In an effort to provide ongoing, accessible learning to principals and vice-principals the Ontario Principals' Council (OPC) is offering a series of continuous online learning courses. These courses are online and use a learning management system (LMS) to support individual learning. Through the LMS, participants engage in a variety of learning activities such as readings, blog entries, reflections and quizzes. In some cases, synchronous sessions may be offered to complement the learning goals. Each course is designed differently to allow for adaptive learning activities that match content with appropriate adult learning pedagogies.
These courses are offered in two different streams:
Self-Directed Courses
These courses have open enrolment, without an active facilitator. Once registered, these courses will allow you to move through them at your own pace for a set amount of time.
Interview Preparation |
Need some support to prepare for your interview for a principal or vice-principal position? The OPC Interview Preparation course will support you in preparing for your interview for any position in a Board of education. The course modules will include:
The course is open to all principals and vice-principals.
|
Teacher Performance Appraisal (TPA) |
Principals and vice-principals are required to complete Teacher Performance Appraisals (TPA) each year. This course is intended to help you:
The course is open to all principals and vice-principals.
|
Facilitated Courses
These courses are largely asynchronous and have a facilitator assigned to guide the learning. They follow a more structured format and may include synchronous elements such as live web meetings and webinars.
Anti-Black Racism |
Ontario’s Anti-Racism Directorate defines anti-Black racism as prejudice, attitudes, beliefs, stereotyping and discrimination directed at people of African descent and is rooted in their unique history and experience of enslavement and its legacy. Anti-Black racism is deeply embedded in Canadian institutions, policies and practices such that it is normalized or deemed invisible to the larger white society.” - Ontario College of Teachers, Professional Advisory on Anti-Black Racism, p.1 In this five-module course school leaders will: deepen their understanding of anti-Black racism and the current ways it exists in educational institutions today; and critically examine school practices and approaches through a variety of tangible, researched-based strategies to actively address and disrupt anti-Black racism in their schools and learning environments. Course Dates: January 29 - March 1, 2024 (5-weeks) Synchronous Discussions (Tuesdays):
Time: 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. EST Faciliator: Shelita Walker, Halton District School Board Cost: Member and Associates - $350 + HST *Login required Non-Members - $440 + HST
*Please note the following:
|
Antisemitism |
Coming soon |
Building and Managing Relationships |
Participants will explore the ideas and strategies for building and managing relationships in their professional leadership roles. Effective communication, understanding diverse perspectives and recognizing biases, and conflict mediation will be explored. Facilitated by practising principals with diverse experiences in various education settings, this module focuses on fostering and facilitating relationships with staff, students, and the school community to:
|
Future of Schools |
There is an ancient paradox that says, “The only thing that is certain, is that nothing is certain.” If there was ever a more fitting time in education to quote this paradox, the time would be now. The unexpected Pandemic crisis became a catalyst for educators to radically change practice in ways no one had really imagined. As a result, we have seen new possibilities in education that seemed impossible a short time ago. As the world adjusts to a new normal, we as educators now have an exciting window of opportunity to reimagine our education system. As educational leaders this is both exciting and daunting. Given that nothing is certain, how do we begin to dialogue about the Future of Schools? Through a combination of self-directed and facilitated learning sessions, this course will explore emerging educational theories, mindsets and bold leadership moves that will support you in preparing your educators and learners for the future. Open to school and system leaders. Coming soon |
Striking a Balance: Practical Strategies for Taking Control of Your Workflow |
This 5-module course focuses on the individual and personal wellness strategies. It will provide a space where you can spend time navigating what is in your control to help balance everything you have going on as a leader in your schools as well as a leader in your own life. It will help you identify the barriers that may stop you from creating a balance and decreasing stress levels. We will use the Ontario Leadership Framework, specifically the Personal Leadership Resources, to focus the conversations and to build the confidence, wellness and habits that can positively impact how you show up in your workplace and lead effectively. There are only 4 synchronous sessions which will help you have time to implement the strategies in time for the next synchronous session. These modules are meant to help you decrease your workload, not increase it. This course is bringing your work and home life into perspective and helping you make a plan to minimize the amount of clutter we hold in our brains and open it up to clear actionable steps. This course is about you. It will help you to create a roadmap that identifies the goals and the route that are most relevant to you, your experiences and your development as a leader. To support this, the course includes one-on-one coaching time with the facilitator. This work will change your perspective, the way you wake up each morning, and the narrative you tell yourself each day. Course Dates: January 29 - March 1, 2024 (5-weeks) Synchronous Discussion Dates (4 Mondays):
Time: 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. EST Faciliator: Michelle Sigmann, Durham District School Board Cost: Member and Associates - $350 + HST *Login required Non-Members - $440 + HST
*Please note the following:
|
Understanding Muslim Students in Our Schools |
Muslim students have been attending our schools for over a century and have been steadily growing in numbers since the 1960s. As administrators work towards building inclusive schools for everyone, conversations around Muslim students and families need to shift from a focus on accommodations to a focus on inclusive curriculum and responsive pedagogies. This eight-module course delves deeper into understanding Canadian Muslims by discussing a number of relevant topics for school leaders, such as the diversity of the Muslim community, perspectives of Muslim youth, challenging Islamophobia in schools, considerations of building inclusive schools, addressing contemporary issues, and more. Through the lens of Muslim learners, participants will gain the necessary knowledge to better serve all students, families, and staff in our schools.
|
Terms and Conditions
Refund Policy |
Self-Directed
Facilitated
|
Interpretation Services |
The OPC is committed to accommodating the individual needs of our Members, in accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and the Ontario Human Rights Code. Once a candidate has registered and paid the applicable registration fees for a course, the OPC will contract with an interpretation service of its choosing and will cover the fees and expenses related to interpretation services in accordance with its contract arrangements with the interpreter. The candidate is welcome to provide a list of preferred interpreters for us to consider, but OPC retains the discretion to choose the provider of these services.
As the OPC is required to comply with the cancellation policy specific to each independent interpreter, it will communicate the cancellation policy to the course candidate in writing. A candidate seeking to cancel their participation in an OPC course must comply with the interpreter’s cancellation policy and be respectful of the associated timelines. Candidates will be held responsible for cancellation fees applied as a result of missing timelines for cancellation. OPC’s standard refund policy will also apply to all cancellations. |