Governing Ourselves informs members of legal and regulatory matters affecting the profession. This section provides updates on licensing and qualification requirements, notification of Council resolutions and reports from various Council committees, including reports on accreditation and discipline matters.
expanded teacher education program
Ontario Minister of Education Liz Sandals addresses the College Council.
A VISIT FROM THE MINISTER
Minister of Education Liz Sandals, in her address to the College Council on June 6, said that doubling the time students spend in completing a teacher education program is aimed at meeting three goals: having teachers better prepared for the new realities of the 21st century, providing them with additional expertise to meet diverse students’ needs and addressing a serious oversupply of graduates.
“We want to give our students the best education possible. By modernizing our teacher education program, we will better prepare new teachers for the needs of the modern classroom and help provide greater opportunities to find work after they graduate.”
The Minister highlighted the College’s Transition to Teaching survey, which reveals that Ontario has been experiencing a surplus of teachers in recent years. Our survey shows that of the 2011 graduates from Ontario education faculties and US border colleges, one-third were unable to find jobs in teaching. About 37,000 well-qualified teachers in Ontario are unemployed.
Starting in 2015, the expanded program — from two semesters to four semesters — will give future teachers more practical experience by increasing the amount of practice-teaching time from 40 to 80 days.
Admissions in teacher education programs will be reduced by 50 per cent, which means that there will be one year, in 2016, without any teacher graduates.
The Minister stressed the importance for faculties of education to better prepare teacher candidates for a better understanding of the special needs and the mental health issues of their future students, and to make sure they know how to use technology as part of their teaching methods.
The College has long supported an expanded program, including more time for practical teaching experience and compulsory program components to address needs such as Special Education.
Following an extensive consultation with the education sector, the College released its Preparing Teachers for Tomorrow report in 2006, which among its recommendations called for a longer initial teacher education program.
The College will work with faculties of education in the accreditation of these expanded programs to ensure they meet the new requirements.
The path to public confidence
The Minister congratulated the College on a number of transparency initiatives aimed at increasing public confidence in public education, including linking disciplinary hearing notices to our public register to create greater transparency for employers and the public, and scheduling disciplinary hearings to handle the backlog.
“Your work helps us to continue on the path forward by inspiring public confidence. We want the College involved in our communications because your attention to teacher professionalism makes a difference to the kids in the classrooms. Without quality teaching, we don’t have quality learning.”
