Junior/Intermediate Program

• Program Regulations
• Course Prerequisites
• Program Requirements
• Progression and Graduation Requirements
• Practica Requirements and Expectations

1. Students must complete the required courses listed below. Note that the Practicum Experience (EU450A and EU450B) requires teacher education candidates to be in the school one day 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 Teacher Candidate Orientation (September) and Transition to Teaching (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.

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, and Special Education 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. Together, the courses EU466 Teaching Methods: French as a Second Language and EU436 French as a Second Language in Ontario Schools will be deemed equivalent to the French as a Second Language (FSL) Part 1 Additional Qualification course.

Students must complete the following Required EU courses:
EU416I, EU417I, EU419, EU420, EU426, EU427, EU428I, EU429I, EU450A, EU450B, EU452, EU453, EU454, EU455A°, EU455B°, EU455C°, EU455D°, EU455E, EU456, EU457°, EU480, EU481I, EU482I, EU487I°, EU489°, EU490°, EU491°, EU492°, EU493°;

and ONE of the following specialized teaching methods courses (0.25 credit): EU460°, EU462°, EU463°, EU464°, EU465°, EU466, EU467 or EU470°

and 0.5 credit from the following EU electives:
EU430°, EU432°, EU433°, EU434°, EU436 (Note 1), EU437°,  EU438°, EU440°, EU441°, EU442°, EU443°, EU444°, EU445°, EU446°, EU447°, EU448, EU449°, EU467, EU499°.

Note:

1. TCs with French as a Second Language as their teaching specialization must complete both EU436 and EU466.

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), a Pass grade in all Professional Learning Seminar courses (EU456A, EU456B, EU457°) and a Pass grade in all practicum placements.

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 Teacher Candidates (TCs) 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 TCs will be assigned to one site from September through the first week in April. TCs will be required to work at these school sites for 1.0 day a week (Practicum Days) and complete their practicum placements there as well. In Year 2, TCs will be assigned to a new Laurier Partner School from September through the last week in April. Year 2 TCs will work at their new school site for 1.0 day a week (Practicum Days) and complete their practicum placements there. Being associated with one school for eight months will allow the TCs 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 TCs to develop a broader understanding of the Ontario school context.

Laurier's two-year program provides the TCs with approximately 150 days of practical experience. In Year 1, the TCs are assigned to one Laurier Partner School site for their two block-practica (EU455A°, EU455B°) and their Practicum Days (EU450A), which occur during the weeks when classes are held. Practicum One (EU455A°) has a two-week observation block in October and a three-week block at the end of the fall term. Practicum Two (EU455B°) is a three-week teaching block after classes conclude in the winter term. TCs will also 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 the K-Grade 12 public education system, or may take advantage of international teaching opportunities.

In Year 2, the TCs are assigned to a different Laurier Partner School for their school experience. The Practicum Days (EU450B) continue in Year Two, during the weeks when classes are held. The Fall Year 2 practica (EU455C°, D) include one two-week and one three-week block. In Winter of Year 2, TCs will complete an extended 10-week block placement, the Laurier Professional Placement (LPP, EU455E). As required by Regulation 283/13, all J/I TCs will be assigned to both junior and intermediate classrooms for their practicum experiences.

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