January 7, 2016

To Whom It May Concern,

Letter of Reference for: Ms. Katherine Malcolm
As a course instructor of Health and Physical Education at OISE, I have had the pleasure of
teaching Katherine in the Masters of Teaching program. She has been an enthusiastic and
engaged member of the class in the Intermediate Health and Physical Education Specialist
Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment course. I have had several opportunities to observe
Katherine in her teaching and learning experiences to become a teacher. She is an inspiring young
woman with a genuine passion for teaching young people and her peers. In doing so, she always
demonstrates good judgment and the ability to motivate others.
It is most evident through Katherines participation in class activities, discussions and
presentations that she is committed to life long learning and developing best teaching practices as
an educator. Katherine has been an active and involved member of the class, always engaged in
class discussions, well prepared for presentations and works effectively with her peers in group
activities. Her insightful contributions to class discussions reflect her understandings of the
purpose and role of Health and Physical Education in todays school and communities and inform
her vision for teaching physical and health literacy. Her level of commitment was quickly
observed in the first few weeks of the MT program as she volunteered in September 2014 at the
Physical Literacy Summit in Hamilton, a full day workshop supporting teachers to develop
physical literacy in physical education.
As a teacher, Katherine demonstrates the ability to use effective classroom management
techniques, organize creative lesson planning to ensure an inclusive and positive learning
environment and develop a good rapport with all of her students. I had the opportunity to observe
Katherine during her teaching practicum teaching a grade six co-ed Physical Education class at
Cosburn Middle School in the Toronto District School Board. Katherine demonstrates excellent
content knowledge and she understands the importance of using a variety of appropriate teaching
strategies to engage and challenge all students.
It is evident that as a teacher, Katherine is willing to get involved in extracurricular activities and
be an active member of any school community. She will embrace this opportunity to teach with
enthusiasm to inspire all students to learn and achieve success. It is without reservation that I
recommend Katherine as a teacher for any school board.
Sincerely,

Carolyn Temertzoglou
Health and Physical Education,
Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto