Membership Services Answers Frequently Asked Questions When calling Membership Services, please have your College registration number or Social Insurance Number at hand to help us serve you better.

I am qualified in the primary and junior divisions, and doing a three-part Guidance Specialist Additional Qualification. How can I accumulate the required year of successful teaching experience in the subject? Prior to the new Ontario curriculum, experience in teaching Guidance could only be attained by teaching in the intermediate/senior divisions. With the introduction of the Guidance and Career Education Policy in 1999, the program could be offered in both elementary and secondary schools. Elementary teachers are required to adapt their programs to meet the needs of their students in line with the new policy. Bearing in mind that it is up to the appropriate supervisory officer to determine what constitutes successful teaching experience, a teacher in the primary and junior divisions could provide evidence of this experience by: • explicitly incorporating the concepts of guidance and career education into their classroom program • participating as a member of the school’s Guidance Program Advisory Team • acting as a teacher advisor • teaching the Guidance and Career Education program as a guidance counsellor. I conducted a research activity designed to improve teaching and learning. How can I have this professional learning activity recognized for PLP credits? All professional learning activities must be submitted by an approved provider to the Professional Learning Committee for approval as a professional learning course. Watch the December issue of Professionally Speaking for an article about how to get an individual activity approved for PLP credits. My five-year PLP cycle ends December 31, 2006. I am scheduled to retire on June 30, 2006. Am I required to complete a PLP cycle? Members who have retired and are receiving a pension benefit from a retirement plan are exempt from the PLP, even if they continue to teach occasionally. Because members are not required to complete a specific number of PLP credits in any given year, you don’t need to accumulate any credits if you retire before your cycle ends. Members who retire should complete the “Notice of Retirement” form and submit it with appropriate proof to receive an exemption to the PLP. This form is available on the College web site at www.oct.ca/english/plp/ retirement.asp. I hold an Interim Certificate of Qualification (Conditional). My certificate states that I must complete an Additional Basic Qualification (ABQ) course before I can convert my certificate to a permanent Certificate of Qualification. I am planning to take the required ABQ in the year 2003 to satisfy the requirement. However, I would like to take an Additional Qualification (AQ) course in the fall. Will the College allow me to take an AQ course before the ABQ? No. You must complete the ABQ prior to enrolling in any other AQ courses. The College will not recognize an AQ course until the condition listed on your Interim Certificate of Qualification has been satisfied.

Magazine Home | Masthead | Archives From the Chair  |   Registrar's Report  |   Remarkable Teachers  |   Blue Pages News  |   Reviews  |   Calendar  |   Netwatch  |   FAQ  |   Letters to the Editor Ontario College of Teachers 121 Bloor Street East, 6th Floor Toronto  ON M4W 3M5 Phone: 416-961-8800 Toll-free: 1-888-534-2222 Fax: 416-961-8822  http://www.oct.ca info@oct.ca