Task Force for Teaching Excellence : Part I: report to the Minister of Education and part II: what we heard

PART I: REPORT TO THE MINISTER 1 TASK FORCE FOR TEACHING EXCELLENCE PART I: REPORT TO THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION, Government of Alberta PART II: WHAT WE HEARD – Community and Stakeholder Consultation May 2014 Task Force for Teaching Excellence 1 LETTER FROM THE TASK FORCE CHAIR Dear Minister Johnson: On behalf of the Task Force for Teaching Excellence, I am pleased to submit our Report to the Minis [...] To address the high level of attrition in the early years of teaching and to accelerate teacher growth, the Task Force makes two recommendations: the introduction of a mandatory one-year internship (i.e., articling) program, similar to that of other professions, and a provincewide mentorship framework for beginning teachers. [...] The Task Force recommends the current model of shared responsibility for professional functions between the Ministry of Education and the Alberta Teachers’ Association be retained, with appropriate modifications to implement the recommendations of this report. [...] To maintain our standing in the world, we need classrooms and learning environments that are intellectually vibrant and robust, and where imaginative, creative, and discipline-based work engages the hearts, the minds and the hands of students. [...] To be able to connect with someone will truly make it easier to understand what they are saying and to comprehend material in depth.” Many of the stakeholder organizations’ submissions to the Task Force expressed the need for a clear description of teacher excellence that can form the basis of practice standards for teachers.