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| CARTOON - February 23, 2010 |
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| EDITORIAL - February 23, 2010 |
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| Aspen View adapts to changing times |
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Advocate Staff
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Throughout the province, rural schools face an uphill battle as funding cuts and other changes to the education system continue to present new challenges to the way students in Alberta are educated.
Last month, parents and teachers at Boyle School offered up some of their concerns, among them the gap in funding between rural and urban schools.
"We're just not able to offer the courses and to be able to prepare our students to further their education," explained one concerned parent.
Fewer course options, notably the lack of second-language and Career Technology Studies (CTS) courses, were also of concern to both parents and students in Boyle.
More course availability in the past meant that students could experience more potential career options while still in high school, thus making the transition from high school to the workforce that much easier. More experience at the high school level also meant that it was likely easier for students to discover their strengths and, ultimately, a career path in which they were general interested.
To address these problems, school boards across the province will need to adapt.
Aspen View's collaborations with Portage College and Athabasca University, both of which kick off this month, demonstrate that the school board is willing to think outside the box of traditional learning methods.
Then again, the board demonstrated ingenuity several years back when they first introduced their Marine Biology course, which gave students an experiential learning experience over the old textbook-and-chalkboard bit which, let's face it, doesn't work for everyone.
Aspen View's culinary collaboration with Portage College gives high school students the opportunity to dabble in a post-secondary learning environment before graduation.
This way, students who already have their sites set on a career in culinary arts will find it a lot easier to make the transition from high school to post-secondary school.
Likewise, the board's teaming up with Athabasca University to allow high school students to take Computer Science 200, a university-level course that introduces students to basic hardware concepts, computer structures and information systems, is a step in the right direction.
This afternoon, Boyle School will celebrate the opening of a Portage College Community Access Point (CAP) site, which will provide access to support and technology for individualized post-secondary distance study for the Boyle community.
It's another example of how, increasingly, learning environments are adapting to meet the needs of their students.
These are all good examples of ways that school boards across the province can address not only funding cuts, but changes to the entire education system in general.
Kudos to Aspen View for hopping on board. |
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