TESL Ontario 

Introducing the New TESL Ontario

Sparks of Excxellence Award

 Greetings!   

 

TESL Ontario is pleased to introduce the Sparks of Excellence Award. This new award is designed to recognize and acknowledge the excellence and commitment of TESL Ontario members.

  

Two individuals will be selected for the Sparks of Excellence Award each year and winners of the award will be honoured at the Annual TESL Ontario Conference.

   

In our workplaces we recognize colleagues who are exceptional for a variety of reasons:

  • They create lessons that are not only appropriate and relevant, but also engage and challenge the learners;
  • They use different teaching methods to match the learners' various learning styles and needs;
  • They integrate new technologies into their classrooms to enhance the learning opportunities of the students;
  • They connect the classroom to the community in meaningful ways;
  • They are committed to providing their learners with an exceptional learning environment so that they can reach their goals;
  • They demonstrate a passion for teaching and inspire others to pursue excellence in teaching;
  • They are willing share their expertise with colleagues
  • They mentor student teachers to provide them with an excellent learning opportunity as well as to realize their own potential;
  • They are committed to their own professional development

These Sparks of Excellence are role models demonstrating how to bring excellence into our learning environments.

 

 

Nomination Overview:

  

Nominee must have demonstrated their commitment to the ESL profession in one of the following ways:

  • By providing an outstanding educational experience to their students by going above and beyond the expectations of their teaching position
  • By demonstrating exceptional leadership/mentoring expertise towards colleagues and/or student teachers in their work place.

Nominee Qualifications:

  1. Nominees must currently be employed in a language training program in Ontario
  2. Nominees must be members of TESL Ontario in good standing.
  3. Nominees must have been involved in the ESL profession in either an instructor or administrative capacity for a minimum of three years.
  4. Their extraordinary commitment must exceed minimum expectations for the completion of their duties of their day-to-day employment.

Nomination Process:

 

Nomination Deadline is September 28, 2012
    1. Identify a Nominee and confirm with the individual that they are willing to be nominated.  
    2. Write a Nomination Letter stating clearly why this nominee should be considered for a Sparks of Excellence Award.
      • The letter must state clearly why the teacher or administrator is being nominated.
      • The letter must cite specific examples when the teacher or administrator demonstrated exceptional commitment to their duties.  
      • The letter must be no more than 3 pages long, single-sided, double-spaced using a font size of 10.
      • The writer must provide their full name, place of work (if applicable), contact information and signature.
      • The nomination letter must be uploaded to the online application form in Microsoft word format
    3. Find one other individual to support the nomination.The supporting individual must write a Letter of Support
      • The supporting letter must state the reason or reasons why the teacher or administrator is being nominated.
      • The letter must include examples demonstrating the nominee's outstanding commitment that differ from those in the nomination letter
      • The letter must be no more than one page, double-spaced, single sided.
      • The writer must provide their full name, place of work (if applicable), contact information and signature.
      • The nomination letter must be uploaded to the online application form in Microsoft word format
    4. Complete the online Nomination Form at: http://www.teslontario.net/content/sparks-of-excellence-award-nomination-form
    5. Upload both your letter of nomination and the supporting nomination letter to the online form.
    6. The Nominee must acknowledge the nomination in their name as required on the online application form.
    7. Please note that incomplete applications will not be considered.
    8. All Nominations will be considered by a panel of judges appointed by TESL Ontario who represent a wide range of ESL professionals
    9. A maximum of two Nominees will be selected to be honoured with the TESL Ontario Sparks of Excellence Award at the TESL Ontario annual conference.
    10. Successful candidates will be notified individually.
    11. Successful candidates may be contacted by media (newspapers, radio, television, online) for interviews about the award. These interviews will be facilitated by TESL Ontario`s public relations specialist.
    12. Sparks of Excellence award winners' names and biographies will be posted on the TESL Ontario website, as well as in TESL Ontario publications where appropriate.

 

 

Conflict of Interest:


Please note that the Nomination and the Letters of Support cannot be provided by family members.

 

 

To submit a nomination for the Sparks of Excellence Award please review the award requirements and complete the online nomination form on our website at:

http://www.teslontario.net/sparks-of-excellence-award. The nomination deadline is September 28, 2012.

 

Best Regards,

 

 

Allison Keown

Member Services Manager

TESL Ontario

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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