This article explores elements of the professional development of a pre-tenured teacher education professor. I am that professor and I trace my journey of growth, which was aided by peer mentoring. First, I present a brief discussion on literature associated with mentoring that I found pertinent, followed by how mentoring has emerged as I…

Reviews the context of Canadian teacher education, highlighting changes in the educational landscape, in the population (e.g., the multicultural nature of society and shifting urban/rural trends), and in how people think about professional education and discussing the professional development of in-service teachers. An overview of formal and…

Critical reflection is an essential element in teachers' efforts to address the social justice issues that are often part of their lived experiences and those of their students. When educators begin to examine how power, privilege, and widely accepted assumptions about their practice may be working against their goals, such as eliminating forms of…

This study explored the applicability of Schon's notion of reflective practice for student teachers in practicum settings. Case studies of student teachers in a practicum found 15 reflective themes and up to 4 precipitants per theme, with 47 factors that enhanced or constrained reflection. Four strategies for promoting student teacher reflection…

Describes Alberta, Canada's Initiation to Teaching Project, which addressed beginning teachers' inadequate practical skills, eased the transition to full-time professional work, and reduced teacher unemployment and underemployment. Project evaluation revealed that most participants considered it a valuable induction scheme that resulted in…

This paper provides an introduction to the mandate of the Standards of Practice and Education Unit of the Ontario College of Teachers and describes how the College is proceeding to address several challenging tasks. The tasks include the licensing of teachers trained in Ontario or other jurisdictions, disciplinary procedures, and in the…

Following a review of Alberta (Canada) provincial policies related to teacher preparation, certification, evaluation, and professional development, the Council on Alberta Teaching Standards advised the Minister of Education on ideas that should be included in a framework to improve educational quality. The policy positions outlined in this paper…

This publication describes the professional learning framework for teaching that was developed by the Ontario College of Teachers, a self-regulatory body for the teaching profession in Ontario. The Ontario College of Teachers has a mandate, in legislation, to identify and accredit professional learning programs that support standards of practice…

In 1966, Muska Mosston introduced the Spectrum of Teaching Styles. Now, the expanded spectrum has been widely adopted nationally and internationally. A series of eight articles examines various uses of the Spectrum of Teaching Styles by teachers and teacher educators. (SM)

A survey was made across Canada of English-language preservice training programs for teachers who will be certified to teach, among others, children enrolled in an early childhood program the year prior to compulsory education. The primary focus of this initial study was on describing current practices. Information was collected through a series…

This paper positions action research within the wider field of teacher education, raising problematic issues inherent in the process of institutionalizing this form of teacher research. The paper also offers a self-study of the researcher's own practice. It considers teacher education in its broad sense as a continuum of ongoing professional…

Reports an 18-month ethnographic study of mentoring in two Canadian primary classrooms. Videotapes of student teachers' practices and audiotapes of coaching conversations with their mentors suggested that the contexts of mentoring structured the student teachers' experiences and that the mentors' practices resembled their teaching practices.…

Describes an international teacher education project, the Regina-Yaounde Inter-University Project, as one approach to the development of global consciousness in student teachers. The stories of two of the student participants (from Cameroon and Canada) in the student exchange component illustrate the impact of the experience on their professional…

Describes the University of Saskatchewan's thoughts on adopting Contextual Supervision (CS) to encourage professional growth in preservice teachers within an extended practicum program. CS emphasizes that supervisory decisions must be based upon universally accepted human values. The article examines studies conducted as part of a two-phase…

This document, section 2 of a three-part study, reports on an effort to determine willingness of business and vocational/industrial teachers in Manitoba to update their professional skills and knowledge. One hundred sixty-three (out of 244) teachers sent usable returns to a survey to determine the extent to which they have obtained updating…