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Year: 2002 – Province: Ontario
Certificate of Achievement Recipients
Michael McMaster
School: Marc Garneau Collegiate Institute
135 Overlea Boulevard
Toronto, Ontario M3C 1B3
Principal: Susan Ferguson
School Telephone: 416-396-2410
School Fax: 416-396-2407
School Website: schools.tdsb.on.ca/marcgarneau
Grades/Subjects Taught: Grades 9 and OAC, mathematics, algebra, calculus
Teaching Approach:
- Enrichment does not simply mean "more" or "harder." It's a combination of content and methodology that aims at the development of critical-thinking and problem-solving skills.
Outstanding Achievements:
Revitalized school's enrichment program, Talented Offerings for Programs in the Sciences (TOPS):
- promoted a fair admission process that identifies students with a strong potential for success, regardless of their background, including self-prepared student profiles and comprehensive teacher references
- spearheaded and encouraged the inclusion of Advanced Placement programs, then modified them to include the cooperative learning strategies necessary for tomorrow's professionals
- established the TOPS Enrichment Fund to solicit donations from parents and community; organized student fund-raising efforts to support the program, and streamlined its functioning and financing within school by creating a distinct TOPS department
- broadened science and technology students' perspectives by introducing them to the arts with field trips to the symphony, dance presentations and art galleries, offering study units such as The Mathematics of Bach and Chopin and wildly popular after-school options in ballroom dancing and formal dinner table setting
- improved teaching skills of teachers involved in TOPS by facilitating team teaching, pairing accomplished and novice teachers.
TOPS enrolment has doubled, with retention rate of nearly 100 percent; students regularly achieve 100 percent first year success rate, win top awards at a dazzling array of science fairs and mathematics and chemistry competitions, and are awarded dozens of major scholarships.
Rave Reviews:
"He is empathetic, enthusiastic, knowledgeable and creative. For all of these reasons, students love to have him as their teacher." Colleague
"No one other than my family had put such faith in my abilities as he had, and this wasn't just an isolated instance; he had this much confidence in all his students." Former student