The TESL Ontario Sparks of Excellence Award is designed to recognize and acknowledge the excellence and commitment of TESL Ontario members.
TESL Ontario presents the Sparks of Excellence Award annually to three members who go the extra mile to provide their students with an exceptional educational experience, or who play a vital leadership and/or mentoring role for colleagues or student teachers in their workplace.
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 to share their expertise with colleagues and the TESL community;
- 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 for their students, or
- by demonstrating exceptional leadership and/or mentoring expertise towards colleagues and/or student teachers in their work place.
Nominee Qualifications:
- Nominees must currently be employed in a language training program in Ontario.
- Nominees must be members of TESL Ontario in good standing.
- Nominees must have been involved in the ESL profession as either an instructor or administrative capacity for a minimum of three years.
- The nominee's extraordinary commitment must exceed minimum expectations for the completion of their duties in their day-to-day employment.
Nomination Process:
- Nominee must meet all nominee qualifications
- Nomination must include one letter of nomination and one supporting letter of nomination
- Nominator must submit a completed online nomination form including the letters of nomination and support.
Nomination Deadline: September 8, 2023