The Education Assistant department began in 1967 as a way to prepare non-teachers to work in schools to do educationally-related work. By 1987, there were around 1100 education assistants in the province and now there are well over ten times that number. We have graduated over 1500 education assistants here at Langara.
There are four dedicated faculty in this department. We have been variously involved with the British Columbia Association for Community Living, have published, and are active in the community. We are all committed to tying theory to practice. Each of the faculty has taught in the public schools supporting children with special needs, and each has supervised Education Assistants working in schools. We deeply value the practical component we offer students.
We believe that full inclusion in the schools offers a rich learning environment for all children. We also believe that an effective learning process begins by identifying learning outcomes that focus on the activities of learning and the evaluation of learning on student performance.
In January, 2019 Langara added a part-time stream in our Education Assistant Certificate program. This stream allows students to complete the Education Assistant Certificate program on a part-time basis by taking courses in evenings and on weekends. Students can complete the part-time program in as little as six semesters. Courses will be offered in the fall, spring, and summer semesters. Langara will continue to offer our full-time, two-semester (fall and spring) program. Both streams include two extended practicum experiences in local schools.
Please see here for admission requirements and look closely at the rest of the Education Assistant website as you will find many answers to your questions.
If you have further questions, contact Erin Yorke at eyorke@langara.ca.
To learn more, it is essential that you attend an information session. Please check that page as we frequently update times and dates.