Search

This issue of the Canadian quarterly "Transition", in French and English language versions, examines issues related to the demographic shift Canada will experience as the baby boom generation enters "old age." Major articles in this issue are: (1) "Of Mutual Benefit," which outlines some of the challenges Canada faces in an aging and changing society, and the kind of information that is needed to take on these challenges; (2) "Boomers Today, Seniors Tomorrow," which looks at how tomorrow's seniors will differ from today's and the implications of these differences; 3) "At the Heart of Social Solidarity," which shows how intergenerational transfers of money, in-kind services, care support, or assistance constitute the very heart of society; (4) "Beyond Apocalyptic Demography," which takes on the population alarmists; (5) "The Grey Interlude," arguing that with planning, Canada can cope and prosper through its aging phase; and (6) "Why I Dislike the Term 'Eldercare'", which criticizes the connotations of the term. Other brief articles and columns discuss the future of the Canada Pension Plan and the associated Quebec Pension Plan, and the final report on the Canadian Aging Research Network. (AA)

Examines the role of reading in the acquisition of French in context, and shows how, in the area of reading, the computer can be transformed into a highly pedagogical teaching/learning tool because of the text retrieval program TACT. (32 references) (Author/CK)

Presents a historical perspective of French immersion training programs in Canada. This overview shows that after a period of uncertainty, faculties of education are well prepared to provide immersion teachers with preservice and inservice education. The article maintains that teaching in immersion is in continuous evolution, and practicing teachers should have their needs fulfilled. (nine references) (Author/CK)

Focuses on the effect of using a second language in the classroom and the series of mental situations created in the listener in this environment. The second entry in this section discusses what is required in a student who listens to the news in a foreign language on a daily basis as presented by Radio Canada. (CK)

The Task Force on Distance Education and Technology was established in 1992 by the Manitoba Minister of Education and Training. Its mandate was to define the role of distance education programs and the types of technologies to be employed from kindergarten to postsecondary levels. Guiding considerations for the task force included the incorporation of technology into the educational system; the importance of a partnership approach; the importance of meeting the learning needs of all Manitobans; the need for a focus on community; the recognition of continued education reform; a commitment to high quality programs; the need to build upon successful ventures in distance education and technology; the recognition of the intrinsic qualities of technology; the implications of rapidly developing technologies; the significance of changes occurring in telecommunications infrastructure and policies; and the effect of government selection and purchasing of telecommunication services. This report presents recommendations for the following three rationales: (1) education must become client-centered for effective, community-based, lifelong learning to occur; (2) the community-based lifelong learning model requires that program selection, student support, and administrative control of distance education be local; and (3) the greatest necessity for the success of distance education and technology is the assembly of needed resources. Implementation strategies are also described. (TMK)

The Canadian Child Day Care Federation's National Statement on Quality Child Care suggests separate principles of quality care for center-based and family-based child care. The principles of quality center-based care are divided into seven areas, each with a statement of general philosophy. The philosophical principles are then defined in more detail in three categories: people, practice, and place. Specific indicators of quality care are also provided. The seven areas are suitability and training of care providers, child development and the learning environment, group size and ratios, adult relationships, health and nutrition, safety, and partnerships. The statement on family-based child care begins by defining family day care, identifying various models, and discussing the relationship between licensing and quality. Next, 10 indicators of quality are identified: (1) the role of parents in day care; (2) suitability and training of care providers; (3) coordination of the home and the family day care service; (4) child development and the learning environment; (5) interactions and relationships; (6) health and nutrition; (7) safety; (8) group sizes and ratios; (9) management of a family day care home; and (10) partnerships. Finally, several issues not addressed in the statements are highlighted for future discussion, including the interrelationships of partners, the role of licensing and regulation, and the possibility for accreditation. (AC)

This bilingual exploration of program-based research discusses research in the everyday life of literacy programs and is also an account of one practitioner's personal experience. The first part explains the concept of program-based research. The second part reports on the relative lack of research in this area and gives a brief analysis of the circumstances that explain this state of underdevelopment. The third part investigates the conditions favorable to the everyday life of literacy programs. The fourth part presents four examples of program-based research in Canada. The conclusion points out the main limits of program-based research, but also reiterates the importance of its linkage with literacy programs. The complete text is given in both English and French. Fourteen bibliographical notes are included. (SR)

The cost of illiteracy to Canadian society has been estimated at $10 billion per year, the cost to business at $4 billion. In addition, there are human and social costs upon which it is impossible to place a dollar value. Human costs are stress and low self-esteem, worse health, lower income, and inability to participate fully in social and cultural life. Costs to business include expenses associated with lost productivity, literacy-related accidents and safety costs, and the costs of basic remedial training provided by employers. Due to the need for higher skill levels, Canada's future economic competitiveness is at stake. Nearly one of three high school students fails to complete school; 18 percent of Canadian adults have not completed more than an eighth-grade education. The reading skills of almost 7 million adults--mainly ordinary Canadians who were born in Canada--are too limited to allow them consistently to meet everyday reading demands. Individuals can do much to promote literacy: read to children; encourage teens to stay in school; encourage high quality education; and volunteer to help others learn to read. The importance of literacy is increasingly being recognized, with community groups, business, labor, and governments taking more action to promote literacy and numeracy skills. (YLB)

This monograph (in both English and French) examines the impact of poverty on children, with particular reference to the situation of poor children in Canadian elementary and secondary schools. Section 1 briefly introduces the topics of education and poverty. The link between poverty and children's physical and mental health and educational attainment is examined in Section 2. Section 3 discusses problems poor children experience in relation to school. These include hunger; inadequate child care; low self-esteem, motivation, expectations, and achievement; delayed cognitive development; interrupted school attendance; and illiteracy. Section 4 suggests that aspects of the home environment and school experience explain the poor school performance of children from low-income families. Section 5 profiles intervention programs that attempt to redress the problems experienced by poor children in school. These programs include: (1) school-based, and combined school- and home-based, interventions; (2) compensatory education in preschool and elementary grades; and (3) interventions that address literacy, school-to-work transition, and the situation of school dropouts. Several authors' opinions on equality of educational opportunity are presented in Section 6. Conclusions are listed in Section 7. Appended materials include a series of tables presenting data on poverty in Canada; a 44-item reference list; and the Canadian Teachers' Federation's policy on children and poverty. (BC)

The prospect of videotex services becoming available and widely used throughout Canada presents potential problems. It is important that the industry structure that evolves for videotex be one in which society-as-a-whole benefits as well as individuals. To insure that this happens, the Canadian government should formulate policies to (1) ensure that public access is provided to a wide variety of information providers through low cost and easy-to-use terminals from any part of Canada; (2) give information providers access to the public and ensure that they encounter the lowest possible barrier to entry into the marketplace; (3) ensure that the resultant industrial benefits accrue, to the maximum extent possible, to Canadian industry; and (4) ensure that the rights of individuals are not transgressed. Of the two Canadian videotex systems which have been developed, Telidon, marketed by the Communications Research Centre near Ottawa, should be the system established at the outset in Canada. Telidon is technically superior and offers immeasurably greater flexibility for future developments. (Author/LLS)

The Council for the Development of French in Louisiana, as part of its effort to revive French in Louisiana schools, arranged for a number of teachers from Belgium, France, and Quebec to assume teaching positions in that state. This report describes the experiences and attitudes of those teachers. Attitudes toward language maintenance, and specifically toward the issue of standard French versus Cajun, were varied and to some extent correlated with the teacher's country of origin. The adaptability of the teachers and the interplay between common linguistic heritage on the one hand and cultural differences on the other are central concerns of the report. A narrative of personal experience, in French, by one of the teachers involved is included. (JB)

This document is a commentary on a report by the Quebec Ministry of Education on the problem of educating the disadvantaged. One basic criticism of the report is that it is not enough to decry the failure of the schools and propose a strategy of compensatory education to solve the problem of disadvantagement. It is necessary to realize that the problem can only be solved by transforming the social structure. The need for social measures is mentioned in the original report, but the nature, content, and import of these measures are not specified. The target population is defined as people living in poor "zones." While such a population will be fairly homogeneous and easy to reach, some disadvantaged families may live in areas not declared to be poor, while other families living in disadvantaged areas may not themselves be disadvantaged. Schools in disadvantaged areas should be sensitive to the community environment. The community must become involved in educational decision-making at the local level. The school must become a community school, both by creating a closer contact between the resources of the community and the school and by changing the goals, programs and even the practices of the school. The attitudes of the teachers are important if such changes are to be effected. (MC)

The problem of language in Quebec today is not unique. All over the world, the problem of language comes up as a result of the organization of life in society. It is useful, therefore, to examine the role language has played in the evolution of societies from tribes to nations. In this way, the similarities and differences between the situation in Quebec and the situation in other societies can be better understood. In addition, the solutions proposed will not be purely arbitrary, and a language policy for the schools will be formulated which takes into consideration the context in which the question of language is considered to be part of the question of nationhood. (MC)

Humans, not things, are of primary importance when talking of development. All over the world, two separate, contradictory types of development may be seen: the first, centered on man, the second, on wealth. One of the ways in which man can gain control over his own future is through the school. It is essential to find out which type of institutions the community should create for itself in order to trasmit its values and at the same time work toward social change. At present, in the "Moyen-Nord" of Canada, instead of the school being a place where Indians are taught their own cultural values, it is a place where they are dispossessed of their language. It is essential for Indians to be taught in their own language for at least the first three years of elementary school. There is the problem of who is going to teach in that language since qualified Indian teachers have not received adequate instruction in their own values and origins. It is important that this problem be resolved, so that through education the system can be changed to reflect human values. (MC)

This report addresses the question of whether Canada is really a bilingual, multicultural nation, or a bilingual, monocultural nation, or a bilingual, bicultural nation. The history of Quebec is outlined and a comparison is made between the ethnic and linguistic composition of Quebec and the rest of Canada, showing that the percentage of people of French origin and language is higher in Quebec than the percentage of people of British origin and English language in the rest of Canada. In light of these facts, the general problem of the acceptance of French in Quebec is examined from the viewpoint of the bias of policies on language of instruction and the teaching of languages. The problem of ethnic minorities, in particular Amerindians, is then discussed, in terms of the similarities with the problem of the French-speaking people of Quebec. The relationship between economic exploitation of Quebec and the culture, language, and education of the French-speaking people of Quebec is examined. Finally, some comparisons of ethnic and linguistic composition of French-speakers are made between Quebec and the rest of Canada. (MC)

Since fewer girls than boys study science and mathematics in Canadian schools and no immediate change in this pattern is apparent in the near future, the science education of women will be one of the issues examined by a study of science education in Canada to be conducted by the Science Council of Canada. Identified in this brief statement are several reasons why the Council considers the absence of women in science classes an important issue: results in an absence of women in professional science, impacts on women's equality, affects daily decision making skills, deprives Canada of valuable personnel for the labor market, and increases future risk of unemployment for women. (DC)