The UBC-WKTEP teacher candidates were fortunate to be able to work with Faye Brownlie this week in Nakusp, BC, located on the shores of Arrow Lake in the heart of School District No. 10. The focus of the day was on co-teaching and collaboration to improve student learning. It was an excellent day filled with great conversation and rich learning.

WKTEP-UBC teacher candidates traveled to Kokanee Creek Provincial Park last Friday for their first Community Field Experience using “Kokanee” as a theme to explore place-consciousness in teaching. They took part in a typical school interpretive program focusing on local geology, the Kootenay watershed, and the life cycle of fish (including a fish dissection). Led by Monica Nissen, coordinator for Wildsight, one part of the day was a WildBC “Get Outdoors” workshop which encourages and supports teachers in getting their students outdoors.

Last Thursday, our UBC-WKTEP teacher candidates had their first field trip to these small villages in the Slocan Valley. Working in small groups, they explored the histories, cultures, and landscapes of the these unique communities as a way to discover the principles of place-conscious teaching with their instructor, Dr. Linda Farr Darling, Eleanor Rix Professor of Rural Teacher Education. The citizens of New Denver and Silverton were happy to engage with the class and share their perspectives on life and learning in a rural setting. Many thanks to them and Terry Taylor, Superintendent of SD 10 (Arrow Lakes) and WKTEP instructor, whose hospitality and insights were greatly appreciated by all.

The 2014-15 cohort of the West Kootenay Teacher Education Program kicked off their orientation week on Monday with a barbeque in Nelson. Teacher candidates had an opportunity to meet and mingle with each other as well as some of their instructors in a beautiful and relaxing setting.

An article outlining exciting changes for UBC-WKTEP next year appeared in several West Kootenay newspapers this past week. The changes, focusing on getting teacher candidates into schools and classrooms far more regularly, is introduced by UBC advisor to WKTEP, Linda Farr Darling, and supported by local districts. Check out one version of the article in the Nelson Star.

Many thanks go to the UBC-WKTEP students who took time during their busy practicum to act as judges for the West Kootenay Regional Destination Imagination Tournament on Saturday, Mar. 8 at Rosemont Elementary School in Nelson. Our teacher candidates were able to watch groups of elementary and secondary students solve complex problems and show their thinking in varied and creative ways as part of this international competition. Many of these young students will go on to the provincial competition later this month in Richmond. Thanks to co-coordinator Brent Cross, Vice-Principal at L.V. Rogers Secondary School in Nelson for the invitation to take part.

Last week, a group of ten WKTEP-UBC students made the long trek over to UBC Vancouver for the annual Education Job Fair. There was a good mix of rural and urban school districts both within and outside B.C. as well as a fair number of international recruiters. The students who attended felt they made some good connections and look forward to following them up in the summer.

This year’s WKTEP-UBC cohort was once again able to visit a local rural K-12 school as we are getting ready to wrap up before the holidays. The visit to Crawford Bay Elementary-Secondary School has become an annual event and is always greatly appreciated by our students. They are able to take part in a variety of multi-age classes, learn about the strong community connections, and enjoy an amazing healthy lunch made largely with locally grown foods. Many thanks to principal Dan Rude and the entire staff of the school for making our visit so positive.

A warm welcome back to our students who have returned to classes after two weeks in local schools, and a big thank you to the schools who hosted them:

S.D. 8 (Kootenay Lake)
Brent Kennedy Elementary School
L.V. Rogers Secondary School
Mount Sentinel Secondary School
Redfish Elementary School
Trafalgar Middle School

S.D. 10 (Arrow Lakes)
Lucerne Elementary-Secondary School

S.D. 20 (Kootenay-Columbia)
Castlegar Primary (Twin Rivers)
J.L. Crowe Secondary School
Kinnaird Elementary School

Our students came back very excited with lots of stories to share. They also learned a great deal from the experience and from their outstanding sponsor teachers. Thanks to everyone for all their hard work making this a great experience.

Once again, Action Schools coordinator Marion Hunter, former teacher and administrator and current WKTEP faculty advisor, presented a workshop for our teacher candidates on both daily physical activity and healthy eating. In the first part of the presentation, our students took part in a wide range of activities that could be implemented in their own classes and around their schools. After this vigorous workout, they learned about healthy food choices and were able to taste a variety of fruit and vegetables from the different colour groupings.

Afterwards, our teacher candidates left with some great resources they will be able to use in their upcoming practica. Many thanks to Marion and to Action Schools for supporting student health and education and for their ongoing work with teacher education.