They are reminded that effective teaching requires as its baseline individuals who are academically able, who have command of the subjects they are required to teach, and who care about the well-being of children and youth. It also requires individuals who can produce results, mainly those of student academic achievement and social learning. These characteristics are prerequisites for teaching, but they are insufficient without five higher-level attributes:

• Effective teachers have personal qualities that allow them to develop authentic and caring human relationships with their students, parents and colleagues.
• Effective teachers can create democratic classrooms that model social justice for children and adolescents.
• Effective teachers have positive dispositions toward knowledge. They have command of at least three, broad knowledge bases that deal with subject matter, human development and learning, and pedagogy. They use this knowledge to guide the science and art of their teaching practice.
• Effective teachers command a repertoire of teaching practices known to stimulate student motivation, to enhance student achievement of basic skills, to develop higher-level thinking, and to produce self-regulated learners.
• Effective teachers are personally disposed toward reflection and problem solving. They consider learning to teach a lifelong process and they can diagnose situations and adapt and use their professional knowledge appropriately to improve student learning and to present a positive learning environment in schools.

Paul Mooney, Superintendent of Schools, Qikiqtani School Operations, reinforced all of those ideas during his presentation to the Educational Administration 310 students this week. Paul is a long time Northern educator whose key area of expertise with QSO is in the Human Resource and Employee Relations areas. Consequently, he has major responsibility in the hiring of teaching personnel.

During his informative and very well received presentation, he focused on specific lead items as they pertained to the field of Education in Nunavut:

• Piliriqatigiinniq: working together for a common cause.
• Aajiiqatigiinniq: decision making through discussion and consensus
• Practical exercises in decision making
• How to use the IQ Principles in the context of Education
• How to compete for jobs in Education
• The importance of a Professional Development Journal
• The key elements of resume writing

We thank Paul Mooney for his presentation and his willingness to share his experience with our Nunavut Teacher Education Program (NTEP) students and Instructor Tracey MacMillan for arranging the visit. Our goal is to access northern personnel who have “hands on” experience with the education system and the cultural dynamic of Nunavut. Our students are well served by this approach!