Alternative Practica 

In 2010-2011, some fifty teacher candidates engaged in a wide range of community education initiatives in mathematics, science and technology, literacy and healthcare through three-week alternative practica placements at the Community Outreach Centre.

Mathakazam! is a 30 minute puppet play that illustrates the ways in which math impacts daily life and why it is ‚cool‛ to like and do math. In two weeks, over 2000 children from 27 schools will have participated in performances of the play that featured four teacher candidate puppeteers.

• Mathakazam Video 

Response from teachers and children has been overwhelmingly positive and many requests for ongoing performances have been received.

Almost 700 children from 24 schools have had the opportunity to experience the magic of science in their classrooms because of a set of workshops and resources developed and implemented by two teacher candidates to promote Science Rendezvous and dispel the myth that science is‚ geeky.‛

• Science Rendezvous

Four teacher candidates are working with local museum curators (The Museum of Healthcare, The Maclachlan Woodworking Museum, The Pump House Steam Museum and The Miller Geology Museum) to develop new hands-on displays for Science Rendezvous. The teacher candidates have had the opportunity to develop curriculum and to field test it with over 200 local school children who have participated in recent museum tours.

• Local Public Education Partnerships

Four unique math murder mysteries that feature graphing calculators, computer-based rangers, dynamic geometry software and spreadsheets have been developed by four teams of teacher candidates.

The mysteries will be field-tested in the Fall of 2011 and will be the basis for March Break and Summer Camps in 2012 for students in Grade 6 to 8. The mystery camps will be promoted as unique learning opportunities for students of all abilities in mathematics.

The Community Outreach Centre hosted its first CD release party in the Fall of 2011. Five teacher candidates and a local musician recorded a suite of math songs (with accompanying lyrics and lesson plans).

• Mathematical Melodies

More than twenty Kindergarten and primary division classrooms have benefitted from the work of seven teacher candidates who have received specialized literacy and literacy intervention training from leaders in local school districts. This opportunity has enriched the students who have learned with the teacher candidates, and has provided training that has the potential to have long-lasting impact in the future classes taught by the novice educators.

Feedback from the teacher candidates, local school and community agency personnel and students was used to craft Alternative Practicum 2012 opportunities.

• Alternative Practica 2012