Pericles and his funeral oration in front of the Greek Assembly. In this second selection for the book/reading club that I started with my close friends, we decided on reading the article Was Democracy Just a Moment? By Robert D. Kaplan. This article is found in the December 1997 issue of the Atlantic Magazine, and … Continue reading Review of “Was Democracy Just a Moment?”

I am happy to announce along with Clayton Smith and Mark Lubrick, the release of our open online educational resource (OER): Leadership and Management in Learning Organizations. This OER focuses on a philosophy of providing students an effective educational experience without the financial burden of a for-profit textbook. The team I work with is one … Continue reading Leadership and Management in Learning Organizations

I normally write blog posts about education, or things that are generally enjoyable to me, seeing the panic and economic hardship due to SARS CoV-2 (coronavirus) is not enjoyable to me, but alas it has gripped the attention of the world. I see the news and I see political leaders talk; I see massive closures … Continue reading Finding a rational middle: Objective and systematic literature review of SARS CoV-2 research articles.

Recently, I wrote a blog post about the Ontario Government removing the stipulation for online learning relating to teachers. Through a literature review, I outlined the benefits of an online learning classroom contributing to the self-efficacy of learners and viable usage inside classrooms (Babich, 2020). The keywords within all of this are 'inside classrooms'. With … Continue reading I am a proponent of online education, but lets be pragmatic for a second.

A group of friends and I recently started a book club and the first reading was a section of Francis Bacon’s Advancement of Learning. In this section Bacon discusses the artistic nature of physical form, a section of the two books that I commonly haven’t done a deep dive on. Here are some general themes … Continue reading Review of Bacon’s (1605) Of Arts Concerning the Body within the Advancement of Learning.

David HumeImage from: Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, University of Tennessee Martin David Hume (1711-1776) was a Scottish philosopher who's idea on the concepts of empirical philosophy, criticism of induction, and naturalistic science were at the height of the enlightenment period especially in the United Kingdom. Hume was especially critical of the religious philosophies, questioning the … Continue reading Experience, Empiricism, and Connection to Interdisciplinarity in David Hume’s (1757) Of the Standard of Taste

Stephen Lecce (left), Minister of Education, Harvey Bischoff (right) Leader of the OSSTF Union. Photos retrieved from CTV News Toronto and CBC. The most recent update in the Ontario teachers strike reflects the P.C. Government’s willingness to not make e-learning mandatory, but optional for students (Jones, 2020, March 3). The president of the OSSTF calls … Continue reading Update on the Teachers Strike…with a small Literature Review

All four of the major teachers' unions have taken some sort of job action. (Cole Burston/The Canadian Press) via CBC News Tensions are still high with regard to bargaining towards the Ontario Secondary Schools Teachers Federation, the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario and the Progressive Conservative Government of Ontario. I wanted to gain a clear understanding … Continue reading Critical Take on the Ontario Teacher Strikes.

Frans Hals (1664). The Regents of the Old Men's Almshouse. https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?search=regents+of+the+old+men%27s+almshouse&title=Special%3ASearch&go=Go&ns0=1&ns6=1&ns12=1&ns14=1&ns100=1&ns106=1 In the subjective world of art, you can never tell what a meaning is in any painting especially a portrait. This work by Frans Hals has garnered a lot of meaning throughout the ages, and attempts to try and interpret the meaning, more or … Continue reading Analysis: The Regents of the Old Men’s Almshouse (1664)

The article from the Globe and Mail: Alberta school lesson on oil sands prompts threats from parents amid sensitivity over industry’s image sheds a light on the autonomy of educators to enhance critical thinking inside classrooms. Adriana LaGrange (via her press secretary) stated that educators should encourage "critical thinking and independent decision making", which is … Continue reading Review: Alberta school lesson on oil sands prompts threats from parents amid sensitivity over industry’s image.