In recent years, many Canadian universities have added a Fall Pause to their academic calendars. However, those who have been making these decisions have been doing so without having access to any resources that provide an overview of existing Fall Pause practices or models across the nation. Additionally, there exists a paucity of literature that…

Nearly 40% of Canadian university students are depressed. However, strong social support may mitigate adverse outcomes for some. This study examined: (1) If students who showed initial depression were more likely to experience poorer end-of-semester well-being (continued depressive symptoms, burnout, and poor social and academic adjustment); and…

This article recommends institutional changes to higher education related to time, learning, and risk that would better serve the contemporary student population and increase opportunities for life-long and interdisciplinary learning. To begin, the changing demographic of university students will be outlined, along with suggestions about how…

Attempting to support student mental health, many Canadian universities have implemented a fall break with the assumption it would be helpful in alleviating students' stress and anxiety. However, there is no baseline data regarding stress level or mental illness burden of students to understand its effectiveness. Using case study methodology with…

Recent years have witnessed the spread of purpose-built active learning classrooms throughout the higher education sector. While these innovative learning spaces are well-suited for a variety of active learning strategies, their lack of a single focal point means they are inconvenient spaces for lecturing. While educational developers often…

ADHD is one of the most prevalent neurodevelopmental disorders, and the numbers only continue to rise. Ontario has implemented play-based FDK in the last decade, thus it is imperative that the perceived effectiveness of the program for children with ADHD is studied. In conducting this study, the researchers present and interprets educators'…

We examine the effects of offering full-day kindergarten as a replacement for half-day kindergarten on mothers' labor supply using the rollout of full-day kindergarten in Ontario, Canada. We find no effect on the extensive margin but found an effect on the intensive margin. In particular, we find that access to full-day kindergarten increases…

In 1950 in France, Dr Max Fourestier introduced the concept of dividing the school day into two parts. In the morning, students followed activities that were intellectual and classroom-oriented, and in the afternoon, they had physical education classes. This programme was implemented in Gambetta Elementary School in Vanves, a city on the outskirts…

Universities across Canada are responding to increasing levels of student stress and mental illness by introducing a fall break. However, scant research has investigated the effectiveness of this intervention. Our team assessed perceived stress and the number of stressors experienced by students at McMaster University using established self-report…

Canadian post-secondary institutions are increasingly introducing a fall break into their term calendars, with the stated goal of reducing student stress and improving academic success. We conducted a pilot study around the time of this fall break during which we collected saliva samples to measure the ratio of two metabolic hormones (cortisol and…

This study examines an action research project that included four kindergarten teachers who taught in the first year of the Ontario's mandated full day kindergarten (FDK) program, which began in September 2016. This action research project focused on the teachers' concerns about the constant unsafe violence, bullying and disruptive behaviour that…

Background: Some Canadian schools have modified their daily schedules from the traditional school day (TSD) schedule (two 15-minute breaks and one 60-minute break) to a balanced school day (BSD) schedule (two 40-minute breaks). While this change increases daily planning and instructional time, it also changes the amount of time available for…

Background: Outdoor learning offers clear physical, cognitive, social-emotional and academic benefits for children and yet, it is considered a grassroots approach to teaching and learning in elementary schools. Purpose: We examined teachers' perspectives on barriers and supports for outdoor learning in public elementary schools. Methods:…

Research has demonstrated the importance of schools for child well-being, and teachers across the province are working hard to meet the needs of all students in their classrooms. However, school communities are threatened where key health and safety measures are still not in place to protect against the risks of COVID-19. Almost 9 in 10 public…

This study investigated the effectiveness of the Full-Day Early Learning Kindergarten (FDELK) programme, which integrates play-based learning and team teaching, in promoting 32,027 kindergarteners' self-regulation (SR), literacy, and numeracy outcomes. Outcome measures derived from teacher reports of students' school readiness in the Early…