Primary/Junior Program

Program Regulations

  1. Students must complete the required courses listed below. Note that the Field Placement Experience (EU450A and EU450B) requires teacher education candidates to be in the school two days a week throughout the duration of the BEd program.
  2. Students must pass five practica and an Alternative Placement (listed below) prior to graduation.
  3. Attendance at the Professional Teaching Orientation Week (August) and May Professional Teaching Transition (Year 2) is mandatory. Failure to attend will result in their ineligibility to graduate at convocation.
  4. Students must provide to the Faculty a copy of an up-to-date "clear" Vulnerable Sector Screening (police check). If they have a criminal record they will be unable to visit their PDS site or any school involved in the Wilfrid Laurier Teacher Education Program. Under these circumstances they will be unable to complete Faculty of Education program requirements.

     
    Course Prerequisites

    Because the program is a two-year consecutive program, the entry requirements identified in the Admissions Section are preparation for the required courses in the program. The courses in Language and Literacy, Mathematics, Special Education and Integrating Curriculum are sequential, such that the Level I course in each subject is prerequisite to the Level II course (as identified in the course descriptions below); however, these requirements are normally met through the scheduling of the courses.

     
    Program Requirements

    Students must complete the following Required EU courses:
    EU414P°, EU415P°, EU418, EU419, EU422P°, EU423P°, EU425, EU426, EU439°, EU450A, EU450B, EU452, EU453, EU454, EU455A°, EU455B°, EU455C°, EU455D°, EU455E, EU456, EU457°, EU480, EU481, EU482P, EU485P°, EU486P°, EU487P°, EU489°, EU490°, EU491°, EU492°, EU493°, EU494°, EU495°;

    and 0.5 credit from the following EU electives:
    EU430°, EU432°, EU433°, EU434°, EU436, EU437, EU438°, EU440°, EU441, EU442, EU443°, EU444°, EU445°, EU446°, EU447, EU448, EU449, EU467, EU499°.

     
    Progression and Graduation Requirements

    Bachelor of Education (BEd) students progress and graduate if they successfully complete all components of each required and elective course for 10.0 EU credits with a minimum grade of C in each course, an overall grade point average (GPA) of 8.00 (B), and a Pass grade in all practicum placements.

     
    Practica Requirements and Expectations

    Professional programs are designed to assist students in developing skills and knowledge needed for them to function as a member of their chosen profession. Virtually all professional programs mandate practical or field-based experience. Laurier's program is designed in recognition of candidates' need to learn from expert teachers in the context of such field-based experiences. In education, practicum placements or practica are required in provincial legislation though Regulation 283/13. The Laurier Teacher Education program exceeds the mandatory time requirement for practica.

    The practicum experience is designed to assist TECs in accomplishing the following:

    • forging connections between theory and practice;
    • integrating and applying knowledge;
    • applying knowledge and skills from academic course work to meet the needs of diverse learners within the socio-cultural context of the classroom; and
    • working collaboratively with other professionals to improve student learning.

    As the Laurier program is based on a Professional Development School (PDS) model, Year 1 TECs will be assigned to one site from the last week in August (one week before school begins) through the first week in April. TECs will be required to work at these school sites for 2.0 days a week (PDS Field Days) and complete their practicum placements there as well. In Year 2, TECs will be assigned to a new PDS site from the last week in August through the last week in April. Year 2 TECs will work at their new school site for 2.0 days a week (PDS Field Days) and complete their practicum placements there. Being associated with one school for eight months will allow the TECs to build collaborative professional relationships that will prepare them for effective integration into the broader education community of practice. The opportunity to spend eight months at a second school will allow the TECs to develop a broader understanding of the Ontario school context.

    Laurier's two-year program provides TECs with a total of 198 days of practical experience. In Year 1, TECs are assigned to one PDS site for their two block-practica (EU455A°, EU455B°) and their PDS Field Days (EU450A), which occur on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during the weeks when classes are held. There is also a nine-day block of PDS Field Days included in EU450A during the Fall term. The Year 1 practica (EU455A°, EU455B°) include two three-week blocks (one at the end of the Fall term and one mid-way through the Winter term). TECs will complete a required 3-week Alternative Placement (EU452) at the end of Year 1. They will work in a voluntary capacity in various contexts where learning takes place, outside of their PDS sites, or may take advantage of international teaching opportunities. In Year 1 of the program, TECs will spend a total of 30 days in their PDS sites during the two block practica and 49 days during their PDS Field Days, as well as 15 days in their Alternative Placement.

    In Year 2, TECs are assigned to a different PDS site for their school experience. The PDS Field Days (EU450B) continue in Year 2, on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during the weeks when classes are held. The Fall Year 2 practica (EU455C°, EU455D°) include one two-week and one three-week block. In Winter of Year 2, TECs will complete an extended 10-week block practicum, the Laurier Professional Placement (LPP, EU455E). In Year 2 of the program, TECs will spend a total of 74 days in their PDS sites during the three block practica and 30 days during their PDS Field Days. As required by Regulation 283/13, all P/J TECs will be assigned to both primary and junior classrooms for their practicum experiences.

    The practica, PDS Field Days and Alternative Placement are mandatory components of the WLU program. Successful completion of the PDS Field Days (EU450A, EU450B), all practica (EU455A°, EU455B°, EU455C°, EU455D°, EU455E), and the Alternative Placement (EU452) are required in order to graduate from the program.