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New Association publications available

May 16, 2017 ATA News Staff

The Alberta Teachers’ Association publishes material on an ongoing basis. The following titles have recently been released.

The Global Education Race: Taking the Measure of PISA and International Testing

This book by Sam Sellar, Greg Thompson and David Rutkowski introduces educators, parents and policymakers to the most influential international testing program: PISA, the Programme for International Student Assessment, operated by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

The authors draw on the latest research on ­assessment and education policy to provide a clear account of how the test works and to investigate PISA’s influence on educational goals and practice in schools around the world. The book aims to provoke informed debate about the role of testing, data and comparison in educational change.

 

Literature Review on the Impact of Second-Language Learning

This 84-page document summarizes the benefits of learning a second language by reviewing relevant research published after 2006. The purpose of the literature review was to investigate whether and how learning a second language affects language learners. It focused on research in cognition, academics, personal life, society at large, economics and intercultural understanding. The findings suggest that learning a second language often brings benefits in all or many of the aforementioned areas.

Produced by the Association’s Second Languages and Intercultural Council and launched in April at the Languages Without Borders conference in ­Edmonton, the document has been posted to the Association’s website. Hard copies are also available.


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