I write to invite you to a Town Hall on “Better than Bill 64” It is now widely recognized that Bill 64 is a bad bill because it takes us backwards, it will reduce local input into education, it will reduce the ability of schools to help disadvantaged students, it is not an approach which will work for Indigenous students and it will use a model which has been ineffective and rejected elsewhere. There are much better approaches than Bill 64. This Town Hall will focus on such approaches.
Title: “Better than Bill 64: Ideas to improve
education”
Time and Date: On the
evening of Thursday June 17th at 7
pm. The zoom Town Hall will begin at 7 pm, with the formal part of
the Town Hall expected to be over by about 8 pm or perhaps a bit after
depending on the number of questions and interest in the Town Hall.
Goal: The Town Hall will explore various options for improving education to provide a better future for education in Manitoba than is proposed in Bill 64.
The panelists will include:
Doug Adams
and Heather Shelton – Competency based education
Victoria
Romero – Project based education
Sheva
Schwartz – Leadership based education
Niigaan
Sinclair – Indigenous education
Raj Gill –
Immigrant education
Zoom Meeting
ID: 812 3416 9772
Password: Education
If you would like to sign a petition
for a requirement to have a referendum before Bill 64 can pass, this is the
link.
Change.org online petition: https://www.change.org/p/winnipeg-calling-for-a-referendum-on-bill-64-education-reform/psf/promote_or_share
If you would like a sign in your yard to join the campaign to raise awareness and help Manitobans realize the problems that Bill 64 will create, you can order a sign. Click on this link for more information on getting a sign: http://jongerrardsreport.blogspot.com/2021/04/say-no-to-bill-64.html
Biographies
of Panelists:
Doug Adams is a retired teacher who taught for many years at a
very diverse school – the New Era School in Brandon. The school has
many indigenous children and many children of new immigrants. Together
with Heather Shelton, Doug developed an approach which put children in classes
based on the skill and knowledge level of the child instead of being based on
the age of the children as is the usual process. Doug and Heather
found that this approach was remarkably successful. Children
learned better when they were with peers of the same ability even if they were
not in the same age group. Children were often at different levels
in different subjects so the classes were not “slow learner” and “fast learner”
classes and children did not feel stigmatized. In addition to improved
learning results in this diverse group of children, an additional positive
result was that behavioural and disciplinary problems decreased dramatically as
children felt they were being taught at the level at which they could learn
better. The assignment of children to classes based on skill or
competence appears to be helpful to all children, and particularly to those
children who might struggle in a traditional age-based classroom.
Heather
Shelton has had twenty-eight years of experience
in the classroom. Twenty-seven of those years were in a core-area
classroom. She has had an additional ten years of experience as a
substitute teacher and two of her grandchildren attend Manitoba Schools.
Victoria
Romero is a first year Arts student studying
political science at the university of Manitoba. Victoria has a strong passion
for enriching the lives of others and has volunteered through various
organizations such as The St Amant Centre, North Point Douglas Womens Centre
and the Canadian Cadet Organization.
Sheva Schwartz is a first-year student at the University of Winnipeg studying Political Science. As a delegate to the 2021 Liberal National Convention with the Manitoba Young Liberals, Sheva sponsored and presented the Interprovincial Power Grid resolution. Sheva is working for Dr. Gerrard as a summer student and also enjoys teaching cello on weekends. Sheva will talk about the importance of putting a priority on teaching leadership skills to all children in order for them to succeed in school.
Niigaanwewidam
James Sinclair is Anishinaabe (St. Peter's/Little
Peguis) and an Assistant Professor at the University of Manitoba. He is a
regular commentator on Indigenous issues on CTV, CBC, and APTN. He has
written extensively on Indigenous perspectives. He is the co-editor of
the award-winning Manitowapow: Aboriginal Writings from the Land of Water (Highwater
Press, 2011) and Centering Anishinaabeg Studies: Understanding the World
Through Stories (Michigan State University Press, 2013), and is the Editorial
Director of The Debwe Series with Portage and Main Press. Niigaan
obtained his BA in Education at the University of Winnipeg, before completing
an MA in Native- and African-American literatures at the University of
Oklahoma, and a PhD in First Nations and American Literatures from the
University of British Columbia. Niigaan will provide a perspective on how
we can best improve education for Indigenous people in Manitoba, and also on
how we can improve our education systems so that non-Indigenous people will
have better knowledge and understanding of Indigenous people.
Raj Gill is a grade 12 student who came with his family from
India to Manitoba two and a half years ago. He has been attending St.
Maurice School, and has experienced the challenges of a new immigrant to Canada
in Manitoba’s school system. Based on his experience he has ideas
on how we can make changes which will enable new immigrants like himself to do
well.
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