Education admin January 23, 2025 0 Comments

The 7 keys to the success of the Canadian education system

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1-Highly qualified teachers chosen according to the needs of the establishment

In Canada, competitions do not exist and the selection of teaching staff is governed by very high standards; access to a teaching career is a very selective process.

Teachers are recruited according to the needs of the educational center . Normally, it is the school principals who determine the number of teachers they need for each course and in which subjects.

2-Combination of practice and active participation, with emphasis on the labor market

Unlike the Spanish school system, in which memorization still prevails in many cases, education in the Canadian system focuses more on practice and active participation of students in class.

Students’ performance is constantly monitored and evaluated by their teachers throughout the school year. They do not focus so much on final exams but rather on a constant control of the knowledge that the student must acquire. With this system, it is achieved that no student stops being involved in their studies and learning.

In addition, all subjects and courses are work-oriented and have a clear practical orientation for everyday life , which constitutes an added value for the students’ education.

3-Importance of extracurricular activities

In Canada, extracurricular activities are given much more importance than in France. Activities related to sports and outdoor activities are the most valued. Other common activities are those related to dance, theater, music, cinema, photography and chess.

In order for students to be able to carry out these extracurricular activities, classes normally only take place in the morning, leaving the afternoons free for this type of activity.

4-The relevance of emotional education

In the Canadian education system, great importance is given to the emotional education of students . In all schools, a lot of time is devoted to teaching children emotional skills related to relationships with others, conflict resolution and empathy.

This emotional education contributes to the prevention of harassment and develops positive social behaviors, as well as caring and socially engaged people.

5-Provincial system

As incredible as it may seem, there is no national education system in Canada. Each province or zone works autonomously and has all the powers in education and 100% of the available budget.

With this system, the strategy to follow depends on the province, which takes care of the characteristics of each municipality. This system allows education to be better adapted to the needs of each community , taking into account aspects ranging from language to social and demographic aspects. Despite this provincial system, all regions work together to ensure that the same opportunities for access to education exist in all areas of the country.

6-The block system for schedules

Unlike other education systems, in the Canadian system, students have different classmates in each subject. Amazing, right? We’ll tell you why.

Each student, depending on the subjects they choose, can have a different schedule . It is possible that in some classes the same classmates coincide, but the most common is that the students are not the same in each class and that they have different classmates. In addition, it is not the teachers who change classes as in Spain or France, in Canada it is the students who change classes. This allows each teacher to organize their workspace in their own way and adapt the classroom to their teaching.

This block system involves having allocated time slots for each subject during the week. For example, one student may have math on Monday morning from 10am to 11am, and another student may have that block taken up by another subject such as biology, for example, in the next block, which would be Tuesday at 10:30am to 11:30am.

7-Flexibility to move to the next level

In Canada, students have the flexibility to move up in subjects where they achieve high marks and demonstrate advanced proficiency.

This allows students to take the same subject but from a higher grade. For example, if a student is doing 8th grade maths and is outperforming the rest of the class, if teachers deem it feasible, it is possible to ask the school to move the student up to 9th grade maths.

This flexibility allows students who are more competent in a subject to develop better and improve their motivation to learn , avoiding “getting bored” in class.

Also, if you decide to visit Canada …

You can’t miss visiting Niagara Falls and Banff National Park, tasting some of the typical dishes such as Fiddleheads, Calgary beef hash, Tourtiére or Butter tarts and visiting some of the most cosmopolitan and emblematic cities in the country such as Toronto or Ottawa.