Teacher exchange programs give Alberta students opportunity to become global learners
Local and international teachers recognized on World Teachers’ Day
Edmonton... Alberta students are becoming global citizens thanks to teacher exchange programs coordinated through Alberta Education. To acknowledge these contributions to education, teachers from Alberta and abroad are being recognized on October 5, World Teachers’ Day.“Our educator exchange programs provide a wonderful opportunity for a career-enhancing experience, especially relevant in today’s global environment,” said Education Minister Ron Liepert. “With World Teachers’ Day approaching, I would like to recognize all of our teachers, from near and far, who ensure our students reach their full potential as individuals and as citizens of the world.”
The goal is to create a community of learners who have an increased understanding of the connections between peoples and systems, a richer knowledge of history and world events, and a greater appreciation for different languages and cultures. Participating teachers are providing these world perspectives in their respective classrooms.
There are currently 26 Alberta teachers who are on a year-long teacher exchange - four in the United Kingdom and 22 in Australia. Their visiting counterparts are teaching in 13 jurisdictions across the province.
“I am working in a team teaching situation which was new to me when I arrived in Alberta,” said Katherine Turner, an exchange teacher from New South Wales, Australia, who is teaching in Calgary. “Our year one and two students have been fascinated to discover first hand accounts of Australian culture. It's been a real eye-opener for them to the greater world around them, just as working with the team here has opened my eyes into the Canadian way of life.”
Garnet Goertzen, Principal of Sturgeon Heights School, shares his experience with the teacher exchange program. “I had an exchange with another school principal from Denmark, examining the funding and staffing processes, working with students in the classrooms and talking with teachers,” said Goerzten. “My experience was outstanding. I was able to see what is happening in another highly successful education system.”
Through Alberta’s Educator Exchange Programs, 10 Alberta teachers and administrators completed a successful short-term exchange to Germany and Denmark this summer and are awaiting the arrival of their exchange partners this week.
A number of other government supported activities contribute to Alberta’s students participation in the global community, including student and teacher exchanges, international student programs, school partnerships, visiting teacher and foreign language consultants programs, and agreements and liaison with foreign governments. For more information visit www.education.gov.ab.ca and click on the teachers’ tab.
Providing quality learning opportunities is a key action under Premier Ed Stelmach's plan to build a stronger Alberta. Other priorities for the government are to: govern with integrity and transparency, manage growth pressures, improve Albertans' quality of life and provide safe and secure communities.
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Teachers across the province participating in exchanges
The world is experiencing rapid changes at local, national and international levels. Education systems are preparing students for the challenges, opportunities, and responsibilities of living and working in an increasingly diverse yet interdependent world.
Research suggests that educating students using a holistic teaching approach within a global context allows students and teachers to better understand themselves in relationship to the rest of the world. Other studies demonstrate that the ultimate success of global literacy in the classroom is dependent upon the work, perspective and world experience of the teacher.
Alberta’s education system is working to make schools and curricula more internationally oriented: to prepare students with the knowledge and skills needed for an increasingly complex world. Alberta’s Educator Exchange Program is one of the many initiatives integral to international education which keeps our education system relevant and vital in this fast-paced world. As part of this program, 22 teachers from Australia and four from the United Kingdom are teaching in the following school jurisdictions:
Calgary Board of Education | Calgary Catholic | Edmonton Public | Edmonton Catholic |
Foothills | Grande Prairie Public | Holy Spirit | Peace Wapiti |
Pembina Hills | Red Deer Public | Red Deer Catholic | St. Albert Protestant |
Wolf Creek |
On October 4, 2007, nine teachers from Denmark and Germany are arriving in Alberta as part of a short term teacher exchange. Each teacher will be working out of one of the following jurisdictions:
Alexis First Nation Glenevis | Calgary Board of Education | Edmonton Public |
Livingstone Range | Palliser | Parkland |
Red Deer Catholic | Sturgeon | Wolf Creek |
Through collaborative agreements with other countries, Alberta also welcomes visiting teachers into its classrooms for a period of one to two years. Currently, there are two Japanese teachers who are teaching in the Evergreen Catholic and Red Deer Catholic school divisions, and 11 Spanish teachers working in the Calgary Catholic and Edmonton Public school divisions and the Calgary Board of Education.
