Two notices from the TEO : school visits & Dec. 17 guest speaker

1) Here's a notice from John Yamamoto to the FAs about your Tuesday school visits:

Hello FAs,

Just a reminder that your TCs are beginning their three ‘bridging’ visits to their placement schools this Tuesday. On December 1, 8 and 15 they will be returning to their placements and reconnecting with their school advisors and school communities. They should be utilizing this time to continue to build their relationships with their SAs (and you), confirm their extended practicum teaching loads, obtain resources for their spring practicum, and/or further their planning/preparation for EDUC 421. In some cases TCs will also be required to teach, however this is not a typical requirement for these Tuesdays. You are also free to utilize parts of these days for collaborative meetings with your TCs if you wish to do so.

Should you be asked by any of your TCs, these Tuesdays are not optional – they are mandatory for all, and the expectation is that they will spend all day at their schools (unless they have other meetings scheduled through you, or in some cases with the school districts for orientation).

Finally, if you have students who are taking their placements out of town, they will be fulfilling the requirements for these Tuesdays by visiting various local schools. I will be coordinating these visits for them, but if you have any specific goals in mind for these visits please feel free to communicate them to your TCs.

Many thanks
John Yamamoto


2) And here is a notice from the TEO about the Neil Stephenson talk you should attend on Thursday Dec. 17, 12:30 - 2:00 in Room 100:

Dear colleagues,

Could you kindly let your students know about a special presentation by Delta’s Director of Learning Services, Neil Stephenson, on Thursday, Dec. 17th from 12:30-2:00 pm in Scarfe 100? This was arranged based on student feedback that, while there are good opportunities in this program to inquire into one’s own and others’ teaching practice, there are not enough connections being made to how teachers incorporate an inquiry perspective in teaching their students.  Neil works extensively with teachers in his district and beyond in doing just that.  

Info: http://teach.educ.ubc.ca/event/neil-stephenson-sec-17-dec-2015/

We had a less than full turnout of secondary teacher candidates at last week’s mini-conference, which was disappointing for the presenters and a missed opportunity for those who were not there.  It is important that we encourage candidates to attend these important sessions organized (at some expense) for them.  We really hope you’ll attend too if possible.

Thanks and see you soon.

Wendy

I’ll send a separate message about an upcoming inquiry instructor meeting.

Presentation by Neil Stephenson
For Secondary Teacher Candidates

Thursday, December 17, 2015
12:30 p.m – 2:00 p.m.
Scarfe 100

Neil Stephenson, Director of Learning Services for the Delta School District, speaks to teacher candidates and faculty/instructors about adopting an inquiry approach re: the new BC curriculum and the profession.

Presentation:

British Columbia, like many educational jurisdictions, is moving to an increasingly progressive, learner-centred curriculum designed to better prepare students for the future. But how do we do that shift well? What is worth keeping as our system increasingly values creativity and innovation? And what should new teachers focus on as they enter this dynamic profession?

Bio:

Neil Stephenson is the Director of Learning Services for the Delta School District. As part of his position, Neil co­-leads the district’s Coordinator of Inquiry program; a district -wide system that is inspiring and supporting collaborative teacher inquiry whereby school educators and leaders work at the school level to enact various teacher ­initiated programs and new instructional approaches. Before moving to Delta four years ago, Neil’s last stop was at the Calgary Science School in Calgary, Alberta. Spending 9 years at this innovative, inquiry­-based school confirmed Neil’s passion for student­ centered, inquiry­-based learning. During his time at the school, his regular mentoring from the Galileo Educational Network inspired him to design tasks for student engagement and deep learning. During Neil’s time as a teacher at the Calgary Science School he was chosen as an Apple Distinguished Educator, and was awarded a Prime Minister’s Award, a Governor General’s award and an Alberta Social Studies award of excellence.