Date of Award

9-26-2018

Publication Type

Master Thesis

Degree Name

M.Ed.

Department

Education

Keywords

Faculty of Education, MacLeod Report, Teacher Education, Teacher Education Reform, Teachers' College, Windsor Teachers College

Supervisor

Glassford, Larry

Rights

info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

Abstract

Formal initial teacher preparation in Ontario began in 1847, with the opening of the Toronto Normal School. Presently initial teacher preparation occurs in Faculties of Education across Ontario. This thesis represents a quest to better understand the evolution of how prospective teachers are prepared for the teaching profession in Ontario. It is a case study that examines initial preparation of elementary school teachers in Windsor, Ontario, focusing on the establishment of the Windsor Teacher`s College and its transition into the Faculty of Education at the University of Windsor. There are three focal points for analysis: the history of teacher education in Ontario, the philosophy of teacher preparation, and the politics of educational institutional change. The main research question is, to what extent did the new Faculty of Education represent continuity with the past, and to what extent was it a break with the past? Archival data from the Ontario Archives, the Windsor Public Library, and the Leddy Library at the University of Windsor were examined, as well as public documents. In the 1950s in order to become a teacher you had to have finished secondary school. By the early 1970s however, teaching was increasingly becoming professionalized, and prospective teachers were required to have a degree before they could begin their initial teacher preparation program. The curriculum of initial teacher preparation stayed largely the same, but the student experience and educational background of the prospective teachers changed significantly. This case study provides a useful historical context for decision makers as they consider new reforms in the formal preparation of teachers.

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