Student Spotlight: Visually Speaking
Bachelor of Education Program | Medicine Hat College (MHC)
In MHC’s Education program, learners are encouraged to think creatively, communicate concepts, and find engaging ways to connect with their future students.
One assignment in their fourth-year course, Program of Studies and Curriculum Instruction in Teaching Social Studies, challenged them to do that by creating a metaphorical artifact (symbolic object) that visually represented a key idea from the curriculum.
Graduates, Garrett Fredeen and Hailey Hoffart, stood out to their instructors, putting an immense amount of thought, time, and creativity into sharing the importance of social studies’ role in helping individuals discover their place in the world.
Here’s a quick look at the Bachelor of Education program.
For those passionate about making a difference in the lives of youth, becoming a teacher is a rewarding and purposeful career. The Bachelor of Education program at MHC focuses on kindergarten to grade six, however also equips learners with the skills to teach up to grade 12 in Alberta.
With a hands-on approach to learning, students take specialized courses, in:
- Physical Education
- Science
- Mathematics
- Social Studies
Delivered in collaboration with Mount Royal University (MRU), this program enables learners to complete their full degree at MHC, while graduating with a recognized university credential. Students are deeply integrated in the community, and gain valuable practicum experience, making connections and learning from their future employers.
Visually Speaking: The Canoe Oar
Combining deep thought, skill, and craftmanship Garrett created a handmade wooden canoe oar as a metaphor for a teacher’s role in the classroom.
Appreciating the opportunity to freely express his ideas in a unique format, Garrett compared the adaptability of a teacher - adjusting to teach the needs of diverse learners- to canoeists, each paddle stroke contributing to the movement of the canoe.
He says, “social studies is integral to fostering critical thinking and building cohesive communities,” using the metaphor of teachers as “tour guides,” to help deepen the understanding of the lesson for students. “Learning social studies requires students to analyze their own identities and discover where they fit within the greater societies of the world."
Visually Speaking: Basketball
Drawing from her sports background, Hailey used a basketball to highlight the importance of each element of the social studies curriculum; citizenship and identity, pluralism, Indigenous perspectives, culture, community, power, and decision-making.
“I learned that people see and view things in different ways,” says Hailey. Noting that basketball helped her visualize how interconnected the themes are, and seeing what her classmates created opened her eyes to how personal and varied individual worldviews can be.
As she enters her teaching career, she hopes to give students the opportunity to create things they are passionate about as they meet curricular outcomes.
Why is teaching social studies is so important?
“Social studies is not just one way,” says Hailey. “It requires us to learn the importance of critical thinking and to think of social studies as multiple strands weaved together rather than something that is black and white.
Interested in inspiring learners?
Explore the Bachelor of Education program at Medicine Hat College: www.mhc.ab.ca.