Professional Teaching Orientation Week

Note: Professional Teaching Orientation Week is a mandatory part of the Bachelor of Education (BEd) program. 

Teacher Education Candidats (TECs) attend Professional Teaching Orientation Week, which occurs during the last week of August before the first semester of classes begin. Professional Teaching Orientation Week is designed to help TECs become familiar with the Laurier Faculty of Education and the Professional Development School (PDS) site in which they will be working and learning over the course of their program. TECs have an opportunity to meet and participate in team-building activities with faculty and other TECs, and learn about library, technology and other resources available to them through Laurier. Normally special presentations related to current trends in education are also scheduled.

TECs are introduced to key structures and components of the Laurier program that facilitate learning for both them and for their students. TECs become familiar with the goals, purposes and procedures related to the PDS sites, the Learning Cohort, the Professional Learning Seminar, and the range of required field experiences. They are introduced to the four themes of learner-, knowledge-, assessment- and community-centeredness that intersect all course and field work and become familiar with the themes' roles in helping them create coherence among these various experiences. They will also attend sessions related to professional responsibilities of teachers, workplace safety and academic integrity.

As part of Professional Teaching Orientation Week, TECs are introduced to their assigned PDS site. They spend one day at the site before school starts, familiarizing themselves with staff, basic school policies and procedures, and learning about how schools and teachers prepare for the arrival of students in September.

Attendance at the Professional Teaching Orientation Week is mandatory for BEd students and attendance will be taken each day.

Schedule for 2016/17

Professional Teaching Orientation Week takes place Aug. 29 to Sept. 2, 2016.