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Research
Examines Challenges Facing Canadian Universities
Analyses,
data, projections - all you need to know about the state of Canadian universities
- is available in the new edition of Trends.
The $80 book, published in English and French by the Association of Universities
and Colleges of Canada, explores the challenges facing universities as
demands on teaching, research and community service continue to grow.
Using historical perspectives, comparisons and projections, Trends examines
five key areas of activity (enrolment, faculty, research, finance, and
knowledge transfer) and looks at the likely impacts on Canadian universities
over the next 10 years.
Based on data from Statistics Canada and other Canadian and international
sources, the publication also compares Canadian trends to those in countries
with which Canada competes for students, faculty, sponsored research and
inventions.
To buy a copy, call 613-563-3961, ext. 605 or return the form available
at: http://www.aucc.ca/_pdf/english/publications/order_english.pdf.
Kit
Helps Teachers Keep Kids Injury-Free
Children can lead fun-filled lives without hurting themselves if they
only think first and use their minds to protect their bodies. That's the
premise behind a free resource kit for teachers of Grades K to 8 students
called ThinkFirst.
Developed in association with the Durham District School Board, recommended
by Curriculum Services Canada (CSC) and sponsored by TD Bank, the ThinkFirst
kit provides a manual, video, posters and comic books to help children
develop decision-making skills to avoid injury. The ThinkFirst Foundation
(or National Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Prevention Foundation) is endorsed
by the Canadian Congress of Neurological Sciences (CCNS).
Although the ThinkFirst materials aim to prevent brain and spinal cord
injury, "the skills the children learn have broad applicability to
many injury prevention situations," CSC says.
There are six lesson topics common to each grade level package: an introduction
to the brain and spinal cord, pedestrian and vehicular safety, cycling
safety, recreational sports and water safety, creative problem solving
and safety around weapons, and awareness of choking, suffocation and strangulation
hazards. As well, there are suggested followup activities for families
at home and a list of related, recommended web sites to visit.
All curriculum materials are provided free to Canadian schools. Sample
lessons for Grades 1 and 5 students are available on the web site at http://www.ThinkFirst.ca/curriculum_sample.html.
According to Statistics Canada, injuries account for almost 60 per cent
of the deaths of those 19 and under, and males are twice as likely as
females to face injury. The most common causes of head and spinal cord
damage among those aged five to 24 include car crashes, falls, bicycle
mishaps, violence, suicide, and self-inflicted wounds. Stats Can says
nine out of 10 are preventable.
Visit the ThinkFirst
Foundation web site or call416-603-5331 or toll-free at 1-800-335-6076
for more information.
Program
Helps Students SWAP Places To Learn And Work Abroad
Young adult students 18 and up can learn about the world, add international
work experience to their résumés, and earn enough to cover
their travel and living costs through the Student Work Abroad Program
(SWAP).
Last year, SWAP helped 2,800 young Canadians arrange travel and find jobs
and lodging in 10 overseas countries including Australia, Britain, Japan
and South Africa.
Overseas SWAP hosting centres provide information and ongoing support
to help students kickstart their working holidays and give families and
friends at home peace of mind regarding safety.
Participants pay a registration fee upwards of $290 depending on their
destination and agree to book their travel through Travel CUTS/Voyages
Campus, the Adventure Travel Company or Odyssey Travel. Applicants require
a résumé outlining past work, travel and volunteer experience,
a letter of reference, and a valid Canadian passport. SWAP and Travel
CUTS/Voyage Campus handle the students' visa applications to foreign governments.
For further
information or to apply, visit www.swap.ca
Program
Encourages Non-Competitive Play
More children need to get physical and have fun. That's the Canadian Intramural
Recreation Association's (CIRA) message in a series of Active Playgrounds
workshops. The provincially-funded program hopes to reach 500,000 Ontario
children over the next three years through 120 free workshops that teach
them easy-to-play, co-ed, multicultural games that emphasize participation
over competition.
Active Playgrounds encourages kids to use their recess, lunch and before
and after school free time to participate in activities such as skipping,
line games and hopscotch. The program enables children to play on an equal
level and large numbers to play at one time with little or no supervision,
says retired teacher and program instructor Pat Doyle.
Designed for children up to Grade 8, the activities address many of the
learning outcomes in the Ontario curriculum. For more information, visit
the CIRAweb site at www.mohawkc.on.ca/external/cira/home.html
or contact Pat Doyle at 905-575-2083 or by e-mail at lacrosses@rogers.com
Connecting
Curriculum to Community Involvement
Toronto's Rockford Public School students put their study of diabetes
to the ultimate test-in walking to raise funds to find a cure. The 850
students won an award for the highest per capita contribution of a Toronto
school by raising $6,800 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
(JDRF). In the process, they raised their own awareness of the disease
that affects two million Canadians and is linked to half of all heart
attacks and three-quarters of all strokes.
Rockford's teachers and students rallied to support the cause while meeting
curriculum expectations in math, geography, Language Arts, Environmental
Studies, and physical education with the aid of JDRF resources. The foundation
supplies teacher kits and checklists, videos, timelines, sample announcements
and speeches to help schools organize "Kids Walk to Cure Diabetes"
marches. Volunteers, including children, afflicted with diabetes also
discuss their experiences with students. Lessons on nutrition and exercise
foster students' understanding of healthy lifestyles.
"Children learn tolerance towards others who are different and they
discover that people with illnesses are people first," says Maxine
Ritche, a Rockford teacher.
For more information, visit the JDRF web site at www.jdrf.ca
or contact the foundation at 1-877-287-3533.
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