In-Person Professional Development Courses for Educators

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Overview

The Faculty of Education offers specialized professional development courses designed for practicing educators globally and domestically. These intensive, on-site programs run between 5 to 7 weeks and are delivered in an in-person format at our Kingston, Ontario campus.

The program is structured to provide deep engagement with specific pedagogical topics, allowing you to gain new strategies and skills and return home with an international perspective to share with your students.

• Location: Courses are delivered through face-to-face interactions at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
• Flexibility: Designed for educators with existing careers, the short duration means no need for a long-term commitment, allowing you to return to your job or home country upon completion.
• Global Access: Courses are offered all year long and are open to both domestic and internationally trained teachers.
• International Travel Support: We are committed to helping international participants travel to Canada for these professional development opportunities. We will provide all necessary documentation required to support your application for a temporary visa, if needed, to facilitate your in-person attendance.

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Professional Development

Ontario College of Teachers (OCT)

These courses are recognized by the OCT. For already OCT-certified teachers, they can be used to fulfill specific license conditions or count towards the Additional Qualification (AQ) certification process.

For more information about the process and the requirements for teachers in Ontario visit the Ontario College of Teachers page.

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Application

Application Requirements

Admission to these standalone courses recognizes relevant professional experience, requiring a teaching background:

1. Professional Requirement – Teaching Background
   

   Applicants must demonstrate a professional teaching background or teaching experience.

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2. Proof of English Language Proficiency
   

   English is the primary language of instruction. Applicants must demonstrate adequate proficiency through one of the following methods:

   • Providing documentation showing post-secondary education completed in English.
   • Submitting an English proficiency letter from a supervisor or authorized authority.
   • Providing the results of a standardized English test (e.g., IELTS).

   You satisfy the English requirement and do not have to send proof of proficiency if you completed a teacher education program in English in one of these countries:

   Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cameroon, Canada, Dominica, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, Nigeria, New Zealand, Republic of Ireland, Saint Kitts-Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, United Kingdom, United States, Uganda, US Virgin Islands, Zambia, Zimbabwe

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Required Documents

Applicants will need to provide the following documents:

• Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Employment letter or equivalent proof of teaching experience/teacher education
• English proficiency documents (if applicable)
• Passport (for international applicants), Permanent Resident card, or other identity documents (e.g., driver’s license)
• OCT licence number (if OCT certified)

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Application Process

1	Review all information on the website Carefully read through the course details, eligibility criteria, and application requirements to ensure you meet all conditions.
2	Gather all required documents Collect and prepare the necessary documents.
3	Apply on our website Visit our website and click the "Apply Now" button to begin the application process. Follow the prompts and submit your documents.
4	Our team will review the documents Once submitted, our team will thoroughly review your application to confirm your eligibility and that all required information is included.
5	Decision issued We will provide a decision on your application and issue an invoice for payment.
6	Additional documentation After our team receives payment confirmation, we will issue any documents required for immigration, employment leave, or other requirements.

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Courses Available

Orientation to Teaching in Ontario

This course will cover Ontario’s curriculum, policies, frameworks, strategies and guidelines informed by evidence-based research and practices. You will explore course content by examining instructional best practices and developing practical tasks, exploring effective ways to support all learners in the classroom, collaboratively developing individual education plans (IEPs), and investigating impactful assessment and reporting strategies. This course is designed to view education through a lens of equity, diversity and inclusion, and it also focuses on how to weave Indigenous pedagogies into one’s learning environment in a respectful and appropriate manner. Collaborative discussion with colleagues will be an important aspect of learning throughout this course, and it will conclude with the compilation of a final portfolio.

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Assessment & Evaluation

Student assessment and evaluation is an integral part of the teaching and learning process. Teachers in Ontario, and elsewhere, are required to use diverse forms of assessment to support and communicate progress in learning to students, parents, and school administrators. This course will build on your current assessment practices and support you in exploring ways to enhance your use of assessment. Specifically, current assessment theory and practices will be examined with opportunities for you to critically reflect on the integration of these theories and practices into your classroom to support student learning.

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The Learning Environment

This course will introduce strategies for creating and supporting a safe, inclusive, learning-focused classroom – a process that begins with effective classroom management. Classroom Management examines how several different components of teaching are integral to creating and maintaining a positive, ethical, equitable, accepting, inclusive, engaging, and safe learning environment. You will explore processes that promote a collaborative community that encourages student voice, leadership, critical inquiry, and self-regulation. In addition, you will establish practices that promote partnerships that value shared responsibility, decision-making, advocacy, and leadership.

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Special Education Part 1

This course helps you deepen your understanding of special education through equity, inclusion and anti-oppressive frameworks. You'll develop guiding principles for teaching learners with special education needs, ensuring respectful support that values individual strengths, identities and experiences. Focusing on rights-based frameworks and policies, you'll examine creating inclusive learning environments that address systemic barriers faced by learners with disabilities and marginalized groups. You’ll analyze individual education plans, the identification, placement and review committee process and support models for learners with special education needs. You'll develop practical strategies to identify and support learners using differentiated instruction and a tiered approach, centering learner and family voices. The course also covers essential transition planning strategies.

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Teaching English Language Learners Part 1

English language learners (ELLs) entering Ontario classrooms will arrive with diverse and unique needs. Every ELL will bring unique cultural, social, academic, and linguistic backgrounds to your classroom. This course will enable you to cultivate a classroom environment that embraces diversity and celebrates the identity of every student while supporting ELLs through the difficult transition to their new home. English Language Learners (ELL) Part 1 is designed to provide you an engaging opportunity to explore many of the facets of teaching and learning an additional language. You will have the opportunity to explore the stages of language acquisition and ways to meet the needs of ELLs at the different stages. You will also gain a better understanding of the principles underlying the approaches to teaching the four broad language skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. You will examine some of the language demands that exist in curriculum-based lessons and learn how to scaffold appropriately and set realistic and manageable goals for ELLs.

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Teaching Students with Communication Needs (Autism Spectrum Disorders)

The additional qualification course, Teaching Children with Communication Needs (autism spectrum disorders), focuses on the development and implementation of program design for students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This course provides a detailed look at the characteristics associated with ASD. You will explore research-based approaches to instruction and ways to negotiate challenging behaviour. This course looks at the significance of working with school-based teams and community personnel. Creating a positive learning environment that reflects care, diversity, and equity is the foundation of this course. This course enhances professional knowledge (through lived experience, inquiry, and reflection), ethical practice, and leadership. This course is aligned with the Ontario curriculum, legislation, government policies, frameworks, strategies, and resources.

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Dates & Fees

Course Dates

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Course Fees

Item	Amount	Notes
Per Course Tuition	CAD $1,750	Applicable to all applicants.
UHIP (Mandatory)	CAD $262 (per term)	ONLY APPLICABLE FOR INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS.

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Refund Policy

The refund policy for the 5 to 7 Week In-Person Professional Development Courses is based strictly on the course start date, regardless of the applicant's country of origin (Local or International).

Withdrawal Timing	Refund Amount
Up to 1 Day Before the Course Start Date	100% Refund of all tuition and associated fees paid (e.g., $1,750 Tuition + Student Fees + UHIP, if applicable).
On or After the Course Start Date	No Refund will be issued.

Example: If a course starts on May 4, 2026, a full refund will be granted for withdrawal requests received by May 3, 2026. No refund will be issued for withdrawal requests received on or after May 4, 2026.

Important Notes on Refunds

• The tuition fee for each standalone course is Can$1,750 plus applicable student fees.
• International applicants must also pay $262 for the University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP) as part of their fees.
• If a refund is approved for payments made outside of Canada, the funds will be returned only to the original payment source (i.e., the individual who made the payment), and funds will not be transferred to another institution.

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Delivery Method

These are on-site courses that take place at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

In-person delivery format refers to a method of delivering educational or training content through face-to-face interactions between the instructor and the participants. This format involves physical attendance of participants at a designated location, such as a classroom, conference center, or training facility, where they can interact with the instructor and each other in real-time. This mode of delivery allows for immediate feedback and direct engagement between the participants and the instructor, fostering a collaborative and dynamic learning experience. In-person delivery is often considered more personal and interactive than remote or online delivery methods and provides opportunities for hands-on activities, group discussions, and other forms of interaction.

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Polices and More Information

Studies Program Policies

Fees, Refunds and Financial Support

Learn more about Queen’s University, the Faculty of Education and Kingston.

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