This volume provides a critical narrative inquiry into the learning experiences of adults and children at a Community School in Canada. It tells the story of a closely connected family of people living and learning together, combining activities such as learning to read and write with unconventional learning experiences such as trick riding, rodeo…

This article focuses on the relationship between coursework and field experience, theory and practice. Guided by Korthagen et al.'s (2006) fundamental principles for teacher education, an alternative student teaching structure was tested at the Universite´ du Que´bec en Outaouais (Canada) in the Fall 2016 term. An online survey was conducted to…

This UK focussed theoretical paper builds on Harper's (2017. "Outdoor Risky Play and Healthy Child Development in the Shadow of the "Risk Society": A Forest and Nature School Perspective." "Child & Youth Services" 38 (4): 318-334) work in Canadian Forest Schools and the role that Forest Schools play in education…

The need to encourage critical thinking and academically engage nursing students in a clinical environment compels faculty use of assorted teaching strategies, including concept mapping and flipped learning. Though nurse educators encourage both strategies, concurrent use of both methods in clinical teaching is rare. Thus, this study examined the…

We examine youths' perceptions of their experiences in one of two senior alternative education programs. We used self-determination theory (SDT) as a sensitizing lens to specifically understand students' perceptions of whether and how their basic psychological needs--needs for autonomy, belonging, and competence--were fostered in the context of…

Purpose: There is a need for research that examines how digital networks can support all learners in open access to people, resources and experiences that were previously inaccessible in K-12 learning contexts. This study aims to examine the potential of open education theories and open practices in high school learning environments.…

The article draws on concepts from speculative design to explore an alternative educational group existing outside the boundaries of an accredited university. Inspired by the imaginative approach of speculative design, I propose a small-scale reading and discussion group as a pathway to explore possible futures open to aspects of humanities…

This study uses a framework of transformative learning theory to explore fourteen participants' experiences with learning William Glasser's Choice Theory. The researcher conducted semi-structured interviews with students, staff and alumni of an alternative secondary school in order to explore their perspectives on the transformative potential of a…

Young people attending alternative programs often have histories of schooling shaped by inequities; both leave negative traces on learning and identities. Collectively, they share the experience of early school leaving and limited options for high school completion in alternative programs. The purpose of this article is to describe…

In Nunavut, data for 2012-2014 shows a high school graduation rate of 34%. Little has been published about the causes of secondary students' absenteeism and the methods for attracting students back to school. This study explored the barriers and supports to education success from the perspectives of school staff, students, and parents. Interviews…

In Ontario, as the number of students requiring special education support continues to rise, the transition to inclusive classrooms has become more challenging for teachers due to limited time and lack of resources and support in the classrooms. However, this study explored how eight elementary school teachers addressed these obstacles in their…

Self-determination theory (SDT) is a well-established theory of motivation that posits that we grow optimally to the degree to which we are afforded "autonomy support", the collective term for the provision of opportunities to satisfy our needs for autonomy, relatedness, and competence. Although Ryan and Niemiec (2009) suggest that…

Alternative high schools may be a better fit for many students than traditional high schools, but this group transitions to post-secondary studies at a significantly lower rate than do traditional school students. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the practices of alternative high school principals of British Columbia,…

In Winnipeg, several school divisions (Winnipeg, River East Transcona, St James-Assiniboia, and Louis Riel School Division, to name a few) have opened alternative site "Off-Campus" programs and opportunities in an effort to better engage reluctant school attendees. Approximately 20 students, aged 12 to 15 years old, attended the…

This article examines the transformation over time of alternative secondary school programs in Vancouver, British Columbia (BC). It approaches school choice from a historical standpoint, to make the point that today's choice policies are neither entirely recent nor entirely neoliberal in origin. Instead, they are built on past precedent and policy…