SP11: Emily Carr Secondary School/York Region, 2010 – 2011

Cohort Description

Working in partnership with the York Region and York Catholic school boards, SP11 provides teacher candidates with the opportunity to study and apply their learning in these regional schools. SP11 teacher candidates take their foundation courses at Emily Carr Secondary School in Woodbridge. The teachers at Emily Carr S.S. serve as mentors and associates for teacher candidates. SP11 pays particular attention to York Region initiatives in assessment, instruction, literacy and character education.

Program/Curriculum

• Teacher candidates take their three foundation courses (Teacher Education Seminar, Psychological Foundations of Learning & Development, and School & Society) at Emily Carr S.S. one day a week; Curriculum & Instruction and Related Studies courses are held at OISE.
• Teacher candidates spend an additional day during the week at Emily Carr S.S. observing classes and participating in school-based experiences and initiatives.
• York Region Public/Catholic initiatives and priorities are explored in the foundation courses: Teacher Education Seminar, Psychological Foundations of Learning & Development, School & Society.
• Critical inquiry as a method of curriculum design and delivery receives an emphasis throughout the program.

Field Based Experiences

Emily Carr provides a setting where teacher candidates are immersed in a secondary school setting with staff and students. The staff at Emily Carr S.S. function as a learning community whose primary focus is the effective integration of assessment, instruction and literacy, with the goal of improving student achievement. One day a week will be spent observing, learning and teaching in the classrooms of mentor teachers and working with colleagues through practical issues of teaching and learning. Many valuable internship opportunities will be available to extend the experience in York Region schools.

Who Should Apply to SP11?

Successful SP11 applicants will give evidence of the following, in the space provided on the Course Selection and Candidate Information form (200 words maximum):

• an interest in the opportunity to learn and practice the craft of teaching in York Region schools;
• a readiness to develop an understanding of the issues, initiatives and challenges unique to York Region;
• an interest in benefiting from taking a portion of their program in York Region;
• a willingness to dedicate an additional day per week (most weeks) interacting with students and teachers at Emily Carr Secondary School;
• a willingness to travel to placements in SP11 partner schools.

Further Info

Please contact Usha James, SP11 Coordinator.