Field Placement
EDFX 490: Beyond Four Walls expects that students will spend a minimum of 40 hours over a six week period in their field placement. All experiential learning placements in this course are facilitated by the staff at Bennett/Argyll/Metro Centres in Edmonton Public Schools, although some placements are available outside of EPSB. Examples of these placements are listed on this website. Once you have registered for the course and confirmed your registration with Professor Carpenter, you will be given access to an online form. You will review these placement options and rank your choices in preparation for a one-on-one placement meeting with Julia Dalman, Community Liaison-BAM, who coordinates placements for this course.
Sample Placement Descriptions
To be updated Summer 2024
Reach Out: Placement Mentor- Carmen Glossop
EPSB's "Reach Out" is a specialized program that focuses on students who are Medically Fragile and have Special Needs. These are students who are unable to attend a "regular school" setting (for various reasons) and are often multiple grade levels below their peers. They require a specialized program designed for themselves to suit their academic and physical needs. You will learn strategies on how to teach students who require sensory stimulating resources, focus on literacy/ numeracy and include gross and fine motor skills.
Onsite classes will be on Mondays 10am-12pm and/or Thursday 11am -12:30pm. We can/will create some Q&A session times outside of those times.
ELL at Metro: Placement Mentor- Leta Montague
Level 6/STEP (Secondary Transitional English Program 5 levels - Level 6, 6A, STEP 1, STEP 11 & STEP 111 (CLB 6 - 9)
Students are adults from a variety of backgrounds. Many of them were professionals in their country and they are in the class to fulfill the requirements to get into university or to work in their field. Some of the students did not have formal learning. However, as adult learners, they have the lived experience to fall back on. In the 6/STEP class, we prepare them for either college, university, other programs, maybe a trade & we also prepare them for employment.
I describe my class as an orchestra. Each person has a part to play. However, the teacher is the maestro. as he/she has to know all the parts in order to produce a symphony. One of the key things is classroom management. How to manage a multi-level class of 5 levels and the activities to develop that skill and knowledge. The second thing is to learn how to assess the various levels, and how to assign appropriate assignments to each level. This is about knowing each student's ability. and the next thing is always be prepared and have a plan B & C if necessary.
Hours: 9:00 - 2:30 but flexible if students have an appointment.
Days: Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday (I usually prefer Tuesday as I start a new topic for the week. However, any of the three days is O.K.
Argyll Elementary: Placement Mentors- Shauna Laird and Sherise Dohei
EDFX 490 students placed at Argyll will have the opportunity to support elementary-aged students in online (synchronous or asynchronous) classrooms. Student teachers may engage in lesson planning and the creation of virtual learning activities, supporting students in small group work and/or leading whole group learning. The placement will take place M-F between 8:55 am - 3:05 pm, on the hours you are available for. We are happy to be flexible from our end!
Argyll Junior High: Placement Mentors- Jennifer Williams and Derek Horneland
EDFX 490 students placed at Argyll will have the opportunity to support Junior High-aged students in online (synchronous or asynchronous) classrooms. Student teachers may engage in lesson planning and the creation of virtual learning activities, supporting students in small group work and/or leading whole group learning. The placement will take place M-F between 8:55 am - 3:05 pm, on the hours you are available for. We are happy to be flexible from our end!
Reaching Out: Placement Mentors- Jennifer Williams and Derek Horneland
EDFX 490 students placed with Argyll Reaching Out will have the opportunity to support junior high students in-person at various sites. Student teachers will meet onsite at various jr high schools and may engage in lesson planning for both online and in-person activities to support re-enaging students with learning. The placement will take place M-F between 8:30 am - 3:30 pm at various jr high schools across the city.
Caraway: Placement Mentor- Shawna Sutton
Caraway is an K-9 alternative program of choice within EPSB. We are a child-centred, community driven program that is democratic and progressive by nature. Developing a sense of agency in combination with community in collaborative projects, clubs, self direction and play are key to our environment. Social justice and challenging hierarchical ways of being are central to how we co-create the program.
Our programming runs Monday to Thursday from 8:45-3:35 and every second Friday. We are frequently on field trips and in the forest where we incorporate nature school programming into our learning. We have parents deeply involved in all aspects of the program and many adults facilitate student learning under our staff’s guidance. The placement would involve learning about Caraway and its philosophical underpinnings and then working to join in our learning environment based on children’s needs. The mornings are slightly more structured, including a theme based project time and the afternoons focus more on democratic decision making, social emotional development work, clubs and free play.
Argyll Student Programs: Placement Mentor- Kathryn Fuhr
Hooked on Happiness (Wednesdays 1:00pm-2:00pm)
A weekly, one-hour online program for junior high students experiencing challenges connecting with peers. Participants include online, in-person and Home Education students throughout the Division. The program provides mental health support and strategies for students who are experiencing isolation. Our community liaison hosts games, conversations and connects students with a variety of community partners.
Friendship Hour (Thursdays 11:45am-12:45pm)
A weekly, one-hour program to provide Elementary students opportunities to connect through play. Participants include online, in-person and Home Education students throughout the Division. The program provides opportunities to build confidence, share stories about and establish relationships through online engagement in play.-
Out of School Programs (Mondays or Tuesdays 10:00am-11:00am)
BAM partners with EPSB schools and Home Education families to develop authentic, cross-curricular out of school programs based on community needs and interests. Programs are taught by experts in the community as well as pre-service teachers.
Argyll Centre Alternative Assessment Practice: Placement Mentor- Michele Kelly
EDFX 490 students placed at Argyll will have the opportunity to support students in online (asynchronous) classrooms. Student teachers may engage in lesson planning and get hands-on experience with alternative assessment practices. The placement will take place M-F between 8:55 am - 3:05 pm, on the hours you are available for. We are happy to be flexible from our end!
Bennett Centre: Placement Mentors- Julia Dalman, Lyle Tootoosis, Dalen Cardinal
EDFX 490 students will participate in Bennett Centre Creating School's that Listen framework and the creation of student installation projects that will take place from May 26- June 2. Students will also have the opportunity to work alongside cultural liaisons Lyle Tootoosis and Dalen Cardinal and ask any questions they may have about how to address treaty 6 partnership and Indigenous ways of knowing in our school systems.
Placement times will vary based on times students are available to meet, but generally will happen M-F between 9:00 am - 3:00 pm at the Bennett Centre, virtually, and at High School Sites across Edmonton Public School Division. We will offer you times as they are scheduled and if you can make it that is awesome!
