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How Placements are Determined

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Judicial Record Verification
Work Permit for International Students

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Dress Requirements
Conduct & Confidentiality
Time Commitment and Travel
Absence from Field Experience
Exam during a Field Experience
Pedagogical days and snow days

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Distant Placement Protocol
Substitute Teaching and Tutoring
Guidelines for taking photographs of students

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Exemption from Field Experience
Transfer Credit for Field Experience from other University
Transferring to a different B. Ed Program
Withdrawing from program and Field Experience
Termination of Field Experience
Satisfactory Standing
Graduation Requirements

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How Placements are Determined

• Field experience placements are made through the Office of Student Teaching.
• It is the responsibility of each student teacher to register for their EDFE course and to submit their online Placement Form.
• Students are expected to do their field experience in the school designated by the Office of Student Teaching.
• Under no circumstances are students to approach schools or teachers to make their own arrangements. This is prohibited by agreements between universities and school boards.
• Students will not be placed in schools where they have relatives, be they members of the administration, teaching staff, student body and support staff.
• Students will not be placed at the same school for both 3rd and 4th Field Experiences.
• Students are not permitted to do their 3rd or 4th Field Experiences in the Spring/Summer session.
• Only one Field Experience may be completed in a private school setting during the B.Ed program.

Judicial Record Verfication

Quebec’s Education Act, section 261.0.2, grants school boards the right to verify the judicial record of any person regularly in contact with minor students, and this includes student teachers. Each school board or private school may have its own administrative procedures for verification. Students are responsible for complying with their request. Anyone unable to obtain the required security clearance will not be permitted to undertake their field experiences and consequently would have to withdraw from the program as this is a mandatory requirement of the program.

• Students placed within the Lester B. Pearson School Board for Field Experience 3 or 4 must go to Lester B. Pearson School Board Human Resources and click on the "Student Teaching" tab. Mail your completed form to the board at least 10 days before your field experience begins. If you already submitted the form because you worked as a substitute teacher at LBPSB, you do not need to complete another one. Contact the LBPSB HR department to confirm your clearance.
• Students placed in private schools should call the school office before the placement and make an appointment to pick up a police check form. Many schools also request that you meet with the cooperating teacher at the same time
• Any other requirements will be communicated to affected students as the information is made available.

Mandatory Work Permit for International Students

International students (students who are not permanent residents or citizens of Canada) must apply for an internship/co-op work permit issued by Citizenship and Immigration Canada as a requirement for your mandatory Field Experiences. This internship/co-op work permit is free of charge.

Carefully follow the instructions in this letter to obtain your permit:
Internship Work Permit Instructions [.pdf]
For more information and assistance contact International Student Services.

Dress requirements

The student teacher is expected to project a professional image, and conform with the established dress code of the assigned school. Students who do not conform with the school's dress code cannot be guaranteed a student teaching placement.

Examples of inappropriate dress in most schools include:

• bare navel
• baseball caps, tuques, hoods, or bandannas worn indoors
• micro-mini skirts
• wearing skintight leggings as 'pants'
• visible cleavage
• underwear exposed by low-rise pants
• t-shirts with racist, sexist, or violent logos
• spaghetti straps
• visible multiple body piercings
• multicoloured hair

Conduct & Confidentiality

Student teachers are bound by the Code of Ethics, as well as the rules of their host school. Be sure to discuss these rules with your cooperating teacher or the school administrator.

McGill student teachers should not post any photos or information about their students or host schools on Facebook or other websites. This is a breach of confidentiality. Note that it is also not appropriate to fraternize with your students on Facebook.

Time commitment and Travel

• Student teachers are strongly advised not to engage in activities (eg. employment, courses) which could interfere with the time and energy required to prepare lessons and effectively teach during their field experiences.

• DO NOT make plans to leave the city for 1 week (minimum) immediately after your field experience--you may be required to make up days lost to illness or school closure.

• Student teachers are expected to attend school all day and be on time every day of their field experience.
• An effort is made to place students within reasonable traveling distance from their address as indicated on Minerva. However, circumstances vary, and this cannot be guaranteed. Students must budget time and money for travel to and from their assigned school. For example, you may choose to rent a car, or you may need to purchase a transit pass for a different region.

Absence from Field Experience

Days absent due to illness must be made up at the end of the FE. Absences due to illness longer than a few days will require a valid medical note to be submitted to the office, and the outcome of the Field Experience will be evaluated on an individual basis. Student teachers must contact the following people as soon as possible on the morning of the day of their absence:

• School office
• Cooperating teacher
• Office of Student Teaching (514-398-7046)
• McGill Supervisor, particularly if a visit is planned for that day

If you will be absent for religious reasons, please notify the Office, Cooperating Teacher, and University supervisor before the field experience begins if possible, or at least 2 weeks before the planned absence. The missed days must be made up, usually at the end of the Field Experience, at a time convenient to your Cooperating Teacher. McGill's Policy for the Accommodation of Religious Holy Days

If, during your field experience, you are off-site on school related business but not accompanied by your CT, this office and your supervisor must be informed prior to that event. If, during your field experience, you are off site on McGill related business this office and your supervisor must be informed prior to that event.

Absences related to McGill Intercollegiate Sport events are evaluated by the Director on a case-by-case basis. You must submit a signed copy of the Intercollegiate Sport Event Accomodation form (PDF) to the Office of Student Teaching two weeks in advance of each conflict.

Absences for any other reasons (e.g. marriage, vacation, university extra-curricular activities) are not permitted during Field Experiences under any circumstances. Please see an academic advisor if you need to rearrange your course schedule.

Exam during a Field Experience

• If you have an exam during a Field Experience you must take the exam as scheduled.
• Advise your cooperating teacher, supervisor and the Office of Student Teaching before the Field Experience starts.
• Make up the day(s), usually at the end of the field experience.

Pedagogical Days and Snow Days

• You are required to attend pedagogical days at your school, unless your cooperating teacher or school administrator inform you that student teachers are not invited. Pedagogical days do not have to be made up at the end of field experience. If you are not permitted to attend, you do not have to make up an extra day.
• Snow days that cause a school to be closed need not be made up by the student teacher, as long as the school closure does not exceed 2 school days. If a school closure exceeds 2 school days, each case will be looked at on an individual basis. Check the OST webpage for updates.

Distant Placements

Distant placements are defined as placements more than 1 hour outside Montreal (but within Quebec), and placements in Canada or in another country. Most distant placements are organized and funded by the student themselves. For more information, including eligibility, consult the Special Opportunities page.

Substitute Teaching and Tutoring

• Student teachers are not allowed to substitute teach during their Field Experience.
• Student teachers may not receive remuneration from schools or school boards during field experiences.
• Student teachers may tutor in the school where they are placed for their field experience, and they may receive remuneration for that tutoring.
• Student teachers may not tutor any students that they interact with and teach during their field placement.

Guidelines for taking photographs of students

In accordance with the guidelines for conducting classroom based research, including the taking of photographs involving live subjects, the following cautions are to be respected:

• Obtain the permission of the principal of your host school by providing a letter for the principal and parents explaining what the photos are to be used for, what precautions you will take to respect the anonymity of any children in the photographs, and how you will dispose of any photograph negatives, files, etc).
• Try whenever possible to take pictures of children in classrooms or in schoolyards, or on field trips from behind – showing backs of heads that are impossible to identify.
• Make sure that identifiers are not captured in the photographs (name of school, name of teacher, number of classroom etc).
• Photos are taken from the front should be modified to blur out the faces of any children in the photograph so that they cannot be facially identified. (Recommended computer program: Adobe Photoshop Elements, or contact the media center for help).
• Use pseudonyms (first names only) for students and teachers.

Exemption from Field Experience

Many newly admitted students enter the B.Ed. Program with prior teaching experience. While such experience adds richness and depth to a student’s experience of their program of study, it is not considered grounds for exemption from any field experience. The Comité d’agrément des programmes de formation à l’enseignement (CAPFE) discourages exemptions from any field experience required as part of a Quebec teacher preparation program. If you require further clarification, please contact the Director of the Office of Student Teaching.

Transfer Credit for Field Experience from other University

Students who completed field experience(s) at another university may be eligible for transfer credits for the first field experience. You must submit your transcript and the syllabus or detailed course description to your Education advisor and the Director of the Office of Student Teaching with your request by August 31st. More details on the transfer credit policy for the Faculty of Education on the Student Affairs Office website

Transferring to a different B. Ed Program

Returning students in the B.Ed. K/Elementary, B.Ed. Secondary or B.Ed. TESL who wish to transfer from one program to the other will not be required to repeat First Field Experience.

Withdrawal from a Field Experience

Withdrawal for any reason before commencing a Field Experience must be done at least 2 weeks prior to the start date of the Field Experience. You are responsible for notifying the Office of Student Teaching in writing by this deadline;

If you withdraw for any reason from a field experience that is underway you must immediately inform the Office of Student Teaching. Based on the circumstances around the withdrawal, the Director of the Office of Student Teaching will determine the final outcome of that Field Experience.

Termination of Field Experience

At any time students may be removed from their field experience placement at the request of the host school administrator and cooperating teacher, or at the request of the Director of Student Teaching. Students who are removed from a field experience placement will be informed of the reason for the termination and will meet with the Director of Student Teaching.

Circumstances that could lead to termination include, but are not limited to:

• Pre-requisite courses not successfully completed
• Exceeding the number of permissible unexcused absences for co-requisite courses (consult the syllabus for each course)
• Failure to pass a judicial record check, if required by the school or school board where the student is placed.
• Unprofessional behaviour; behaviour that contravenes the Code of Ethics for Student Teachers
• Failure to make the improvements outlined on a Notification of Concern by the date indicated.

The final outcome for a field experience that is terminated will be decided by the Director of Student Teaching.

Possible outcomes are:

• Reassignment during the same semester, subject to availability of placements
• “W” Withdrawal (normally without refund)
• “D” Student will be permitted to register for the field experience again during the next regularly scheduled session.
• “F, J, KF, WF” Failure in any field experience places the student in Unsatisfactory Standing

If a student cannot continue the field experience due to illness, see “Withdrawal” for complete information.

If a student chooses to end his or her field experience, the Director of Student Teaching will evaluate the circumstances and determine an outcome. Possible outcomes are the same as those listed above.

Satisfactory standing

• Satisfactory standing in student teaching will be determined by the student teacher's performance in the aspects itemized on the formative and summative evaluation forms.
• Students must obtain a Pass (P) in their field experience in order to continue in the program.

Graduation requirements

Successful completion of field experiences is a requirement for graduation and certification for Bachelor of Education students.