Teacher Education: finding the right mix

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The words “professional development” often come to mind for many of us as we look down our chosen career path. For teachers—who in their every day profession guide young minds down these paths—the equation might not include continuing education for themselves. With full-time careers, home life, volunteer and social commitments and maybe even the occasional opportunity to stop and smell the roses, how can personal education factor into the mix without leaving home base?

More than 25 years ago on the East coast of Canada, a partnership evolved on Cape Breton Island through its university, Cape Breton University. The idea was simple, really. Assist teachers in the area with their reclassification needs close to home through certificates and graduate diplomas. Sounds simple enough, something most teachers could find in their own backyard right? This model was a bit different, however. It was built on a model of inclusion; a model not built around a traditional university faculty of education. Instead it was a model of cooperation, involving the University, the school boards, provincial departments of education and of course, teachers.
“Teacher education for us is all about the success of collaboration,” notes Coleen-Moore Hayes, Education Director, School of Education, Health and Wellness at Cape Breton University. “Working with the various partners has resulted in a value add for the teachers—recognition and reclassification options. Our partnership with all of these levels brings learners together for one reason—relevant educational avenues for teachers.”

Like any marriage or relationship, success requires partnership, a mix of views, and a lot of collaboration. This marriage of partners is working and deals with the identification of needs, plan and design of programs and allocation of resources which has resulted in an effective and efficient delivery system of relevant courses and programs. It also allows for the use of highly trained professionals from both the University and the school system as instructors.

Over 25 years however, times change and with it technology. Teachers today want to access programs that fit their needs, and limits of geographical location aren’t acceptable boundaries.

The move to online didn’t happen overnight for Cape Breton University’s Teacher Education programs. Going from the classroom to the Internet required another level of collaboration and it had to work for the most important group: teachers. An obvious question for many at the start: How do you learn to counsel students, for example, through a web course? It was something the key partners in the programs took on as a challenge and through video, support and discussions, an online model evolved. Combining that with the opportunity teachers would have to apply counseling projects in their own schools and classrooms led to a mix of the best of both worlds.

Today, this teacher education collaboration continues to move beyond the classroom walls and the Island to computers and laptops around the world with courses being offered year round. Teachers in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, for example, receive Department of Education approved license reclassification through the University’s graduate education diplomas. They are joined by teachers from right across the country who are also looking for the online advantage and seeking out the right program mix for them. If the University’s model is the right mix, it brings with it the opportunity to take graduate diplomas in such areas as counseling or educational technology; to work with Web CT software and experience discussion boards and chat rooms; and to look at the possibilities of receive prior learning assessment recognition for past experiences.

For many teachers, that chance to be in a virtual classroom with people from BC to Beijing is a learning experience all on its own. For Bill Curry, with the Nova Scotia South West Regional School Board, it is the mix that provides appeal. “Students have the opportunity to receive theory at any time that is convenient for them, reflect upon what they have learned and apply it in their classroom. In my opinion, we are actually getting the practice and theory in the best possible uses of technology.”

Education continues to be a building block of everyday life and teachers continue to build on that foundation through a mix of options all their own.

Visit www.uccb.ns.ca/teachered/ for more information on Teacher Education including an online Master of Education (IT) degree in partnership with Memorial University of Newfoundland.