Early Years Initiative in Benin

The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario will undertake new initiatives in Benin to support the Early Years Education curriculum that ETFO has helped to develop and introduce in all the schools of that country.

The Executive approved funding of $35,000 in the 2012-13 budget to support play-based pedagogy in Benin where lack of resources is a major challenge to the full implementation of the Early Years Education curriculum. ETFO’s new initiatives will include development and distribution of classroom blocks, production of a Big Book collection, and efforts to implement teacher training on introducing play in the classrooms.

ETFO has been in partnership with Right to Play, Le Ministere de L’enseignement Maternel et Primarie, the Ministry of Education, Benin, the National Institute for Research and Training, and the Benin teacher union to support the design and implementation of a national early childhood play-based curriculum in Benin since March 2008.

CNIB’s Visions Gala

ETFO will support the annual Visions Gala of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, Ignite your Senses, with a donation of $10,000. The Gala will be held in Toronto on May 10 this year at Exhibition Place and the funds raised will benefit CNIB programs and services for blind and partially-sighted children and youth.
 
Teacher Education Programme

The Executive supported the continuation of the one-year teacher education program. The Government has announced its intention to extend the length of the current teacher education program in Ontario. The Federation believes that a two-year program as proposed in the Liberal election platform would impose undue hardship on young people wanting to enter the profession.

EQAO Advisory

ETFO has developed a new advisory to members on the EQAO Teacher Questionnaire. The new advisory informs members that the completion of the questionnaire is now voluntary for all teachers, including those teaching grades 3 and 6. The EQAO teacher questionnaire, distributed as part of the EQAO administration process, is provided to all elementary (K-8) teachers. The questionnaire collects information about teacher background, use of instructional resources, communication with parents, and use of school-based testing data. The use of the questionnaire represents an unnecessary expansion of the EQAO testing regime and additional workload for members. Members are advised: not to complete the EQAO teacher questionnaire.