Academy Advisory Council Meeting

The Learning Community - North Option

Tuesday, May 30, 2000

OISE/UT

9:30 am to 3:30 pm

Minutes

Present:

Faculty: Anne Marie Chudleigh, Susan Schwartz, Steve Anderson, Nicole Sanderson, Lorne Cook, Anna Faraone

Field: Monique Anderson, Sharon Basman, Dr. Helen Bochar, Pat Bonavota, Carmela Ciocio, Jan Davies, Lisa Evangelista, Andrew Fong-Ying, Eloise Giancola, Brenda Julie, Sharon Kornhaber, Howard Lindo, Karen Madarasz, Nadira Persaud, Margaret Rimmel, Laura Rodney, Marie-Anne Vosoi

TC Reps: Cordel Brown, Cristina Da Costa, Anita Pacheco, Marry Rocca, Liesel Scholtz

1. Welcome , Introduction, Objectives

Susan introduced the team.

Nicole presented the warm-up activity – List terms or phrases for "TLC" concerning partnerships.

Susan shared the objectives.

2. Accreditation process update and implications

The final report will be available at the end of June and will be reported in Professionally Speaking in September 2000.

Steve discussed the Ontario Standards of Practice which will be used next year instead of our 6 Images.

3. Associate Teacher Institute

Susan informed the group about the 2 day P.D. workshop offered by OISE/UT on August 21 and 22 and encouraged STEs to attend.

4. Reviewing 1999-2000

Feedback that had been collected from the TC's were posted on the walls for everyone to see

Steve reviewed each assignment and asked for feedback from the group:

- Portfolios -- continue our focus on professional growth

  • Action Research à STE's and TC's agreed that more emphasis needs to be put on helping them develop their Action Research question.
  • Diversity Among Learners à connect this assignment with report card writing
  • Mini-Seminars à see if STEs can connect to the conferences
  • STE's and administrators would like to see presentations and/or read the reports.
  • Literacy Study Groups - the professional reading may be changed again this coming year to increase discussion about literacy, perhaps have the reading available to all STEs

Suggestion about the Internship à could be a time to develop responsibilities that weren't addressed during the two practicum blocks - e.g., attendance registers, report cards, IEPs, classroom management, etc. – perhaps have a list of things for them to make sure they have accomplished

Anne Marie asked the groups to discuss and write "Highlights, Issues and Recommendations" on the following topics:

 

Highlights
Issues
Recommendations

Opportunities for Field P.D.

- Portfolio Institute

- Cooperative

Learning Institute

- Academy Quest

- Portfolio Interviews

- Profile Readings for entry in faculty

- Associate Teacher Institute (OISE)

Summer Institute

- Repetitive - some schools have had all their teachers attend the PD's

- Different teacher development levels

- Need varied institutes

- Diversity of Learners Institute

- Rubrics Institute

- Self-Assessment Institute

- More centralized locations

- More concentrated meetings (e.g., Academy Quest) short-concise

- Break-up Academy Quest Part I & II

- Session(s) for EQAO

- More emphasis put on need for everyone to be at Academy Quest (possibly different times)

Sequence/structures of time in schools and experiences

- In school at beginning of year (Sept. & Jan.) a good idea

- Internship OK

- have STEP days (more focussed)

- March Break

- Not all staff in school to accommodate this suggestion

- Meet 1-2 days last week of August to meet STE, staff meetings

- STEP days in Dec. before 2nd practicum

-- The need to meet 2nd set of TC's before STEP days (no more than an hour or two)

- March Break – push the teaching block up one week so candidates will be finished before March Break (also affects report cards, unit planning)

Faculty/Field connections

- P.D. sessions

- Feedback

- Portfolios

- Ongoing communication/

support

- Workload

- Timing

- Action Research

question selection

- Commitment of STE's

- Communication

- Collaboration

- Re-visit scheduling

- Re-visit selection & commitment of STE's

Assessment/

evaluation Process during the practicum

- Beefed up version of evaluation once STE had met with other STE's

- Allows for open and continuous communication between TC & STE'

- Collaborative field experience practicum #2 conference form

- Ability and experience of the writer

- Checklist inadequate

-Certain criteria -how is it measured? - professional conduct?

- Input from both sides develops common understandings

- Info to STE on students requiring intensive support

- Give examples of summative reports

- Some overlap on headings summative evaluations

- Change the rubric

Planning

- Format (knew what to do scope, focus, plan)

- Variety of templates & approaches

- More in depth undertaking this year

- Introduction earlier in September

- should know what a lesson plan is/what does it look like

-TCs should share plans with STE à and should see STE plans

- a continuum

- Begin before school starts (last week of August)

- More days for orientation

- Structure of a lesson plan

- Lead time

- Need a template for them to actively make a plan

- no expectations for STE to use a template

- P.D. from boards re: planning processes

- Clear expectations for STE's …need it early à what to look for

- blank template tfor TC's o observe STE's and faculty in action

The team distributed the 'Roles of Stakeholders' brochure and the page on STE Selection Process & Commitment. The main points that emerged from the discussion included:

- Ask schools how they select STE's? standards? consistency?

- Faculty prepare a very explicit one-page handout re: very specific expectations

- Liaison Teacher and/or administrator should sit down and discuss roles and pamphlet with potential STE's

- Faculty should continue to address professionalism very explicitly and specifically with TC's

- Acknowledge role of STE re: leadership, a certificate, P.D., some kind of incentive à eg. An OISE/UT library card, credit towards a course

- Faculty should write a personal acknowledgement/thank-you to each STE

5. Budget

Susan explained the upcoming year budget and looked at last year and the coming year.

A summary of the budget was distributed to each school as well as a ‘Commitment ‘ page.

The group discussed the payment dates for next year. Unanimously, everyone selected the 2 payments- one in December and one at the end of the year in May/June.

6. Calendar

Nicole discussed that some days are non-negotiable due to faculty events and timetables.

The group discussed possibilities and set dates which include:

School Days: First Term:

- Thurs. Sept. 28

- Fri. Sept. 29

- Thurs. Oct. 12

- Fri. Oct. 13

- Mon. Dec. 11 (orientation in second practicum school)

School Days: Second Term:

- Thurs. Jan. 25

- Fri. Jan. 26

- Mon. Feb. 5

- Tues. Feb. 6

Other dates to note: First Term:

- Oct. 26 (in-faculty day for MOET presentations)

- Oct. 27 (in-faculty day to debrief experiences, diversity assignment and planning)

- Fri. Nov. 24 (independent day for TCs)

 Other dates to note: Second Term:

- Thurs. Feb. 15 (in-faculty day for ETF and OCT presentations)

- Fri. Feb. 16 (in-faculty day for debriefing, action research, and unit planning)?

- Fri. Mar. 23 (independent day for TCs)?

For all STEs:

- Thurs. Jan. 18 - Academy Quest - 4:30 to 7:00 p.m. at Cummer Valley M.S.

AAC Meetings for Liaison Teachers and Administrators (8:30 to 11:30 a.m.)

- Sept. 20 at C.H.Best East

- Nov. 8 at Crestview

- Jan. 24 at Topcliff

- Apr. 4 at St. Jude

7. Expectations for Orientation Day

Susan distributed and discussed the ‘School Orientation Ideas’ sheet.

8. Expectations for 1st week

STE's and administrators generated questions that STEs might ask and need to know. A question/ answer page will be completed by Faculty and sent out before September.

 

Next AAC meeting will be held at C. H. Best East on Wednesday, September 20 from 8:30-11:30 a.m.

The meeting was adjourned at 3:00 p.m.