Why Teacher Education at Queen's?

Vision

Our vision of the graduate of Queen's University Faculty of Education is that of a critically reflective professional. Graduates are expected to integrate theoretical, practical, and experiential knowledge in the understanding and resolution of professional issues. We see the beginning teacher as an active agent in the development of a socially inclusive pedagogy aimed at social justice. In our vision, the critically reflective teacher is the one who asks questions that go beyond immediate pressures of daily practice, and who has a disposition to work in collaboration with other members of the profession and with all those involved in the education and development of learners.

Characteristics of the Program

• The program sustains a commitment to academic excellence and to learning how to learn, and reflects teaching as both an intellectual and practical activity, according to Queen's principles.
• The program considers that all teacher candidates should possess the literacy and critical skills associated with an educated person.
• The program promotes caring as a central value in the profession of teaching, and inclusivity as a fundamental pedagogical principle.
• The program integrates the following domains: school context, curriculum, teaching and learning, assessment, evaluation and reporting, educational ends, purposes and values and their philosophical and historical grounds.
• The following themes are embedded in the program: inclusivity and social justice; collaboration and leadership; the use of information and communication technologies in teaching and learning.
• The program promotes the preparation of future educators who will address issues of sustainability in their classrooms by becoming environmentally aware, practicing resource conservation, and exploring new ways to minimize the impact of human beings on the ecology.

Program Highlights