A Universal Approach to Education – La Presse

Centennial’s educational savoir-faire is beginning to get noticed! Please enjoy this article in La Presse that explains our universal approach to teaching and learning.

Read the original article (in french): Réussite scolaire | Pour une approche universelle de l’enseignement | La Presse

Read the translation below:

A Universal Approach to Education

In his recent report entitled The Student Comes First, the Protecteur du citoyen, Marc-André Dowd, highlights the need to address the learning challenges of elementary and secondary school students. His solution is to offer complementary educational services, such as remedial education, psychoeducation, speech therapy, special education, or psychology, with a goal of facilitating the integration of children with adjustment or learning difficulties into regular classes.

A better approach is to change what goes on in the classroom itself, so the teaching responds to the needs of different types of learners.

Unable to meet the high demand for individual accommodations, some of North America’s top universities, including McGill and Harvard, started implementing Universal Design for Learning (UDL) practices into their teaching several years ago. UDL is based on the architectural concept of Universal Design: creating inclusive spaces that are equally accessible to all, regardless of age or physical ability. For example, staircases are a barrier to people with certain physical limitations. Universal Design dictates that wheelchair-friendly ramps should also be incorporated into building designs, because ramps – unlike staircases – are accessible to everyone.

This is referred to as a “social model,” whereby accommodations are built directly and purposefully into a design, to accommodate a greater number of users and avoid marginalization.

Sadly, our schools seem to be stuck in the old “medical model,” whereby the student leaves the classroom to benefit from educational services. This approach presumes the problem lies with the student when, in reality, it is the classroom that is not equipped to meet the student’s needs.

UDL focuses on removing barriers to learning in the classroom and creating conditions that optimize learning, so that the greatest number of students can benefit. This is not only more respectful of students with different learning needs; it is also more effective and cost efficient.

Beyond the Medical Model

At Centennial Academy, a school that draws many bright but struggling learners, we could no longer afford to carry-on using the traditional “medical model.” While our students struggle with a wide variety of challenges – almost all have been diagnosed with one or more learning disabilities, such as ADHD, dyslexia, and high functioning ASD – we discovered that the proposed interventions for each diagnosis were almost identical. In keeping with the principles of UDL, we therefore embedded numerous accommodations, such as color-coding, graphic organizers, the use of visual supports, and routine instructional sequences, into every classroom, so that all students can access them. As a result, 90% of the 62 students in this year’s graduating class completed the rigorous provincial curriculum and graduated in five years.

Another key to our success has been to significantly change the role of the teacher. We allow our teachers to put their training and expertise to good use by focusing solely on what truly matters: optimizing student learning.

We leave things like student supervision and coaching sports to other staff members, and we have resources dedicated solely to parent communication, which ensures that communications are consistent and effective, allowing parents to actively follow their child’s progress. In addition, we have an entire team dedicated to student success: coaches and learning support staff who gather data about student performance and behaviour and who ensure that individual student needs are being met and goals are being achieved. With this approach in place, teachers have time to work with small groups of students and to ensure that learning is accessible and meaningful to everyone in the classroom. As a result, student performance has improved, in almost all cases without reliance on specialists.

Furthermore, our approach is affordable: Our cost per student is comparable to the educational services that the Protecteur du citoyen is proposing, yet our approach, unlike his, is inclusive and does not marginalize students. I wish to stress that Centennial Academy is not unique. Schools in Great Britain and the United States have adopted a similar approach.

The province of Québec has long embraced the idea of schools with specialized mandates, like sports études and the arts. Is it not time to test-drive UDL in some public schools? In doing so, we will truly be living up to our commitment to student success.

4 tips to help adolescents suffering from anxiety and stress

The article “L’anxiété chez les jeunes en très forte hausse” by Pierre Saint-Arnaud (La Presse canadienne), published the 26th of October in Le Devoir reports concerns voiced by “L’Association des médecins psychiatres du Québec” regarding the increase in anxiety and stress in children and adolescents. They cite that 37% of Quebec youths are now impacted psychologically by anxiety and stress and that these levels continue to rise.

We invite you to take a look at 4 tips recommended by Centennial Academy’s Head of School on what parents can do to help their children deal with stress and anxiety.

1 – Filter her exposure to unnecessarily stressful parts of the adult world

We are continually bombarded by news from around the world on our TVs, radios, phones and computers. Unfortunately, much of what we hear is unnecessarily stressful to young people, who already have enough stress to deal with in their daily life.

In their book entitled Simplicity Parenting, Kim John Payne and Lisa M. Ross explain how parents can help limit the amount of pressure and worry their children experience by limiting their exposure to distressing aspects of the adult world. This means filtering-out information that can cause more harm than good, including disturbing news items or unpleasant family matters.

Children should not live in a bubble. However, limiting what they see and hear to what is age- and personality- appropriate can help them feel more calm and secure and put them in a better frame of mind for learning.

2 – Help him develop a more positive attitude about himself and the world around him

Research across many scientific fields has linked positivity to improved health, higher rates of success and increased happiness. It can also lead to a higher degree of openness to new experiences as well as a good attitude toward critical feedback.

In their book Micro-Resilience, Bonnie St. John and Allen P. Haines explain how we can actually increase the number of positive emotions we feel each day by purposefully choosing thoughts and creating habits that support positivity. Below are some of the practical tips they provide for “reframing our attitude” from negative to positive, so that we can respond more effectively to what life throws our way.

When you experience an unpleasant situation: Instead of assuming the worst and reacting impulsively, take the time to de-escalate your emotions and to challenge your beliefs about the motivations behind the situation. This will allow you to react much more rationally.

When you confront an obstacle: Instead of believing that you can’t overcome it, see what happens if you start believing the very opposite. This will help you think more optimistically about the problem and increase your chances of succeeding.

When you are feeling pessimistic about yourself or your chances of success: Develop a growth mindset, by reframing problems as challenges and failures as learning opportunities.

Give these techniques a try. You are your child’s – and your own – best coach!

3 – Ensure that she makes time for aerobic activity every day

Throughout the month of May, I will be providing tips based on the book U Thrive: How to Succeed in College (and Life). It was written by Dan Lerner and Dr. Alan Schlechter, who team-teach New York University’s most popular elective class, called “The Science of Happiness.” The book is a fun and comprehensive guide to surviving and thriving in college and beyond. However, it is also full of research-based tips for building positive lifelong habits that can help people of all ages flourish in school, at work and in life.

Chapter 10 of the book is dedicated to the benefits of exercise on the adolescent brain. Scientific studies have demonstrated that exercise – and especially aerobic exercise – improves memory retention and reduces stress. It also causes the brain to secret proteins that interact with the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for complex cognitive behaviour, personality expression, planning, decision-making, and moderating social behaviour.

So, if you want to help your child thrive in school, be sure she engages in some form of aerobic activity every day, for at least 30 minutes. Whether it be walking, dancing, cycling, skateboarding or playing basketball, just get moving!

4 – Help her master her emotional responses to events using the abc model of resilience

Different people interpret and react to identical experiences in very different ways. While some people are innately more positive and rational, others tend to interpret and react to situations more negatively and irrationally, which can lead to unhappiness, frustration – even depression and anxiety.

In his book, Flourish, Martin Seligman describes pioneering CBT psychologist Albert Ellis’s ABC Model for challenging irrational beliefs. Ellis identified that it is not an event or person (A) that makes us feel a certain way (C), but it is our way of interpreting that event or person (B) that causes how we feel about it (C).

Therein lies our power: we have the choice to interpret a situation positively, neutrally or negatively, and thereby change how we end-up feeling about it. In other words, we have the ability to become more resilient – to change the way we cope with experiences and learn to bounce back from adversity more quickly.

The Centennial Academy Secret for Effective Teaching

“Le Secret des Bons Profs” by Jean-Benoit Nadeau in the September 2019 issue of l’Actualité,  provides insight into a growing movement in Quebec where educators have seen the benefits of moving away from traditional teaching methods to what is being called “effective” teaching practices . Effective teaching looks at how to use specific strategies that are focused on the achievement of student success for the greatest number of learning styles in a student population. The article provides examples of schools that have seen positive results from applying innovation to their teaching approaches, resulting in more “effective” teaching in the classroom and successful outcomes for students. Their mission: to align the best teaching practices with the needs of a variety of learners versus a one-size-fits-all model that assumes everyone learns the same way.

The Centennial Academy Difference

Over the last decade, Centennial Academy has been at the forefront in Quebec for putting in place a formalized global school approach based on the research of “best practices” aimed at effectively teaching a greater variety of learners versus doing what works for the average learner.

Centennial’s mission is to help students become autonomous and resilient learners through innovation and collaboration. The Centennial Approach is based on Universal Design for Learning, a scientifically-driven framework that says a flexible learning environment gives all students the opportunity to succeed. Our approach is also guided by the work of Professor John Hattie. Professor Hattie conducted over 800 meta-studies comparing factors that influence positive and negative learning outcomes in students. Using the results from these studies, Centennial has embedded patterns and routines that are aligned with what works best for the greatest variety of learners, and it is applied to everything that we do. Based on Hattie’s work on student achievement, as well as Dylan Williams (a Hattie follower) who looks at the professional development of teachers, and the latest findings in neuroscience, Centennial has developed a teaching and learning framework which is applied to all classes and school structures. Teachers are trained to coach students using consistent strategies that focus on effective routines, procedures, patterning, data collection and feedback.

While 95% of Centennial’s student body have a learning challenge, over 90% of them graduate on time. As the movement grows to connect the best teaching practices with learning outcomes, Centennial aims to set an example for other schools to follow. Through the creation of a Center of Excellence, Centennial will become a place for educators and school teams to learn how to adopt and embed the right structures and strategies into their school approach to maximize student success.

The Secret to Success at Centennial

How does Centennial concretize “effective” teaching into their approach? Centennial has created 25 accommodations and strategies which are embedded in its approach and which all students have access to.

Centennial Approach – Strategies for Successful Student Outcomes

Teach your child a few tried-and-tested tricks for managing pressure

To help your child become an autonomous and resilient learner:

Teach her a few tried-and-tested tricks for managing pressure.

It’s normal for your child to feel pressure when she sits down to write and exam. The important thing is not to buckle under that pressure. In their book Performing Under Pressure: The Science of Doing Your Best When It Matters Most, Hendrie Weisinger and J.P. Pawliw-Fry explain that handling pressure is skill and that it can be learned. Here are just a few of the tried-and tested tips they provide for managing pressure, which you may wish to share with your child:

  • Try re-framing pressure as a challenge instead of a threat: “This is a battle I can definitely win!”
  • Think only about the task, not the outcome: “I will concentrate on the present moment and take this one step at a time.”
  • Focus only on the factors over which you have control: “I am not going to waste my energy thinking about what ‘might’ happen.”
  • Remember past successes to give yourself a boost of self-confidence: “I have done this before, so I can do this again!”
  • Believe in your power to succeed: “This is going to work out and I am going to succeed.”

Set the tone for a successful exam period by creating a calm and positive atmosphere at home

To help your child become an autonomous and resilient learner:

Set the tone for a successful exam period by creating a calm and positive atmosphere at home.

With exams about to begin, it’s time to take some tips from Hendrie Weisinger and J.P. Pawliw-Fry and their book Performing Under Pressure: The Science of Doing Your Best When It Matters Most.

The book draws on research from more than 12,000 people and features the latest research from neuroscience and from the frontline experiences of Fortune 500 employees, Navy SEALS, and elite athletes. It offers 22 strategies that each of us can use to reduce feelings of pressure and excel in our personal and professional lives.

Pressure is what you experience when you believe that you have just one chance to succeed at a specific task – in other words, what you might feel when you are writing an end-of-year exam! It can create feelings of anxiety and hopelessness and can greatly reduce performance.

Happily, Weisinger and Pawliw-Fry make one thing very clear: No one actually thrives under pressure, but we can succeed if we learn how to manage it.

As a parent, you have the power to set a healthy tone for the exam period. As difficult as it may be, instead of hovering and passing on your anxiety to your child, try to be calm and positive and let your child know that you are there if he needs any help. You can also help your child by creating a calming pre-exam routine, which might include listening to a favourite song, doing some jumping jacks, and saying a positive affirmation.

Help your child combat exam stress with proven calming techniques.

To help your child become an autonomous and resilient learner:

Help her combat exam stress with proven calming techniques.

Your child will inevitably feel a degree of stress during the exam period. In addition to helping your child prepare academically for her exams, you can also help her prepare emotionally, so she goes into her exams in a calmer state of mind.

Here are a few tried-and-tested things that your child might want to try :

  • Stick to regular routines and study schedules;
  • Get at least eight hours of sleep every night;
  • Listen to soothing music or a guided meditation to induce calm;
  • Get some exercise every day;
  • Ask for help if you feel stressed or overwhelmed;
  • Take a few slow, deep breaths if you feel your nerves getting the better of you.

Be sure that your child spends time outdoors a few times a week, as it reduces stress and improves concentration

To help your child become an autonomous and resilient learner:

Be sure he spends time outdoors a few times a week, as it reduces stress and improves concentration.

End-of year exams are fast approaching, and they will inevitably be a major source of stress for most students. One very simple thing you can do that will benefit your child physically, emotionally and academically is to ensure that he spends time outside surrounded by trees and greenery. A recent review of hundreds of studies found mounting evidence “of a cause-and-effect relationship” between students’ performance in school and the time students spent in the great outdoors: Experiences in nature led to improvements in attention span, self-discipline and physical fitness, all while reducing stress.

In other words, to help your child be in the best possible shape for exams, get him away from his desk and his computer and into a park or forest. If you can’t get away from the city, consider walking in Summit Woods in Westmount, Mount Royal Park, the Morgan Arboretum, or any of the other nearby nature parks suggested here.

To find out more, read this CBC article.