The Declaration on Education for Peace, Human Rights and Democracy calls on its signatories to enhance the role and status of educators in formal and non-formal education and to give priority to the preparation of educators in the fields of peace, human rights, and democracy.
In Section 3, we reported on the exciting efforts in Quebec and New Brunswick to develop training methods to prepare teachers to offer citizenship education from a global perspective. Further to this, we report the following responses to our survey in the area of teacher training.
PROVINCES AND TERRITORIES
Alberta
Alberta has established two standards that relate directly to the preparation of both
teachers and Alberta students in the areas of democracy, peaceful coexistence, and human rights. The first is the Ministerial Order on Goals and Standards Applicable to the
Provision of Basic Education in Alberta. The second is the Teaching Quality Standard (TQS) Ministerial Order.
The TQS Ministerial Order represents the key element that directs teachers’ preparation, certification, career-long professional development, supervision, and evaluation in Alberta. The Order defines the knowledge, skills, and attributes (competencies) expected of teachers. In this regard, teachers are expected to: “understand the knowledge concepts, methodologies and assumptions of the subject disciplines they teach.... and their
relevance and importance in everyday life at the personal, local, national, and
international levels”; to “apply a broad range and variety of instructional and learning strategies. The strategies are selected and used to achieve desired outcomes [for student learning], the expectations outlined in the Guide to Education, programs of study and other approved programs”; and to “model the beliefs, principles, values, and intellectual characteristics outlined in the Guide to Education and programs of study, and guide students to do the same.”
With respect to teacher preparation, Memoranda of Agreement between the Minister of Learning and each provincial institution for teacher preparation require that their programs be designed and delivered to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and attributes of the TQS Ministerial Order in order to positively support student learning as graduates of these programs take charge of classrooms. As noted below, student learning outcomes include those related to the development and maintenance of democracy, peaceful coexistence, and human rights.
The Ministerial Order on Goals and Standards Applicable to the Provision of Basic Education in Alberta describes the minimum student learning outcomes of a basic education program in Alberta. A key goal for the basic education system is that “...
students will understand personal and community values and the rights and
responsibilities of citizenship. ... and to attain levels of proficiency [in languages other than English] and cultural awareness which will help to prepare them for participation in the global economy.” Specific student learning outcomes address the development of students’ respect for cultural diversity and desirable personal characteristics such as
“respect, responsibility, fairness, honesty, caring, loyalty, and commitment to democratic ideals.”
British Columbia
The government of British Columbia has a role in providing leadership and direction in areas of high level concern such as the preparation of teachers for the public school system of the province. The Ministry of Advanced Education, Training and Technology works co-operatively with the Ministry of Education, the Faculties of Education at universities and university colleges, the British Columbia College of Teachers (BCCT), and other stakeholders in carefully reviewing teacher education programs in the province to ensure that the development of high quality and relevant programs prepare students in the public school system for the real world, and adhere to the aims of education for peace and tolerance.
The Faculties of Education at several universities and university colleges in
British Columbia provide a range of programs in the field of teacher education, and determine admission requirements for applicants who wish to prepare as elementary or secondary teachers in the province. Opportunities for continuing professional education for teachers are also offered through the postsecondary institutions.
In the process of developing teacher education programs, it is recognized that all future teachers in British Columbia have a professional obligation to the well-being and educational growth of students. All teachers require a broad understanding of the importance of developing lifelong learners who are prepared to participate in the real world in terms of employment and social responsibility. Therefore, teachers need to engage students in the pursuit of knowledge while encouraging an understanding of knowledge within social contexts.
The program options for the preparation of teachers in British Columbia integrate pedagogical studies and school experience, and incorporate curricula which continue to adhere to the principles of peace, human rights, democracy, international understanding and tolerance. Within the program options, student teachers extend their liberal education by exploring educational theory and practice, applying their understanding in carefully graduated teaching practice, and building a foundation for leadership in the classroom and the community.
BCCT was established by the government of British Columbia under the Teaching Profession Act, as the professional regulatory body for teachers in the province. Under the Act, the responsibility for establishing standards for the education of teachers in the public schools of the province rests with BCCT. The mandate of the College is to establish professional standards related to training, certification, discipline and the professional practice of teaching in the province.
The Act gives BCCT the mandate to approve, for certification purposes, the programs of the Faculties of Education in British Columbia. The Teacher Education Programs
Committee of BCCT is given the authority under the Act, to cooperate with teacher education institutions in the design and evaluation of teacher education programs. The Committee has wide representation and is responsible for policy development in the teacher education programs area. Detailed information on teacher education in British Columbia is outlined on the Web site for BCCT http://www.bcct.bc.ca.
New Brunswick
New Brunswick has offered extensive teacher training opportunities through various avenues. The Department’s summer institute program, introduced in the late 1980s, provides teachers with up-to-date information, techniques, and skills in areas of ongoing and current concern. Areas which have been addressed over the past several years include: crisis intervention, Choice Theory, Reality Therapy, citizenship education, Atlantic Canada in the Global Community, and issues in intercultural education. In addition, this summer for the fourth year, the Department will be sponsoring teachers to attend a human rights institute developed by the Atlantic Human Rights Centre affiliated with St. Thomas University. This is a 3-credit course that provides the
theoretical/historical background to human rights legislation and education, possible approaches and resources for teaching about human rights, citizenship, and inclusive education, and strategies for dealing with value-based and controversial issues/concepts with students.
Northwest Territories
The Department of Education, Culture and Employment has a vision for teacher education in the Northwest Territories: “Professional educators representative of the population, the culture and the language who are qualified to implement the curriculum of the NWT.” By preparing teachers who reflect the cultures of NWT students, the Department supports the belief that children need role models with whom they can identify. To support beginning teachers, both from the NWT and those new to the
environment, an NWT Teacher Induction Program was introduced in 2000. This program is composed of four phases: pre-orientation, orientation, systematic sustained supports, and professional development.
The NWT Teacher Education Program is a pre-service program for elementary teachers which integrates the knowledge and methods of culture-based education. In addition, a training program for Aboriginal Language and Culture Instructors prepares teachers to fill this role in NWT schools.
In 1999–2000, a new program was piloted through distance delivery for Special Needs Assistants who were currently employed in schools across the NWT.
Ontario
An integral part of maintaining high standards is making sure that teachers maintain their certification by having up-to-date skills, knowledge, and training. To do this, the Ministry of Education will require teachers to participate in a teacher-testing program. A Teacher Standards Panel (composed of groups of education stakeholders and Ministry staff) was
established to provide the Ministry with a set of core competencies for the development of all teacher testing components.
In May 2000, the Ministry announced the new Ontario Teacher Testing Program. This program strengthens teacher education and training through a series of initiatives that support both new and established teachers. The program, initiated in June 2000 and to be implemented in stages, will include three key components.
First, all teachers will have to be re-certified every five years to ensure that they are up-to-date in their knowledge, skills, and training. To be re-certified, teachers will be required to successfully complete a number of required courses, including written tests and other assessments.
Second, all new teachers will have to take and pass a qualifying test, similar to a bar exam for lawyers, for initial certification by the Ontario College of Teachers. This will ensure they know their curriculum subjects and have adequate teaching skills and methods. In addition, the Ministry will design an induction program in which all new teachers can get coaching and support from more experienced colleagues to ensure they get off to a strong start at the beginning of their careers.
Third, the government will establish new, province-wide standards to ensure that the way principals and school boards evaluate teachers is consistent across the province. A new certification review process will determine if teachers who are not meeting the standards should have their certification removed. Under the new standards, parents and students will also be given an opportunity to be involved in teacher assessment.
Graduates from teacher preparation programs in the spring of 2002 will be the first to write a certification test.
In addition, all new teachers trained in a language other than English or French will have to pass an oral and written language proficiency test to ensure they can teach in either English or French.
In order to support the implementation of the new Ontario curriculum, teachers need to be prepared to help their students successfully meet the challenges of the rigorous and
relevant new elementary and secondary curriculum. The government committed $370 million over five years (1998-2003) to give teachers and students the support they need to implement the new curriculum. The funding supports the development and delivery of professional resources such as:
• purchases of new textbooks
• developing course profiles
• sample units of study for elementary grades in science, mathematics, social studies, history, and geography
• exemplars [samples of student work to illustrate the achievement levels as defined in the new curriculum]
• discipline-specific workshops conducted throughout the province
• teacher training materials
The funding supports summer institutes (three-day training seminars for teachers) developed by the Ontario Teachers’ Federation in partnership with the Ministry of Education. In 1999, about 4,600 elementary and secondary school teachers (4,000
English and 600 French) took part in some 65 summer institutes. By 2000, the number of teachers enrolled in the summer institutes had increased to approximately 9,000 (6,000 English and 3,000 French). Plans are under way for Summer Institutes in 2001.
The Ontario government support for teachers includes the establishment of District Steering Committees and Provincial District Teams. The mandate of these bodies is to support implementation of the new curriculum at the secondary and elementary levels by providing in-service training, facilitating development of partnerships and networks, gathering data and identifying issues.
At the individual school level, School Implementation Teams (SIT) operationalize the work of the steering committees and the district teams. The SIT facilitate connection between teachers and the school councils and other key partners, in addition to coordinating the implementation of the new curriculum at the local school level.
Quebec
The Quebec Ministry of Education announced its teacher training framework in the spring of 2001, along with an accompanying set of professional competencies.
One of these competencies relates to ethical skills, including the ability to construct a moral position (in respect of justice, violence, rules of conduct, social norms, and democracy), to seek out the values on which laws are based, to work on acceptance of differences, and to set rules for healthy discussion. This competency is set in the context of greater autonomy for teachers.
The wording of the competency: “To behave as a responsible professional while carrying out his or her duties” is broken down into a number of detailed components:
• providing stakeholders with a rationale for decisions about students’ learning and education
• implementing a democratic process in the classroom
• understanding the values involved in one’s interventions
• using appropriately the legal and regulatory framework of the profession
• complying with the confidentiality provisions of the profession
• avoiding any form of discrimination in respect of students, parents, and colleagues
• placing any moral issues arising in the classroom in the context of major schools of thought
• providing students with appropriate attention and assistance
In addition, the ministry’s document “Une école d’avenir,” which sets up the Politique d’intégration scolaire et d’éducation interculturelle, focuses among other areas for action
on education for democratic citizenship in a pluralistic context. Schools will be required to create an action plan and a policy that takes into account the guidelines contained in the document. This action plan will include the measures chosen to promote in-service training for teachers, in cooperation with various partners such as universities.
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan Education provides workshops for teachers regarding provincial mandated curricula. These workshops address the particular area of study plus Core Curriculum components such as the Common Essential Learnings of Personal and Social Values and Skills described in Section 2.
The Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF), through its Professional Development Unit, conducts numerous workshops and courses for teachers and teachers-in-training in a variety of forums each year. A strong, ongoing strand of this intensive professional development program is devoted to matters related to peace, human rights, and equity.
The STF Code of Ethics contains statements that require teachers to conduct themselves in ways that promote these principles. The Code is part of a course that the STF offers to teachers in training each year.
GOVERNMENT OF CANADA
Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s Settlement Programs provide funds to a number of umbrella organizations to allow volunteers and front-line settlement workers to make connections between their work and other sectors concerning immigrants, refugees and settlement issues. Conferences and workshops, organized at a regional level, provide non-profit agencies with a forum for information-exchange, training, and networking. The objective of funding such organizations is to encourage people from different regions in Canada who work within the same field to exchange information, receive training, and create a vehicle for networking. Participation at these conferences may include settlement agencies, mainstream social service agencies that serve immigrants and refugees,
government officials, church refugee-support groups, students in related academic fields of study, volunteers, lawyers, Canadian and international academics, and representatives from ethno-cultural associations.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada provided funding to the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture (CCVT) to develop training material to assist those who work with victims of torture. See the CCVT Web site at http://www.icomm.ca/ccvt.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada funds the Centre for Peace Action and Migration Research (CPAMR) at Carleton University to develop People Oriented Planning (POP), a training course originally developed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in 1989. POP aims to improve the targeting of assistance and protection programs in refugee camp situations around the world and particularly emphasizes implications of gender roles.