Anyone in Canada who wants to be a teacher must obtain a teaching certificate.
Nowadays most teachers must complete a Bachelor of Education degree from an accredited university or teachers college.
Increasingly, those schools that train teachers are getting poor marks from their own students and are held in low regard by other faculties on the same campus.
Instead of spending their time learning effective ways of teaching and learning, schools tend to focus on so-called progressive processes of learning.
The emphasis is on facilitating experiences, rather than providing basic knowledge.
A research associate from the Frontier Centre recently took part in a graduate level course on education foundations.
The professor allowed students to write poems and draw pictures to complete their assignments.
She also said they were free to suggest their own grade in the course.
Provincial departments of Education should explore alternative options to certify teachers.
Competition would encourage education faculties to improve their instruction.
Also, instead of tying salary increases to the completion of meaningless graduate courses, salaries should be linked to performance in the classroom.
Children need well-equipped and grounded teachers, rather than those who are allowed to set their own marks.
I’m Roger Currie. Join us again next week for more thoughts on the Frontier.
For more on education, visit our website www.fcpp.org.
