Learning Forward
Equity and excellence in teaching and learning.
Alberta Unites On Teaching Quality
By Tracy Crow
Categories: Implementation, International perspectivesDecember 2010
Education policy in the province of Alberta is set by Alberta Education, a ministry led by the province’s minister of education. There are two key policies or ministerial orders that guide professional learning in Alberta.TheTeaching Quality Standard (Alberta Education, 1997) outlines the knowledge, skills, and attributes that teachers are expected to possess.The standard specifies competencies for those teachers holding interim certificates (typically teachers in their first two years of practice) and permanent certificates. (See the list of knowledge, skills, and attributes in the box on p. 31.) The Teacher Growth, Supervision and Evaluation Policy (Alberta Education, 2008) aims to ensure that each teacher’s on going actions, judgments, and decisions are in the best educational interests of students and support optimum learning.
Val Olekshy, executive director of the Edmonton Regional Learning Consortium, is careful to point out that she is not part of the government. She adds that it is comforting to work in a policy environment that is extremely collaborative. “What’s so unique about our standards is that when the ministry established these policies, it worked with our teachers association to talk about what teachers need to be responsible for to remain current. They really focused on teachers’ career-long professional growth,” said Olekshy.
Teaching Quality Standard: Required Knowledge, Skills, and Attributes
Quality teaching occurs when the teacher’s ongoing analysis of the context and the teacher’s decisions about which pedagogical knowledge and abilities to apply result in optimum learning by students.
All teachers are expected to meet the Teaching Quality Standard throughout their careers. However, teaching practices will vary because each teaching situation is different and in constant change. Reasoned judgment must be used to determine whether the Teaching Quality Standard is being met in a given context.
The following descriptors cover the range of expertise that teachers in Alberta are expected to be able to access in effectively teaching students.
- Teachers’ application of pedagogical knowledge, skills, and attributes is based in their ongoing analysis of contextual variables, such as student, regulatory, school, parent, and societal variables.
- Teachers understand the legislated, moral, and ethical frameworks within which they work.
- Teachers understand the subject disciplines they teach.
- Teachers know there are many approaches to teaching and learning.
- Teachers engage in a range of planning activities.
- Teachers create and maintain environments that are conducive to student learning.
- Teachers translate curriculum content and objectives into meaningful learning activities.
- Teachers apply a variety of technologies to meet student learning needs.
- Teachers gather and use information about student learning needs and progress.
- Teachers establish and maintain partnerships among school, home, and community, and within their own schools.
- Teachers are career-long learners.
Source: Alberta Education, 1997.
Essential Conditions to Support Implementation
“Ultimately, we want to know that we’re supporting teachers’ professional growth, and initial district use has focused on reflecting on current practice and areas they may wish to address given their desire for continuous improvement and the framework shared in the guide.”
— Val Olekshy
References
Alberta’s Education Partners. (2005). A guide to comprehensive professional development planning. Available at https://erlc.ca/who/pdf/PDPlanningGuide.pdf.
Alberta’s Education Partners. (2010). A guide to support implementation: Essential conditions. Available at www.essentialconditions.ca.
Alberta Education. (2008). Teacher growth, supervision, and evaluation policy. Available at https://education.alberta.ca/teachers/certification/standards/teacher.aspx.
Alberta Education. (1997). Teaching Quality Standard applicable to the provision of basic education in Alberta. Ministerial order #016/97. Available at https://education.alberta.ca/department/policy/standards/teachqual.aspx.
Alberta Teachers’ Association. (n.d.). Professional growth plans. Available at www.teachers.ab.ca/For%20Members/Professional%20Development/Professional%20Growth%20Plans/Pages/Teacher%20Professional%20Growth%20Plans.aspx.
Tracy Crow served as chief strategy officer for Learning Forward.
Categories: Implementation, International perspectives
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