Committees at Work

Editorial Board

The College’s quarterly award-winning magazine, Professionally Speaking, is delivered to 232,314 Ontario Certified Teachers in either English or French (Pour parler profession). It provides inspiring stories from our members, reports trends in education and regulation, and features in-depth articles, reviews and resources to enhance professional practice.

The magazine also profiles remarkable teachers who have made a difference in the lives and careers of notable Canadians.

The Editorial Board is responsible for setting editorial and advertising policy for the magazine. The board reviews magazine content prior to publication and provides input into future editions, looking for a balance of subject areas that will interest the College’s diverse membership. Each issue highlights the achievements of teachers whose exemplary approach has earned them municipal, provincial or national acclaim, and provides these award winners with an opportunity to share their teaching philosophies with their colleagues.

Feedback from College members about the content they find most useful in guiding their professional practice helps the Editorial Board continually improve the publication.

The documentary-style Great Teaching digital profiles, introduced in 2014, continue to gain traction with both English- and French-speaking audiences. These compelling “day-in-the-life” profiles can be watched on the College’s YouTube channel. One of these stories has received more than 10,000 views.

These Great Teaching digital components complement the magazine profiles of the same name, further highlighting award-winning teachers from across the province. Their stories provide recognition for a job well done and an opportunity to share proven techniques that have been met with success.

A row of books on a library shelf 

In 2018, Professionally Speaking’s features and special sections covered important College initiatives related to its mandate including the 2018 College Council election, and the election results. Other notable feature articles included “Off-Duty Conduct,” which looked at maintaining a sense of professionalism in and out of the classroom and “Learning to Lead,” which highlighted opportunities for leadership development, including several programs and Additional Qualification (AQ) courses accredited by the College.

In March, Professionally Speaking published its second annual AQ supplement, focusing on the importance of ongoing professional learning for College members and key statistics from the College’s 2017 Transition to Teaching study, which looks at the job market for new Ontario Certified Teachers. “What I’ve learned about Success,” also published in the March issue, profiled past College scholarship recipients who share what they’ve learned as teachers and what keeps them motivated.

The College’s commitment to transparency and accountability is reflected in the Governing Ourselves section of the magazine. Members and the public can read reports about Council, committee and College activities, from conference, annual report and annual meeting highlights to mandatory disciplinary hearing summaries that are part of professional self-regulation.

In 2018, we conducted our biennial reader survey to gauge members’ opinions about the magazine. Through the online survey and member focus groups hosted in various locations around the province, we identified a need to streamline the publication to enhance the reader experience through the use of plain language and a simpler design.

In December, we introduced an updated look to the magazine to coincide with the College’s brand refresh. We introduced a new font to improve readability, more white space, easier navigation and shorter articles. These and other changes are part of our proactive and ongoing efforts to better connect our members and the public to the work of the College.

Through the reader survey, members also indicated their preferences for reading magazines in print versus online. The results indicated that French-language readers expressed a greater interest in reading the magazine online than English-language readers did. In response, the College launched a pilot project with the December issue of Pour parler profession, giving readers of the French-language edition of the magazine the option of receiving a print version in the mail, a link to the digital version via email or both. The pilot will continue for the March, June and September issues of 2019 and the results will be assessed to further inform our overall distribution policy for the magazine.

The board is pleased that the College magazine enjoyed another impressive awards season in 2018. Professionally Speaking received international recognition at the 2018 Tabbie Awards, picking up five honours (including two bronze and two Top 25). The Tabbies, presented by TABPI (Trade Association Business Publications International), recognize editorial and visual excellence in English-language trade, association and business magazines worldwide.

The Editorial Board continues to provide guidance on relevant education issues that appeal to readers. It encourages discussion and feedback from College members through content such as the Professional Practice section, Book Reviews and letters to the editor.

Editorial Board

To June 30, 2018:
  • Jean-Luc Bernard, OCT (a)
  • Tim Gernstein, OCT (e)
  • Godwin Ifedi (a)
  • Myreille Loubert, OCT (e) (Chair)
  • Anthony Samchek, OCT (e)
    (Vice-Chair)
From July 1, 2018:
  • Jean-Luc Bernard, OCT (a)
  • Chantal Côté, OCT (e) (Vice-Chair)
  • Melissa Gaffen, OCT (e)
  • Tim Gernstein, OCT (e) (to November 20, 2018)
  • Godwin Ifedi (a) (Chair)

(a) = appointed
(e) = elected

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