from Jessie J and Nicole Scherzinger and her former fiance Lewis Hamilton.

He said: "We had a really good time making it. Jessie J is in the toilet at one point and she checks out her trailer and complains about things in a jokey way.

"It's sad when Nicole Scherzinger goes to the dressing room, the door opens and Lewis Hamilton is there."

Scott invited pal David Hasselhoff to come to the big premiere but the Baywatch star was too busy in panto in Bristol to attend.

He said: "The Hoff is one of my big Hollywood connections but he's hes too busy playing Hook."


News By:

dailyrecord.co.uk

Hollywood Minute - December 8, 2011

Actor Daniel Radcliffe has been given top honors from Entertainment Weekly.

The magazine named the 22 year-old Entertainer of the Year.

And it wasn't only for his lead role in the last installment in the Harry Potter series. He has also gained acclaim for his part in the broadway musical "How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying,"

The actor best remembered as the fatherly Colonel Sherman Potter on the hit TV-series M*A*S*H has died.

96-year old Harry Morgan passed away at his home in Los Angeles.

He had been suffering from pneumonia.

Morgan's long acting career began in 1942 and stretched to 1999.

Sinead O'Connor is celebrating her 45th birthday by getting hitched.

The singer announced on her official website Wednesday that she planned to walk down the aisle on December 8.

She will marry her beau, Barry Herridge, at an undisclosed time and location.

This will be O'Connor's 4th marriage.

Just a few months ago, O'Connor raised eyebrows by revealing sexual frustration on her website.


News By:

ozarksfirst.com

Rosie H-W Opts For Burberry Bodycon In Paris

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley - the official Burberry Body - attended the Burberry Paris Boutique opening at the British Embassy in Paris today. And she was wearing Burberry, natch.

The model-turned-actress picked a knee length bodycon cocktail dress from the Burberry Prorsum Spring/Summer 2012 collection for the event and let the dress details do the talking by keeping the accessories to a minimum.

Also noteworthy (a word which we are using because noteworthiness is a relative thing) was Rosie's hairstyle. We're so used to seeing her with straightforward loose locks it was a shock to the system to see this half up and half down look. Obvs it's Rosie so there's still a tousled element but, y'know, a change is as good as a rest. Or something.


News By:

mydaily.co.uk

Style Showdown: Kate Bosworth vs Kirsten Dunst

Hollywood's leading ladies hit the red carpet in LA yesterday for The Hollywood Reporter's Women in Entertainment Breakfast.

As breakfasts go, this was probably one of the most stylish. Kate Bosworth and Kirsten Dunst led the way in chic daytime dressing, both in belted dresses by British designers, teamed with shoulder bags and stilettos.

Bosworth continued her reign as the queen of understated style in a pale pink shirt dress by Mulberry. Her neutral makeup and swept back hair do finished her look perfectly.

However, Dunst gave Bosworth a run for her money in a trench coat style dress by none other than Burberry. This look is classic and classy, but above all it's simple and sophisticated. Like Bosworth, Kirsten has mastered the art of effortlessly elegant. If only it was as easy as they make it look...


News By:

mydaily.co.uk

Kristen Stewart And Robert Pattinson 'Most Bankable' In Hollywood

A poll conducted by Forbes magazine declared that Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson are two of the most bankable actors in Hollywood.

Forbes.com posted a ranking of Hollywood movie stars on Tuesday, who earned the studios the most money compared with amounts they are paid.he top actors, perhaps not surprisingly, starred in major Hollywood flicks that earned hundreds of millions at box offices.

Stewart, who plays Bella Swan in the 'Twilight' movies that tell how Swan falls in love with the vampire Edward Cullen, ranked No. 1 on the list of Hollywood's Best Actors for the Buck after being paid just 1dollar for every 55.83 dollars she earned, on average, for movie producers.

Pattinson, who portrays Cullen, was No. 3, with earnings of 39.43 dollars for producers from every dollar he was paid.

The pair's most recent film, 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1' has raked in 589 million dollars at global box offices since its release earlier this month.

Remove the pair from a blockbuster franchise like 'Twilight,' and the financial picture changes dramatically, which is why Pattinson's average is lower than Stewart's.

According to the magazine, Pattinson scored lower because he has been busier, working on dramas like 'Water for Elephants' and 'Remember Me' which did not do very well at the box offices.

Stewart, 21, had only one big flop, 'The Runaways,' between her most recent 'Twilight' flicks.

Ranked between the two 'Twilight' lovers was actress Anne Hathaway, who earned studios 45.67 dollars for every dollar she was paid for films including 'Alice in Wonderland' and 'Bride Wars.'

'Harry Potter' star Daniel Radcliffe was No. 4, and 'Transformers' leading man Shia LaBeouf rounded out the top 5.


News By:

timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Hilary Swank: Elastic Waistbands Are A Must For The Holidays

While most Hollywood actresses seem to be constantly watching their figures, Hilary Swank admits she loves to eat during the holidays. The New Years Eve actress tells Us Weekly that her approach to the holidays is to think stretchy pants instead of strict diets.

The 37-year-old double Oscar winner confesses that her must-have holiday wardrobe staple is elastic waistbands!

"So that you can eat a lot and let it stretch a little bit," she says. "You've got to have the elastic, and I think sparkles are always good for the holidays."

In fact, Swank doesn't just start ignoring her calorie consumption between Thanksgiving and Christmas; she gives the holiday eating an annual early start.

"Eat away!" she said. "Starting on Halloween, all the way through New Year's, I'm eating. That's why elastic waistbands are a must."

As for the actress' personal New Year's Eve resolutions? She's still not focusing on diet or exercise.

"[I'll probably have the] same New Year's resolution as I've had for a while which is to slow down every once in awhile and take some time for myself," she said. "I'm not very good at it."


News By:

ivillage.com

Selma Blair Bonds With Baby Arthur, Covering Her Head After Revealing Post-Partum Hair Loss

Selma Blair played the doting mother for the new leading man in her life.

The Cruel Intentions actress took baby Arthur for a day out to The Grove in West Hollywood, getting into the festive spirit for holiday season.

Giant candy canes and snowmen were dotted around the shopping resort, to get the 39-year-old star and her firstborn in the mood for Christmas.

Coordinating her outfit with her four-month-old, both Selma and Arthur wore blue jeans and beige cardigans to keep out the chill.

But with the sunny Californian temperatures, there was no need for bulky winter jackets to hide beneath.

Instead, the rays were out in force with Selma having to shelter Arthur's eyes at one point, covering his face with her hand.

However, Blair did cover her brunette locks under a hat after revealing she is suffering post-partum hair loss; an unwanted side affect of pregnancy.

She said: 'This is so not glamorous, but it’s true: I need to take longer showers so that I can collect the hair that falls out and throw it away so I don’t clog the drain. Why do actresses never talk about that?

'It just started falling out at the three-month mark. And I’m not a girl who likes extensions, so Selma’s going to be bald!'

Many new mothers experience hormonal hair loss as a result of declining oestrogen levels, usually around four months after giving birth.

Selma and her fashion designer boyfriend Jason Bleick welcomed the new addition to the family in July.

Speaking of her son, Selma said: 'I’m so in love with him. He makes me happy every day.'



News By:

dailymail.co.uk

Africa Fails To Profit From UN Carbon-Offset Scheme

Africa has been slow to tap investment through the U.N.'s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) carbon offset programme and stands to lose the most should talks to broker a continuation of the emission-reduction pact fall through.

Africa accounts for only two percent, or 76 of the 3,612 projects registered under the CDM programme, which lets firms in rich nations offset their climate-warming emissions by investing in emissions-reduction projects in the developing world.

"The balance sheet so far for Africa has not been a happy one with the CDM, but we should not discount the fact that actually quite a lot of money and projects have entered that pipeline but they have gone to other countries," said Achim Steiner, head of the U.N. Environmental Programme in Nairobi, Reuters reports.

Under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, industrialised nations were legally bound to cut greenhouse gas emissions as the world faces rising sea levels and greater weather extremes.

Delegates from over 190 nations are meeting in the South African port city of Durban to discuss a new global deal to replace the Kyoto pact when the first commitment period on tackling climate change expires at the end of 2012.

Critics say the process of registering CDM projects is arduous, expensive and too complex for many African firms, though others argue the pipeline of projects seeking registration is growing.

"In the last 18 months or so (we have seen) a significant growth in CDM projects and a growth in capability of technical advisers and financial advisors to assist in these projects," said Karin Ireton, Director Sustainability at Africa's biggest banking group Standard Bank.

"We could see a much greater investment in cleaner technology projects in Africa if we manage to get a second commitment period or a transitional arrangement," Ireton said.

Without a future commitment under Kyoto to cut emissions beyond the end of 2012 when the first phase expires, there will be no demand for carbon credits or offsetting.

The meagre number of projects is also due to the fact that most poor African countries do not have many polluting industries, putting the continent at a disadvantage.

CDM A FAILURE?

Most profitable CDM projects have been those destroying industrial gases HFC-23 and N20 at adipic acid plants and the only sub-Saharan country to list such schemes is South Africa.

Africa's largest registered project eliminates gas flaring at the Pan Ocean oil field in Nigeria, effectively blocking more than 2.6 million metric tonnes carbon dioxide being emitted annually. The second biggest is a similar project at Nigeria's Kwale field, hindering about 1.5 million tonnes of emissions.

Other projects in Africa are much smaller, mainly tapping gases at landfills and using them to generate electricity.

"Due to an absence of heavy industry, it is hard to generate emission reductions with classic types of CDM projects. For example, with a green grid adding more hydroelectricity resource generates very few emission reductions," said Paul Soffe, associate director at project developer EcoSecurities.

Investors are concerned about the future of Kyoto, slowing global growth prospects, record CDM credit issuance this year and stricter limits for using credits in the European Union's emissions trading scheme after 2012.

The uncertainty has already had a knock-on effect on the CDM market, pushing primary investment down to $1.5 billion in 2010 from $2.7 billion in 2009 and $6.5 billion in 2008.

Benchmark U.N. carbon credits have also been hit and were trading at 4.92 euros as of 1232 GMT, just shy of the 4.53 euros on November 28.

But some critics say the scheme has never produced the gains that its proponents claimed.

"It (CDM) is a failure. What has it done. It was actually a distraction to delay action. Can you tell me what it has really achieved in Africa? Nothing," said Mithika Mwenda, coordinator for Pan African Climate Justice Alliance.

"Even if we turn the whole of Africa into forest, without addressing this problem where emissions are being produced, then I don't think we are going to do anything. We need action which is not happening there."


News By:

defenceweb.co.za

IP&TV World Forum 2012 Evolves Focus On Converging TV Market

London, 7 December 2011 – IP&TV World Forum, the world’s leading connected entertainment event, is set to be the best yet in 2012 following the announcement of keynote speakers from MTV, NBC Universal and Sony Network Entertainment. Focussing on the rapidly converging TV market, next year’s event will unite global players in the broadcast arena to provide unrivalled insight into the IP & Connected TV industry.

Now in its eighth year, the conference and exhibition will take place at London’s Olympia on 20 -22 March. It will provide international networking opportunities with service providers and broadcasters from varied platform backgrounds – Smart TV, OTT, cable, satellite and terrestrial TV – to compare experiences and brainstorm solutions for delivering multiscreen and multiplatform services.

The focus on connected entertainment and utilising social TV will be echoed by Kristin Frank, General Manager of MTV and VH1 Digital, who will give a keynote speech on the first day of the event. Frank, who is one of the world’s biggest innovators in broadcasting, comments: “Social media and second screen platforms are providing TV networks with new tools in the development of transmedia storytelling that will ultimately drive greater engagement and advertiser benefit.”

Gavin Whitechurch, Director of IP&TV World Forum, says: “This is an exciting time in connected entertainment, as OTT is now so pervasive and compelling that all service providers are seeking to harness over the top to enhance on-demand offerings, and IP connectivity to add new value to their services. The developed focus for 2012’s IP&TV World Forum reflects the evolving marketplace and will give delegates invaluable insight into new industry trends while giving them the opportunity to connect with peers and potential customers.”

Extending the topic of social TV and refining the relationship between audiences and content, Jesse Redniss, Vice President of Digital Strategy and Development at NBC Universal, will provide a talk on taking consumer engagement to the next level through gamification. Redniss drives the strategy in the digital sphere at NBC and has spearheaded gamification in broadcast, producing high quality games to promote the brand.

“The convergence between social, broadcasting and gamification is huge. I look forward to discussing this,” adds Redniss.

Also confirmed to deliver a keynote is Shawn Layden, Chief Operating Officer at Sony Network Entertainment, who will cover the subject of delivering compelling consumer services to multiple devices by leveraging the cloud. Layden reveals: “As digital entertainment extends from the living room and the laptop to everywhere people wish to enjoy it, the digital marketplace is transforming and the convergence of content, technology, services and the experience is the crucial nexus. We believe Sony is well positioned across this volatile landscape to play a leadership role in defining this new convergence and we look forward to sharing those views with the members of the IP&TV World Forum.”

IP&TV World Forum boasts a unique, innovative and case study driven programme featuring over 280 speakers, which is divided into four tracks focused on content business: IP opportunities, multiscreen entertainment, new user experience management and networks and architecture for TV. With more than 7,000 attendees and over 200 exhibitors expected to attend, the three day show is already set to be a huge success.


News By:

itwire.com

Saint Leo University Opens Innovative Lab For Students Earning Degree In Biology

Saint Leo University students pursuing a degree in biology are now better equipped to tackle some of the world's most pressing problems, from cancer to global warming. The Catholic, liberal arts university opened a renovated biology laboratory with state-of-the-art equipment to prepare bachelors in biology students for scientific trailblazing.

As the first major renovation to the Florida campus' Lewis Hall in over 40 years, the lab has been redesigned to facilitate teamwork and improve communication among students and instructors. Laboratory worktables and benches have been realigned, directing students' attention to the instructor and allowing students to engage more freely with one another.

The addition of several advanced technologies is helping raise the bar on research at Saint Leo. Molecular equipment—such as an RT-PCR machine and a gel imager machine—allows students to examine DNA, RNA and proteins in cancer cells. A large incubator makes it possible for students studying gene expression to grow bacteria cultures and other organisms. A Millipore water purification system provides ultrapure water, so students can prepare culture media without worrying about contamination in lab experiments. A walk-in cold room and a renovated chemical cold storage room provide a stable environment for research.

“The improved lab exposes students to the rich research scenarios they will encounter as scientists,” says Linda Bergen-Losee, M.A., biology instructor and lab director. “The new design allows students to collaborate with professors and peers, conveniently prepare materials for laboratory exercises, and engage with science in a more active way.”

Saint Leo University invested $800,000 in the lab renovations, and is planning to spend a comparable amount to revamp two additional labs in the near future for 1) environmental science and botany, 2) and cell biology and molecular biology.

The renovated biology lab is the first of many enhancements students can enjoy in the coming years at Saint Leo University. The faculty is currently redesigning the bachelors in biology curriculum, with plans to add concentrations in focused areas of biological study.

Located in Central Florida, Saint Leo University offers campus students the opportunity to use the outdoors—nearby beaches, lakes and parks—as an extension of the biology lab. For example, in an introductory marine biology class, students conduct research while canoeing along the Florida coastline. Additionally, botany and ecology classes make use of the campus grotto and neighboring state parks to study local flora and the ecological impact of tourism on mangroves and coastal ecosystems.

Currently, Saint Leo University's traditional liberal arts campus has 230 students pursuing a degree in biology, 25 students pursuing an environmental science degree, and 19 pursuing a medical technology degree. Saint Leo's biology students can complement their major with minors in criminal justice, education, chemistry and engineering. All biology seniors conduct independent research under the mentorship of a faculty member, and may continue onto graduate degrees in medicine, pharmacology, veterinary science and public health.

About Saint Leo University

Saint Leo ranks as one of the top universities in the South, according to U.S. News & World Report's “America's Best Colleges” list. Saint Leo's traditional liberal arts campus, located 30 miles north of Tampa, educates more than 1,900 students. Total enrollment across its campus, regional education centers, and online programs exceeds 15,000. Among the oldest Catholic universities in Florida, Saint Leo is one of the nation's 10 leading providers of higher education to the U.S. military, and is a nationally recognized leader in online education.



News By:

benzinga.com

French Immersion Goes Beyond Teaching French

The conventional wisdom used to be that if you allowed children to speak French at home, they would become confused. It would impede their progress academically and it would ensure that they had a hard time mastering the English language.

Misguided but presumably well-meaning teachers tried to convince generations of French-speaking parents that they did their children a disservice by continuing the French tradition at home. Fortunately, not all of them were convinced. But enough were.

By the 1960s, so many had abandoned the language of their parents and grandparents that it was deemed necessary to form a new organization dedicated to preserving the French language in Louisiana. That organization was the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana.

Better known as CODOFIL, that organization has done much to promote the French language and to reach out to other Francophone areas of the world.

One of CODOFIL's most significant contributions to French education has been the French Immersion programs. Immersion programs have taught children to speak French fluently, rather than to merely conjugate verbs and memorize grammar rules.

But the benefits have gone beyond even that. Today, standardized test scores are showing that bilingual kids are doing better in school than their fellow students who speak only one language. And that's across the board - even in English, which teachers once believed would be adversely affected by also speaking French. But it just makes sense.

There are many words in English that come from Latin. And French is one of the languages that evolved from Latin.

It stands to reason the two languages would share cognates — words that sound the same and roughly mean the same.

If you know the French word, you may well be able to guess the meaning of an unfamiliar English word just by the way it sounds. Yes, that can be tricky, but it seems to work more often that it doesn't. It's also easier to learn another language entirely, especially Latin-based languages like Spanish or Italian, if you speak French.

Another benefit has been that kids in immersion programs are exposed to the cultures of their teachers, who come from around the world. This is good. But it's also true that students need to be exposed to and help preserve the French language of Louisiana.

There are precious few native Cajun and Creole French speakers who enter the French Immersion program as teachers.

CODOFIL now has announced a plan to recruit education majors to get their degrees in France with the purpose of coming back and teaching in French Immersion programs.

This would be good news, if the plan comes to fruition. But it is to be hoped that part of the plan is to preserve the French of Louisiana, rather than to replace it with standard French.

There are so many words and phrases that give Louisiana French, in all its varied forms, its color and its vibrancy.

It is the verbal expression of a culture and a consciousness.

It would be a shame to lose it.


News By:

dailyworld.com

Solar Sail Satellite Returns To Earth

NanoSail-D2, the solar sail satellite deployed in low-Earth orbit, has successfully reentered into the Earth's atmosphere, says NASA.

After analyzing data about its return, NASA has announced that the satellite NanoSail-D2 has reentered the Earth's atmosphere and burned up. Far from being merely the end of its usefulness, NanoSail's reentry was actually the main goal of its mission. Deorbit and reentry occurred on Sept. 17, six months later than initially predicted, and allowed NASA scientists to observe the behavior of small solar sail in low-Earth orbit and during reentry. Engineers hope to use small solar sail technology to control the future reentry of satellites and space debris.

A solar sail is a spacecraft that makes use of sunlight for producing and controlling motion. Although the effect is too small to be observed in daily life, light actually exerts pressure on surfaces. Solar sails consist of a lightweight, reflective material with a high surface-area-to-mass ratio. As light shines on the surface of the sail, its pressure produces a gentle force that, over time, can accelerate a spacecraft to high velocities. Some engineers have speculated that large sails could even provide efficient means for traveling between planets and even to distant stars. NanoSail-D2 tests the technology on small scale, and is aimed at providing a means of bringing defunct satellites safely back to Earth. As both light and the wispy traces of the upper atmosphere produced drag on NanoSail's reflective sails, the spacecraft's orbit slowed and gravity slowly pulled it back down towards the Earth.

NanoSail-D2's early days were fraught with trouble. The original NanoSail-D was destroyed when its launch rocket went off-course and crashed into the Pacific Ocean in August of 2008. The replacement satellite NanoSail-D2 was launched on Nov. 20, 2010, but it too ran into trouble. Although the satellite made it safely to orbit, it failed to jettison from its parent satellite FASTSAT, aboard which NanoSail-D2 was piggybacking. To controllers' surprise, NanoSail unexpectedly ejected on its own from FASTSAT on Jan. 17, and deployed its sails two days later, allowing the mission to begin.

Because of its broad and highly reflective sail, NanoSail made an interesting target for observers of the nighttime sky. NASA and SpaceWeather.com hosted a joint astrophotography competition, challenging amateurs to capture images of NanoSail-D2 as it flashed in the night sky. In addition to generating a wider public interest in the mission, the photographs also gave controllers information about NanoSail's behavior while in low-Earth orbit, where interactions with the dynamic atmosphere made its flight somewhat unpredictable. Winners of the photography contest will be announced next year.

Studying NanoSail's deorbiting and reentry was a main goal of the mission. Engineers hope that in the future small solar sails may be attached to orbiting satellites in order to bring them back to the Earth's surface in a controlled manner at the end of their mission. Defunct satellites and other space debris, such as spent rocket stages, provide a collision threat to functioning satellites and manned spacecraft. NanoSail technology could allow controllers to bring old satellites safely down and out of harm's way.


News By:

digitaljournal.com

Advantages And Challenges Of Nuclear Power

While the state focused on an approaching freak late-October snowstorm, one that would devastate a large swath of Connecticut's power grid and raise serious questions about reliability and emergency response, a report was quietly released that could have more important long-term implications for the creation and cost of electricity in the state.

There is a certain irony that the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering released its report on Oct. 26. For the next two weeks media attention focused on electricity (or more accurately the lack of it), while the report "Advances in Nuclear Power Technology," went virtually ignored.

It concludes that expansion of nuclear power could provide the best means to meet the state's energy needs in the long term, do so without creating greenhouse gases, and supply needed energy-generation diversity.

If one or more new plants were built, the logical choice would be at Millstone Power Station in Waterford, where Dominion operates two reactors. It has the transmission infrastructure and is located in a region that would not view nuclear power as some alien presence.

Yet the authors of the report also recognize that the impediments are significant. No federal depository is available to accept the highly radioactive waste that is a byproduct of nuclear power. Financing the construction would be difficult. And nuclear power remains unpopular with an ill-informed public.

Academy

Chartered by the state legislature in 1976, the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering is a private nonprofit corporation patterned after the National Academy of Sciences. It advises state government and industry "in the application of science and engineering to the economic and social welfare." It has a reputation for objectivity and its report, requested by the Connecticut Energy Advisory Board, deserves serious consideration.

The report recognizes fuel diversity as critical to stabilizing electricity costs in Connecticut. Almost all power plants built in New England during the past decade use natural gas as their primary fuel. That gas must be imported. It is highly vulnerable to price spikes. Natural gas sets the market price and sets it high for Connecticut.

Connecticut's electricity rates have been the highest in the continental United States since 2007, with a rate now 69 percent higher than the national average, putting the state at a significant disadvantage in trying to keep and attract business and industry.

There are other factors driving the cost. Connecticut's deregulation plan, which required electric companies to sell their plants and buy power on the wholesale market, did not work. States that did not choose that course have lower prices.

Electrical grid congestion and lack of flexibility, particularly in southwestern Connecticut, requires the purchase of more power from less efficient, costly plants. Also adding upward price pressures are environmental regulations that require electric companies to purchase costly renewable resources and discourage coal plants.

The answer is not to ease environmental rules and boost pollution. Renewable sources, such as wind, solar and hydro can contribute, but will not be enough to meet long-term energy needs, the report concludes. The answer may be nuclear power. Over the last 10 years nuclear plants in the U.S. have operated at 90 percent of capacity and are not subject to the cost fluctuations of fossil-fuel plants.

Challenges

But any nuclear expansion plans would face major obstacles, including public opposition. A survey conducted for the academy found only 22 percent of respondents were very favorable or extremely favorable toward nuclear power, 45 percent were not favorable. Yet these opinions may come partly from ignorance, with 48 percent of respondents indicating there were no nuclear power plants in Connecticut or they weren't sure.

More significant was the decision by the Obama administration to abandon plans for a national nuclear waste depository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. Sixty-six utilities have successfully sued the U.S. Department of Energy for breaching its contract to accept nuclear waste, with a potential cost to taxpayers exceeding $11 billion. Connecticut law prohibits any new nuclear plants until there is a place to dispose of the waste. State officials must apply pressure on Congress and the president to solve this problem.

Nuclear plants are expensive to build, $4 billion to $5 billion according to the report. To make that feasible would require long-term contracts for the electricity to be generated, assuring a return on investment. Also needed would be economic incentives that recognize the importance of energy diversification and possibly public/private partnerships, concludes the report.

Not being ready to build now has one advantage. Currently, five new-generation nuclear plants are under construction in southern states. Their successful completion and operation could help establish public trust in the technology.

That does not mean Connecticut has the luxury of time. The groundwork for potential nuclear construction in a decade or so should begin now. The state that built the first nuclear-powered submarine should not accept as its fate that high electric rates will forever place it at a competitive disadvantage.


News By:

theday.com

Art Education

It’s D-day at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, though hundreds of students and faculty at the 124-year old university won’t know what that means for weeks, if not months.

On Wednesday, Hugh Windsor, appointed by the provincial NDP government, delivered a report on the school’s future viability to his masters at the ministry of labour and advanced education, and the mood around the school in Halifax is less than cheery.

NSCAD University is facing a potentially catastrophic budget shortfall this year of more than $2 million, and speculation on its possible doomsday scenarios run the gamut from being forcibly merged with Dalhousie University to its outright closure. Windsor was given carte blanche in his recommendations — none of which have been made public, said a spokesperson for NSCAD; there is no timeline for its release — which is greater cause for worry.

How NSCAD arrived here is, of course, significant. A thriving international hub of art education since at least the late 60s, when it became a destination for a burgeoning crew of conceptual art superstars like Sol LeWitt, John Baldessari and Lawrence Weiner, the school recently undertook bold steps to expand. Its state-of-the art new campus in the Halifax port region opened in 2007, but it did so with a deficit. Ever since, up to 10 percent of the school’s annual, provincially-allotted budget has gone to debt servicing.

The larger question the NSCAD situation provokes, though, isn’t tied to the specifics of its particular crisis. In a tightening economy, art is typically a first target of public funders looking to shave valuable dollars. Art education, meanwhile, is expensive. Its demands for studio space and specialized equipment run far beyond the norm. So the question in the minds of some in the Nova Scotia provincial government is less whether NSCAD can survive, but whether it — and others like it — should.

“It’s like an engineering school — you’re constantly upgrading technology,” acknowledges Sara Diamond, the president of Toronto’s Ontario College of Art and Design University (OCAD), which fills a similar role here as NSCAD does for the Maritimes. As part of a practical package that folds fine arts education in with bleeding edge design technology, Diamond argues that the benefits of such institutions far outweigh their costs.

“Our students emerge as highly skilled and extremely adaptable,” says Diamond, who chairs an association of schools that includes OCAD, NSCAD, Emily Carr University in Vancouver and the Alberta College of Art and Design University in Calgary. “We hear from employers across all sectors, ‘we need your students. They’ve got the thinking and skills to turn around big problems.’”

John Kissick is the director of the School of Fine Arts and Music at the University of Guelph, which in recent years has become a virtual factory of successful Canadian artists. He suggests that fine arts unto itself is by no means a frill. “I could argue on and on, in terms of the skill sets needed in the marketplace today, that a studio arts education is as good as it gets outside of the professions,” he says.

Kissick is a graduate of the fine arts program of Queen’s University, which is undergoing its own crisis, suspending enrolment for the program for the 2012-2013 school year, though Dean of Arts and Science Alistair MacLean attributes this to the pending retirement of one of the program’s three full-time professors (“I was concerned with admitting new students without being certain we could fulfill course requirements,” he said).

For MacLean any crisis is a broader one. In a tightening funding environment — Ontario schools have been told to expect no funding increases for at least six years — universities chase dollars wherever they can find them. Art programs, he says “can be seen as boutique — they take up lots of space, they have small classes. So if they’re not healthy, they’re vulnerable.”

Then there is the argument that art has become overly-academic, applying unnecessary layers of intellectual rigour to what a broader public might assume to be an intuitive pursuit. Nonetheless, the vast majority of Canada’s best-known contemporary artists are art school graduates: Marcel Dzama, who received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Manitoba, or Jeff Wall, the most prominent of a set of renowned Vancouver photo-conceptual artists, who studied at the Courtauld Institute of the Arts in London in the early ’70s.

Luis Jacob, a Toronto-based artist who has built a significant international career without having gone through an art program, still acknowledges its significance. “An art school is really important for giving young people a community — a set of peers all trying to create their artistic identities together. That’s extremely important,” he said.

For Jacob, who has shown at the Guggenheim Musuem in New York and at the prestigious Documenta exhibition in Europe, the lack of community in his own artistic development left him craving it all the more. “This idea that artists sit alone in a studio and create things and then become successful isn’t true,” he says. “Art is a professional and social milieu, and art schools are a huge part of creating that.”

Diamond argues to not just to maintain that aspect, but augment it. “An art education is very intimate — there are low faculty-student ratios. You get a lot of student engagement in these environments,” she says.

Schools like OCAD have also evolved in recent years to lead cross-disciplinary learning across arts, humanities and sciences that bodes well for a future demanding innovation, she says. “We end up turning out independent, extremely flexible thinkers with interdisciplinary skills who are ready for anything.”


News By:

thestar.com

Popular Ilfracombe Headteacher Retires After 25 Years

THE popular headteacher of Ilfracombe Infants School is retiring at the end of term after devoting 25 years and her entire teaching career to the school.

Christine Thompson joined as a newly qualified teacher in 1986, later spending two years as deputy before serving at its head for the past decade.

She will be handing the reins to deputy head Theresa Hodge, who will be taking over as headteacher in the New Year.

The school has won a stack of honours during her tenure, including currently being ranked as “outstanding” by education inspectors Ofsted, while Key Stage 1 results are rated the second best in the whole of Devon and have remained significantly above national average for the past eight years.

In 2007 Christine was named Primary Headteacher of the Year for the South West at the annual Teaching Awards and shortlisted as a national finalist.

Other accolades included a Gold Artsmark Award as well as a Healthy School Plus and Investors in people awards, while in 2009 it reached the national finals of the Times Educational Supplement primary school of the year awards.

Christine has always remained unfailingly modest about these achievements and told the Gazette: “It’s not about me, it is about the children and what we have achieved for them.

“The Ofsted report was a real ‘wow’ moment. It was about the whole school community, the staff, governors and the support we get from our parents would be very hard to match.

“It has been a privilege to work at Ilfracombe Infants and I have an endless amount of happy memories to keep me going for a long time ahead into retirement.

“I have met and worked with the very best people, dedicated individuals who work tirelessly to meet the needs of our children.”

Christine did not begin teacher training until she was 28 and qualified at the age of 32. She and her husband Garry moved to Ilfracombe from Birmingham and he also taught in the town, working at Ilfracombe junior School until retirement two years ago.

She specialised in creative arts and has always worked to bring that into her teaching and the life of the school.

Her mentor and inspiration at Ilfracombe was previous head Mary Trewin, who passed away in 2005 but left a huge mark on the school and her successor:

“She was the most positive influence over my whole career and I have much to thank her for,” added Christine.

Mary’s drive saw the school win funding in 1998 to refit and extend the old Victorian building and do away with the six much-detested outdoor classrooms it had been forced to use.

“In everything you do, the children come first and in every decision you have to make, they are part of that,” said Christine.

“It has had its highs and lows, its ups and downs, but it has been the best rollercoaster ride ever.”



News By:

northdevongazette.co.uk

Kalinga Joins Celebration Of Education Week

TABUK CITY, Kalinga, Dec. 2 (PIA) -- The Division Office here celebrates Education Week, recognizing achievers in Department of Education programs and honoring teachers and DepEd employees who have retired from government service last year.

Schools Division Superintendent Norma Brillantes said the December 5-9 Education Week will be celebrated by the different schools. A separate culmination program will be held on December 20 to be conducted simultaneously with their Christmas break.

This year’s Education Week theme is “K to 12 Basic Education Program: Patuloy sa Tapat na Pagbabago at Pag-unlad.”

According to Brillantes, they will give recognition to outstanding teachers, non-teaching personnel and school managers in the Gulayan sa Paaralan programs and best performers during the Brigada Eskwela.

Awardees, she said, will receive plaque of recognition and the privilege to represent the division of Kalinga in the case of schools that emerged best in the gulayan and brigada eskwela. This aims to inspire every educator to do more for the school children to ensure their good future,” Brillantes said.

Brillantes said they will also honor the 2011 retirees who were dedicated in providing education to the communities.

There will be tree planting within the compound of the division office and establishment of division personnel own gardens, she said.

“The activity reaffirms and emphasizes the role of education in empowering and developing the young to be more productive citizens of the country and responsive to the needs of the times,” Brillantes said.


News By:

pia.gov.ph

Partnership Works To Improve Student Math Skills

After a full day of teaching, some 35 educators settled in Wednesday for a three-hour lesson in a room at the Santa Maria-Bonita School District office.

The group of elementary and middle-school teachers sat at tables with others from their school, ready to absorb a lesson aimed at improving student mathematics skills.

Cal Poly Professor Kate Riley took her spot at the front of the make-shift classroom to begin the second of several teacher workshops made possible through a $250,000, one-year grant from the federal Improving Teacher Quality (ITQ) program.

The grant allows Cal Poly and Santa Maria-Bonita to partner and prepare for the new California Common Core State Standards in Mathematics, which were developed to establish consistent and clear education standards for English-language arts and mathematics.

The goal is to better prepare students for success in college, career and a competitive global economy.

Fifth- through eighth-grade teachers who volunteered in Santa Maria-Bonita - picked partially because it is a "high-needs" district - are getting a jump start learning standards that don't launch until fall 2014.

"It's really above and beyond," Riley said of the teachers' commitment to 40 hours of learning and another 40 hours next summer.

Wednesday's lesson started with a focus on the meaning of fractions.

Simple enough, but teachers quickly discovered that, like their students, a lot of them were using different processes to come up with a correct answer.

"Your students are going to reason about the problems in many different ways," Riley said, referencing practice problems from a Powerpoint presentation. "I want you to do this with your students.

"As we go on through the year, we're all going to be wrong. You need to work outside your book."

Some teachers scrawled notes on workshop handouts while others enthusiastically explained how they determined what would be four-fifths of a piece of paper.

Stephanie Miller, director of curriculum and instruction for Santa Maria-Bonita, sat in on the workshop.

"It's really the teachers that make the difference," Miller said. "Our scores reflect that."

A number of teachers were brushing up on their skills, like Joy Snyder and Magda Eaker, both sixth-grade teachers at Adam Elementary who have been in the profession about 20 years.

"Doctors have to go through their" training, Snyder said, noting that she and Eaker went through a similar workshop a couple years ago. "You kind of feed off each other."

Arellanes Elementary teacher Kim Carey falls into a different category.

"I'm new," said Carey, who has two years of experience teaching a fifth- and sixth-grade combo class. "So I really need this. You have to be able to explain it."

The next workshop will be in January, when teachers from different generations will continue preparing to educate future generations.


News By:

santamariatimes.com

Science Teaching Must Be Top Class

THE call for children to experience more practical science in school has been backed by leading figures at the Centre for Life.

A Commons committee report recently warned that students were missing out on the practical studies that could inspire them to take up science.

The Centre for Life runs Europe’s largest practical science workshop programme in the form of Lifelab, and it’s an approach to education that chief executive Linda Conlon considers crucial to bringing through the next generation of scientists.

She said: “Everyone learns best by doing, and children are no exception. The Centre for Life is a science village where real science happens.

“We are able to capture some of that excitement through our education resource, Lifelab, which offers a huge selection of practical workshops and experiments focusing not only on science but also technology, engineering and maths.

“By keeping kids switched on to science and STEM subjects at critical stages in the curriculum, we are able to give them the best possible opportunity to pursue science as a future career.

“We are encouraged the Government agrees that practical lessons, fieldwork and fieldtrips are essential contributors to good quality science education.”

The Commons Science and Technology Select Committee published a report in September calling for measures such as a central resource for information on standard experiments and for exam boards to require courses to include fieldwork.

However, the Government responded yesterday by saying that while practical lessons are “essential contributors to good quality science education... it is not the place of the National Curriculum to prescribe the detail of how teachers should teach science”.

The committee has described the response as hugely disappointing.

Chairman Andrew Miller MP said: “We must make science an exciting subject to study and an obvious route to future employment.

“The Government agrees with this but has failed to show us how it will address the poor practical science experiences of many students.”

Life has seen a quarter of a million North East schoolchildren benefit from Lifelab workshops in the last 10 years, and education and outreach manager Noel Jackson said the aim is to support teachers in providing science experiences that are memorable, enjoyable and of lasting benefit.

Life is currently a partner in the Hands On DNA project, which is looking to give teens the opportunity to use cutting-edge lab equipment and the latest techniques to explore DNA and evolution. The project is run by the UK Association for Science and Discovery Centres, and is supported by the Wellcome Trust.


News By:

nebusiness.co.uk

Growth And Change For City School

If there's one thing that Taylor Bean and Robyn Land have in common, it's the spark in their eyes - the kind of highonlife excitement that draws people in to their enthusiasm - and an eagerness that comes from following one's dreams.

As just two of the nearly 150 students currently studying at the Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine in New Westminster, both Bean and Land are midway through studies that will, they hope, lead them to careers helping people and being advocates for a field of health care that is still plagued by plenty of misconceptions (for more on naturopathic medicine in B.C., see related story below).

"I was going to become a high school teacher. But my focus changed," says Bean.

The Cranbrook native, now 29, finished a degree at King's University in Edmonton with the goal of following it up with a teaching degree - but along the way she realized that, though she loved being involved in education, it wasn't going to be the right fit.

"I knew I also wanted to be in health care," she recalls.

But none of the traditional paths - like a career as a dietitian or in physiotherapy - appealed.

But then the pieces fell into place as she explored the possibility of naturopathic medicine.

"It was something that fit all my needs in what I wanted to do: education, nutrition, physical medicine, and people. And the challenge - every patient is different. It was what I wanted."

For her fellow student Land, the arrival at Boucher was also like a puzzle coming together.

Land's work as a doula and in yoga, as well as her interest in health and community along with an educational background in environment, made the naturopathic health-care field an ideal fit.

Land, who runs a yoga studio in the Brentwood area of Burnaby, says it all began when an acquaintance mentioned Boucher's clinic to her - after making an appointment and seeing an ND for the first time, she said she knew she'd found her calling.

"I was just blown away - it was just awe-some. That holistic way of looking at health (was appealing)," she says.

She immediately began to explore the option of entering the school as a student.

Bean and Land have something else in common, along with their counterparts at the school - being among the few who get through a rigorous and stringent application process.

Each year, between 100 and 125 people apply to get into the school - only 36 are accepted to begin the four-year program. (The school has recently begun to offer a part-time six-year program as well.)

All students must already have completed an undergraduate degree at an accredited post-secondary institution and must meet certain prerequisite requirements, including course work in biology, organic chemistry, psychology and more.

Mark Williams, director of admissions at the school, says the challenge of qualifying as a student means those who enter the demanding program are extremely committed - their attrition rate, correspondingly, is incredibly low.

Last year, for example, the school graduated a complete cohort of 36 students - not one had dropped out over the four-year process.

"There's a lot of factors to that (low attrition rate) beyond the application process," he says.

Students are typically very personally committed to the lifestyle and philosophical approach, he says.

As well, the small class sizes and close relationships among students and teachers means that those who may be struggling are likely to be spotted and supported, rather than falling through the cracks.

It's those small classes that appealed to Bean, who knew from her past educational experiences that she would be more likely to thrive in a close-knit setting; she was also accepted to a major naturopathic college in Ontario but opted for Boucher in part because of that.

"I love the feel of the school," she says. "It's a great place to be."

Located at the Columbia SkyTrain station in downtown New Westminster, the school is spread out over several floors of a building, with administrative offices on the main floor, classrooms and a library on the second floor, and a clinic on the third.

The clinic is used as a teaching facility - patients are cared for by a licensed naturopathic doctor in a team with two senior students, giving the students the opportunity for hands-on training. It's a successful model, says Amy Juschka, the school's communications officer.

"We have about 650 patients a month in here," she says, during a tour of the facilities with The Record.

A patient's first appointment, she notes, is an hour to an houranda-half long.

"It's a thorough physical assessment," she said. "They look at the system as a whole, not just treating one specific issue. They're looking at the underlying (issues)."

She says the philosophy of "doctor as teacher" is a critical one and guides the relationship between patients and doctors.

"It's really a core philosophy," she said.

The field of naturopathic medicine has become increasingly popular in recent years, though Juschka notes that there are still "many, many misconceptions" in the public.

"There's not a good understanding of what NDs do," she said. "Particularly because it's not the same in every province (in terms of oversight). In B.C., naturopathic doctors are licensed and regulated."

In 2009, the B.C. government introduced revised legislation, allowing naturopathic physicians to have prescribing authority.

Both Bean and Land say they've encountered some resistance when telling people about their career plans but, for the most part, their families and friends have been encouraging and positive.

"Being part of something that's new to people is exciting in its own way," says Bean. "It's very rewarding to start talking about what you do and have people ask questions."

Land says her enthusiasm has also been infectious to those around her.

"They see how inspired I am, they can see me going through the process, and I think it makes people excited too," she says.

The facility is in a period of change and growth: in the spring, the school announced it would be launching a naturopathic midwifery program; in February, they're hosting a symposium in Vancouver on neurological conditions; and a natural health store is slated to open in the new year on the school's main floor, with easy access to Columbia Street. Additionally, they're hoping to move the clinic to the ground floor, expanding it to allow more patients to be seen.

"We have a real commitment to being here in New Westminster," says Juschka. "New Westminster has been great, very supportive to our efforts - and this is an exciting time for us."


News By:

royalcityrecord.com

Queen Of Jordan Lauds Korean Education System

BUSAN - Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan visited a university for prospective teachers and its affiliated elementary school in this southern port city Wednesday as part of efforts to improve her country’s education by emulating Korea’s teaching and teacher training programs.

She was briefed about the admissions process, training courses and operations by Kim Sang-young, president of Busan National University of Education, in Kim’s office.

“Korea is a prime example of how the power of education can transform a nation,” the queen told Kim and her entourage, including Jordanian Ambassador to Korea Omar Al-Nahar and Maysa Jalbout, director of research and planning from Jordan’s government.

“We, Jordan, are facing similar challenges that Korea experienced decades ago. I strongly believe that the single most important element in education is the quality of the teachers.”

The queen expressed her wish for cooperation with Korea to improve the quality of the education system and its teachers. “I would like to see how you approach training teachers and I would like to see how we cooperate,” she said.

The visit was made on the sidelines of the ongoing Fourth High-Level International Forum on Aid Effectiveness, which will end today.

The queen was one of the VIP guests at the forum, along with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Jordan’s queen kept fixing her eyes on documents elaborating on the university and Korea’s overall education system while listening to an English presentation by professor Cho Kyung-sook at the department of English education.

Queen Rania replied “great” as Cho asked for the queen’s support to open a Korean language training course in Jordan.

She was envious after learning that in Korea it’s very competitive to become a licensed teacher. She said in Jordan teaching is an unpopular career among students.

She inspected classrooms and an exhibition hall and spoke to some of the students who welcomed her visit with loud applause.

Finding parent-made craftworks on display, she looked impressed, saying “How active their parents are!”

She went on to say, “It’s so important to provide students with opportunities to learn about music, arts and other creative subjects.”



News By:
koreatimes.co.kr

Strike Action

PUBLIC sector workers in the Coleraine area will take part in one of the biggest strikes for a generation on Wednesday.

Unite, Unison, GMB, TSSA and SIPTU unions have all voted for industrial action which is set to severly affect council, health and education services across the borough.

Picket lines will be manned in Coleraine with up to two million workers across the UK taking action in a row over pensions, pay freezes and job cuts in the public sector.

The strike action is expected to cause widespread disruption - with teachers, health workers and transport staff all among those joining the pickets.

Translink will not operate any local bus or rail services on Wednesday.

Ciaran Rogan, Marketing Executive said, “We apologies and appreciate many passengers will be inconvenienced by this industrial action and want to give as much notice as possible in order that people may make alternative arrangements for travel on that day.

“We are disappointed and regret the impact this will have on our customers but unfortunately this is beyond our control and we must be guided by passenger safety first and foremost.”

Services will return to normal on the Thursday. Translink says it is awaiting information from the Education and Library Boards to learn their needs for the day and will discuss options for school transport.

Coleraine Borough Council said the strike would affect the delivery of its services.

A spokesperson said: “It is unlikely that residents will have their black bin emptied on Wednesday, November 30, however Council asks that bins are put out as usual. Any black bins that are not emptied on that Wednesday will be emptied on Thursday or Friday, December 1-2.

“Coleraine Borough Council apologizes to its residents for the inconvenience that this causes to them. If you have any queries regarding your bin collection please contacts 028 7034 7272.”

A number of schools, playgroups and nurseries are also expected to close. The North Eastern Education and Library Board has issued guidance to schools in relation to the strike.

A spokesperson said yesterday: “It appears that virtually all the unions representing both teaching and non-teaching staff in schools will be taking part in the action. School meals and transport workers as well as teachers and support staff could be involved.

“The Board has advised school principals to try to clarify who in their school will be absent on the day and as a result assess the risks and determine whether or not their school can remain open to pupils. They should then arrange to communicate this to parents as quickly as possible.”

A Housing Executive spokesperson said: “As a consequence of the widespread industrial action we anticipate that Housing Executive services will be significantly disrupted.

“On Wednesday we will only be taking calls for emergency repairs and homelessness through one number 03448 920 901.”

Unison leader Dave Prentis said there was “absolutely no chance” of reaching a deal before Wednesday over the Government’s controversial pension reforms. “It could be the biggest action since the 1926 General Strike,” Mr Prentis predicted.

Mr Prentis warned of further industrial action in the New Year if the dispute is not resolved: “It could involve rolling programmes, region by region, service by service, workers within particular services - nothing is ruled out at this stage.”

Passengers at airports and ports have been warned to expect huge queues because of action by immigration and passport officers. NHS operations and appointments are being cancelled and rescheduled because of action by NHS staff ranging from nurses to radiographers.

Across the country Jobcentres will close, Government departments will operate on skeleton staff and courts staff will also join the day of action, causing the cancellation of cases and the closure of many court buildings.


News By:

colerainetimes.co.uk

Poor Teachers Need Sacking

IT should be as easy as ABC for schools to get rid of incompetent teachers, yet it is apparently all but impossible.

There are an estimated 600,000 teachers currently working in our state schools. That’s an awful lot.

How many have been sacked for incompetence in the last 40 years? According to research by the BBC’s Panorama programme last year (and cited in the Sunday Times this week) the answer is 18. Not 18,000, but one-eight. Eighteen. Their unions would have us believe that poor teaching doesn’t really exist.

Strange then, that over the past decade, Britain has slumped alarmingly in international league tables (from eighth to 28th in maths, for example). The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, which publishes the annual league tables, said that nearly 20 per cent of British children leaving school have such low standards of literacy and numeracy that it was “likely to cause them problems gaining employment upon leaving school”.

The inability of schools to sack bad teachers – who are setting our children up to fail in later life – is a national scandal. It would not be tolerated in any other profession.

Yet the mighty teaching unions blindly, and militantly, defend the indefensible and flex their industrial muscle to the point where the sacking of incompetent teachers is virtually unheard of. That is wrong – and grossly unfair on the children who suffer as a result.

This week an idiotic teaching union leader (if you’ll excuse the tautology) described the new Education Act as a “crime against humanity”, rightly getting himself into trouble for using such inflammatory language.

Dr Derek Roach, deputy general secretary of NASUWT, went on to declare a need to “reclaim progressive values within our schools”.

And yet it is those very progressive values which have so poorly served generations of our schoolchildren, far too many of whom emerge from their schooldays barely literate and numerate, and all too often largely unemployable.

Grade inflation, the all-must-win-prizes attitude, poor discipline and poor teaching have all contributed to our stagnation in the international academic arena.

The Education Act, which has just received royal assent, will go some way to redressing the balance by making it easier for the government to close down failing schools.

One of the reasons schools fail is because of poor teaching by a minority of teachers who aren’t up to the job. The size of that minority is a matter of debate – estimates from seasoned experts ranging, apparently, from five to 35 per cent of the profession. It would be interesting to hear what the teaching union leaders make of those figures. Presumably they would disagree vehemently.

News By:

nwemail.co.uk

We Must Reduce Poverty Because It Limits Possibilities

Re: "20,000 more Alberta children living in poverty; Growing number 'not acceptable,' premier says," The Journal, Nov. 24.

As an elementary teacher with decades of experience teaching young children, I must say that the proposal to focus on a comprehensive approach to poverty reduction outlined in The Journal absolutely resonated with what I see on a daily basis in our classrooms.

Most of the "educational" problems of many of our students actually have very little to do with education, and have a great deal to do with social and economic problems that affect them in many ways. It has been said before that poverty is the greatest learning disability, and that is certainly what I have seen over the years.

Quite apart from coming to school hungry, too many of our children fall behind because they simply lack the experiences and supports that are in place in the homes of more advantaged children, including books and parents who have the time to read and talk with them. This is despite the best efforts of their parents, who are too often forced to work two or more jobs for low wages just to make ends meet.

Teachers and support staff will continue to work hard to try to develop the full potential of every child, but what would really make the greatest difference is a comprehensive approach to reducing the poverty that is playing the key role in limiting their futures in this wealthy society.


News By:

edmontonjournal.com

Pressures To Extend School Day

The trade union representing teachers here in Finland, the OAJ, is calling for longer school days as a part of an upcoming reform in the national school curriculum. Even though Finnish children spend well below the OECD national average of hours in class, academic performance is among the very best in the world.

A new national curriculum for elementary schools is currently being formulated behind closed doors at the Ministry of Education. The group of civil servants working on reforms have not shown the plans even to the OAJ, the union that represents teaching professionals.

"If this were a broadly-based, publicly-open working group, it would be possible to provide comments as the work progresses. As it is, we will not be able to take a position before it is finalized, and then it's in the hands of the politicians," remarks OAJ chairman Olli Luukkainen.

A curriculum reform proposed last year was withdrawn after a clash over the expansion of elective subjects in elementary schools. That plan was vocally opposed by the Centre Party, the teachers' union and the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities.

According to what the OAJ has been able to find out, the curriculum proposal now expected in February will not contain any major reforms. However, it does think it probably that the new curriculum will increase the number of classroom hours.

"We have the impression that it's being considered in a positive light. We think there should be the funds available. The number of school hours in Finland is below the OECD average," notes Olli Luukkainen.

He adds the view that more teaching time in the classroom could lead to better academic performance.

Longer days, better results?

Finnish schoolchildren have among the shortest school days in any of the OECD countries. The number of hours spent in the classroom in Finland is just over 22 a week; in South Korea it is over 33.

Professor Jouni Välijärvi of the University of Jyväskylä, who coordinates the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in Finland, says that longer days elsewhere is not a good reason to extend school days here.

"Indeed, PISA results show that this number of hours enables excellent results. It should be carefully considered if this would be an efficient method. It would also mean considerable expense," points out Professor Välijärvi.

The long school day of South Korean public school pupils often continues with extra lessons in private schools, while Finnish pupils have more free time. Both rank at the top of the PISA ratings.

In the view of Professor Jouni Välijärvi, instead of longer days in the classroom, Finland should invest in more special education and after-school club activities.

"There seems to be something in the air in other developed countries urging an increase in the systematic education of small children. I am not convinced that this is wise. It could produce exactly the opposite results intended."


News By:

yle.fi

A Focus On School Climate

The Chequamegon School District recognizes the importance of a school climate that fosters learning, healthy relationships, and a feeling of safety for all students. The CSD staff has been working very hard on these efforts and have implemented several programs that promote a climate in which all students feel comfortable, valued, accepted, and secure. Of course, this is an ongoing process and one that is always evolving and changing. Feedback from students helps to steer and direct these efforts so that we are focusing our energy on the immediate needs of the student body.

One major initiative that our district started three years ago is a program called Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). This program is carried out district wide and follows these key ideas, which can be found at developing scientifically based behavior and academic interventions and supports, creating an environment that prevents problem behaviors, teaching and encouraging prosocial skills and behaviors. In a nutshell, this program rewards and encourages positive behaviors, while consistently and proactively works with students whose behavior needs improvement. Under the PBIS initiative, our district has put in place clear expectations for all students. These expectations are: Be here, Be ready, Be caring, Be respectful, Be safe. Students understand what is expected of them and are rewarded when they meet or exceed these expectations.

Building a positive school climate begins early in the elementary years and both elementary campuses of the Chequamegon School District focus a lot of time in this area. As educators we recognize the importance of promoting a positive school experience for all students so that they gain self-confidence and pride in their school, as well as a feeling of being connected with the community. We are in many ways setting them up for success in the later years of their schooling and hopefully as well adjusted adults.

Both Park Falls and Glidden Elementary schools teach a violence and bullying prevention curriculum called Second Step. These lessons are taught by the counselors during their guidance lessons. Second Step was implemented during the 2008-2009 school year. This curriculum focuses on empathy and communication training, bullying prevention, emotion management and coping, problem solving, decision making, and goal setting. The middle school curriculum also focuses on substance abuse prevention. With this understanding as educators, we are optimistic the program can and will positively impact our kids now and across their life spans.

In addition, classroom guidance lessons are provided that address students’ growth in the areas of academics, careers, and personal/social development. In the education field we know a lot of emphasis has been placed on academics and as educators we are accountable for making sure students leave our school with the best possible education they can attain. It is our responsibility to ensure this does indeed occur. We sometimes forget our students are also people and more importantly children. They need to learn strategies they can use to help with their studies and improve their academic capabilities. They also need to gain an awareness that someday they will need to get a job to support themselves and others. Lastly, it is important that students learn how to appropriately deal with problems when they arise in their lives. The guidance lessons address all these areas.

Other notable things occurring in the elementary are monthly pep assemblies being run as a way for students to get pumped up about their schooling experience and inform them of what areas we are doing well in and need to improve on. A movie was created about what our Eagle Expectations are and how we can follow them. This has been shown to the students, each teacher has a copy of it, and it is available for viewing on the school’s website.

As students get older and begin their middle school years, they spend more time learning to work together and to problem solve. Students in grades 6-8 participate in noon advisories. During this time, students are arranged in small groups with a teacher to have discussions and participate in activities that promote positive social interactions between peers and also enhance relationships between students and teachers.

There are two unique programs taking place in the middle school that promote positive interactions between peers. One is the Courage Retreat, which is a training that all sixth graders go through annually. With the help of Youth Frontiers and several Chequamegon High School students, these middle schoolers learn to have courage and stand up for what is right. The training uses games, music, discussion groups, and stories to help students see each other differently. Students are taught how to overcome their own fears and find the courage to stand up for those who are being picked on.

Natural Helpers is another great program that has been ongoing in the middle school for many years. Trained seventh and eighth grade students become resources for other students and help them deal with problems in a positive and appropriate way, as well as understand how to seek help from adults when necessary. The current eighth grade natural helpers group has recently developed a project titled SAVE, which stands for Students Against Violent Expressions. These students will be creating public service announcements and presentations/skits about being respectful to oneself and others.

Having positive mental health becomes more and more important as students head into their teenage years. At the middle school and high school level, counselors work with students individually and in small groups to work on social skills, conflict resolution and stress management. At both levels a suicide awareness program is implemented called Signs of Suicide (SOS). This is a nationally recognized program that gives teens a “depression check-up” as well as the knowledge to recognize depression if it occurs and tools to help them respond effectively. The program highlights the relationship between depression and suicide, teaching that suicide is, most often, a fatal response to a treatable disorder - depression. SOS teaches the action steps individuals should take if they recognize the signs of depression within themselves or in a friend: ACT: Acknowledge your friend has a problem, tell the person you Care, and Tell a trusted adult. A goal of the program is to develop healthier, better educated students and more prepared parents and staff when they are faced with symptoms of depression, suicide, and self-injury. In addition, this is a community-based tier III intervention under the PBIS model.

At the high school level, as students continue to grow and change, the counselor continues to provide individual and small group counseling as needed, as well as provide activities that emphasize positive interactions between students. The Student Advisory Team (SAT) goes through a program with the high school student body called Raising Student Voice and Participation (RSVP). Under this program the students participate in a series of class meetings where they identify issues in the school that need improvement. The SAT uses that information to plan activities throughout the year that will improve the areas that are identified.

Annually, a group of high school students take part in a training through Cornerstone Productions where they learn how to use drama to teach other students. Last year they created two skits that were presented to the staff, elementary and middle school students. One skit demonstrates the harmful effects of bullying, and the other showed the importance of interacting nicely with other kids on the playground. In December, another group of high school and middle school students will be participating in this drama training.

As high school students begin thinking more about their post-secondary plans, it is important that they are aware of their opportunities to plan a bright future. Beginning with a 4-year plan that originates in 9th grade and culminating with an individual meeting in September of their senior year, students and parents are given the tools to make appropriate choices regarding their post-secondary plans. These consistent contacts between the high school counselor, students and parents build relationships to ensure kids know where to access help when needed.

Our heath curriculum also plays a role in improving our school climate. Lessons that help to prevent student harassment and bullying teach students to respect themselves as well as others. Along with the curriculum, guest speakers from Time-Out shelter present valuable information on healthy relationships.

Another key player in promoting a safe school environment is our school liaison officer. Annually, our officer speaks to all of our students about making healthy choices regarding their interactions with others, as well as the effects of bullying. Having an officer on school grounds offers students another resource person for students, as well as an opportunity to report any bullying or harassment issues that arise.

As a district, we all want students to feel safe, happy and enjoy learning. Through all of these programs, as well as day-to-day interactions between students and staff, we hope that our school climate will continue to grow even stronger. Every report of harassment or bullying is addressed and taken very seriously with the hope that as students are guided through these situations, they are learning the appropriate ways to communicate and work out their conflicts in a peaceful manner.


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ashlandcurrent.com

Student University Rated Top And It’s Well Deserved, Says Deputy PM Clegg

STUDENTS and staff are celebrating after Sheffield University was named University of the Year in the 2011 Times Higher Education Awards.

The university - beating off competition from five others shortlisted - was rewarded for its many ‘imaginative and innovative initiatives’ as well as ‘exceptional research, teaching, access and business performance’.

The news is the latest boost for the institution, which has already been named Sunday Times University of the Year and the Sheffield Students’ Union was rated top in the UK in the 2011 Times Higher Education Student Experience Survey.

University of Sheffield Vice-Chancellor Professor Keith Burnett said: “This is wonderful news for everyone. To be chosen for such an honour is a powerful tribute to the hard work, dedication and ability of our staff, students, graduates and partners.

“At a time of real challenge for quality, access, and the funding of universities, the University of Sheffield has drawn particular inspiration from our founding principles as a civic university established by public subscription and the donations of ordinary working people.

“This has become a unifying passion for all of us, to put knowledge to work in tangible ways, ranging from advanced manufacturing to translational neuroscience to what is perhaps the country’s most ambitious programme of student and staff volunteering.”

Judges in the awards said the University had ‘stood out as a result of a strategy based on its values and rooted in its founding principles’ and praised the institution’s ‘determination and grit’ in focusing on its local community.

University Registrar Philip Harvey and Students’ Union President Thom Arnold received the award at a ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London, which was attended by more than 1,000 members of the higher education community from around the UK.

Thom said: “Sheffield is known for its strengths across the board, not only in research and teaching but also for its outstanding Students’ Union.

“The culture in Sheffield is about making a difference in people’s lives, and I was proud to collect the award for University of the Year award together with University staff in recognition of the fact that the real strength of our University lies in our strong commitment to work positively together.”

Deputy Prime Minister and Sheffield Hallam MP Nick Clegg said: “This award is thoroughly well deserved. I’ve seen first hand the cutting edge research Sheffield University is doing in a wide range of fields, from advanced manufacturing to translational neuroscience and everything in between. ‬‪

“Everyone in Sheffield should be proud of the great work done by the staff and students.”

The University was also shortlisted for two other categories in the Times Higher Education Awards - Widening Participation Initiative of the Year for the most imaginative and innovative outreach projects that encourage people from under represented backgrounds to enter higher education and Outstanding Support for Early Career Researchers category.


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thestar.co.uk

What Can Slow Schools Teach Us?

Kindergarten today asks more of our children than it used to, and so California’s Senate Bill 1381 increased the minimum age for entrance to five years. Four year-olds now will have pre-K training. Hopes are high that these changes will produce a better-educated population. However, early achievement may not in fact ensure later success.

Sebastian Suggate has studied the matter. He found that students from countries where reading is not taught until age six actually do better on standardized reading tests than those from countries that begin at five or earlier, as in the USA. Children who start even later catch up quickly: Suggate collected extensive data from about 400 students in New Zealand – some in public schools and some in private “Waldorf” schools, where reading teaching doesn’t even begin until age seven. Difference in reading achievement between the two groups disappeared by age 10.

Research comparing Waldorf school students’ academic skills to those of public school students shows even more encouraging results. In a report exploring the value of the Waldorf approach for public school reform, Ida Oberman found that second-graders from four Waldorf-style schools underperformed in comparison to 10 “peer-alike sites.” Yet by eighth grade, these students could match and even outperform comparison sites on state school achievement tests.

If nothing is lost from academic achievement when training starts later, and some competencies even may be gained, why then the rush to begin it? Why buy toddler flash-cards, fund pre-K academies, and start kindergartners on reading and math when children could be otherwise engaged, developing other kinds of skills and dispositions, such as empathy and creativity?

Sir Ken Robinson, who led a British inquiry into how education might better foster innovation, explains that today’s schools are organized according to industrialized manufacturing principles. But humans are not machines. Worse, standardized approaches fitted to an old-fashioned, mechanistic, conformity-demanding view of the world stifle creativity. They punish those interested in questions not on the tests, producing graduates less able to think creatively than they did in preschool. To counter this, Robinson promotes an ecological approach.

Ecological thinking means considering us humans as part of a larger system, and as complex systems ourselves. Fostering more active outdoor play among our younger students honors this viewpoint.

Time spent outside protects children against what author Richard Louv of San Diego has termed “nature deficit disorder,” in which children less exposed to nature grow to fear and disrespect it, and cannot see themselves in connection with the larger world. Louv has reported that students at schools that hold classes outdoors show significant gains in social studies, science, language arts and math achievement. Studies also show increases in self-esteem, problem-solving abilities, cooperative play, and motivation to learn as well as reductions in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms when children spend more time with nature.

Moreover, fully embodied activities that can be engaged in outside, like running, gardening, catching grasshoppers, or even rolling sideways down a grassy hill can help children develop better body awareness, stimulate sensory integration, increase manual dexterity and foster visual capacities that may be hampered by too much indoor or screen time. In this way, more play can help ready the body to hold a pencil productively, form letters and numbers, orient them from right to left and grasp their meaning.


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signonsandiego.com

Lucia Mar Teachers Spend Time As Students

A small group of nontraditional students — they’ve already earned their teaching degrees — obediently picked up yellow highlighters and read from their binders of handouts and worksheets.

Despite their education, the group was back at Dorothea Lange Elementary School this month learning, essentially, how to be better educators.

Kathy Mihlhauser, a master teacher at Dorothea Lange in charge of teaching teachers in the Lucia Mar Unified School District, was teaching a lesson plan designed to show teachers how to hone their instruction as part of the district’s new System for Teacher and Student Advancement Program (TAP).

The program, funded by a $7.2 million federal Teacher Incentive Fund grant, aims to improve teachers and student test scores through more frequent, structured teacher observations and by offering annual bonuses that average $3,000.

One of the ways teachers at the seven TAP schools learn how to improve is through weekly “cluster” meetings, which pull teachers from each grade level out of class for one hour a week to walk through lessons with a master teacher.

Six designated TAP substitute teachers fill in with their own lessons during the meetings.

At Dorothea Lange, fifth- and sixth-grade teachers worked at identifying different types of thinking and pondered how to introduce some of the same teaching strategies in their classrooms.

Those strategies were taught the same week by master teachers at Nipomo Elementary, Grover Heights, Oceano and Fairgrove elementary schools and Mesa and Judkins middle schools.

Each cluster includes steps to identify an objective, obtain new learning and then allow time for teachers to develop what they’ve seen in small groups with fellow educators.

Fifth-grade teacher Karen Carlisle, who has taught at Lucia Mar for 10 years, worked at Dorothea Lange with a partner to determine whether a prompt required students to use analytical, practical, creative or research-based thinking.

“I’m going to put creative,” Carlisle said, conscious of the fact that her partner didn’t fully agree.

“I’m going to stand by it,” she added, with a nervous laugh.

“That’s what we ask our students to do,” said an approving Mihlhauser.

For the first 11 weeks of the school year, Mihlhauser and other master teachers squeezed in lessons on how to score well on the 19-point observation rubric, which accounts for half of the points that determine a teacher’s bonus. The rest is decided based on class and school growth.

The process allows teachers to reflect on their teaching and refine their craft.

“We’re all wonderful teachers,” Carlisle said. But “in any profession, there’s always room for growth.”

Master and mentor teachers and principals began the first of four rounds of observations last week, and cluster meetings will begin focusing on each site’s area for improvement.

At Nipomo Elementary, the focus is English Language Arts, which was largely dependent on recent student test scores.

Master teachers Julie Bowles and Shanna Rowland led a cluster for kindergarten and first-grade teachers at Nipomo Elementary last week, opting to show a 30-minute video to demonstrate effective teaching strategies while teachers took notes.

Principal Brett Gimlin participated, too.

“We’re all in this together,” Gimlin said. “Some of our teachers are nervous. They want to be the best. To do that, you have to have good feedback.”

After the session, Bowles and Rowland noted the changes since implementing TAP.

Students have more structure. They know their objectives. They hear what their teachers are learning in cluster.

“It just seems to be a really positive vibe,” said Rowland, who has taught for six years and transferred to Nipomo from Grover Beach Elementary for TAP. “That kind of trickles down to the kids.”

Linda Brichetto, a mentor teacher at Nipomo who has taught for more than 30 years, is one teacher who’s already had her first surprisingly nerve-wracking observation.

“The cluster did prepare me,” Brichetto said. “I knew what to expect. Intellectually, I trust them, but that didn’t stop me from getting nervous.”

The TAP system at Lucia Mar was highlighted as a model for teacher evaluation improvement in California in a report released last week by EdTrust-West/Teach Plus LA.

But, as the first public school district in the state to implement TAP, the report notes only time will tell how well Lucia Mar teachers and students respond.


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santamariatimes.com

Child Care Starts At Home

Sometimes, parents can learn more from their children than the other way around. The other day, my two-and-a-half-year old daughter engaged in a novel form of play with her alphabet blocks. She took a big white wooden letter R, turned it on its side and said "This is a rabbit." Then she took a red B and did the same thing, proclaiming it a bear. One by one, she propped the letters up on their sides on her train table (after tossing all the tracks on the floor) in what she called a "petting zoo." She did this for 15 minutes, uninterrupted, before turning to another toy.

Now, picture her in a "structured" learning environment. A set period of time to play with the alphabet blocks, sharing them with a dozen or more other children, being "taught" how to put them correctly in sequence, name the words they start, etc. Would she exercise her imagination by turning letters into animals? Would she have the time and space to play alone for 15 minutes? Or would she be too busy fighting off other kids for access to the blocks, or be forced to sit still and watch a teacher instruct her in the "correct" use of the letter R?

This week, Canadians were confronted with yet another report extolling the benefits of Early Childhood Education (ECE), this time as early as age two. The Early Years Study 3, published by a Canadian group called the Margaret and Wallace McCain Family Foundation, focuses heavily on the advantages that ECE would produce for children and the economy. It somewhat apocalyptically warns that "our survival as a species will depend on our children acquiring the skills they will need to cope with the social and environmental revolutions of the 21st century," implying that the fate of the entire planet rests on a Scandinavian model of state-sponsored child care.

But the report does not talk about what is lost with ECE - and that is critical.

The first loss is creativity. Two recent studies out of MIT and Berkeley University found that direct instruction can actually limit young children's learning. As an article recently printed in the National Post noted: "Teaching is a very effective way to get children to learn something specific- But it also makes children less likely to discover unexpected information and to draw unexpected conclusions."

The second loss is attention. A soon-to-be published study by scholars at the University of Notre Dame shows that birth spacing - the number of years between kids - increases reading and math scores for first-born children. Why? Because the parents have more time to devote to the child before a sibling comes along. So why would parents then put their children into group care and force them to compete with a classroom of other toddlers for a teacher's attention?

The third loss is parenting ability and affection. The latest data for this come from Sweden, where 92% of children aged 18 months to five years are in daycare, which is 90% subsidized by the state. According to Swedish researcher Jonas Himmelstrand, two decades into this experiment, the Swedes are witnessing a number of adverse outcomes, including psychological problems in children. These are attributed to a lack of attachment of infants to their parents in early life as well as a reduction in parents' sense of responsibility for - and lack of practice in caring for - their children.

Are these losses offset by the gains of ECE? The question itself assumes that those gains are real to begin with. A Quebec study conducted in 2010 by the think-tank CIRANO found that the emphasis on daycare has actually led to worse learning outcomes: "The evidence presented shows that [increased daycare attendance] has not enhanced school readiness or child early literacy skills in general, with negative significant effects on the [picture and vocabulary test] scores of children aged five and possibly negative for children of age four.''

When you factor in the billions of dollars a year it would cost to implement ECE for all Canadian two-tofive-year-olds, it becomes clear that there are better things to do with this money, including leaving it in parents' pockets so that one can choose to work less and parent more for those first few years. "We need to turn our family policy junkyard into a human development system," says the Early Years 3 report. No, we don't. We need to turn human development back over to families, where it belongs.


News By:

nationalpost.com