Today, the Liberal Party of Ontario announced that, if re-elected, they will double the length of training requirements for elementary and secondary school teachers by amending the Ontario College of Teachers Act. This initiative is intended to improve teaching quality and student success by increasing the time teachers spend training and receiving professional development. The recent announcement highlighted that Ontario’s teacher training requirements are less time intensive than peer-jurisdictions, citing Finland, Japan and Singapore as examples of countries which have longer teacher training and also higher standardized test scores. Additionally, the initiative will reduce the number of teachers graduating in a single year from 9,000 to 4,500, potentially easing current job market saturation.
Students have long emphasized the importance of teaching quality at all levels of education; doubling the training requirements for elementary and second teachers helps support this objective. The Ontario government’s recent Putting Students First plan also committed to developing programs and incentives to improve teaching quality and reward excellence at the post-secondary level, and we look forward to further details as the plan unfolds.
Last year, OUSA released a holistic access strategy that emphasized the important role the elementary and secondary school system plays in shaping student preparation and attitudes towards post-secondary education. Students hope that enhanced teacher training requirements will also equip teachers with the tools to better communicate with students about post-secondary education.
One unanswered question left by the announcement is how the affordability of teacher training will be maintained in the new two-year system, given that students’ costs in tuition and living costs will increase. In addition it is unclear exactly how the additional year will be divided between coursework and practical experience. It remains to be seen what the government’s proposed next steps on tuition and student aid are, which will hopefully be clarified in the coming days.
Overall however, this measure could be an important step in raising the quality of teaching in Ontario. A key next step in fulfilling the promise of Putting Students First is addressing the void in professional development and training for university instructors, who are currently required to complete no instruction in teaching methods prior to entering the classroom.
-Natalie Cockburn
Vice President Finance, OUSA
Vice President Education, Federation of Students at the University of Waterloo
I honestly believe that this is nothing more than some kind of money grab. If they were so concerned about the ‘quality’ of teachers coming out of Teacher’s College, then why not change up the curriculum that is already in place?
Perhaps it is true: Dalton McGuinty IS the Tax Man. For shame.
@ Nora – Hey there. I can only say that I agree with your basic stance about changing the system within teachers college. However, it is the governments duty to change that, not teachers or their union. Once the Harris government took control over the TDSB, there were no training manuals or smooth implementation of the new curriculum. Teachers ever since, struggled to maintain their teaching ability. While most of them see it as good pay, good bonuses and are covered by their union. Sad, but true.
Also consider, getting a job and obtaining good references in teachers college is highly political. That is a major concern too. For most people, teaching is a job. Let’s face facts. However, elementary and secondary school teachers are at a huge disadvantages b/c jobs are being cut each year. And the mainstream curriculum is being “tailored” to fit the needs of the school and administration (growing numbers in public alternative schooling). All and all, the government needs to change the curriculum. Spending money in the long run, would benefit. Short term, not so much. Where do we compromise?