This exploratory study used an online survey in one British Columbia school district to determine (a) whether supports were needed to include Kurzweil assistive software when teaching students with learning disabilities, and (b) which specific supports were required. Kurzweil 3000 assistive software (Kurzweil) is aimed at individuals from Grade 3 to adulthood who experience planning, reading and/or writing challenges. Past research has found assistive software, like Kurzweil, to be a cost-effective way to increase independent learning opportunities (Chiang & Liu, 2011), engagement, and improve academic achievement for students with learning disabilities (Epps, 2007). Analysis of the 50 survey responses indicated supports were needed as part of four broad themes: Time, Supports for Teachers, Supports for Learners and Families, and Kurzweil Program Suggestions. Findings from this exploratory study could be used in the future to better support students with learning disabilities who use Kurzweil, and the BC teachers who educate them.
Many researchers have shown that culture influences learning styles. The number of students that are studying in Canada reached 50,000 in 2009, and the number is expected to grow due to the expansion of the Student Partners Program (SPP) (Citizenship and Immigration Canada, 2010). The population of Chinese students in Canada has increased rapidly from a few hundred a year in the mid-1990s to nearly 10,000 a year between 2000 and 2008 (Zhang, 2010). As many Chinese international students now seek to further education in Canada, their presence becomes more and more significant. This study compared Chinese ESL university students' learning styles and Canadian university students' learning styles so as to determine if there are differences in learning style preferences between these two cultural groups. Data collected from these two groups were examined quantitatively by using Kolb's Learning Inventory Version 3.1 which was developed based on Kolb's experiential learning theory. Significant group differences were found in the comparisons of the four learning modes and learning styles between Canadian university students and Chinese ESL university students, and are reported in this paper. However, the author found that, overall, Chinese ESL university students' learning styles and Canadian university students' learning styles were similar. In addition, data on teacher educational specialization by elementary and secondary programs was gathered, and significant group differences were found.
French Immersion in Canada started more than 40 years ago in the small town of St-Lambert, Quèbec. It was initiated by a small group of English parents who wanted to allow their children, whose first language was not French, to learn French. Today, French Immersion is offered in all ten Canadian provinces and each of the territories, totaling 300,000 students attending 2,100 schools across the country. By attending French Immersion programs throughout elementary and secondary school, students will have acquired a level of competency in French and English as well as a level of bilingualism high enough to be able to live and work in a French community. This project proposes to investigate reasons why school children in Prince George, British Columbia are registered in a French Immersion program and the influence parents' socioeconomic status variables have on their decision to register them in French Immersion. A survey method will be used to collect data from parents who have registered their children in one of three French Immersion schools located in the Prince George School District.
