CONT586: Honour Specialist Biology

Course Schedule

Course Description

In the Honour Specialist Biology AQ, you’ll have the opportunity to critically reflect on your current Biology teaching practice and to create useful teaching and assessment documents and tools for use in a biology classroom. You’ll expand your ability to incorporate a variety of teaching and assessment tools into your classroom using experiential learning strategies, including Universal Design for Learning. Through readings, discussion with colleagues and reflection, you will investigate how bias affects classroom culture, and you’ll explore approaches to provide equitable, democratic, and safe classroom experiences for all students. In collaboration with your colleagues, you’ll create culturally relevant, inclusive, inquiry-based lesson and unit plans that promote critical thinking and sustainable practices. In addition, you will explore community, leadership, and collaboration as vital concerns for future positions of responsibility.

What You Will Learn and Do

In this course you’ll have the opportunity to

• develop a toolbox of useful resources for teaching biology
• investigate laws, regulations, and policies specific to the teaching profession
• develop your own teaching practice using current, relevant, and innovative pedagogical tools and techniques (Universal Design for Learning, differentiated instruction, democratic classrooms, PBL)
• integrate current and relevant global and societal issues into your teaching practice (inclusivity, culturally responsive pedagogy, environmental sustainability, social justice)
• explore leadership in the context of your own professional growth
• explore how professional and community groups can help enhance your biology teaching practice
• create a unit of study for use as a teacher in the biology classroom that reflects best practices of teaching and learning

Application Requirements

1) OCT MEMBERSHIP We will use the OCT number you provide during online registration to confirm that your Certificate of Qualifications shows certification in at least two teaching divisions (Primary, Junior, Intermediate, Senior).

2) YOUR UNDERGRADUATE/GRADUATE UNIVERSITY TRANSCRIPT(S)*

Your transcript(s) must show:

- The equivalent of 9.0 full year undergraduate/graduate courses in this teaching subject with a minimum 'B' average in these courses (Accepted courses: Biology, Biochemistry, Anatomy, Ecology, etc.)

- A Bachelors degree at an accredited university with the equivalent of 20.0 full year courses

3) 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 Specialist course as experience is course/subject specific.

*If you completed a Queen's undergrad (at any time), or a B.Ed., Honour Specialist, or an Intermediate or Senior ABQ course with us within the last 4 years you are not required to resend your transcripts.

**If you completed a medial degree and do not have a major you may be eligible for a Combined Honour Specialist. Please see our FAQ's or contact us for more information.

Course Materials

N/A

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:

1. by the midpoint of the course, you will receive 100% of your course fee.
2. 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.