FOCI P00

1. FOCI P00 Primary-Junior candidates not choosing FOCI as an elective

2. Relating your Alternative Practicum Candidates can relate their Alternative Practicum to an idea or topic in • EDST • FOUN • PROF 100 • PROF 190 • PROF 150

3. Alternative Practicum – What Can I Do? Sometimes setting up the Alternative Practicum is bewildering – a big world out there with lots of things to do and places to go!! The trick is to give yourself some restrictions to narrow down your ideas. You might be restricted by money or location.

4. Research • The best place to start, is to think first about what you want to accomplish – what your professional goals are. Your goals should drive your decision making …. It is what the Alternative Practicum is all about. • Do some research on what types of settings might help you obtain your professional development goals. Google is a wonderful tool!

5. Staying in Canada? • If you plan on staying in Ontario or Canada for the Alternative Practicum, you can get the wheels turning on what types of placements are out there by accessing the Alternative Practicum database. • Instructions are on the back of your Deadlines and Checklist form (green) in your Practicum package.

6. Types of Placements Some past placements for FOCI P00 are: • Education Centres • Early Years programs • Libraries and Museums • Hospitals and Treatment Centre programs • Montessori, Waldorf, Jewish and Christian Schools • Mental Health Services • Foundations such as Easter Seals and Ryan’s Well • Boys and Girls Clubs, and Children’s Aid • Parks Canada and Outdoor Education Centres • Penitentiaries and Youth Correction facilities

7. Experience Candidates are discouraged from setting up a placement in school settings (excluding International, Montessori, private, and other schools not under the regular Ontario school boards). • You will have 10 weeks of classroom teaching, broaden your experiences. Unless you are setting up a placement in a specialized classroom such as Special Education, Resource, or Reading Recovery, a school setting will not be approved • You want a diverse portfolio with a variety of experiences, not just school settings. The richer you make your portfolio, the more marketable you will be.

8. Out of Country? The Career Services Office has developed a large network of international contacts and has extensive experience in helping candidates find their way through the Alternative Practicum labyrinth – and they are happy to help anyone get going, but it is best to do a little thinking of ‘what’ or ‘why’ ahead of time. • While the Alternative Practicum is an opportunity for travel, it is first and foremost an opportunity to explore education in different ways. • Remember - the Education Career Services Office is not a Travel Agent!

9. Out of Country (cont’d) • When thinking about your objectives for professional development, think about how a placement in an International School can help you attain some of those goals. • Do a bit of research first … think about your objectives and research some schools that may offer programs that fit with those goals. • If you are having trouble researching, you can make an appointment to sit down with one of the staff in Career Services. They can try to help you decide how and where your goals are best met – in conjunction with your personal interests and needs.

10. Out of Country (cont’d) • Don’t make an appointment with them and then tell them “I want to go to some county or city”. • If you don’t know what your professional goals are, think about what you really want and is it feasible. • You may have an aunt in Italy and you want to combine visiting her and a placement in a school there. ---- If you don’t speak Italian, you will have to think about an International School where you can teach in English. If there is no International School near where your aunt lives in Italy, it might not be feasible to go there.

11. Travel Bursaries for Out of County • Candidates intending on going out of country for the Alternative Practicum can apply for the Elliott travel bursary. • If you intend on applying for the bursary, you will have to have a really good proposal that stems from a professional development objective, to be awarded the money. • Application forms for the Elliott travel bursary can be obtained from Erin Wicklam in A101c.

12. Contact • If you want to discuss options or ideas for your Alternative Practicum, you can either email tammy.oneil@queensu.ca or make an appointment through the Practicum Office (A108) to see Tammy. • If you want to discuss options for an International school, make an appointment with Education Career Services (A101).