Abstract
Throughout northern and rural locations across Canada, school boards struggle to attract and retain teachers. A community-based pathway program in Alberta was designed to address this challenge by providing opportunities for local residents to pursue a Bachelor of Education degree. Through blended delivery, students complete courses on campus and through synchronous and asynchronous learning. This chapter examines the adaptation of a course assignment for an introductory teaching methods course. By examining the course design, instructor facilitation, and four composite online discussion postings by students, the authors demonstrate how students were able to improve their writing skills and increasingly engage in critical thinking through the practice of weekly postings.
TopBackground
For individuals living in remote or rural locations who might wish to pursue a Bachelor of Education, the prospect of having to leave their home community and relocate to an urban environment may be a barrier. Attracting and retaining teachers has been a persistent problem for schools in rural and remote locations throughout Canada (Canter, Voytecki, & Rodríguez, 2007; West & Jones, 2007) and they struggle to find teachers who will stay for longer than a few years (Alberta Education, 2013; Author & Sheppard, 2015; Ontario Ministry of Education; 2008; Saskatchewan Learning, 2007).
This is a reality for remote Indigenous schools that experience the “come and go” syndrome (Hall, 2012), whereby teachers come to the community for their first teaching position and go after a year or so to find employment in a more urbanized setting (Author & Sheppard, 2015; Dragon et al., 2012). In its 2010 Rural and Remote Education Report, the Northern Alberta Development Council found that teachers are hesitant to pursue work in rural and remote locations because of limited resources, lack of access to professional or personal supports, and concerns about housing and cultural differences. In addition, teachers who begin their career in a rural or remote school division often stay for only 2 years, until they have their permanent teaching certification.
Teachers who are open to local knowledge and experience are more likely to remain in the community (Hall, 2012). A lack of personal connection to the community has been identified as one of the challenges in recruiting and retaining teachers in Northern Alberta (Northern Alberta Development Council, 2010). In his examination of the factors that impact student achievement, Hattie (2003) found that although student ability accounts for 50% of student achievement, the second-greatest factor impacting student achievement is the quality of teaching, which accounts for about 30%. Teachers who are familiar with the local culture are more likely to contribute to student achievement. The 1996 Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples found that high school dropout rates for Indigenous youth could be partially attributed to a lack of Indigenous high school teachers. Without Indigenous role models, students are more likely to feel a sense of alienation in high school, which eventually leads them to leave.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Educational Assistant: An individual who works in the classroom to assist the teacher. Educational assistants have a wide variety of qualifications. Some are highly qualified professionals who provide diagnostic testing, speech therapy and physical therapy. Other Educational assistants have completed college programs and yet others have no post-secondary qualifications for their roles.
Synchronous: Students in an online course come together to learn through digital technology.
Rural: Locations that are one or more hours of travel from an urban setting, often relying on agriculture as the dominant industry.
Grow Your Own: Making required training available to individuals within the community with the intent of keeping qualified individuals in their home communities.
Indigenous: The First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples of Canada.
Community-Based: Programs in which students complete a portion of their courses through online learning in their home community.
Asynchronous Learning: Students in an online course cover the same course content but at a time that fits in their schedule.