Showing posts with label apprentice teachers program. Show all posts
Showing posts with label apprentice teachers program. Show all posts

Thursday 19 January 2017

Apprentice Teachers Deepen Knowledge of Customized Learning

During their time at Greenwood, our apprentice teachers get to know our students -
and how they learn - incredibly well.
Customized learning is at the heart of Greenwood, and it’s one of the main focuses of our Apprentice Teacher program.

By working with experienced teachers, coaching sports teams, supervising outdoor education trips and service learning initiatives and completing on-calls, our six apprentice teachers get to know our students - and how they learn - incredibly well. These quality relationships between students and teachers are integral to supporting a truly customized program.
“The Apprentice Teacher program is a win-win,” says Mary Gauthier, Executive Director of the Greenwood Centre for Teaching and Learning. “Teachers new to the profession have the opportunity to learn about all elements of the school community, and to connect with many different subjects and age groups; in turn, Greenwood benefits from the many ways apprentice teachers support the program, from coaching school teams to supervising weekly community service activities.


Apprentice teachers meet with Mary one per week to explore a topic connected to
customized learning.

OISE Certificate Program

Earlier this fall, Mary approached the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) about creating a course connecting research in customized learning to the Greenwood experience – and OISE readily agreed. This course is run out of Greenwood's Centre for Teaching and Learning; it is unique to Greenwood, and will earn each apprentice teacher a certificate in “Teacher Induction: Applying the Research to Design and Deliver Customized Learning.”
Once a week, our six apprentices meet with Mary to discuss a topic connected to customized learning – whether it’s the teen brain, grouping students by readiness or relational teaching. At the end of the year, our apprentice teachers will reflect on their own practice through an action research project on designing and implementing customized learning. In keeping with Greenwood’s approach, they can choose the form their final project will take; options include a research paper, an article, a presentation or a video.
“The OISE certificate brings even more value to the Apprentice Teacher program,” Mary says. “In addition to gaining hands-on experience both in and out of the classroom, these teachers can also further their professional credentials.” 

Thursday 1 December 2016

Apprentice Teacher in Action: Kelly Murphy

As an Apprentice Teacher, Kelly Murphy has many opportunities to work one-on-one
with students during class time.

Greenwood’s year-long Apprentice Teacher fellowship is an induction program for qualified teachers who have recently graduated from a teacher education program. Working alongside an experienced teacher, Apprentice Teachers further develop classroom management skills, strategies that support personalized learning, technology integration and assessment strategies. These teachers also have opportunities to support Greenwood’s mission through coaching in the school’s athletic program and supervising our weekly Service Learning program in Regent Park.

There’s no better way to learn these skills than with hands-on experience. For Apprentice Teacher Kelly Murphy, her experience supporting Christine Joannou’s Grade 7 math classes has already been valuable.

“I get to focus purely on teaching, and on developing relationships with the students,” Kelly says. “I’m also learning a lot of classroom management skills - a big part of my role is understanding how I can help each individual student to get the most out of every class.”

Apprentice Teachers hone many valuable skills during their year-long fellowship,
including classroom management and assessment strategies.

Kelly has many opportunities to work with students one-on-one during class time. “If a student has a question while Christine is teaching, they can quietly ask me on the side without stopping the lesson,” she says. In cases where Christine is away, Kelly leads the class. “It’s wonderful to have opportunities to teach where I’m so familiar with the material,” Kelly says. “It’s also great for the students, because they’re working with a teacher who knows them really well even when Christine can’t be there.”

For Christine, having Kelly in class has been very positive. “Grade 7 is a year where students are building so many of the math skills they’ll need in high school and beyond,” Christine says. “Having Kelly’s support helps ensure that every student develop confidence and a strong foundation.”