Author: Martine Rioux

What if schools were no longer organized around rigid subjects and fixed schedules? Although this idea is often dismissed as unrealistic, some schools across Canada, the United States, and Europe are already experimenting with alternative models. Micro-schools, hybrid schools, and community-based learning networks all share a common goal: helping students progress at their own pace through meaningful experiences and authentic demonstrations of competency.

How can neuroscience transform teaching and learning? Building on Professor Steve Masson’s research, this article highlights seven key principles linking brain function to powerful classroom practice, and offers practical strategies to make learning engaging, meaningful, and enduring for all students.

For the past two years, the Centre de services scolaire du Val-des-Cerfs, in Quebec, has led a project to integrate digital writing into elementary and secondary classrooms. Originally intended to support text revision and editing, the project quickly evolved to transform the entire writing process, and it has proven effective. Students are more motivated to write, according to project participants.

At the Centre de services scolaire des Draveurs in the Outaouais region, a series of professional learning sessions for child care educators helps integrate digital tools in thoughtful, simple, and engaging ways. Covering topics such as digital citizenship, technological skills, and hands-on activities, the goal is to transform everyday practices to better support children’s development.

Bridging science, culture, and land stewardship: this is the mission of the Climate Monitoring Program led by the University of Saskatchewan in partnership with the Prince Albert Grand Council. This unique initiative offers Indigenous youth the opportunity to take part in immersive culture camps focused on environmental monitoring and hands-on learning.

Science is not reserved for older students. Laurence Bourgeois, a kindergarten teacher and doctoral candidate at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), believes that young children benefit from exploring scientific concepts and developing related skills at an early age. As part of her doctoral research, she is designing a structured science education program kindergarten 4-year-olds.

Can certain tasks traditionally associated with teaching be delegated to artificial intelligence (AI)? That’s the question a team of education researchers explored as they assessed AI’s ability to simulate professional teaching competencies, using Quebec’s official competency framework for teachers as a benchmark. The result? Teaching remains largely resistant to automation.

“ChatGPT murdered my evaluation,” says Noémie Verhoef, a Cégep philosophy teacher who turned a plagiarism crisis into an opportunity to rethink assessment. Instead of banning AI, she built a new model of academic integrity—one rooted in pedagogy, responsibility, and student engagement. Her results? Less cheating, more learning, and stronger relationships.