Editorial Board

One of the ways the College helps teachers keep their teaching meaningful, relevant and inspiring for students is through our quarterly award-winning magazine Professionally Speaking.

Professionally Speaking is one of many sources our members rely on for information that will help them continue to grow as lifelong learners whether they work in the classroom, in administration or in some other sector of education.

It delivers stimulating stories from teachers across the province, news about changes to education policy and answers to frequently asked questions about the profession. It offers in-depth articles on educational approaches, research issues and resources. It also features profiles of remarkable teachers who have made a real impact on the lives of Canadian celebrities such as world champion figure skater Kurt Browning and actor Chilina Kennedy – well known for her Stratford Festival performances in West Side Story and Evita.

The Editorial Board is responsible for setting editorial and advertising policy for the magazine, which has one of the largest readerships of education magazines in North America. The French version, Pour parler profession, is the only French-language education magazine that all teachers working in Ontario French-language schools receive.

The board reviews and selects submissions for each issue, looking for a balance of articles that will interest the College’s very diverse membership. Each issue of the magazine includes reviews of new resources, guides to web sites helpful to teachers and students, and conference listings to provide information to help busy educators find professional learning resources quickly.

Each issue highlights the achievements of teachers whose exemplary practice has earned them provincial or national acclaim, and provides these award winners with an opportunity to share their teaching philosophies and tips with their colleagues.

The College’s commitment to transparency and accountability is reflected in the pages of the Governing Ourselves section of the magazine. In this section, members and the public can read reports about Council and committee activities, from reports on the accreditation of teacher education programs to summaries of the disciplinary hearings that are also a mandatory part of professional self-regulation.

The Mandate section of the magazine highlights the objectives of the College and the work of committees and staff who support their implementation.

Feedback from College members about what features of the College magazine they find most useful in their work, or the most enjoyable, helps the Editorial Board continually improve our official publication. The judgment of experts in the magazine publishing industry is another important source of feedback.

The College magazine received an unprecedented number of accolades in 2010 for articles published in recent years:

  • it received three Tabbie awards in the latest round of this international competition, one for editorial and two for design. The competition, organized by the Trade, Association and Business Publications International, drew about 500 entrants
  • the December 2009 issue, Gold Medal Learning, placed 12th in the “Top 25 of the Best Single Issue” category
  • Transition to Teaching 2008: A New Generation of Ontario Teachers, March 2009, won a bronze in the “design of an opening page or spread” category
  • The June 2009 issue, The Greening of Ontario’s Curriculum, was one of only three to receive an honourable mention for its front-cover photograph.

The awards are open to trade, association and business publications throughout the English-speaking world.

Professionally Speaking also won several Kenneth R. Wilson awards in Canadian business journalism. In Character, December 2009, won a silver for “best feature.” Another silver, this time in “art direction of an opening spread or feature,” went to Gold Medal Learning, December 2009.

As well, the magazine received four honourable mentions. The two in writing were in the “profile” category for George Stroumboulopoulos’s Remarkable Teacher and in the “one-of-a-kind” category for Manure and Magatogas, both in the December 2009 issue. Manure and Magatogas received another mention for its illustration, as did Transition to Teaching, March 2009.

The Kenneth R. Wilson awards are organized by the Canadian Business Press and Magazines Canada.

In 2010, the Editorial Board with the help of other Council committees, developed the member survey based on research requests from Council committees to provide information that helps guide their initiatives.

This year’s survey reveals that social media is a growing draw among Ontario teachers who use whatever computer or mobile electronic device they can get their hands on to seek out lesson plans and professional development.

In 2010, advertising sales for our four print editions of the magazine totalled $1,018,417. The Editorial Board approved this year a pilot project to sell advertising on the magazine’s microsite and our initial sales have brought in an additional $9,975.

Professionally Speaking is an efficient means of reaching our members and continues to be highly cost effective. In 2010, the per-member annual cost for four issues – including postage – was about $2.83.

Editorial Board

  • Gabrielle Blais (until June 13, 2010)
  • Marie-Louise Chartrand (from November 18, 2010)
  • Irene Dembek, OCT (Vice-Chair)
  • Annilee Jarvis, OCT (Chair)
  • Bill Matheson (from September 18, 2010)
  • Darlene Mead, OCT
  • Pauline Smart (until November 18, 2010)