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The Illusion of Accountability in Education
Compliance is not learning, no matter how neatly we package it. Ontario is moving to tie high school grades to attendance. Should Newfoundland and Labrador follow? A VOCM poll suggests 74% of respondents say yes. On the surface, it sounds like accountability. In reality, it risks mistaking compliance for learning. The harder question is the one we keep avoiding: why are students not showing up in the first place? This isn’t a motivation problem. It’s a relevance problem.

Barry Smith
Apr 212 min read


Beyond Privilege
Whole brain learning is an approach to human development incorporating 9 elements that ultimately engage all of our learning systems. ...

Barry Smith
Sep 10, 20246 min read


So You Want to Be the Goalie?
The feeling of having no power over a situation in generally unbearable. When we feel helpless we feel miserable. Even if you have the...

Barry Smith
Dec 30, 20234 min read
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