Ms. Joanne Robinson graduated from the London Teachers' College in 1971. She then taught for two and a half years as a classroom teacher in the Junior Division before teaching grade 5 Math and Physical Education. During this year she worked with a group on a Ministry project studying the effects of daily physical activity on academic success. She then moved to teach at the Intermediate level while completing a Bachelor of Education and courses leading to a specialist in Physical Education and Guidance. She then left the classroom for the next two years she  assumed the  position of Executive Assistant to the Superintendent of Curriculum in Oxford County. As a result of board restructuring this position was eliminated and she spent a year as the Transition Years Consultant for The Oxford County Board of Education while concurrently studying to become a principal. She assumed the role of Vice Principal in a rural K to eight school and remained there for just over two years. In November 1995 she accepted the position of Vice Principal in a grade seven to nine school and finished the school year there.  Since September 1996 she has been the Principal of a K to eight school in newly created Thames Valley District School Board and has most recently been elected to the position of President Elect of the Ontario Principals' Council.

Joanne speaking to the issue of changes in the classroom:

" P1J1 got us [teachers] past the traditional rote learning approach to teaching, as prescribed in the Little Gray Book. P1J1 allowed us, as teachers, to see the child as a multifaceted learner. It allowed us to focus on many more aspects of the students' learning processes and introduced teachers to a variety of learning styles through Bloom's Taxonomy. This opened the door to changing teaching strategies.  The Common Curriculum offered some strategies to teachers, with which to authentically assess and evaluate the students' acquisition of knowledge, while at the same time accommodating  many of the varied learning styles. The Ontario Curriculum allows the teachers to use their professional judgement to decide how best to facilitate the achievement of the expectations."

There has been a shift in the level of autonomy of teachers. Initially in the era of The Little Grey Book, teachers had little autonomy in regards to what they were to teach and how they were to teach it. With the advent of the P1J1 teachers were allowed more freedom to teach in a variety of ways yet the content and suggested lesson plans were usually developed by individual school boards. When the Common Curriculum was introduced by the NDP government in 1987 teachers were allowed to expand their methods of teaching in order to provide a variety of opportunities for students to achieve the outcomes of the curriculum yet the content of the curriculum was returning to a more prescribed format. The Ontario Curriculum Grades 1-8: Mathematics moved to further prescribe the content of the curriculum and changed the vocabulary from outcomes as in the Common Curriculum to Expectations.

On teaching changes in the classroom:

Ms. Robinson said, "Teachers now have more autonomy in selecting the teaching strategies yet there is a reduction in their autonomy in selecting what is taught. This, at times, stifles a teacher's creativity. It does however respect the teacher's professionalism in allowing them to choose how they'll teach so that a specific child or group of children can learn to the best of their abilities."

On teaching Math:

"Throughout my career as a teacher, if I could give up teaching math I would. I have always felt that I could teach Math but I've never felt comfortable in my skill level as a 'Math teacher'."

Ms. Taye Schoneveld:

Ms. Taye Schoneveld graduated from Althouse College in 1984 and subsequently supply taught for a year. She then taught three quarter time teaching a grade six class and ESL. She then received a full time position in 1986 teaching in grade one. Her teaching experience ranges from grade one to grade six over the next twelve years. During this time she continued her professional development by completing Additional Qualification courses in Primary education and in Reading. She completed courses for a Reading Specialist Qualification. She has gone on to becoming an Additional Qualifications Instructor and has conducted various presentations related to The Common Curriculum and Outcomes Based Education.

Ms. Schoneveld on teaching changes in the classroom:

" The [curriculum] document is an impetus toward reflecting on your programme but, in and of itself, the document cannot change the methods by which you teach. That kind of fundamental shift of thinking or re-evaluation of practice only comes with observation of your own students, discussion with peers and reading professional materials and personal reflection of what is and isn't working for your students."

On the Common Curriculum:

"The Common Curriculum got me thinking about how I assess. It gave me the vocabulary to describe what the students do in my class and it has widened my comfort level with regard to my repertoire of assessment techniques. But still I value the activities that I find that I am the most comfortable with. I feel strongly that students need to be able to write their thoughts on paper because I think that these are the skills that will be required and evaluated in real life."

On teaching Math:

" I started to enjoy Math only when I started teaching it. I feel, that because my university background was not in Math nor Science, my confidence in teaching Math is low. I believe that this lack of confidence in Math and Science limits my options as a teacher to the Primary and Junior levels."

Interview with John Curtis.

Mr. John Curtis graduated from Althouse College in 1989 and began his teaching career teaching at the Junior level. He has taught the past 5 years at the Intermediate level.
With a background in Social Science, History and English he sheds some personal views on the impact of Ministry produced curriculum documents and their effect on teaching in the classroom. In addition he shared his views on the plight of elementary teachers without a university background in Mathematics when it comes to teaching Mathematics.

John Curtis on the multi modal assessment ideas presented in the Common Curriculum:

"I don't think we [teachers] have the resources nor the time to put all of Math into an authentic, real-world, meaningful context. . . .with this in mind all modalities for assessment is gone."

John Curtis on the changes in curriculum and his program in the class:

"I feel that, in the Intermediate grades, the teaching strategies are dictated by the expectations of the high schools more than by the Ministry curriculum changes. We try to give the students the skills that they will need to survive grade nine. . . . we hope that students will be able to transfer their skills when they need them."