Teachers, Teacher Education, and Professional Development
Teacher Education Specific to Reading
Elementary school teachers generally complete four years of post-secondary education to receive a bachelor’s degree in education from an accredited university. At least one supervised field practicum is required in any teacher education program, although the duration of the practicum varies among jurisdictions, ranging from 10 weeks to six months. Some jurisdictions also require the following:
- Completion of a probationary teaching period lasting six months to two years (British Columbia, Alberta, New Brunswick-English, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador)
- Certification of qualification to teach specific grade ranges and completion of a mentoring or induction program (Ontario)
- A qualifying examination (New Brunswick-French)
- An interim certification period (Alberta)
- Completion of coursework in both teachable subject areas and teacher education (Saskatchewan)
Although there are no requirements specific to the teaching of reading, basic language arts curriculum courses generally are offered to teacher education students, with several instructional courses taken by those specializing in language arts.
Requirements for Ongoing Professional Development in Reading for Teachers
Opportunities for ongoing professional development include university programs, special training programs offered by the ministry or department of education or teachers’ colleges, participation in educational conferences, research projects, online learning communities, large scale assessment development sessions, and scoring teams. In addition to these opportunities, some jurisdictions create special centers that offer professional support to new teachers (e.g., centers of excellence developed by anglophone school commissions in Quebec).16 Although the number of professional development hours generally is not regulated, some jurisdictions (such as Nova Scotia) require teachers to complete 100 hours of professional development every five years.17