OISE Courses

Intended to prepare teachers of Religious Education in Catholic secondary schools, the focus of the course is the discipline of Religious Education rather than religious doctrine. This course examines contemporary theories and issues of pedagogy, analyzes present guidelines and support materials, and addresses teaching models and assessment practices relevant to the field of Religious Education. It asks students to present research-based findings from explorations of theorists, strategies, and resources in the discipline of Religious Education. In particular, graduates from this program will have a strong sense of how Catholic Social Teachings can animate the Religious Education curriculum.

This course engages students in the practices, resources and theories of English/Language Arts to prepare them for teaching in the intermediate grades (Grades 7-10). Explorations of written, visual and virtual texts such as literature, media, and technology define the content. Since language is fundamental to thinking and learning, students engage in reading, writing, viewing, talking and representing strategies as the practical grounding for understanding and reflecting on English/Language Arts practices, and for creating sound language curricula. The content, methodologies, evaluation and skill requirements of the course will be linked to Ontario Ministry of Education and Training guidelines.

This course will help teacher candidates develop the skills, knowledge, and professionalism expected of beginning core French teachers at the junior/ intermediate levels. We will focus on:

1. Methods and techniques to facilitate the teaching/ learning of listening, speaking, reading and writing as interrelated processes.
2. Integrating grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, culture, language awareness, learning strategies, media, technology, literature, and a variety of assessment strategies into lesson plans and long-term teaching units which reflect current Ministry of Education guidelines.

Candidates will be involved in reflective and active learning. This course is offered in French.

The purpose of this course is to introduce teacher candidates to basic knowledge, skills/techniques, attitudes and methodologies applicable in the successful teaching of geography and social studies at the J/I level. The course will, therefore, deal with both the practical and theoretical issues related to the teaching of geography and environmental education in Ontario's schools.

The course is an enabling process to help you develop your own teaching and learning beliefs through experiencing and experimenting with the ways geography's concepts and skills can help students learn. It stresses that reflection and analysis about their own teaching are critical elements in the life-long developmental process of being teacher first, geographer second.

Geography is not a collection of arcane information. Rather, it is the study of spatial aspects of human existence. People everywhere need to know about the nature of their world and their place in it. Geography has more to do with asking questions and solving problems than it does with memorization of isolated facts.

So what exactly is Geography? It is an integrative discipline that brings together the physical and human dimensions of the world in the study of people, places, and environments. Its subject matter is Earth's surface and the processes that shape it, the relationships between people and environments, and the connections between people and places.

The world facing students on graduating will be more crowded, the physical environment more threatened, and the global economy more competitive and interconnected. Understanding that world, that environment, and that economy will require high levels of competency in Geography, because Geography means a sensitivity to location, to scale, to movement, to patterns, to resources and conflicts, to maps and geographics.

This course of study prepares future teachers to design and deliver contemporary Intermediate level (grades 7-10) Health and Physical Education programs. It is consistent with the national and provincial trend towards de-emphasizing competitive team sports and focuses on wellness and the process of guiding youngsters to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes that lead one to become physically active for a lifetime. Participants relate social, cultural, economic and political factors to teaching and student learning and their ability to work collaboratively within the school setting, systems and the community. One of the aims of the course is to introduce new ways of thinking about Health and Physical Education and its role in schools, thereby supporting beginning teachers as they construct their vision for teaching Health and Physical Education. The importance of quality instruction as it fits into a comprehensive school health model will also be explored.

The purpose of this course is to introduce teacher candidates to basic knowledge, skills/techniques, attitudes and methodologies applicable in the successful teaching of History. The course will, therefore, deal with both the practical and theoretical issues related to the teaching of History in Ontario's schools.

The course is an enabling process to help you develop your own teaching and learning beliefs through experiencing and experimenting with the ways history's concepts and skills can help students learn. It stresses that reflection and analysis about their own teaching are critical elements in the life-long developmental process of being teacher first, historian second.

History is not a collection of arcane information. People everywhere need to know about the nature of their world and their place in it. History has more to do with asking questions and solving problems than it does with memorization of isolated facts. A primary objective of the course is to equip you with practical, innovative strategies around which to build an effective history program. As well, you will be exposed to a wide variety of learning resources that can be used to enhance classroom learning. In the end you will leave the course well prepared to deliver an exciting and success-based history curriculum to a diversity of learners.

Guiding Focus: To explore the meanings of history and teaching history, and to develop innovative curriculum and pedagogical strategies to meet the needs of a diversity of learners.

This course is designed to prepare teacher candidates to teach students mathematics at the Grade 7-10 level in a thoughtful and interactive way. It focuses on mathematics at the Intermediate level. Teacher candidates will explore a variety of teaching techniques, which are useful in teaching and assessing today's students as they experience the current mathematics curriculum.

Teacher candidates will also have an opportunity to engage in inquiry and examine unique ways for presenting mathematics content. Examining classroom practice and methods, curriculum and program materials are an important component of the process. As well, the interdependence of these components, their link with theory and contemporary issues will be considered.

Techniques such as discussion, presentations, inquiry, and active participation that incorporate individual and group learning will be employed. Opportunities for sharing of ideas and experiences from field placements will be provided in the context of the classroom setting.

Two important ideas that will be emphasized throughout the program are: how to make mathematics meaningful for children, and how to promote positive attitudes.

These courses investigate approaches to music learning, teaching, and assessment through instrumental performance, conducting, listening, analysis and creative problem solving; and personal experience with music and technology (MIDI) and media arts. Candidates will develop a repertoire of diverse teaching and assessment strategies appropriate for Ontario students in grades 7-10. Current music education philosophies, Ministry of Education and Training policy and best practices from the field will be the basis for the designing of curriculum lessons and units. Assignments involve practical applications of methodology and frequent personal reflections on music teaching.

These courses investigate approaches to music learning, teaching, and assessment through vocal and instrumental performance, conducting, listening, analysis and creative problem solving; and personal experience with music and technology (MIDI) and media arts. Candidates will develop a repertoire of diverse teaching and assessment strategies appropriate for Ontario students in grades 7-10. Current music education philosophies, Ministry of Education and Training policy and best practices from the field will be the basis for the designing of curriculum lessons and units. Assignments involve practical applications of methodology and frequent personal reflections on music teaching.

This course is designed to prepare teachers of science in the intermediate division (Grades 7-10). It explores the teaching of selected units in all four strands from the Ontario Science and Technology Curriculum guideline. Attention is paid to the skills of lesson planning, laboratory techniques, teaching strategies, and assessment and resources, through workshops, lectures and lab activities.

This course will consider important contexts as they relate to science and technology in education as outlined in:

• Acting Today, Shaping Tomorrow - A Policy Framework for Environmental Education in Ontario Schools (a policy document on Environmental Education and ways to infuse Environment and Sustainability education into our classrooms)

• Equity and Inclusive Education in Ontario Schools, 2009: (guidelines for school boards- Equity and inclusive education aims to understand, identify, address, and eliminate the biases, barriers, and power dynamics that limit students' prospects for learning, growing and fully contributing to society)

• Growing Success, 2010; Explore the seven fundamental principles and what they mean for instructional decisions

• Connecting the Dots, Key Learning Strategies for Environmental Education, Citizenship and Sustainability. These learning strategies involve students as engaged learners, learning within the context of their communities and addressing relevant, local issues

The focus of the course is on becoming visual arts teachers in the intermediate grades. The course is structured to intersect theory, practice, and studio work in order to explore a) contemporary art and elementary education; b) contemporary issues in pedagogy; c) lesson planning at the elementary level d) the above in relation to Ministry guidelines, assessment, and curriculum development.

This course of study prepares future teachers to design and deliver contemporary dramatic arts instruction for Intermediate level (grades 7-10) learners. Teacher candidates will examine both the research on adolescent development and strategies for effective dramatic arts pedagogies. The course will also explore how teachers can promote student engagement and how to foster a positive, supportive classroom culture. Special attention will be given to such topics as role playing, improvisation, techniques for infusing drama in other disciplines, and the special role that the dramatic arts can play in examining issues of equity, inclusivity and diversity.

The Sustainability course is designed to assist candidates in the Master of Teaching Program in implementing the Ontario curriculum for Environmental Education (MOE 2017) within their subject specializations, and, heeding the United Nations' repeated calls for action on sustainable development, to promote both critical and caring perspectives on the serious ecological and humanitarian challenges we face globally and locally.

The course will survey various aspects of the broad topic space: environmental sustainability education, place-based education, sustainable development goals, global citizenship education, and eco-justice. The course builds upon and compliments learning in the other foundations courses without repeating the content: CTL7074H-Issues in Educational Law, Policy and Ethics; CTL7073H-Indigenous Experiences of Racism and Settler Colonialism in Canada: An Introduction; and, CTL7009H-Anti-Discriminatory Education.

As a part of the Curriculum & Instruction course, this module is designed to introduce you to strategies and approaches for teaching Visual Arts Education and Health & Physical Education (HPE) to Primary and/or Junior learners. This course is designed to help OISE MT students (re)discover the theory and practice of Art Education and HPE, as well as understand and apply the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for effective teaching and learning that meets the diverse needs of students. Over the course you will become more competent and confident in working with learning tools and resources in each of these areas of the curriculum; developing lesson themes and ideas; and devising questions and learning activities for students. You will become familiar with the Ontario Ministry of Education curriculum policy documents: The Arts (2009), and Health & Physical Education (2010), core concepts and teaching techniques, methods for integrating Art Education and HPE with other disciplines, including social justice, environmental education and indigenous approaches to knowing. Current ways of thinking about and teaching Art Education and HPE may differ significantly from when beginning teachers were students; therefore one of the aims of the course is to introduce new ways of thinking about these disciplines and their role in contemporary approaches to teaching and learning.

The Curriculum and Instruction in Social Studies and Aboriginal Education course explores the shared histories of Indigenous and settler relationships across Turtle Island and, while recognizing the US/Canadian divisions as colonial constructs, will focus more specifically on the Canadian context. This course provides a practical and conceptual introduction to the teaching of Social Studies (Grades 4-6), History and Geography (7-10) within the context of Aboriginal (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) understandings. This course consists of a series of seminars and workshops designed to emphasize the expectations, pedagogy, methodology and content integrating both Social studies and Aboriginal Studies in the junior/intermediate grades.

The course provides opportunities to develop practical understandings relating to instructional methods and skills through unit and lesson planning, including practical assessment strategies, in a variety of classroom contexts as well as the incorporation of Indigenous and Western knowledges and understandings. It seeks answers to questions of identity, meaning-making, complex issues concerning community and nation, past and present. It looks to bring local histories and traditional ecological knowledges- and to provide a template for understanding the complex interplay relating to constructions of identity (personal, local, and national) and sovereignty.

With a focus on teacher preparation, this course seeks to understand the experiences of Indigenous people in Canada with regard to racism and settler colonialism, focusing on implications for classroom-based, programmatic, and pedagogical practice and reform. Because schooling has a historical and contemporary role in facilitating racism and settler colonialism, especially through the creation of residential schools, this course encourages teachers to become familiar with the consequences of this ongoing history, and to learn strategies to rethink relationships between schools and Indigenous learners and communities.

As a required course in a professional program, there are both professional and academic rationales underpinning this course. Teachers and high schools are governed by a range of shifting and variably interpreted legal, policy and ethical mandates which have been produced in a range of historical, political and institutional contexts. One key aim of this course is to assure that teacher candidates are aware of their professional and legal rights and responsibilities, as defined by national and provincial legislation, local school board policy, and professional advisories. Another aim of the course is to explore ethical nuances and challenges in teaching while aiming to interpret and respond to relevant legislation that helps to define the teacher's professional role. Using academic research literature, policy documents, and case studies, the course blends theory with the consideration of practical in-school situations in order to enable teacher candidates to analyse policy, ethical and legal tensions in teaching. The course thus aims to rigorously explore teachers' professional contexts so as to inform their daily practice through thoughtful ethical reflection in light of legal and policy considerations.

This first year course provides supervised experience in an area of fieldwork, under the direction of faculty and field personnel. Teacher candidates are placed in partnership schools in public and separate school systems and in other settings that use the Ontario curriculum. Teacher Candidates are under the joint supervision of a field teacher on site and an academic staff member at OISE. The teacher candidates will have one placement in each of their divisions. This course is normally open only to students in the Teaching program.

This first year course provides supervised experience in an area of fieldwork, under the direction of faculty and field personnel. Teacher candidates are placed in partnership schools in public and separate school systems and in other settings that use the Ontario curriculum. Teacher Candidates are under the joint supervision of a field teacher on site and an academic staff member at OISE. The teacher candidates will have one placement in each of their divisions. This course is normally open only to students in the Teaching program.

This second year course provides supervised experience in an area of fieldwork, under the direction of faculty and field personnel. Teacher candidates are placed in partnership schools in public and separate school systems and in other settings that use the Ontario curriculum. Teacher Candidates are under the joint supervision of a field teacher on site and an academic staff member at OISE. The teacher candidates will have one placement in each of their divisions. This course is normally open only to students in the Teaching program.

This second year course provides supervised experience in an area of fieldwork, under the direction of faculty and field personnel. Teacher candidates are placed in partnership schools in public and separate school systems and in other settings that use the Ontario curriculum. Teacher Candidates are under the joint supervision of a field teacher on site and an academic staff member at OISE. The teacher candidates will have one placement in each of their divisions. This course is normally open only to students in the Teaching program.

In this course, current issues related to mathematics instruction and their theoretical underpinnings will be explored. We will examine research related to this issues and how the impact they can have on classroom programming. Candidates will have an opportunity to discuss their personal beliefs and views about mathematics education as they bridge theory with practice. Instruction in this course will include lecture, written response, group activities, and group investigations.

In this course, current issues related to literacy instruction and their theoretical underpinnings will be explored. We will examine research related to this issues and how the impact they can have on classroom programming. Candidates will have an opportunity to discuss their personal beliefs and views about literacy education as they bridge theory with practice. Instruction in this course will include lecture, written response, group activities, and group investigations.

This course develops an awareness of and practice in the arts as a means of personal development and as a learning technique. The philosophy and practice of Music and Dance in education will be explored. The possibilities of conceptual development and expansion of THE CREATIVE PROCESS through the art of Music and Dance with a particular focus on the cognitive, social, and artistic development of the child.

This course is designed to assist teachers in the Primary/Junior Division in the development, implementation and assessment/evaluation of Music and Dance focused learning experiences.

Candidates will explore music through singing, movement, musical games, playing instruments (recorder, percussion, djembes and boomwhackers) and developing their listening skills while at the same time creating, composing and improvising.

Current theories of arts in education will be incorporated as participants plan lessons, consider expectation(s) and implement assessment strategies as outlined in the Ministry documents. The use of Music and Dance as art as well as an INTEGRATIVE methodology for learning across the curriculum will provide a framework for the course.