Program Handbooks
View 2024-25 Teacher Education Stream Handbook
|
COVID-19 Restrictions and Safety Measures while on Placement Students are expected to establish and abide by any and all COVID-19 restrictions in their host environments when undertaking placement, including any vaccination requirements. |
Placement Steps and Paperwork
1. Obtain a Vulnerable Sector Check (VSC):
Most placement locations will require you to have a Vulnerable Sector Check (this is not the same as a Criminal Record Check; the VSC is more in-depth). You will need to obtain this prior to going out on placement, and it is the responsibility of the placement organization, if applicable, to verify that you have the necessary documentation for their setting. Below is a letter that you can use to approach the local police in your home municipality in order to obtain a Vulnerable Sector Check. When applying, be sure to carefully review the guidelines of your home police station with regards to requesting a VSC for a volunteer vs a paid position. Many police stations do not consider a university placement to be volunteer, regardless of whether you are getting paid or not.
Please note that this letter will NOT be of any use if your home address has a postal code starting with letter "M" (i.e. your home police, in that case, is the Toronto Police Services, as they have a very different process). If you have a home postal code starting with "M", please email Mackenzie Condon (tesadmin@trentu.ca) to seek assistance OR if you have any ID with a Peterborough address, but primarily based in Toronto, you may attempt to obtain your VSC with the Peterborough Police. Please note that your home address is determined by your primary mailing address. If you have shifted your main mailing address to Peterborough or Oshawa when coming to university, you may be able to acquire the VSC from the Peterborough or Durham police.
2. Seek out a placement:
- Examples of Possible Experiential Placements
- Where TES students are doing placements right now (Fall 2024)!
The letter below can assist in explaining your purpose in finding a placement. If you are seeking a placement in a school, it is particularly important that you include this letter in your initial contact. It is critical that schools are aware you are an undergraduate student, and not a teacher candidate in the 2-year B.Ed program.
3. Complete and submit a Placement Proposal:
In coordination with your placement host, complete the Placement Proposal Form below. When complete, submit to tesadmin@trentu.ca (scan or take a photo) for approval, at least 2 weeks prior to starting your placement. Please do not commence a placement prior to the School of Education confirming approval by email.
4. Complete and submit a Placement Evaluation:
Upon completing placement, have your placement host fill out and sign the Placement Evaluation Form below. When complete, submit to tesadmin@trentu.ca (scan or take a photo). This submission will complete your requirements for the placement credit.
Looking Ahead to Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) Admission Requirements
- Review the information provided in the 2024-25 Teacher Education Stream Handbook (beginning on pages 8 and 14)
- Review the webpage here: B.Ed Admission Requirements and Information
Intermediate/Senior Teaching Subject Requirements
To clear up a common misconception, please note that the term "Teaching Subjects" refers ONLY to Intermediate/Senior (I/S) requirements. Teaching subjects do not apply to Primary/Junior (P/J). For those in I/S who intend applying to Trent for your B.Ed., you need to be certain that your undergraduate program will give you the necessary credits for two of the teaching subject areas offered by Trent, once you get to the level of the B.Ed. program. The 14 teachable subjects currently offered by Trent are: Mathematics; Biology; Chemistry; Environmental Science; Physics; First Nation, Metis and Inuit Studies; Anishnaabemowin (Ojibwe); English; Geography; French as a Second Language; History; Visual Arts; Dramatic Arts; and Health & Physical Education. Trent has chosen to focus on providing a set of teaching subjects options that are in strong demand in the schools. It is important to keep the list of teaching subjects in mind if you are considering applying to Trent for a B.Ed. in I/S teaching. Other universities may offer teaching subjects in other subject areas, for example in Social Studies – General, which includes sociology and psychology, but Trent does not.
All applicants are required to have:
- five (5) full course equivalents in the first teaching subject, AND
- three (3) full course equivalents in the second teaching subject.
*Note: French as a Second Language, and Anishnaabemowin (Ojibwe) require five full course equivalents as a first teaching subject and four full credit equivalents as a second teaching subject.
As a general rule of thumb, courses that are offered by a specific subject department are usually accepted as meeting the requirements for a secondary teaching subject, however there are a few exceptions. If you are thinking of a teaching subject in math for example, courses that are listed as, “Not for credit towards a major or minor in Mathematics” will not count towards a teaching subject. The same is true for certain courses in Physics, Biology and French here at Trent.
» General Guidelines for Teaching Subjects
Visual Arts, Drama, and Health & Physical Education
Three teaching subject areas (Health & Physical Education, Drama and Visual Arts) are available in the B.Ed. program at Trent despite the university not having undergraduate academic departments in each of these areas. As such there are no courses listed exclusively for each of these subjects. However, there are a number of courses offered by other departments that serve to meet the requirements of each of these areas. The lists of courses acceptable for application to Trent’s B.Ed. program in each of these subjects can be found here. Remember if you are applying to universities other than Trent for your B.Ed. to check the acceptability of these courses with them for their B.Ed. programs.
» View Dramatic Arts Teachable Courses List