UK Schools V's Canadian Schools
Aug 15th 2005, 1:54 pm
#46
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Re: UK Schools V's Canadian Schools
Originally Posted by canuck11
Hello,
I currently have two sons (twelve and sixteen) who have been enrolled in the BC education system for six years. There are both positive and negative observations I have made regarding the differences between British and Canadian schools; however, I feel that Canadian schools overall (including but further reaching than just academics) are superior. Canadian school teachers make very conscious efforts to instill confidence and career aspirations upon their students, regardless of their gender or race or class or sexuality. Also, the students here are taught quite extensively about professional social skills that are necessary in the business world, that is: resumes, interviews, discrimination in the workforce, one’s rights as an employee, and even goal-setting and time management skills. Even social skills outside of the business world are taught in the school such as: tolerance and anti-discrimination, social responsibility, environmental responsibility, and communication skills. This education, which would not be considered traditional academics, is unfortunately absent in the British school system as I remember it and is very important in producing well-rounded able students.
The negative thing I find in the Canadian school systems is their teachings of history and current political developments (known as Social Studies)—it is extremely lacking. Practically all that is taught at the high school level is Canadian history. While this is certainly important it does not take four years to learn and is taught at a very slow pace. My eldest son spent nearly a month learning about the Alaskan gold rush which could have been taught in about two days (I am not exaggerating). Children growing up in the Canadian system will not learn anything of Europe past or present (no one here knows anything of the European Union), and will be consistently taught of Canada’s superiority to the United States. However, having taught my sons personally about European history I feel they will come out of high school much more prepared for the world than those of British students.
I currently have two sons (twelve and sixteen) who have been enrolled in the BC education system for six years. There are both positive and negative observations I have made regarding the differences between British and Canadian schools; however, I feel that Canadian schools overall (including but further reaching than just academics) are superior. Canadian school teachers make very conscious efforts to instill confidence and career aspirations upon their students, regardless of their gender or race or class or sexuality. Also, the students here are taught quite extensively about professional social skills that are necessary in the business world, that is: resumes, interviews, discrimination in the workforce, one’s rights as an employee, and even goal-setting and time management skills. Even social skills outside of the business world are taught in the school such as: tolerance and anti-discrimination, social responsibility, environmental responsibility, and communication skills. This education, which would not be considered traditional academics, is unfortunately absent in the British school system as I remember it and is very important in producing well-rounded able students.
The negative thing I find in the Canadian school systems is their teachings of history and current political developments (known as Social Studies)—it is extremely lacking. Practically all that is taught at the high school level is Canadian history. While this is certainly important it does not take four years to learn and is taught at a very slow pace. My eldest son spent nearly a month learning about the Alaskan gold rush which could have been taught in about two days (I am not exaggerating). Children growing up in the Canadian system will not learn anything of Europe past or present (no one here knows anything of the European Union), and will be consistently taught of Canada’s superiority to the United States. However, having taught my sons personally about European history I feel they will come out of high school much more prepared for the world than those of British students.
Careers Education and Guidance which covers all of the above has been taught to KS4 years 10 and 11 students in British high Schools! Recently it has been introduced as part of PSE lessons to lower school too.
I co-ordinate it.
Last edited by Patsy; Aug 15th 2005 at 1:57 pm.
Aug 15th 2005, 2:01 pm
#47
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 7,715
Re: UK Schools V's Canadian Schools
Originally Posted by dbd33
That is the history of Canadians. It may be that the former occupants of what is now Canada also have a history but that's not a matter of interest or concern to most people in Canada. I agree that the teaching of history and world affairs is horribly deficient but I don't think the situation would be improved by making the schools even more parochial. I'd like to see more world history taught with a particular focus on the actions of dead white males ; the people who built the modern world.
Aug 15th 2005, 2:03 pm
#48
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Re: UK Schools V's Canadian Schools
What's KS4 Patsy?
Aug 15th 2005, 2:15 pm
#49
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Re: UK Schools V's Canadian Schools
Originally Posted by Biiiiink
What's KS4 Patsy?
Aug 15th 2005, 3:31 pm
#50
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Re: UK Schools V's Canadian Schools
Originally Posted by Biiiiink
What's KS4 Patsy?
Aug 15th 2005, 3:49 pm
#51
Joined: Apr 2005
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Re: UK Schools V's Canadian Schools
Originally Posted by Patsy
Its the Key Stage students are up to....KS1 and 2 are primary years. KS3 is beginning of Year 7, ending at Year 9. KS4 are years 10 and 11..GCSE years
And the cane?
Aug 15th 2005, 4:24 pm
#52
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Re: UK Schools V's Canadian Schools
I can't really comment on 'school standards' however I would say British people in general are better educated than Canadians. I'm often shocked by how little most Canadians know about general knowledge and world affairs. I was chatting to a guy yesterday who thought Spain was in South America and this was someone who'd graduated from university!
Aug 15th 2005, 4:47 pm
#53
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Re: UK Schools V's Canadian Schools
It was Primary 1-7, then Senior 1-6 in my day... I won't pretend to know what a "key stage" is but at least I know the acronym now 
Aug 15th 2005, 5:31 pm
#54
Joined: Jul 2005
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Re: UK Schools V's Canadian Schools
Originally Posted by seacreature
I can't really comment on 'school standards' however I would say British people in general are better educated than Canadians. I'm often shocked by how little most Canadians know about general knowledge and world affairs. I was chatting to a guy yesterday who thought Spain was in South America and this was someone who'd graduated from university!
I would hazard a guess that you could find just as many ignorant Brits as Canadians.
Graduating from University does not necessarily make you an informed person.
Look at how ignorant a lot of Brits are about Canada. Most have no clue. My own sister had no clue as to the size of Canada. She came over to visit a cousin in Ottawa and thought that I (who live in Calgary) could just pop over for tea one afternoon. Yep sure sis just hang on a sec it's only 2200 miles I'll be there in a few hours. NOT!!!
Aug 15th 2005, 5:47 pm
#55
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Re: UK Schools V's Canadian Schools
Of course the fundamental question is "What is the purpose of Education". Is it purely for acedemic/knowledge advancement or is it a job ticket? If it's the latter then a Canadian education would be probably better suited for getting work in Canada.
Aug 15th 2005, 6:41 pm
#56
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 7,715
Re: UK Schools V's Canadian Schools
Originally Posted by seacreature
I can't really comment on 'school standards' however I would say British people in general are better educated than Canadians. I'm often shocked by how little most Canadians know about general knowledge and world affairs. I was chatting to a guy yesterday who thought Spain was in South America and this was someone who'd graduated from university!
I shit you not. Although it could have been just a male-female difference that I witnessed and not related to culture at all! 
Aug 15th 2005, 6:53 pm
#57
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Re: UK Schools V's Canadian Schools
i would just like to add my 2pence worth to this thread, i was the Canadian kid who's Brit parents dragged her over to england when i was eight, i found it so very hard when i started school in england the class was way ahead of what we were doing in Canada, and i remember my grandmother having to sit down with me every night explaining what and how a times table was, i really didn't get it and i also remember the teacher telling me that i my spelling was all wrong so everything i had learned had to be erased and i started from scratch. i still feel the effects of this move 23 years later, i never caught up to the standards of English schools and i have never fitted in 100%. I'm now taking my family back to Canada and my son is only 2 and a half but i want to do it before he really knows anything about it, if he was in school i would never do it as i could never put him through the heart ache i went through and i held a grudge to my parents for years and it's only really the last 5years that I'm more forgiving towards them. i hope this helps in some way, kids see thing so very different to us grown ups and it's very hard to make friends in a foreign country,especially when you are known as the kid that speaks funny.
Aug 15th 2005, 8:08 pm
#58
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Re: UK Schools V's Canadian Schools
Originally Posted by seacreature
I would say British people in general are better educated than Canadians.
Aug 15th 2005, 10:10 pm
#59
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Re: UK Schools V's Canadian Schools
Originally Posted by acer rose
I would like to believe that but two words: Jade Goody
Last edited by Patsy; Aug 15th 2005 at 10:33 pm.
Aug 15th 2005, 10:59 pm
#60
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 15,883
Re: UK Schools V's Canadian Schools
Originally Posted by Patsy
whats the saying?...u can take the horse to the water.......but u cant make it drink!
Some claim that Canadian schools don't teach anything about the world at large and seem to only teach about Canada.
In Alberta children are given a well rounded education in all subjects. However if the child chooses not to participate or forget everything they were taught shortly after graduating that is not the educations systems fault.
If anyone cares here is a link to the curriculum for grades 10,11 & 12 Social Studies in Alberta. If you take the time to go through it you will see that it covers a wide variety of topics not just about Canadian history.
Here is the link to all curriculum for all Alberta schools Kindergarten to Grade 12.
Last edited by Hangman; Aug 15th 2005 at 11:04 pm.