Co-operating Teacher

The Co-operating Teacher is a key member of the student teaching "triad". McGill relies on Co-operating Teachers to: 

• Provide their assigned student teacher(s) with a range and variety of opportunities to observe within the classroom and school context, and taking into consideration the guidelines provided by the Internships & Student Affairs Office (ISA) 
• Expose the student teacher to a range of teaching, lesson planning and classroom management techniques 
• Progressively assign appropriate tasks, per the guidelines 
• Observe practice teaching and provide written formative feedback and assessment, per the guidelines
• Electronically submit (i.e. by e-mail) all appropriate copies of assessments/evaluations to the student teacher, Field Supervisor and ISA in a timely fashion
• Speak frequently with the student teacher regarding his/her progress 
• Communicate at least once weekly with the assigned Field Supervisor (either in person, by telephone or by e-mail) regarding the student teacher's progress, comportment and development of the appropriate Professional Competencies 
• Alert the Field Supervisor or the ISA immediately of any concerns that may arise, whether personal, professional or pedagogical 

Becoming a Co-operating Teacher

Each year, without the collaboration of nearly 1,000 dedicated Co-operating Teachers from around the Greater Montreal region, it would be impossible to prepare our B.Ed. and MATL Student Teachers for the challenge and reward of the teaching profession.

McGill's Internships & Student Affairs Office (ISA) places Student Teachers with Co-operating Teachers in both public and private schools in the below noted teachable subject areas: 

• K/Elementary (English and French Immersion)
• Secondary, English Language Arts
• Secondary, Science & Technology
• Secondary, Mathematics 
• Secondary, Social Sciences (History & Geography or History, Ethics & Religious Culture)
• Music (Elementary & Secondary)
• Physical Education (Elementary & Secondary)
• Teaching English as a Second Language (Elementary & Secondary)

Eligibility

In order to become a Co-operating Teacher, individuals must: 

• Be recommended by their School Administrator 
• Generally possess at least 5 years of teaching experience 
• Have a sufficient teaching load in the required teachable subject area (or host the Student Teacher with another Co-operating Teacher, if necessary)

Interested teachers should inform their School Administrator of their desire to serve as a Co-operating Teacher as ISA Placement Coordinators can only accept placement requests authorized by the host school. 

Exception: Teachers employed in a French school board who teach in the area of Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) must place the request for a Student Teacher via their board. 

Further Information

Dates and lengths of Field Experiences and Internships can be viewed here.

Policies, requirements for assessment and assessment forms, and other relevant information about student teaching at McGill can be found in our Student Teaching e-Handbook. 

For more information about becoming a Co-operating Teacher with McGill, please contact the Internships & Student Affairs Office at placements.education [at] mcgill.ca.