UNews - Alberta Teachers' Association

Loewen appointed dean of Faculty of Education

trevor.kenney — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 22:14:17 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Board of Governors has, after a national/international search, confirmed the appointment of Dr. Craig Loewen as dean of the Faculty of Education.

Loewen is a professor within the Faculty of Education and was serving as interim dean since Dr. Jane O'Dea's decade of service as dean ended in 2010. Loewen is a long serving faculty member, U of L alumnus (BEd '84) and mathematics education expert whose research includes how students learn and how teachers can promote and enrich student learning.

"Dr. Loewen is a highly-respected educator and researcher who has held a number of administrative positions within the faculty in addition to maintaining an active teaching and research portfolio," says Dr. Andy Hakin, the U of L's vice-president (academic) and provost.

Loewen has been recognized by his peers at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and in the education community for his efforts to be an excellent teacher and mentor. He has received the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Distinguished Teaching Award, and the Educational Research Award from the Alberta Teachers' Association, which acknowledged his involvement in pre-service and in-service mathematics education. Additionally, he was appointed a Friend of the Mathematics Council of the Alberta Teachers' Association and was inducted into the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Alumni Honour Society in 2011.

Education, for Loewen, seems to be the equivalent of a family business. He joined the Faculty of Education in 1987, the year his father Arthur, also a long-term U of L education faculty member, retired. His three sisters are educators as well, either in the public school system or in post-secondary settings.

Spring 2011 medalists

trevor.kenney — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 17:32:50 +0000

A total of 1,454 ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students received their degrees at the June 2-3 Spring 2011 Convocation ceremonies in the 1st Choice Savings Centre.

The following students were awarded academic medals.

Academic Medalists

Sandeepan Mishra – Gold Medal of the Governor General

Andrea Joy Glover – Silver Medal of the Governor General

Sylvie de Grandpré – School of Graduate Studies Medal of Merit, Master of Education

Maria Lourdes Sophia Verzosa – School of Graduate Studies Medal of Merit, Master of Science

Ilona Berth – School of Graduate Studies Medal of Merit,
Master of Science (Management)

Henry Dean Heavy Shield – Faculty of Arts and Science Gold Medal (Arts)

Thomas Arcadius Oram Fox – Faculty of Arts and Science Gold Medal (Science)

Jennifer Lyn Shuster – Faculty of Education Gold Medal

Lori Ann Braun – The Alberta Teachers' Association William Aberhart Gold Medal in Education

Sarah Diane Viejou – Faculty of Fine Arts Gold Medal

Alisa Jane Takahashi – Faculty of Health Sciences Gold Medal

Raha Ravi Seyed Mahmoud – Faculty of Management Gold Medal

Stribbell able to take education abroad

trevor.kenney — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 23:39:42 +0000

As a teacher, Howard Stribbell (BA/BEd '98, MEd '04) understands you can only make true assessments by comparing apples to apples. Now that he has the perspective of an administrator, he's able to do just that.

Stribbell, the Head of Schools at the International School of Macao (TIS) in China, says he always knew he was getting ahead of the competition by earning his teaching degree at the U of L, but he never really understood by how much.

"When you're in it and you're going to school, you don't realize what you have compared to other places," says Stribbell. "When I was in the program, I got to build great relationships with my professors, both in and outside of class. But I was fairly naïve, I didn't know that wasn't common."

Alumnus Howard Stribbell is the Head of Schools at the International School of Macao. He's back at the U of L for the Faculty of Education Teacher Job Fair.

When he began teaching, he quickly realized other differences between his U of L Faculty of Education experience and the experiences of those who studied elsewhere.

"The structure of the program, with so many practical hours and how they have us in the field, doing the work, all reinforced by workshops and support from the faculty and teacher mentors, makes all the difference," he says. "I didn't realize this until I became a teacher and started to see the differences between student teachers. When I became an administrator and would look at graduates coming out of the universities, then I could really see a difference."

Stribbell will be back at the U of L for the Jan. 19 Faculty of Education Teacher Job Fair (9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the UHall Atrium). His administrative role in Macao is not only a testament to the value of his U of L education, but it also provides him a platform to recruit new teachers for his school. The fact he comes home to bring U of L grads on board speaks to his faith in the program.

"We notice it over here, we've had student teachers from other institutions and we've also had a U of L student teacher, and our second one has just joined us," says Stribbell. "The quality between them is very different, and it comes down to the amount of hours they are able to spend doing the practical teaching."

Stribbell started his teaching career at Erle Rivers High School in Milk River, shortly after earning his BA/BEd degree. He spent eight years there, working his way up from a rookie teacher to vice principal. An Alberta Teachers' Association advertisement trumpeting the establishment of a new international school that was going to implement the Alberta educational curriculum led Stribbell and his family to Macao.

"It's been a world of opportunity," he says. "The whole world of international teaching was opened up for me, and you realize how big the demand is for Canadian teachers."
The school was established in 2002 to provide a Canadian curriculum and accreditation to local and expatriate students. With English as the primary language of instruction, students graduate with an Alberta High School diploma. Located on the campus of Macau ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Science and Technology, close to 900 students from pre-K to Grade 12 currently attend.

Stribbell says parents had to take a leap of faith to trust the teaching methods they introduced.

"Originally, parents just had to trust us," he says. "They really had to suspend their disbelief and trust us when we told them that the Alberta curriculum will be world recognized and that students would be able to get into universities around the world."

Two graduating classes later, and a host of success stories to tell, have solidified the approach. Emphasizing critical thinking, collaborative working, the ability to formulate an independent opinion and defend it both in written work and orally, are new concepts to traditional Chinese education but they have been embraced. So to has the community atmosphere cultivated by the school, something Stribbell recalls from his time at the U of L.

"The ability to take risks has always been encouraged at the
U of L, as well as the importance of building relationships," he says. "When we live over here, we're a community. Teachers work together, socialize together, play together and you really build a different kind of relationship with your co-workers. The U of L helped instill that sense of community that I hope to try and reflect here at the school."

· Stribbell earned his Masters degree from the U of L in 2004, while still teaching at Erle Rivers High School. He combined online courses with on campus and independent study work.

· Macao is situated 60km southwest of Hong Kong, and, along with Hong Kong, is one of two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China.

· The International School of Macao (TIS) has students representing 42 different nationalities, with about 40 per cent of the student population from the local area.

· Stribbell says he's looking for a special kind of teacher at the Job Fair. "I'm looking for students who are interested in adventure, are open to new things and who can demonstrate they have taken the initiative. We're a young school, so we're always looking for new ways to do things. The status quo is what happened yesterday."

· Stribbell is married to Doreen, and his children Timothy (13) and Rebecca (10) both attend TIS.

· The Teacher Job Fair began in 2000 and currently sees about 40 school boards from across Canada and overseas represented.

This story originally appeared in the January issue of the Legend.

Events Calendar

trevor.kenney — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 18:01:20 +0000

LECTURES

Apr. 16 | The Square Kilometre Array
Dr. Russ Taylor, director and head, Institute for Space Imaging Science | 1:40 p.m., C640

Apr. 28 | Real Learning First
Frank Bruseker, president, Alberta Teachers' Association | 4:45 p.m., TH204

PERFORMANCES

Apr. 14 | Music at Noon
Studio Showcase
12:15 p.m., ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Recital Hall, W570

May 3 | Voices of Spring
U of L Singers, Opera Workshop and soloists | 11:30 a.m., Lethbridge Lodge

MISCELLANEOUS

Apr. 14 | LPIRG Annual General Meeting
Lethbridge Public Interest Research Group AGM | 7 p.m., Galileo's Gallery, SU242

Apr. 17 | Sociology Club Kick-Off
U of L Sociology Club celebrates its formation with an open house
2 to 5 p.m., Galileo's Gallery, SU242

Apr. 21-22
3rd Annual Art Student Open House
Art students exhibit their work
10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, U of L Centre for the Arts, Level 8

Apr. 24 to May 29
BFA Art Graduate Exhibition
Exhibition featuring works chosen by graduating students.
Reception, May 29 | Main Art Gallery

May 4
Music of the 1930s
7:30 p.m., Lethbridge Public Library

May 6-8
Aboriginal Science Symposium: Innovation and Application
Aboriginal key scholars, as well as individuals in academia at all levels, discuss what is needed to ensure Aboriginal success in applied and primary sciences

UNews - Alberta Teachers' Association

Loewen appointed dean of Faculty of Education

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Spring 2011 medalists

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Stribbell able to take education abroad

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Events Calendar

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