SP7: Emily Carr Secondary School, York Region, 2012-2013
 

Cohort Description

 

Working in partnership with the York Region and York Catholic school boards, SP7 provides teacher candidates with the opportunity to study and apply their learning in these regional schools. SP7 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. SP7 pays particular attention to York Region priorities including engagement, assessment, instruction, literacy and critical thinking. In addition to normal classroom activities, teacher candidates will have opportunities to investigate and participate in school-based events, co-curricular activities, professional development initiatives. The Psychological Foundations course for this cohort will take place online.

 

Program/Curriculum

 

Teacher candidates take two of their foundation courses (Teacher Education Seminar and School & Society) at Emily Carr S.S. one day a week; the Psychological Foundations of Learning & Development course is an online course, and the 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.

• A cross-curricular approach to critical inquiry and literacy 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. Once a month, teacher candidates will attend staff meetings whose primary focus is professional learning and work side-by-side with practicing teachers as they examine their practice and learn together.