Teach K-6 (KITEP - Primary/Junior Specialization)
The Keewatinase Indigenous Teacher Education Program (KITEP) – Primary/Junior specialization is a diploma program that leads to certification with the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT). The program offers a safe and wholistic learning space where teacher candidates are supported in strengthening their identities and bringing their whole selves—emotional, physical, spiritual, and mental—into their teaching practice and communities. One of the program’s primary objectives is to share and model how teacher candidates can ground their teaching in Anishinaabe ways of knowing, seeing, doing, and being, fostering learning and teaching that align with Indigenous pedagogies and incorporate family, community, and healing.
Program Length
The program can be completed over two years of full-time study, or up to six years part-time. The two-year program is divided by seasons, with summer courses starting in July, followed by courses in the Fall, Winter, and Spring.
Courses
Courses in KITEP include two culture camps, community-led teaching and learning courses, and online courses that address subject-specific curriculum. See the KITEP - Primary/Junior specialization Program Components.
Practicum Experience
In addition to the course work, KITEP includes an 80-day (400 hours) teaching practicum that is divided into two teaching blocks, with each block being 30-50 days in duration, for a total of 80 days. See the KITEP Teaching Practicum Guide for further details, along with the Teaching Practicum Resources for Students page.
Multi-Session Transitional Certificate of Qualification and Registration
After completing the first Summer/Fall session, which includes 2.0 Full Course Equivalents (FCEs) and a 10-day supervised practicum, students are eligible to teach under the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT) Multi-Session Transitional Certificate of Qualification and Registration (MTCQR). See the Applying for a Multi-Sessional Transitional Certificate Qualifications and Registration (MTCQR): Flowchart.
Program Learning Outcomes
The Program Learning Outcomes are made up of eight Teaching and Learning Goals.