Aboriginal Teacher Education in British Columbia Plans and Prospects

Welcome to ABCDE’s information section on Aboriginal Teacher Education in British Columbia. Here we are planning to offer an update on what is happening around British Columbia and what has led to these new and exciting initiatives.

We invite readers to submit their ideas and comments. Tell us what your teacher education program, and your schools, are doing to enhance the experiences of school students, practicing teachers, and student teachers of aboriginal background. How can we all best prepare teachers to work creatively and successfully with students of aboriginal descent? How should we include aboriginal knowledge in our teacher education programs and courses?

Tell us your success stories!

Here is what we include now and what we plan to include in the days, weeks and months ahead:

• ABCDE’s Task Force Report for Aboriginal Teacher Education: “A Plan for 2006-2011.” The text of the report is now available on this website. Please see Task Force recommendations at page 6.

• You may download a PDF outlining rural schooling and aboriginal issues, and the ways in which nine local teacher education programs address these issues in their programs.

• Summaries of the present and future plans at nine different teacher education institutions in British Columbia, Canada. Learn what is happening and what is planned in the Faculties of Education at…

• University of British Columbia (Vancouver)
• Simon Fraser University (Burnaby and Surrey)
• University of Victoria (Victoria)
• Trinity Western University (Langley)
• University of Northern British Columbia (Prince George)
• Vancouver Island University (Nanaimo)
• Thompson Rivers University (Kamloops)
• University of British Columbia, Okanagan (Kelowna)

• Current affairs: events as they happen at our nine teacher education institutions. Who are the contact people we should include at your institution? Please send us their names and what they do. Please send any information to sandra.bruneau@shaw.ca

Important links to other web sites:

• UNBC ATEB (Aboriginal Teacher Education Bridging Initiative)
  • ATEB promotional poster
• FNESC (First Nations Education Committee)
  
• NITEP (Native Indian Teacher Education Program at UBC)
• Malaspina University-College BEd (Aboriginal focus) program
• BC College of Teachers
• University of Victoria
• University of the Fraser Valley (Chilliwack)
  • UCFV's Teacher Education Program
  • UCFV's Proposed Plans

• READER RESPONSES
Readers are invited to submit their thoughts, ideas, on the Task Force recommendations and its implementation.