Teaching Excellence symposium to improve quality of education

Posted on May 8, 2014 by Westwind Weekly

With the conviction that every one of its students deserves an excellent teacher, Westwind School Division will be front and centre for a crucial conversation on how to make that happen.

A contingent of almost two dozen strong – including senior administrators, school trustees, principals and teachers – will take Westwind’s voice to the Task Force for Teaching Excellence Symposium in Edmonton May 5.

The task force was established by the Minister of Education to explore new ways to support educators and ensure every student benefits from an excellent teacher.

It is a deliberate effort on Westwind’s part to take a team of people to the symposium because the entire school division is invested in this work, says Ken Sommerfeldt, Westwind Superintendent of Schools.

“It’s about what we believe for kids and what we believe education needs to look like on a go-forward basis,” he says. “We’re thrilled to be taking a group and are obviously satisfied it will become part of the fabric in our own system.”

The symposium will bring together Alberta Education staff and partners to talk about efforts being made to bring ‘Inspiring Education” to life. That document sets the direction for province-wide changes to address the educational needs of students for decades to come and ensure their continuing success.

“When the province is developing an informed transformation of a whole system obviously you must take a serious look at what excellence in teaching is,” says Sommerfeldt.

Dr. Glenn Feltham, chair of the task force, will present the report and its recommendations at the symposium for the participants review and feedback. They will then engage in roundtable discussions in order to better understand the intent and design of the recommendations.

“From a Westwind perspective, everything we’re doing is absolutely connected to Inspiring Education and we’re building on that foundation,” says the Westwind superintendent. “For us to be involved in this conversation and to hear where the task force is going and what the report is actually saying, informs our practice and our journey in this process.”

For more information on how the presentation went, or what will happen as a result, please contact the Westwind School Division at 403-653-4991.