At Tyndale, you will complete approximately 110 practicum days, which involve classroom observation, participation, and practice teaching. These practicum days are strategically interspersed throughout the program, in order to strengthen the theory-practice interconnections that link courses and practical application. Observe and learn from in-service teachers, and build your understanding of the Ontario education system, as you are immersed in the teaching profession.

The practicum experience at Tyndale is unique. Because the program begins in August, experience the first month of the school year in your placement schools twice – once in the first year of the program, and again in the second. In the first year, observe how an Ontario-certified teacher designs their classroom community in the first month of school. The following year, you will participate more actively in this process, based on your learning from Tyndale classes and your two previous practicum placements, as you join your host teacher for the first week of school.

Components

You will complete three distinct practicum placements in three different educational settings throughout the program. The first placement will focus on literacy and numeracy, while the following two will focus on the broader curriculum.

One placement will be arranged for each of your grade divisions.

• Primary/Junior Teacher Candidates in the Focus on Teaching French as a Second Language track will be assigned at least one practicum that includes the teaching of Core French, Extended French, or French Immersion.
• Junior/Intermediate Teacher Candidates will have at least one placement that includes a focus on their teachable subject.

During each placement, you will learn from and collaborate with an OCT-certified host teacher in a school setting that teaches the Ontario Curriculum.

The practicum has an Observation/Participation Phase and a Practice Teaching Phase. Using a gradual release of responsibility structure, you will move from Observation and Participation to co-planning and a teaching partnership with the host teacher, first in the areas of language and math, and eventually, in all the curricular areas.