Dear School Advisor,
Thank you for agreeing to be an advisor for a teacher candidate in UBC’s Teacher Education Program. As an experienced teacher, you have been selected as someone who models effective teaching and who is willing to mentor a beginning teacher. We hope that you and your teacher candidate will both benefit from the support, feedback, and interaction that are the rewards of a good advisor-advisee relationship.
We at UBC are proud of the hundreds of teacher candidates who each year enter BC schools equipped to address the realities and challenges facing children today. Their instructors, faculty advisors, and school advisors help them gain the confidence they will need to deal with the complexities and challenges of the teaching profession. They are beginning to articulate a personal philosophy of education. They explore a variety of teaching strategies using technology, problem solving, and critical thinking. In addition, they are learning how to foster social responsibility, good communication, team building, and global citizenship.
UBC’s Teacher Education Program focuses on inquiry, social and ecological justice, diversity and Indigenous perspectives. As such, it is our hope that you will have the opportunity to explore these particular themes in depth with your teacher candidate.
At this time, we would like to point out several key expectations of our teacher candidates during practicum:
- Regular Attendance: When the teacher candidate is absent for 4 or more days, they may be expected to make up the lost time.
- Arrival and Departure Time: In the two-week and extended practicum, we expect teacher candidates to arrive at least 30-45 minutes prior to the start of classes and remain at the school for a similar amount of time after the final bell.
- Unit and Lesson Planning: Teacher candidates are expected to devote sufficient time to prepare materials for the following day, meet with their school advisor regarding lesson plans, and maintain the organization of the classroom. It is important that they submit their unit and lesson plans to you and their faculty advisors well in advance of their implementation.
- Professional Conduct: Teacher candidates in the Faculty of Education are to be guided by principles of professional conduct while on campus and in the schools. During practicum, students are subject to the School Act and they are expected to comply with Standards of Professional Conduct followed by school personnel and to act in accordance with guidelines published in the Members’ Guide to the BCTF and relevant legislation.
We ask that you share your knowledge about new materials, unit and lesson planning, and teaching methodology. We also ask that you assist your teacher candidate with classroom management and discipline and provide opportunities to observe other teachers to experience different teaching models. Please inform your teacher candidate about school policies and procedures as part of this discussion. Finally, encourage your teacher candidate from the beginning to reflect on personal teaching practices and assist in the process of adapting new strategies for the classroom.
Our program can only succeed because of your professional guidance and emotional support. We also want to assure you that the faculty advisor assigned to your teacher candidate is committed to working with you and is there to give you support when needed. We are all working toward the same goal of providing our schools with qualified – and quality – teachers. May you have a wonderfully collegial relationship with your teacher candidate.
For more information, please explore this blog site. You will not only find guidelines, advice and FAQ’s about the teacher education program as it relates to you, but also forms and templates you will need during your time as a school advisor.
Sincerely,
Rod Brown
Program Coordinator – Practicum & Field Experience (Elementary & Middle Years)
Phone: 604.822.5243, Fax: 604.822.8227
Email: rod.brown@ubc.ca
Cynthia Clerc
Program Manager – Practicum & Field Experience (Secondary)
Phone: 604.822.5222, Fax: 604.822.8227
Email: cynthia.clerc@ubc.ca