This essay examines learners' understanding of how they use role. It draws upon a semi-structured interview with five Year 7 students, which took place after their first lesson exploring "Darkwood Manor," a gothic sequence of drama. Considering the elements which shape how they adopt roles in the classroom, I interrogate the students'…

Many school systems ask teachers to assess and report upon aspects of student performance beyond academic achievement. In Ontario, K-12 teachers assess a common set of six Learning Skills and Work Habits. How well teachers are able to undertake these assessments is not well studied. This study examines Grade 9 and 12 report card data from two…

A teacher's identity is shaped by direct work with individual students, not by paperwork or competitive tasks. Teacher empowerment is grounded in teacher motivation, with emphasis on teacher-student relationships. Empowerment depends on relating new roles and decision-making tasks to classroom work, recognizing teachers for success with difficult…

Motivated by American Federation of Teachers President Al Shanker, St. Paul, Minnesota, educators created a retooled, transformed school requiring all students to become responsible for their own learning. The result is a technology-rich, textbook-free environment that is also high-teach and high-touch and stresses close ties to business people…