Liz Sandals, Minister of Education, officially launched TVO’s TeachOntario on Thursday, March 31 at St. Mary Catholic School in Oakville.
Francine LeBlanc-Lebel, OTF President, stated at the launch that “the reason for everything we do in education is our students. And TeachOntario is no exception. This platform is for teachers but, in turn, benefits our students. The shared learning of teachers will contribute to our students becoming more successful learners in key curriculum areas such as literacy math and science.”
TeachOntario was developed by TVO, in partnership with the Ontario Teachers’ Federation (OTF), its Affiliates and the Ministry of Education, and in consultation with teachers from a variety of districts across the province.
Created to support sharing, collaboration, and knowledge exchange amongst educators across Ontario, TeachOntario features content created by Ontario teachers for Ontario teachers. With its collaborative format, TeachOntario allows educators to stay up-to-date on the latest in teaching and learning, digital tools, and professional development, helping them to improve student outcomes.
Teacher-generated online discussion groups include sharing math problems for the classroom, 3-D printing and Minecraft to support learning, creating Makerspaces, Digital Citizenship, and Full Day Kindergarten. Recent activity includes Professional Learning Series, weekly interactive professional learning webinars hosted on Thursdays; theTeacher Learning and Leadership Program which provides updates about the program and examples of teacher projects from across Ontario; book clubs facilitated by The Ontario School Library Association, where teachers can discuss titles for use inside and outside of the classroom; and TeachOntarioTalks, multimedia blogs providing illustrative examples of innovative practices from across Ontario that address improving student achievement and student well-being.
Maureen Asselin, a Grade 6 teacher at St. Mary Catholic School, has been involved in the development of TeachOntairo and is an active user. “TeachOntario to me is transformational. We share in TeachOntario so that we can inspire and be inspired by what other teachers are doing. Sometimes you just need that extra nudge or push to try something new and TeachOntario gives me that push.”
TeachOntario is available at tvo.org/teachontario. The community is accessible 24/7 to educators in all grades in every school district across the province. Teachers looking to register can visit TeachOntario and click on ‘Register.’
Maureen Asselin, a teacher at St. Mary Catholic School with OTF President Francine LeBlanc-Lebel