CONT544: Mathematics, Primary and Junior Specialist

Course Schedule

Course Description

This course explores what powerful, equitable, and engaging mathematics leadership can look like in Ontario Primary and Junior contexts. You will examine how math identities are shaped, how inclusive classrooms are built, and how school-wide math cultures can be shifted using intentional routines, shared language, and community-informed visioning. You’ll explore high-impact approaches to teaching and learning—such as inquiry-rich design, spiralling big ideas, experiential and interdisciplinary learning, and land-based opportunities that honour Indigenous Ways of Knowing—so math feels meaningful, connected, and accessible for every learner. You will strengthen assessment practices by designing success criteria, triangulating evidence (observations, conversations, products), and integrating student voice to guide feedback, evaluation, and next steps.

Throughout the course, you’ll collaborate, experiment, and connect big ideas to your teaching and leadership context—whether you’re leading from the classroom, supporting a team, or shaping a school-wide improvement focus. You’ll also explore how technology, coding, data literacy, and AI can enhance learning and accessibility, while asking the critical questions needed to use these tools responsibly, ethically, and in ways that protect student learning and privacy. By the end of the course, you’ll have an array of practical strategies and a math leadership handbook that brings together vision, instruction, assessment, equity, and sustainable change into a coherent plan you can apply immediately in your school, department, or Board.

What You Will Learn and Do

In this course, you will have the opportunity to

• articulate a vision of math leadership grounded in professional standards, research, and personal identity to guide you as you set priorities for improvement
• cultivate and lead a collaborative math culture where belonging, curiosity, creativity, productive struggle, and shared responsibility are visible
• apply and adapt inclusive approaches (e.g., culturally responsive and relevant pedagogy [CRRP], universal design for learning [UDL], Indigenous perspectives) to design and facilitate inquiry-rich math learning that strengthens reasoning, representation, and communication through purposeful spiralling and meaningful connections
• design and lead assessment and evaluation practices that use clear success criteria, triangulated evidence, descriptive feedback, and student voice to guide next steps and represent learning more holistically
• leverage and evaluate digital tools, coding, data literacy, and AI to enhance accessibility and creativity in math, while addressing ethics, privacy, bias, and responsible implementation
• interpret and use multiple data sources to identify patterns, challenge assumptions, surface equity implications, and prioritize improvement actions
• lead and sustain math improvement through professional learning and change leadership (e.g., professional learning communities [PLCs], coaching, mentoring), translating vision into feasible plans, routines, and measures of success over time

Application Requirements

1) OCT Membership showing completion of Part 2.

2) CONFIRMATION OF TEACHING EXPERIENCE FORM Signed by a Supervisory Official* from your School Board confirming that you have two years (388 days) of teaching experience since becoming a certified teacher, one year (194 days) of which is in the subject area of this course.

*The Ontario College of Teachers defines "Supervisory Official" as the Superintendent or Assistant Superintendent of the school board for a teacher employed by a Board of Education. A principal or headmaster is not recognized in this capacity.

For a teacher employed by a private school, the "supervisory official" is the Ministry of Education official (Education Officer) appointed to your school. For overseas experience the appropriate Supervisory Official is the person your Principal reports to.

**Please note that a new form is always required for a Part 3 (Specialist) course as experience is course/subject specific.

Please email a copy of your Confirmation of Teaching Experience Form to cedmail@queensu.ca

Course Materials

Accommodations

Applicants who require accommodations for a specific learning need (e.g., learning disability) within their AQ/ABQ course, should click here for further information and support.

Have a question? Contact us!

Refund Schedule

• If you drop a course by the midpoint of the course, you will receive 100% of your course fee
• If you drop a course after the midpoint, before the end of the course, you will receive 50% of your course fee

For more about our refund policies, visit our Fees & Refunds page.