Training Rural Teachers by Cultural Immersion.

This paper describes a special elementary teacher education program developed at the University of Victoria, British Columbia (Canada). Designed to prepare students for rural teaching positions, this program consists of two years of university level education and two years of practice in a rural community. The educational system in the Province of British Columbia has been characterized by diminishing resources, declining enrollment, and increasing expenditures. Demand for teachers, especially in urban centers, has drastically declined, but vacancies for teachers continue to exist in rural areas. Rural teachers, however, are very mobile, either securing positions in large communities or leaving the classroom to begin new careers. Studies indicate rural teacher mobility is caused by geographic isolation, lack of privacy, and limited professional contacts. Another reason contributing to mobility is a lack of preparation for either the unique learning environment of rural schools or the intimate relationship between rural schools and their local communities. The early field experience described in this paper allows students to study the rural community as a total entity and places the schools in a community context. Required activities include community and classroom projects. Education students trained in this program are expected to provide rural children with a high quality of instruction when they become practicing professional educators. An awareness of life in a rural community will also enable them to adjust more easily to the socio-cultural milieu of a small town. Both these outcomes are expected to reduce the mobility of rural teachers. A chart outlines the chronology of the program. (ALL)