Teacher Education off to a strong start!
CAPS Teacher Education provides a transformational environment in which education is studied as a career, as a concept, and as a vehicle for change in the future. Besides learning attributes of quality teaching and learning environments, students participate in regular collaborative project sessions and plan events outside of the CAPS environment.
Congratulations to Hannah Spencer, CAPS Teacher Education alumni and current student at the University of Kansas, who was named the recipient of the CAPS 2019 LULA Entrepreneurship Scholarship.
CAPS Teacher Education has gotten off to a fast start! Students have visited Harmony Elementary to view their progressive and flexible physical environment and to discuss how the environment impacts learning and teaching. They also spent a day at Stanley Elementary, reading to students ranging in age from Kindergarten to fifth grade for National Read a Book Day.
This week students are beginning their “duty assignments” at district elementary schools and soon will be traveling to their “teaching assignments” as well. For duty assignments, the students travel to one elementary in the district to help with education activities and responsibilities. Many students assist with car duty, lunch duty, or classroom duties.
On October 9 and 10, Teacher Ed students and Dr. Fry will travel to Pittsburg State University to present to practicing teachers at the Greenbush Teachers Technology Conference. The student-created presentation will be interactive and is entitled Teachers in Paradise: A Second Chance for Innovation in Learning. Students will be presenting twice each day to an audience of teachers and administrators from many Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma school districts.
On November 6, the students will be assisting with hosting the Educators Rising Northeastern Regional Conference at MidAmerica Nazarene University. Students from Blue Valley CAPS Teacher Education and Olathe’s 21st Century Future Teacher Academy have worked behind the scenes of the conference to develop theme, branding, web resources, programs, signage, and programming. In addition, student will be presenting their conference presentation to high school students from across northeast Kansas and will also take part in competitions during the day. These events will lead up to the Educators Rising state conference to be held at Emporia State University in February.
CAPS Teacher Education already has many projects under way:
- POZIKC will be selling manipulative dough again this year as a part of our CAPS Teacher Education student-run company, in conjunction with EdCorps and Real World Scholars.
- A plan is in the works to assist with curriculum development for autism-awareness puppet presentations for children in conjunction with ChaseKC
- Dr. Shivers, Director of Elementary Education, Manhattan KS schools and CAPS Teacher Education students will again collaborate to build a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering,Math) lesson to be taught to Manhattan 5th graders virtually by our Teacher Education students. This year, we will be incorporating alumni who are students in the Teacher Education program at Kansas State University.
- CAPS Teacher Education students will be involved in a research study conducted by LeanLab EDU and Indigo Project. The study will survey students from various strands at CAPS who will take the Indigo personal assessment to measure career readiness, self-confidence, and personal direction. A group of CAPS students will take a 5-hour online course to determine if the content helps to better the students’ career focus, self-awareness, and personal direction. The study will take place over the Fall semester.
- CAPS Teacher Education student ambassadors will assist in forming an Educators Rising Club at each of our high schools for students 9-12. This club’s purpose will be to promote the profession of teaching and to get students involved in educational activities and collaborating with educators and administrators across the district’s schools. The clubs will be beginning initial activities during September. http://tinyurl.com/bvedrising
We are excited about what the year will bring to our students and the start of a possible career in education! Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/wevegotclass