Practicum
The Trent University B.Ed. Program is proud of the long-standing partnerships that we have established with school boards in east central Ontario. Our school partners know our program well, and they invest their time to share the very best of their practice with our Teacher Candidates. Many of our Associate Teachers in the schools have been ongoing hosts for our Teacher Candidates year after year, and they are dynamic and supportive mentors who make this aspect of our B.Ed. program truly exceptional.
As we begin the new two-year B.Ed. program, we are excited to be able to broaden the range of practicum experiences available to Teacher Candidates. Our program now features four separate classroom practicums. These will normally be in four different schools in order to provide the most diverse learning experiences possible for Teacher Candidates, as well as to give the opportunity to build a wider range of personal connections.
Classroom Practicums
First Year: Block A (4 weeks in fall) and Block B (6 weeks in winter)
Second Year: Block C (4 weeks in fall) and Block D (6 weeks in winter)
In addition to the classroom practicums, the Trent B.Ed. program offers two additional placement experiences that give Teacher Candidates a well-rounded perspective on teaching and education. At the start of first year, Teacher Candidates undertake the Supporting Literacy Placement, which gives an opportunity to work directly with two students on reading and literacy skills. This placement provides a good first introduction to supporting students with specific needs, and serves as an excellent starting point prior to the full classroom practicums that come later in first year.
Teacher Candidates in Trent's B.Ed. program also undertake the Alternative Settings Placement, which will normally be done between the first and second years of the program. This placement is designed to provide an exposure to a setting other than the normal classroom environment. The location of this placement is Candidate-choice, as long as you get approval from your Practicum Advisor (your mentor in the B.Ed. program). Some examples of exciting Alternative Settings Placement ideas include working with an extracurricular activity such as coaching a team or directing a school play, working in a special needs environment, or teaching in another province or overseas.
We are confident you will find the range of practicum and placement experiences available through the Trent B.Ed. program will provide you with an outstanding practical foundation for beginning your career in education!
Courses
The practicum course gives Teacher Candidates the opportunity to reflect upon personal identity, and how individual experiences and values impact teaching practice. Teacher Candidates examine the importance of making meaningful observations of students; comprehensive planning (including individual lesson planning and unit planning using backward design); assessment for, of, and as learning; and strategies to create an engaging, exciting classroom environment. The practicum course takes place in a small class setting designed to provide an excellent level of support for Teacher Candidates as they each work to develop their own unique style of teaching. The instructor of the practicum course will also be your Faculty Advisor who visits you during placements in the schools.
Partnerships
The School of Education and Professional Learning believes that practicum experience is at the heart of Teacher Candidate learning and development. School placements offer Teacher Candidates the opportunity to synthesize research and learning from their course work, apply it in ways that reflect their own talents and beliefs about teaching and learning and through reflection, theorize their own teaching practice.
In that regard, the School of Education and Professional Learning recognizes and supports those involved with the practicum. Partnered school boards include: Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board, Trillium Lakelands District School Board, Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board, and designated schools within the Durham District and Durham Catholic School Boards.