Continuing teacher education opens doors to career opportunities

Elizabeth Dalla Bona upgraded her teaching credentials with a senior qualification in visual arts (FILE/University of Windsor)

By Kate Hargreaves

Crossing the convocation stage is far from the end of teacher education.

At the University of Windsor, continuing teacher education courses support new and established teachers in developing their skills and professional qualifications with a diverse range of program and course offerings.

Ontario teachers can qualify in additional teaching divisions and subject areas as well as working toward administration roles with principal qualifications courses, all fully accredited and recognized by the Ontario College of Teachers.

"UWindsor's continuing teacher education programs are a fantastic opportunity for teachers to continue their journey of lifelong learning and expand their future leadership opportunities," says continuing teacher education program coordinator Karen Momotiuk.

Three B.Ed. alumni share how UWindsor’s continuing teacher education programs have helped shape their careers in education.

Subject-specific courses open up additional teaching divisions

Elizabeth Dalla Bona (BFA ’15, B.Ed. ’24, M.Ed student), an elementary school teacher in southside Chicago, Illinois, followed up her initial teacher education program with an additional qualification in senior visual art.

As a BFA alumna qualified to teach up to grade ten, the senior visual art course was a logical next step in opening up additional teaching opportunities.

“I did my B.Ed. in the junior/intermediate division, and the senior visual art course laid out the assignments in a similar fashion,” Dalla Bona says.

“I really appreciated that the course ran on the same learning management system I was already familiar with, which made interacting with the course and its content easier.”

Dalla Bona also highlights the quality of instruction in the additional basic qualification (ABQ) course and the way in which the curriculum had teachers engaging directly in art practice.

“I am a firm believer of never asking students to do something you wouldn’t do yourself, so actually completing and creating the artwork was awesome,” she says.

“I had forgotten about the conceptual application and theory that older students apply in the art room, and this course re-opened that door of perspective for me,” she says.

As someone teaching outside of Windsor, Dalla Bona notes that she found the convenience of the ABQ to be another plus, with staff in the Continuing Teacher Education office eager to answer questions and ensure that qualifications were submitted automatically to the Ontario College of Teachers.

While Dalla Bona is currently teaching at the elementary level, she hopes to one day teach high school visual arts, an opportunity that her ABQ experience has opened up for her.

Technological education qualifications support teachers with curriculum updates

By the time Oliver Swainson (B.Ed. ’24) completed his degree in Technological Education at the University of Windsor, he was already working full-time as a manufacturing technology teacher at a local high school.

“I had gone to school for my B.Ed. while teaching full-time, so I was used to that experience of balancing both teaching and learning,” he explains. “When I saw the opportunity to continue to expand my skills, it only made sense to keep up that momentum.”

This opportunity came in the form of tech studies ABQ courses offered through the UWindsor Faculty of Education.

“With my B.Ed., I was qualified to teach manufacturing technology for grades nine to twelve, but with the introduction of the new grade nine technology survey course that is designed to give students a taste of various fields, I wanted to make sure I had some formal background in other forms of tech,” he says.

As a UWindsor alum, he took advantage of the alumni discount offered on AQ courses and has since completed basic qualifications in both green industries and technological design as well as his honours specialist qualification in technological education.

“The remote asynchronous offerings were great as a busy teacher,” he says. “I could fit the course work in around my grading and course prep while still connecting with my classmates and instructors online.”

He also appreciated the variety of different sessions available for each offering, with condensed six-week or longer 12-week courses available.

“I have been able to not only develop my skills in new areas and expand them in others but have also increased my potential to step into different teaching and leadership roles in future,” says Swainson.

“While I won’t deny it was a lot of work to balance as a new teacher, it was definitely worthwhile to keep learning and increasing my qualifications,” he says.

Principal Qualification Program sparks connections for new stages of career

Concurrent education/history alumna Jillian Authier (BA ’07, B.Ed. ’07, MEd ’12) — now vice-principal at Frank W. Begley Public School in Windsor — took the first step toward her move into administration through the University of Windsor’s Principals Qualification Program (PQP).

“These courses were foundational to the next step in my career,” says Authier, who was working as an English as a Second Language instructional coach in 2019 when she enrolled in the PQP.

“That experience had given me a greater system perspective of how schools operate and the influence that administration can have on the culture and direction of a school community,” she explains.

“Taking my PQPs felt like the next natural step for what I hoped to be able to contribute to the education system over the course of my career.”

Interviewing for a vice-principal role while she was still wrapping up her PQP in 2020, Authier was surprised to already be placed in a VP role that September.

She cites the relationships she built with her peers in the program as a major highlight of that experience.

“What I loved most about my PQP at Windsor was that the courses were in-person,” she says. “This allowed real connection and genuine conversation between classmates as well as my instructors.”

“Many of these people have become colleagues that I turn to for advice when dealing with challenging situations or just need to talk with a friend who understands the unique complexities of this role.”

Authier also appreciated the opportunity to connect with guest speakers from local school boards and community organizations during her PQP experience.

"Learning from individuals who were actively involved in the education system made the examples relevant and deepened my understanding of some of the current goals, challenges and experiences that administrators are dealing with in education,” she says.