Editorial Board Committee
The College’s quarterly award-winning magazine, Professionally Speaking, is delivered to more teachers than any other educational publication in Canada. It provides inspiring stories from our members across the province, reports trends in education, features in-depth articles and reviews relevant resources to the profession. The French edition, Pour parler profession, is available to all teachers working in Ontario French-language schools.
It also profiles remarkable teachers who have made a real impact on the lives of Canadian celebrities like Suits star Patrick J. Adams, Olympic gold medallist in trampoline Rosie MacLennan and Canada AM co-host Marci Ien.
The Editorial Board is responsible for setting editorial and advertising policy for the magazine. The board reviews and selects all submissions, looking for a balance of articles that will interest the College’s diverse membership. 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.
Feedback from College members about what features and resources they find most useful in their work helps the Editorial Board continually improve our official publication.
In 2013, the magazine continued to engage readers with exciting new departments, such as By the Numbers, a cheat sheet to intriguing facts in education. The popular last-page department, Final Exam, where a well-known personality with ties to education answers questions about their own school experiences, featured award-winning author Joseph Boyden, Stratford Festival’s artistic director, Antoni Cimolino and Arctic Air’s star Adam Beach in 2013.
The New Face of Aboriginal Education (March 2013), Technology Dissected (June 2013) and Brainstorm: Supporting youth with mental health issues in the classroom (December 2013) were cover stories that were particularly well received by readers.
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 and committee activities — from news about the accreditation of teacher education programs to mandatory disciplinary hearing summaries that are part of professional self-regulation.
The College magazine enjoyed another impressive awards season in 2013. It is the seventh year in a row that Professionally Speaking emerged a winner at the prestigious Tabbie Awards.
The Tabbies, the editorial and design awards program run by Trade, Association and Business Publications International, awarded our magazine one gold, two silvers and three honourable mentions.
Tech Class, published in March 2012, won gold for Best How-To Article. Spotlight on LeSage picked up silver for Best Cover Photo in the September 2012 issue, while Food for Thought also took silver for Best Feature Design in the December 2012 issue.
Supplies in Demand for Best Opening Page or Spread (June 2012), Final Exam for Best Department and Forces for Change for Best Feature (December 2012) received honourable mentions.
Nearly 500 entries were submitted from Canada, the U.S., the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Singapore and South Africa.
The College magazine also collected four Kenneth R. Wilson (KRW) awards in Canadian business journalism in 2013. Professionally Speaking took home silver and three honourable mention awards.
Supplies in Demand was once again recognized, picking up silver for Best Art Direction of an Opening Spread/Complete Feature. Food for Thought was another repeat standout, receiving an honourable mention in this category.
Tech Class added an honourable mention for Best How-To Article while Financial Literacy, published in September 2012, was awarded an honourable mention for Best Illustration.
The KRW Awards recognize the outstanding efforts of professional and business-to-business publications across Canada.
Professionally Speaking is an efficient and effective means of reaching our members in a highly cost effective manner. In 2013, the per-member annual cost for four issues — including postage — was about $2.62.
The Editorial Board conducted a readers’ survey in 2013 to obtain valuable members’ feedback about the publication. The 2013 survey showed 84 per cent of readers were satisfied or very satisfied with the quality of the magazine and 96 per cent were satisfied or very satisfied with the quality of the design and photography.
The Editorial Board continues to focus on selecting quality articles about relevant education issues that appeal to readers. They encourage discussion and feedback from College members through content such as teacher tips, book reviews and letters to the editor. The committee looks forward to working with the College’s new Manager of Communications, Bill Powell, in 2014.
