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Three applicants for every K-12 teaching job in B.C.
January 30, 2012. 11:52 am • Section: Report Card
By Janet Steffenhagen
Young people interested in a teaching career need to know there are three applicants in British Columbia for every one position that becomes available in the K-12 school system, says Education Minister George Abbott.
“We need to be honest with students … about where their opportunities in the future may lie,” the minister said in an interview after a stalemate in teacher bargaining raised questions about whether B.C. needs to match higher salaries in other provinces to retain teachers.
Abbott says that’s not a concern because there are 2,700 to 2,800 teachers looking for work in any given year but only about 800 job openings in schools. The over-abundance of teachers is an issue Abbott said he intends to raise with the Association of B.C. Deans of Education (ABCDE) during a meeting set for spring.
The teaching pool includes new graduates from B.C.’s nine teacher education programs as well as teachers who have moved to B.C. from other jurisdictions. According to the most recent statistics available, the former B.C. College of Teachers certified 824 teachers who moved to B.C. from out-of-province in 2009-10 and issued 475 statements of standing for B.C. teachers relocating to other jurisdictions.
Abbott acknowledged that an education degree provides students with skills that can be used for other types of work but said it’s important for students to have the facts about job opportunities, given labour shortages in other fields.
Until he discusses his concerns with education deans, Abbott declined to comment on whether his government would consider a cap on enrolments in teacher education programs. “It would be premature for me to form any conclusion,” he stated.
By Janet Steffenhagen, Vancouver Sun
jsteffenhagen@vancouversun.com
© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun
Authorfest February 2
Join us at Authorfest on Thursday February 2, 2012 Hebb Theatre, 2045 East Mall, UBC Campus, Vancouver 4:30-6:00 pm.
This year’s Authorfest features BC children’s authors Linda Bailey, Robert Heidbreder and Ellen Schwartz. You will also meet other wonderful BC children’s writers Tanya Kyi, Kathryn Shoemaker and Julie Burtinshaw.
It promises to be a wonderful event. Come and bring a friend!
~from the Vancouver Children’s Literature Roundtable website.
Education and Social Media in British Columbia
January 15, 2012
– by Chris Kennedy – Author of cultureofyes blog
I have used the above slide in a number of presentations to make the point that British Columbia is leading Canada (perhaps even the world) in the professional use of social media in K-12 education. I freely admit I don’t have the statistics to back up the claim – there are simply more teachers, administrators, parents, trustees, and others here, who are logging into their blogs, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube accounts in the name of professional learning, than any other jurisdiction.
In the past year we have moved from several dozen blogs around K-12 education, to numbers in the hundreds, with representation in every area of the education system. The #bced tag on Twitter is one of the most engaged with conversations about the ever-changing education profession, and there are many other social sites having these conversations as well.
The conversations around the profession itself are very interesting. In social media, ‘role’ becomes less important; there is a flattening of society and it is ‘ideas’ that have increased value. There are also incredible opportunities to reflect, share, and learn without the limitations of geography. I could go on, and there have been many others who have covered the ground about the value of social media for educators, and how Twitter and blogging can be extremely powerful in professional development. This is true for those interested in education in BC, but it is also true of other professionals around the world.
So why has BC moved so quickly and taken such leadership in this area? As mentioned, I have no statistical proof, but a series of ideas as to why BC is the leading jurisdiction using social media to engage in the profession of education.
THIS JUST IN: New Book at the Education Library
Achieving Aboriginal student success : a guide for K to 8 classrooms
Achieving Aboriginal Student Success presents goals and strategies needed to support Aboriginal learners in the classroom. This book is for all teachers of kindergarten to grade 8 who have Aboriginal students in their classrooms or who are looking for ways to infuse an Aboriginal worldview into their curriculum. Although the author’s primary focus is the needs of Aboriginal students, the ideas are best practices that can be applied in classroom-management techniques, assessment tools, suggestions for connecting to the Aboriginal community, and much more! The strategies and information in this resource are about building bridges between cultures that foster respect, appreciation, and understanding.
~from the Portage & Main Publisher’s Website
Campus Visit by: Paulette Bourgeois (creator of Franklin the Turtle)
Once a year, the Master of Arts in Children’s Literature Program at the University of British Columbia hosts a colloquium with a respected speaker from the creative or scholarly side of children’s literature. Paulette Bourgeois is author of Franklin the Turtle series and other award-winning picturebooks and nonfiction. Franklin is a best-selling picturebook series in Canada and has had huge global success, with articles written about it just recently in the popular press.
The title of her talk is “The Inside Story of Franklin the Turtle: From Book to Brand” – on the subject of marketing and branding of her series as an example of what is happening in today’s children’s literature. It should be fascinating.
Date: Thursday, January 26th 2012 (Today!) @ 4:30-5:30 pm
Location: Dodson Room, 3rd floor of the Irving K Barber Learning Centre, UBC
Free; no registration required; refreshments served.
Paulette Bourgeois is one of Canada’s most noted and beloved picture book creators. She is the author of scores of picture books and nonfiction books and the creator of the Franklin the Turtle series, beginning with Franklin in the Dark, illustrated by Brenda Clark. The series is a landmark in Canadian publishing for children. It has sold more than 60 million books in 38 languages. The licensed character of Franklin has his own animated television series, seen in over 15 countries. Paulette Bourgeois will discuss her 25-year experience in the creation of the series, and what it has been like to participate in and watch Franklin transform from book to brand. She will consider her creative involvement and how she positions the series within the context of her career and the Canadian children’s book publishing industry.
Paulette Bourgeois is best-known for creating Franklin the Turtle, the character who appears in picture books illustrated by Brenda Clark. The books have sold more than 60 million copies and have been translated into 38 languages. An animated television series, merchandise, DVDs and full-feature movies are based on the character. She is also the author of award-winning books for children including Oma’s Quilt which was developed as a short film by the National Film Board of Canada, and more than two dozen non-fiction science books. She is a member of the Order of Canada, has received an honorary doctorate degree from the University of Western Ontario and an award of merit from the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists, and most recently graduated with an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia.