UBC-WKTEP students will be wrapping up classes before the holidays with a visit to Crawford Bay Elementary Secondary School. This K-12 school is nestled in the small community of Crawford Bay on the east shore of Kootenay Lake. Our students will be able to spend their final Friday touring the school, visiting classes, and getting to know the community. Many thanks to Principal Dan Rude and the entire staff of the school for hosting us.
Once again our students were able to benefit from professional learning opportunities offered through local school districts. Last Thursday and Friday, WKTEP students joined staff from SD 20 (Kootenay-Columbia) for two presentations by Adrienne Gear on Reading Power and Writing Power. It was a great chance for our students to learn from one of B.C.’s education experts.
WKTEP students got a chance to help out with the annual SD20 (Kootenay-Columbia) Grade 6/7 Volleyball Playday! Under the direction of Elementary PE Methodology instructor Brian Baldwin, our students acted as referees, scorekeepers, timekeepers, and general helpers. With over 200 students on 19 teams from 8 local elementary schools, our students had more than enough to keep them busy for a few hours.
Many thanks to Wildsight’s Environmental Education Program Manager Monica Nissen for including our students in a Get Outdoors workshop last Tuesday. Despite the wet and chilly weather, it was a great morning with Monica, learning more about education and the outdoors.
WKTEP is fortunate to have Dr. Linda Farr Darling as one of its instructors throughout the year. Dr. Farr-Darling has been the Eleanor Rix Professor for Rural Teacher Education since 2009. She has long had an interest in and connection to rural and remote education and helps bring that focus to the West Kootenay Teacher Education Program. Find out more about rural education and Dr. Farr Darling’s work at ruralteachers.com.
WKTEP teacher candidates joined the staff and students at Edgewood Elementary School for a true rural school experience. Half of the WKTEP students joined the K-2 class for the day, while the other half joined the grade 3-7 class. It was an insightful look into the flexibility and challenges of learning in a small rural school. Many thanks to the staff for welcoming us so warmly.
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.
The Director of Innovative Learning Services from SD 8 (Kootenay Lake), Andy Leathwood, led our teacher candidates in a discussion around the current and possible future graduation requirements for the province. Our students had an opportunity to provide feedback on a number of questions that will be returned to the Ministry of Education as part of an on-going dialogue about graduation and other educational issues.
Another round of thanks goes out to Brent Kennedy Elementary and Mt. Sentinel in SD 8 (Kootenay Lake) for hosting our teacher candidates on the first day of the year. It was a great opportunity for them not only to get into schools right away, but also to experience the organization and energy of that first day.
Special thanks to the Arrow Lakes School District for inviting us to join their entire district staff in beautiful Burton, B.C. for some late summer learning. Our teacher candidates were excited to be a part of the day with presenters Judy Halbert and Linda Kaser, leaders of the Networks of Inquiry and Innovations and the Aboriginal Enhancement Schools Network in B.C. They found the day to be engaging and enlightening, providing them with lots to think about as they start their year of teacher education. As one candidate put it, the entire experience was “incredibly inspiring.” Thanks again to the Arrow Lakes School District.