Certification Programs

Coaching in Critical Inquiry

Learn to develop educators’ ability to coach teachers of critical inquiry. This certificate program will deepen your understanding of critical thinking and fortify your instructional leadership skills.

Key features of the Coaching in Critical Inquiry Certificate Program include:

• Sequenced program of 16 online sessions
• Participants receive a certificate of achievement

TC² offers a 16-session online certification program to develop educators’ ability to coach teachers in critical inquiry. The program is designed to:

• deepen understanding of the TC² approach to critical inquiry
• enhance ability to undertake ongoing professional reflection
• nurture abilities to provide practical and meaningful instructional leadership

Program structure

The program is divided into four modules, each consisting of four online sessions delivered by Adobe Connect with Moodle access for online dialogue between sessions. The modules focus on four key areas: building a thinking community, creating questions and challenges for professional critical inquiry, developing the tools required for critical inquiry, and assessing thinking.

Learning activities

Each module features a range of critical thinking instructional strategies and other learning activities including:

• developing and critiquing critical inquiry questions and challenges;
• group discussion and personal reflection;
• connection and application to personal instructional and coaching examples;
• online discussions; and
• practical critical thinking challenges.

Certification

Participants who complete learning assignments for each module and a culminating demonstration of learning will receive a certificate of completion.

Scheduling

Synchronous online sessions of 75 minutes will take place approximately every two weeks from October to May. Specific dates and times will be determined in consultation with participants once a cohort has been established. Participants will have access to archived recordings of all sessions.

Prerequisites

Familiarity with the TC² approach to critical thinking and willingness to work with digital technologies to support meaningful learning online are required.

Enrolment

There will be a maximum of 35 participants in each cohort. Cohorts will typically be comprised of participants from different schools and districts. Cohorts may also be formed from a single district if there is sufficient interest.

Cost

$750/participant. Registration fees are prepaid and non-refundable. The modular design of the course offers flexibility for participants to complete all four modules with one cohort, or to complete some modules later with another cohort at no additional cost.

Math Lead Teacher Certification

Implement a critical thinking pedagogy in mathematics. You’ll learn how to plan and design classroom materials that support student success. This program will also prepare you to lead others in the implementation of the TC² approach.

Key features of the Math Lead Teacher Certificate Program include:

• 18 hours of personalized coaching and 10 hours of support in-between the scheduled coaching sessions
• Participants receive a certificate of achievement
• Group discounts are available

This program supports teacher development of a rich understanding of the diverse role of critical thinking in math classrooms. The program is designed to:

• enhance the ability to plan and design classroom materials that support student success in mathematics through quality thinking;
• generate classroom materials that meet both student and teacher learning needs; and
• empower participants to lead others in the implementation of this approach.

Program expectations

Participants will be required to achieve the following professional learning goals:

• design, and provide evidence of, learning invitations that effectively support student development of thinking competencies in math;
• design a series of thinking lessons that iteratively support student responses to an overarching critical inquiry question and task;
• provide evidence of the capacity to build lessons that include an effective launch, the use of criteria and thinking strategies for rich learning, and student use of Thoughtbooks to consolidate learning;
• identify effective assessment criteria for each lesson and create a scoring tool for the assessment of the overarching task and question; and
• provide evidence of professional learning and leadership growth documented in a Thoughtbook while collaboratively implementing and improving on classroom materials developed.

Certification

Teachers will obtain certification upon providing evidence of growth in their leadership capacity to support implementation of a critical inquiry pedagogy in mathematics and by producing quality classroom materials.

Scheduling

The program offers 18 hours of personalized coaching and 10 hours of support in-between the scheduled coaching sessions. Both the coaching sessions and in-between support can be delivered through a customized combination of face to face and online sessions. Teachers will work with TC² Math Consultant, Laura Gini-Newman, to create a schedule that is mutually convenient.

Prerequisites

We require that participants are familiar with the TC² approach to critical thinking and have a keen interest in implementing a critical inquiry pedagogy in math classrooms.

Enrolment

This is a highly individualized and personalized, one-on-one program designed to meet the specific needs of the teacher. Small group sessions can also be arranged.

Program fees

$6000/person. Group discounts are available.