Complex Needs Educational Experience

William Aberhart Highschool

William Aberhart High School's Complex Needs Educational Experience program is for students in Grades 10-12 with diverse learning and adaptive behaviour needs. The program is designed to provide personalized support and foster an inclusive learning environment for students enrolled in the ACCESS class, ALP (Adapted Learning Program), and the Paced Learning Program (PLP).

In the ACCESS class, we support students with moderate to severe learning and adaptive behaviour needs. For students in the ALP, we offer specialized support for moderate learning and adaptive behaviour needs. In the PLP, we cater to students with mild to moderate learning and adaptive behaviour needs.

Calgary Board of Education is one school system educating more than 130,000 students in over 250 schools. More than 15,000 employees work together to provide learning as unique as every student.

Who?

All Bachelor of Education students

What?

Support students with diverse learning and adaptive behaviour needs in Grades 10-12

When?

Flexible days during school hours.

1.5 hours to 5 hours a week.

Where?

William Aberhart High School

What's Involved

Based on their comfort level and experience, Pre-Service teachers will

work closely with our dedicated team
assist in delivering a personalized and functional curriculum to meet the unique needs of students in the ACCESS class, ALP (Adapted Learning Program), and the Paced Learning Program (PLP).
actively engage with students, providing individualized support in areas such as functional academics, social communication, independence, daily living, safety, citizenship, leisure, vocational, and volunteering skills.

The participants' role will extend beyond academic support as they contribute to creating a supportive and inclusive learning environment. Through peer mentorship initiatives, they will help foster meaningful inclusion in the school community, tailoring activities to suit the interests and abilities of the students. By implementing learner supports and accommodations, such as assistive technology, augmentative communication systems, work systems, and sensory activities, participants will enhance the overall learning experience for students.

Requirements

Pre-service teachers need a current Police Information Check with Vulnerable Sector Screening (issued after May 1 of the current academic year). Students who do not already have a police check should begin this process online with their local Police station as soon as possible as police checks often take 4-6 weeks to process. Please see the Field Experience Police Information Requirement webpage for more information on how to request a PIC-VS.
Patience, empathy, and understanding for working with students that have diverse needs.

Apply a variety of teaching strategies to meet the needs of individual learners in different educational settings.
Design and implement a variety of activities that meet students’ interests and learning needs.
Examine a variety of approaches to teaching and learning in non-traditional educational settings.
Examine how educators apply teaching concepts in their daily work.
Examine how programming fosters inclusion and personal growth.
Examine how programs and educators create communities that are conducive to teaching and learning.
Gain experience working with youth in a classroom setting
Gain experience working with youth in a small group setting
Gain experience working with youth in an individual setting

Placements begin: early January 2024
Placements end: mid-March 2024
Training Session: Once the placement is confirmed, there will be a 1.5-2-hour orientation prior to working with students
The program operates during normal school hours between 8:45 am and 3 pm Monday-Thursday, with Fridays ending at 1 pm

The overall time commitment is flexible at 15 hours-60 hours in total, depending on the Pre-Service teachers' interest and availability. However, the program requires consistency once volunteers' schedules are set.

Fall Semester Timeline

Fall 2024 Applications Open: August 28, 2024
Werklund Information Sessions:
- September 9, 10:00 am (EDT 450)
- September 9, 2:30 pm (Zoom)
Fall 2024 Applications Close: September 15, 2024 (program dependent)
Fall 2024 Placements Start: early October (program dependent)
Fall 2024 Placements End: mid-December (program dependent)

Winter Semester Timeline

Winter 2025 Applications Open: November 15, 2024
Winter 2025 Information Session: November 26, 5:00 pm (Zoom)
Winter 2025 Applications Close: December 1, 2024 (program dependent)
Winter 2025 Placements Start: early January (program dependent)
Winter 2025 Placements End: mid-March (program dependent)

Experiential Learning Check-In & Reflection Opportunities

All participants in Experiential Learning programs are welcome and encouraged to attend at least two of the check-in & reflection sessions below as part of their program. Reflection is an incredibly important part of experiential learning. It encourages students to consider their experience so far and to adjusted as needed as they go forward through the rest of their program, or into the next step of their career.