Education News Fall2011/Winter2012 | Page 3

Faculty of Education Education News Fall 2011 / Winter 2012 Page 3
additional funding has been made available to achieve these goals . It falls upon the Faculty of Education , with ever-shrinking budgets , to prepare teachers to try and meet as best they can the diverse needs of children in public schools . The issue of bullying in schools has received national attention and puts pressure on education programs to prepare teachers to “ fix ” this problem . The current debate about the kind and quality of mathematics education ( and the place of rote learning and repetition in a learning environment of discovery and inquiry ) serves as yet another example of the tensions inherent in preparing pre-service teachers to teach in Saskatchewan schools . Today ’ s reality is that teachers are increasingly asked to teach subjects and grades of which they have little knowledge , expertise , or exposure . In the meantime , governments across Canada , including Saskatchewan , are looking for significant improvements in retention rates and “ learning outcomes ” as measured by standardized testing for all students and particularly for First Nations and Métis students who have been poorly served by our colonial heritage .
How does a Faculty of Education respond ? I have space to outline just one example : our major undergraduate Program Renewal curricular process enters its fourth year this September . Now all students receive at least an introduction to the following : principles and practice of inclusive / special education ; a foundational understanding of racism and white privilege ; a celebratory approach to embracing difference , including sexual orientation ; specific understandings of the theory and practice of assessment and evaluation ; and an appreciation for the significant role of ministries and local authorities in determining what schooling is like for children in Saskatchewan . In addition , other mandated and elective courses provide students with an understanding of the impact and use of technology and social media on learning , on the relationship between environmental sustainability and education for all , and on the importance of creativity , art , play , and recreation in building healthy individuals and communities .
Will we ever get all of this right ? Will teacher education and public education ever be the panaceas for all of society ’ s stresses and ills ? Of course not . Trying our best to meet complex and diverse needs and expectations is part of the mandate of any Faculty of Education . This issue of Education News provides some examples of a variety of ways we work for an equitable society where every individual is able to succeed .
Dean James McNinch April 2012
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