INTERLAKE TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM (ITEP) ACHIEVES YEAR I GOALS!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 15, 2010
AshernA local teacher education program in Ashern is proving that a grow your own philosophy works.
The Interlake Teacher Education Program (ITEP) has completed its first year with 23 students actively working towards their Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education close to home in Ashern. This program is an exceptional example of community-based training with multiple partners. Fieldstone Ventures Education & Training Centre Inc. spearheaded this initiative in partnership with Lakeshore School Division, First Nation Communities, Employment Manitoba and Brandon University. This part time program is unique in that it is designed to enable students to continue working while studying part-time.
This program shows that if all stakeholders work together we can make things happen right here in our own community. ITEP is a solution for students who would likely not be able to attain their dream if they had to pull up stakes and move to an urban centre! said Shelley Bjornson, Community Coordinator at Fieldstone Ventures Education & Training Centre Inc.
This Community Based Education (BU-CBE) program offers courses delivered by Brandon University on a part-time basis and is flexible enough to allow students to take as much as six years to complete their degree if necessary. The majority of learners are educational assistants working in schools from Lundar to Dauphin River who want to become certified teachers, explains Bjornson.
Between July 2009 and July 2010, the students completed 18 credit hours: Bachelor of Education Courses - The Professional Teacher, Art Media & Techniques; Bachelor of Arts Courses Intro to Native Studies I, Intro to Earth Science, 20th Century Literature and Canadian Native Law.
Classes are held at the Ashern Elks Hall Training Centre and each month the scene is transformed from studying rocks to creating art with all forms of media to learning circles studying the history of the Aboriginal population.
Year II will start on a part-time basis September 10, 2010 to the middle of December with Basic Mathematics being offered every second weekend Friday night 6-9 pm and Saturday from 9:00 am 3:00 pm. The winter term will run from January 7- March 26, 2011 with Intro to Physical Geography offered every second weekend following the same format. Students will attend full time May, June and July for courses in Intro to Physical Science, Intro to Canadian Literature and others TBA.
New applications are still being accepted into the program as Year II continues to focus on introductory courses. The program is also open to anyone wanting to take a university Arts course for interest or to take an Education course for professional development, or to join the Bachelor of Education after-degree program. Why not take advantage of this excellent opportunity to study close to home?
For more information contact Shelley Bjornson, Community Coordinator at Fieldstone Ventures Education & Training Centre Inc. in Ashern at 768-3797 or
toll free 1-888-777-1059.
