St. Mary's University offers BEd degree

Calgary institution offers unique course to form Catholic school teachers

Terrence Downey

By TERRENCE DOWNEY
Special to the WCR
Calgary

After an extensive three-year planning and approval process, Alberta's Ministry of Advanced Education and Technology has authorized St. Mary's University College in Calgary to offer a bachelor of education (elementary) degree program commencing Sept. 1.

This degree is unique. It is the only BEd degree program in Canada specifically directed to the formation of teachers to serve in Catholic schools. It is the product of unprecedented collaboration among Catholic school divisions and a Catholic university college.

For the first time in Western Canadian history, teachers, consultants, professors, trustees, senior university and school administrators came together to develop a BEd degree program from the ground up, one focused on preparing teachers to meet the exacting professional demands of Catholic school systems in Alberta and beyond.

The heart of the matter

The deliberations that led to this degree were informed by Father James Mulligan's thesis in Catholic Education: Ensuring a Future (Novalis, 2005) that the appropriate formation of teachers is at "the heart of the matter" of a vibrant Catholic education system.

What was ultimately created is a BEd degree program that approaches the formation of teachers for Catholic schools in a manner specifically centred on "the heart of the matter."

By focusing on teaching as a vocation, the program is designed to achieve the "something more" of Catholic education - a belief that education extends beyond the transmission of knowledge and the development of various skills.

It includes the notion that good teaching is directed to the integral formation of the whole person, inspires respect for the God-given inherent dignity that defines each individual, and promotes the development of disciplined habits of mind, body and spirit.

The BEd is a two-year, post-degree program that is open to qualified students who have already completed a BA at St. Mary's University College or an equivalent degree elsewhere.

On the basis of the academic record, an interview, three letters of reference, an essay on parish service and/or community involvement, and an essay on teaching as a vocation, 30 students will be admitted to the first year and subsequently 40 students each year for a total program enrolment of 80 students within two years.

All students will carry a full-time schedule of five courses a term. All courses will be taught with reference to the specific demands of Catholic education including those on curriculum and methodology, classroom management, assessment and evaluation, philosophy of Catholic education, religious education in the elementary school, spirituality of the Catholic educator and the historical and philosophical basis of Catholic education.

Included in the program requirements are three practicum placements in Catholic schools in southern Alberta for a total of 21 weeks classroom experience before graduation.

Unique formation

St. Mary's University College is uniquely positioned to provide the formation required for Catholic school teachers.

As a Catholic liberal arts and sciences university college, its degree programs are designed to foster the confident search for meaning and purpose that enables students to reach the full measure of their being.

By focusing on the totality of the person and respect for the inherent dignity that defines each individual, St. Mary's University College provides a holistic learning environment that is appropriate for the formation of professionals for the noble vocation of teaching in Catholic schools.

(Terrence J. Downey is president of St. Mary's University College in Calgary.)

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