WKTEP’s Elementary teacher candidates spent the day snowshoeing on the Nancy Greene Summit near Rossland yesterday. As part of their elementary science and social studies class, the group explored ways to create rich learning experiences with students in winter’s outdoor classroom.
UBC’s West Kootenay Teacher Education Program (WKTEP) is a cohort-based BEd program located in Nelson, BC. It provides elementary and secondary teacher candidates with the opportunity to develop the professional qualities and practices for teaching in today’s complex learning environments with a strong focus on rural and small school settings, recognizing that they offer exciting and unique educational opportunities for teachers.
WKTEP emphasizes place-conscious learning with strong ties to local communities and school districts (Kootenay Lake, Boundary, Kootenay-Columbia, Arrow Lakes). This theme is woven throughout the program as teacher candidates connect with their local surroundings and explore/create opportunities for their students to do the same. Whether it is a winter recreation and safety workshop high in the Monashee Mountains, an overnight camping trip at Kokanee Creek Provincial Park to explore wildlife habitat, or a visit to a traditional pit house to better understand Aboriginal ways of knowing with a local elder, WKTEP’s teacher candidates have many opportunities to connect with and experience the communities and cultures that surround them.
Teacher candidates undertake courses in both on-campus and in-school settings exploring leading edge theory-practice connections. The instructional team supports teacher candidates to develop capacity as leaders in addition to competencies such as critical and creative thinking, communication, and personal and social awareness and responsibility. They spend two days per week in their practicum schools throughout the year, in addition to an extended practicum. School placements are personalized for each teacher candidate, and courses are taught in an integrated manner to facilitate a cohesive and supportive learning experience.
A recent WKTEP graduate, Brendan Bogle, now working in the BC interior, writes, “I was well-prepared: multi-grade classrooms, Aboriginal content, place-based learning, rural education—the whole WKTEP experience is very much the reality here. It didn’t take long for me to feel comfortable in this environment because the program is well-suited to this approach to teaching.”
More information: teach.educ.ubc.ca/wktep
WKTEP’s Elementary Teacher Candidates spent the morning exploring our local watershed as part of the science and social studies methodology course (EDCP 331/349). Led by WKTEP instructor, Monica Nissen, the teacher candidates explored the water quality of a local creek in Nelson as a springboard to beginning their own water related inquiry.
The WKTEP teacher candidates had the opportunity to join teachers in School District No. 10 (Arrow Lakes) on Friday, Oct. 16th to explore models of co-teaching and co-planning with Faye Brownlie and Leyton Schnellert. It was a fabulous day filled with lots of deep learning conversations. A big thank you to Terry Taylor and SD 10 for inviting us to be part of such an amazing day.
WKTEP’s elementary teacher candidates spent a day and half at Kokanee Creek Provincial Park as part of their science and social studies methodology course. Together with local environmental educator, Monica Nissen, the group explored place-based and experiential learning opportunities in the outdoors.
WKTEP teacher candidates put on a Science Fair at Brent Kennedy Elementary in South Slocan last Friday, Dec. 5th. The teacher candidates each designed a station highlighting their own water-related inquiry project. The stations were set up throughout the school for students to explore and discover. It was an engaging, hands-on learning experience.
Teacher candidates joined students from Rosemont Elementary School at Kokanee Creek Provincial Park to learn about the life cycle of the Kokanee Salmon. Candidates were also able to observe local park interpreters work with small groups of elementary students in an outdoor setting. It was a great learning experience for all.