Our History

The Faculty first opened its doors in 1907 with a faculty focused on the history and philosophy of teaching. Enrolment was small – peaking at 40 students in 1916-17. After the Faculty closed, due to a number of financial and political factors, it wouldn’t reopen until 1968 after Queen’s Park determined the need for additional Faculties of Education to meet the provincial demand for qualified teachers. The Faculty wouldn’t have a permanent home until the completion of Duncan McArthur Hall in 1971. Since its early days, our Faculty has grown exponentially, adding program tracks such as the Artist in Community Education (ACE), Indigenous Teacher Education Program (ITEP) and Outdoor and Experiential Education (OEE) program; and the Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education (MSTE) research group in 1989; and the establishment of our concurrent program in 1985 and our PhD program in 1998.

Since the early days, the Faculty’s commitment to the community was evident. In its first year of operation in 1967, the Faculty ran an evening professional development course for local teachers on pre-school education, connecting local teachers with faculty members from education psychology, and pediatrics in a meaningful way. The Faculty continues this tradition today with research and partnerships at local schools, Science Rendezvous, and Sistema Kingston.

The Teachers' Overseas Recruiting Fair (TORF), established in 1986, and the alternative practicum in 1995, provided new pathways for our students and graduates to engage in learning and teaching around the globe and in 2017 we announced the founding of our first dual degree program with South China Normal.

A relatively new area of growth and development is our Faculty’s foray into digital education. Continuing Teacher Education (CTE) was established in 2001 with 50 courses, which have now expanded to 150. In 2017, CTE opened the Professional Studies unit, offering online courses for professionals. The Faculty opened its doors to online graduate education in the 2000s, launching the Graduate Diploma in Professional Inquiry (GDPI) which is now known as the Graduate Diploma in Education (GDE) and the Professional Mater of Education (PME) in 2014-15, allowing upgrading of professional skills for teachers and other education professionals.