Why Maple Bear?
Maple Bear is the largest and the fastest growing educational network in the world. Maple Bear schools offer full Canadian bilingual teaching methodologies & strategies utilizing Canadian and local curriculum. There are currently more than 400 operational Maple Bear Early Childhood, Elementary and High Schools in the world, and 180 schools in implementation.
At Maple Bear students become:
CURIOUS: Passionate about knowledge and learning.
CONFIDENT: Deeply aware of their talents and potential.
INDEPENDENT: Prepared to lead their own lives, and decide their own paths and destiny.
ANALYTICAL: Able to think freely & shape their own beliefs.
FLEXIBLE: Adaptable in a world where change is the only constant.
CREATIVE: Always motivated and enthusiastic about asking “what if?”
PREPARED: In possession of the knowledge and tools necessary for an outstanding performance at college, at work and in life, in their home country or abroad.
GLOBAL: Bilingual and culturally literate for a global future.
Canada’s education system consistently ranks among the best in the world.
Every PISA test assesses students’ knowledge and skills in mathematics, science and reading; each assessment focuses on one of these subjects and provides a summary assessment of the other two. PISA 2022 was focused on mathematics, but also captured a wider range of cognitive, social and emotional student outcomes, captured in the new PISA Happy Life Dashboard. Canada’s education system consistently ranks among the best in the world. The 2023 results on the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA 2022) ranked Canada #1 in the English-speaking world. The educational system of Canada is also highly equitable by PISA standard, combining high level of inclusion 4 and fairness.
Bilingual education is the use of two different languages in the classroom for the instruction of academic content. At Maple Bear, students study all academic subjects in either their native language or English, depending on the subject and grade level.
Students don’t just memorize vocabulary in a Maple Bear classroom. This is a key difference between the programs offered at Maple Bear and the ESL training offered at other schools claiming to offer a bilingual education.
Furthermore, at Maple Bear, students begin learning English in pre-school using a student-focused English immersion learning system based on Canadian educational pedagogy and best practices.
There have been concerns that teaching children two languages at once only confuses them. Fortunately, there has been much research—much of it conducted by Canadians—which shows that far from handicapping children, bilingual education can offer benefits from infancy to old age.
So what are the benefits of bilingual education for young learners?
For a start, it’s very good for English-language development, a goal of many of our parents who chose Maple Bear for their children. Young learners have also been shown to have:
- better concentration, analytical skills and multi-tasking capabilities;
- they learn to read sooner than monolingual students;
- they have an increased sense of self-worth and identity;
- they have the ability to live abroad and learn other foreign languages later in life;
- enjoy exposure to more than one culture which leads to a global perspective.
Numerous studies have confirmed that being bilingual actually makes a person smarter as it has a profound effect on the brain, improving cognitive skills and sharpening memory.
The contemporary trend reveals an increasing inclination towards hybrid curricula (Local & International). Many parents want their children to value their home language and cultural heritage while also becoming proficient in English. There is growing academic understanding of the importance of mother tongue, the influence of bilingual learning] on brain development, and the impact of subtractive bilingualism on children.
Maple Bear schools are registered as local schools conforming to the local education regulations, offering fully articulated local curricula in addition to the Canadian program and Canadian teaching methodologies. Our students are local citizens will a global mindset.
Bilingual education is the use of two different languages in the classroom instruction of academic content. At Maple Bear, students study all academic subjects in either their native language or a second language, depending on the subject and grade level.
Research shows that immersion is the best method of learning an additional language.Children learn in the same natural way that they learn their first language.
Immersion programming promotes faster and higher proficiency. Children learn a new language by going through the following stages: Listening Listening & comprehension Listening, comprehension & speaking Listening, comprehension, speaking & reading Listening, comprehension, speaking, reading & writing.
Numerous studies have confirmed that being bilingual actually makes a person smarter as it has a profound effect on the brain, improving cognitive skills and sharpening memory.
At Maple Bear Global Schools, we believe that quality Canadian education can bring positive change to the world by educating future leaders to be critical thinkers and imbuing them with a strong sense of social justice and global citizenship.
As part of this commitment, Maple Bear Global Schools also believes in giving back to the countries in which we operate by donating charitable funds to local education initiatives that impact children and families.
In addition to funding projects, the Maple Bear curriculum incorporates themes of social responsibility and community service so that students at Maple Bear schools are exposed to the concept and undertake age appropriate activities. The goal is to turn a whole generation of students on to the joy of giving back.
Global Connections for Sustainability program is an opportunity for our Maple Bear students around the world to engage and learn together across borders and build their knowledge around global sustainability issues. In 2015, the United Nations agreed to implement 17 Sustainable Development Goals by the year 2030. The 17 goals are aimed at achieving peace and prosperity worldwide by addressing pressing issues such as climate change, quality education, and poverty. Maple Bear saw this as a great opportunity to involve our students by accessing the information on these 17 topics and understanding their impacts.
Maple Bear has over 250 Canadian Faculty that train teachers and school staff around the world. We have the best training program in the world. Our teachers are provided with training on curriculum and strategies on an ongoing basis by very experienced highly qualified educators from Canada. The Maple Bear program ensures that children are safe physically, emotionally, socially and intellectually. Teachers are encouraged to build trusting relationships with children. This trust leads children to be intellectual risk takers, knowing that their ideas and opinions will be valued.
Maple Bear is providing great opportunities for the teachers, students, and schools owners to share experience by attending annual events.
We are Canada! We are Maple Bear! We are Global!
Maple Bear schools benefit from our distinguished academic faculty of Canadian trainers, curriculum writers and quality assurance personnel.
The Maple Bear program is a living, breathing curriculum that is constantly being updated. We have a large faculty of experienced teachers and education administrators that we draw upon to develop new curriculum, new training materials and methodologies and school policies. We undertake periodic student assessments at schools to benchmark student performance.
Every Maple Bear school undergoes an annual inspection that covers everything from safety equipment to classroom performance. On a regular basis and drawing on the experience of training staff in schools, we review and update our curriculum to reflect the latest developments in the field of education and changes in local regulations and requirements. All Maple Bear schools have clean, secure facilities and low student-to-teacher ratios.
Our goal is to establish quality schools that will provide an excellent education experiences to students for generations to come.
The Maple Bear Program
Foundation Principles
All instruction at Maple Bear Elementary School follows the educational principles which have made Canadian practice so successful:
Outcomes are defined: Learning is targeted to achieve very specific learning outcomes. It is clear what the children need to learn.
Canadian performance standards are applied: Canadian performance standards determine the learning outcomes. Maple Bear students are expected to achieve performance levels similar to Canadians.
Curriculum development for English-language subjects is done in Canada by Canadian experts.
Canadian style teaching strategies are implemented: Canadian teaching strategies encourage student independence, strong literacy skills, higher level thinking and problem solving.
A sophisticated set of learning resources are used: Learning resources include books, manipulative materials, visual materials, electronic media, and computer technology.
Assessment of student learning is based on Canadian standards. In all cases, Canadian programming exceeds the requirements of local elementary education authorities in each country.
Bear Care Infant Care & Early Learning
Bear Care Infant Care & Early Learning is a Maple Bear program for children from 6 weeks to 24 months of age. All Maple Bear bilingual, immersion programs are modelled upon best practices in current Canadian early childhood education and Bear Care is no exception.
The Bear Care program respects that all infants are competent learners, and it is designed to educate the whole child – physically, cognitively, emotionally and socially. At Bear Care infants are placed at the center of the curriculum, and encouraged to play, explore, discover and practice in ways that best fit their individual emerging abilities, interests and skills, with a schedule that is organized to meet their individual needs.
The Bear Care program recognizes the importance of the family and prioritizes daily communications between parents and teachers. Developing strong positive attachments between infants and the Bear Care “Educarer”, the highly trained caregiving adults who look after the infants in the Bear Care program, is at the heart of the program. This focus allows the infants to develop positive and healthy attitudes toward a setting outside of their home.
The Bear Care program’s warm, welcoming and nurturing learning environment is designed to keep the infant safe while allowing for exploration and discovery. Spaces and places have developmentally appropriate toys and furnishings that will accommodate the needs of newborns, crawlers, walkers and almost-walkers. Bear Care infants are always learning.
Preschool Core Curriculum
Every child deserves the best possible start in life and the support that enables them to fulfill their potential. Children develop quickly in the early years and a child’s experiences between birth and age five have a major impact on their future opportunities. Maple Bear sets high standards to ensure children’s readiness for elementary school. Maple Bear gives children the broad range of knowledge and skills that provide the right foundation for good progress through school and life.
English Language Arts
By the end of Senior Kindergarten children will be able to communicate effectively in English by listening and speaking, will have a good understanding of alphabetical symbols, will be able to read basic text in English, will be able to use phonic strategies to approach new words, will be capable of using writing strategies appropriate for beginners, and finally, will be able to use and respond to media.
Personal and Social Development
Children will learn to share, to respect others, to listen, and to understand that people have different talents and functions in our society.
Science and Technology
Children will demonstrate curiosity about the natural world, demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics of common materials, identify cycles in nature using techniques of observation, and work with others in using the computer in all aspects of their studies.
Creative Activity
Children will understand colour, shape and the use of media to express ideas. They will be able to describe responses to music, art, drama and dance.
Physical skills and well-being
Children will develop physical skills (such as balance and flexibility), an awareness of health and safety rules, an understanding of sharing, taking turns, cooperation and socially acceptable behaviour.
Mathematics
Children will become problem solvers. They will learn about patterns in the environment, number concepts, comparisons, sets, basic formal operations (e.g. adding and subtracting), 2-D and 3-D objects, simple graphs, basic measurements, estimation and basic probability.
Language development and acquisition
Children enter Maple Bear School with some knowledge of their home language. In learning their first language children pass through several stages in predictable order: listening, developing understanding, speaking, reading and writing. Successive stages begin while preceding stages are still in development. When Maple Bear children learn English as a new language their development in English proceeds through the same stages in the same sequence as in learning their first language. Research shows that learning two languages at an early age offers both linguistic and cognitive advantages.
Immersion methodology is used in Maple Bear schools to develop competence in English. This means that children learn to listen, speak, read, and write in English by being surrounded by conversation and instruction in English. Children learn in English right from the first day.
Literacy, which includes listening, speaking, reading and writing, is one of the most important goals of the Maple Bear program.
Elementary & Middle Years Core Curriculum
Maple Bear has developed an excellent, hands on, rigorous and relevant elementary curriculum in each subject area based on the highly successful Canadian approach to learning and instruction. Maple Bear encourages the development of the child’s basic skills in literacy, numeracy, science, technology, analysis, problem solving, information processing and computing, Critical and creative thinking skills are promoted and encouraged so that children can be successful in today’s world. The Elementary Program is designed to educate the whole child – physically, intellectually, emotionally, and socially.
The Maple Bear Elementary and Middle Years Programs require a minimum of 50% instruction in English. The remaining portion of the program is conducted in the home language. Subjects taught in English include English Language Arts, Mathematics and Science. Instruction in the home language, History, Geography, Physical Education, the Arts, and other subjects is conducted in the students’ first language.
English Language Arts
At all grades, the focus is on acquiring language and literacy skills through listening, speaking, reading and writing. Students learn to read and produce a wide range of texts, including media, transactional (letters, e-mails, etc.), and tertiary texts. The level of sophistication grows with the advancing grade levels. All classrooms must be literacy-rich environments.
Mathematics
The themes of number sense and numeration, measurement, geometry and spatial sense, patterning and algebra, data management and probability are developed with increasing complexity at each grade level. The program emphasizes problem solving, understanding concepts, application of procedures and communication about mathematics.
Science
The science program emphasizes inquiry and the use of the scientific method in science classes. At each grade level increasingly complex topics are studied from the fields of biology, physics, chemistry and environmental science. The emphasis is on experimentation and application rather than memorization.
High School Program
The Maple Bear Middle Years program reflects current research in adolescent education. The challenge is to facilitate learning while respecting the unique developmental stages and characteristics of young adolescents. Parents, teachers and school leaders have critical roles to play in the education of Middle Years students.
The Maple Bear High School program, operating in some regions around the world provides a combination of locally required subjects taught in the local language and some Maple Bear non-credit courses created by Canadian curriculum experts taught in English.
Maple Bear has also partnered with the Province of New Brunswick and Atlantic Education International who offer accreditation to some high school programs. This means that Maple Bear students have the opportunity to graduate with a dual diploma.
High School program details are customized for each host country. For example, in some countries high school includes Grades 9-12. In other countries, High School includes Grades 10-12. In either case, Maple Bear works within local regulations to devise a high school program that provides graduation to local colleges and universities as well as strong preparation for entry into Canadian or other international universities.
Local courses are taught by locally qualified teachers. Official Canadian courses are taught by certified Canadian teachers. All Maple Bear High School teachers receive Maple Bear training to ensure that the teaching strategies in all subjects meet the Canadian standard.