A Message from the Associate Dean
Teachers, it has been said, affect eternity; through their students they touch the future.
Potential Applicants: Welcome to the Faculty of Education at Western. If you think you may be called to teach—if you have a passion for young people and helping them learn, or want to be involved in education in some other way—then finding the right degree or diploma program in Education is one of the most important steps in your career. You should be able to find all the information you need about Western’s Bachelor of Education and Diploma in Education (Technological Studies) programs in the links provided here.
New Admits: If you have recently been admitted to the B.Ed. or Dip.Ed. program—congratulations! You, too, should be able to find all the information you need about your program through the links on this site.
About Us: As a Faculty, we here at Western have thought carefully about what makes a good teacher. We know personal qualities are important—enthusiasm, open‑mindedness, empathy, creativity, courage—as well as respect for young people and a belief in the ability of all students to learn. We expect you to bring these and other qualities with you. They are qualities, however, that one might expect to see in any professional person. What will eventually set you apart as a teacher lies beyond personal characteristics, beyond even your love of learning and your passion for a particular subject area. A teacher has specialized knowledge—about students, schools, curriculum, learning theory, the education system, and so on—and specialized pedagogical skills. These will form much of the focus of your program here in the Faculty of Education.
About the Program: Your classes (Mondays to Thursdays) will include large and small group formats, independent and group work, presentation and performance tasks, on-line participation, and work with educational technologies. Fridays are “professional” days—five are ‘practicum orientation’ days and will be spent in your practicum schools; the others are in-Faculty workshop-and-special-presentation days. You will spend ten weeks on practicum placements in local schools and two weeks at the end of the year (in April) on community learning, service learning, or alternative practica in local, national, or international settings. All-in-all, Western’s Faculty of Education offers an outstanding program taught by outstanding, experienced, award-winning instructors.
I am delighted you are considering The Faculty of Education at Western as the next step in your pursuit of a career in education. We will do all we can to support you towards your goal.
Margaret McNay
Associate Dean
