September 2005 Issue 2
September 2005, Issue 23
Your College and You
Thank you for your interest in receiving breaking news and professional information from the College.
In this Issue:
We'd like to know what you think about the AQ courses you've taken. Please complete our online survey in the Members'Area.
Tell us about your AQ experience and give us your opinion about the future of the AQ program
Please take a few minutes to participate in the review of ongoing professional learning.
Think about when you took an additional qualifications course, a program for principals or for supervisory officers.
Did these courses help to enhance your professional practice? Were they up to date with new information and ideas? Were they too long, too short, just right? Were they easily accessible locally?
In our consultations so far on teacher education, some College members are recommending the addition of courses like Classroom Management, Teaching Strategies or Use of Technology. What do you think?
How do you feel about the structure, delivery methods and relevance of courses and programs? Visit our web site at www.oct.ca. On the main page, under Preparing Teachers for Tomorrow, click on Survey for College Members and log into the Members' Area to complete the survey.
It should take you only 10 to 15 minutes. Your responses will be kept confidential and will not be attributed to you.
Thank you for contributing to this review. The deadline for responding is October 31.
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Become a Teachers' Network volunteer. Any member of the College is welcome to take part in this opportunity to networkwith experienced members of their profession.
New network for teachers
A new online service allows College members in good standing to communicate with other members - at school, at home, at any time.
This network has been created to assist internationally trained teachers (ITTs) in developing teaching contacts within Ontario, whether to find a job, learn about classroom management, locate educational resources and so on.
While the network is geared mainly to ITTs, any member of the College is welcome to take part in this opportunity to network with experienced members of their profession.
The Teachers' Network consists of two parts:
- experienced members volunteering to network with someone
- new members searching for someone with whom to network.
Teachers' Network Volunteers
As a Teachers' Network volunteer, you can decide how to opt into the service. For example, initially you will provide an e-mail address. Someone who wishes to contact you will see only your name and not your address - giving you complete privacy.
You may decide later to continue via e-mail, by phone or in person. If or when you provide a phone number, you can stipulate the hours you are willing to accept calls.
You can also decide how many people you want to have contact with - from one to five. The system will help you track the number you want to contact you. For example, if you pick three people, your name won't be offered once three candidates are part of your networking list. You can also add or delete contacts.
One-stop Resource for Connecting with Teaching Colleagues in Ontario
Whether you're a new teacher or a veteran, the Teachers' Network can provide connections with colleagues from across the province. It offers a great opportunity for sharing experiences, support and advice.
Whether you're looking for help or offering it, you are matched according to the following criteria:
- subject area
- location
- school board.
To join, simply visit the Members' Area on the College web site and click on Teachers' Network. To opt in as a contact, fill out the form on the Teachers' Network Volunteer page.
Once enough teachers have volunteered, you'll be able to search for a network contact willing to connect with you.
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Our Transition to Teaching studies are just a few of the ways the College keeps you informed about today's education issues.
We monitor change - to keep you one step ahead
As your profession's regulatory body, the College cares deeply about the future of teaching in Ontario. We make it a habit to listen - to you and to what's going on in education across the province, across Canada and around the world. Education changes continually. Ontario's educators have to change with it.
The information we gather informs Council decisions and College actions. Whether it's tapping the collective consciousness of teachers in our annual State of the Teaching Profession surveys or collecting opinion to make recommendations for regulatory or legislative change as in the case of our current Teachers' Qualifications Review efforts, the College strives to serve the teaching profession in the public interest.
If you haven't seen or read some of our recent studies, policies or position papers, consider having a look now.
The 2005 State of the Teaching Profession survey reflects the opinions of 1,000 College members who were polled by telephone in July about a series of education issues.
Our Transition to Teaching studies (2003 and 2004) gather the thoughts and experiences of newly certified Ontario teachers. What has their pre-service teacher education experience been like? How goes their search for employment? How are they being treated as new professionals? We're now in the midst of our fourth annual study and the cumulative data has been revealing and helpful.
New Teacher Induction: Growing Into the Profession is a College policy that had its genesis in the feedback we received from first-year teachers. Those newest to the profession had some interesting things to say - and recommendations to make - about welcoming new people to teaching.
Finally, as the result of a direct appeal from educators in the field, College Registrar Doug Wilson joined hands with three other Ontario educators to explore the reasons for the dearth of men in teaching. Their report, Narrowing the Gender Gap: Attracting Men to Teaching, examines the issues and offers insights into possible change.
Helping to keep you informed is one of the many ways the Ontario College of Teachers keeps the profession of teaching responsive to our world of change.
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The library will mail books and videos postage-free to your home
or school address.
Library Services for You
The College has a circulating collection of more than 3,000 books and videos, approximately 200 professional journals and many other resources. You can search the library database online from the College web site.
The library will mail books and videos postage-free to your home or school address. Using a special-return mailing label, you can mail books back to the library free of charge.
You can also request a literature search by library staff, who will mail, fax or e-mail the journal articles.
What's New in the Library is updated monthly and lists new items in the College library collection. You can borrow these items by contacting the library by phone, e-mail, fax or in person.
More information regarding the library and its resources or e-mail library@oct.ca.
Olivia Hamilton
Ontario College of Teachers
Margaret Wilson Library
121 Bloor St. E.
Toronto ON M4W 3M5
Phone: 416-961-8800 ext. 679 or 1-888-534-2222 ext. 679
Fax: 416-961-9838
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Your College And You
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Ontario College of Teachers © 2005
