PARTICIPATION OF INTERNATIONALLY-EDUCATED PROFESSIONALS IN AN INITIAL TEACHER EDUCATION BACHELOR OF EDUCATION DEGREE PROGRAM: CHALLENGES AND SUPPORTS

This paper examines challenges and supports experienced by internationally educated immigrants who participated as adult students in an Initial Teacher Education Bachelor of Education degree program in Ontario as part of their strategy to begin new careers as teachers. The narrative of one participant, a Chinese-educated meteorologist and journalist is presented as a powerful illustration of the challenges, supports and common themes described by the study participants. Her story communicates challenges related to: time; language; the culture of the teaching profession in Ontario; intra-cultural racism; feelings of inadequacy, inferiority, isolation and invisibility related to „otherness‟; and a competitive labour market that disadvantages immigrant teachers. Her story also describes support through: constructive mentoring, a course developed specifically for internationally educated student teachers; and, supportive peer colleagues.

Collaborative, Reflective, and Iterative Japanese Lesson Study in an Initial Teacher Education Program: Benefits and Challenges

To investigate benefits and challenges to engage teacher candidates in Japanese lesson study, defined as a collaborative, reflective, and iterative teacher development pro‐ cess, we analyzed reflective papers submitted by 60 teacher candidates studying at an Ontario faculty of education, engaged 20 practicum associate teachers in a group dis‐ cussion, and considered the reflective notes of the course instructor (first author). Findings suggest that Japanese lesson study provides opportunities for teacher candi‐ dates to build professional learning communities, to deepen understanding of curric‐ ulum and pedagogy, and to develop habits of critical observation, analysis, and ref‐ lection. Although benefits of lesson study are numerous and significant, our research identified implementation challenges related to time, practicum placements, and the professional development of associate teachers. Key Words: professional learning communities, reflective practice, teacher collabora‐ tionEn vue d’analyser les avantages et les défis reliés à l’étude de leçon japonaise, une méthode de formation à l’enseignement axée sur la collaboration, la réflexion et l’itération, les auteurs ont (1) analysé les réflexions écrites de 60 candidats à l’enseignement étudiant dans une Faculté d’éducation en Ontario, (2) réuni 20 ensei‐ gnants associés pour une discussion en groupe et (3) analysé les notes de l’instructeur du cours. Les observations ainsi colligées donnent à penser que l’étude de leçons japonaises permet aux futurs enseignants de créer des communautés d’apprentissage professionnelles, de mieux comprendre le curriculum et la pédagogie et de dévelop‐ per des habitudes d’observation, d’analyse et de réflexion critiques. Bien que les avantages de l’étude de leçon soient nombreux et importants, cette recherche met en lumière les difficultés que pose sa mise en œuvre, notamment le temps requis, les endroits à trouver pour les stages et le perfectionnement professionnel des ensei‐ gnants associés. Mots clés : communautés d’apprentissage professionnelles, pratique réflexive, colla‐ boration du personnel enseignant.

Responses to Difference in Initial Teacher Education: A Case of Racial and Linguistic Minority Immigrant Teacher Candidates

Despite recent rhetoric advocating the diversification of the teacher workforce, teachers in Canada continue to be disproportionately white and of northern European heritage. By investigating responses to difference experienced by racial and linguistic minority immigrant teacher candidates in an initial teacher education program, this thesis sheds light on dynamics that challenge or support the induction of minoritized individuals as members of the teaching profession in Canada. Data collected through interviews with eight immigrant teacher candidates, four instructors, and five student support staff of an initial teacher education program at an urban Canadian university (UCU) indicated that teacher candidates at UCU experienced varied responses to difference. Influences of both hegemony and collaboration were found in the university and practice teaching contexts where individuals representing regimes of competence enacted challenging assimilationist or supportive multiculturalist ideologies. In practice teaching contexts, although all of the teacher candidates engaged with at least one collaborative mentor teacher and they all persisted to complete the program, six of the eight teacher candidates (i.e., all of the linguistic minority teacher candidates in this study) encountered a challenging and significantly discouraging relationship with a mentor teacher. In these hegemonic contexts the legitimacy of the teacher candidates appeared to be measured against a conception of “real teachers” as “real Canadians” who are native English-speakers and who are familiar with the culture of schooling in Canada. Within the university context, student support staff were consistent in their critical awareness of the challenges and supports experienced by teacher candidates while instructors demonstrated a range of familiarity with these issues and with concepts of equity as they relate to the experiences of teacher candidates. Implications of this study support the following: continuation of programs offered through student support services; educative collaborative implementation of UCU’s equity policy to promote greater consistency in its influence; application of inclusive pedagogy; greater curricular emphasis on social power and constructions of difference; recognition of immigrant teachers’ linguistic capital; development of a collaborative method to evaluate teacher candidates in practice teaching contexts; and continued effort to advance a more profound and consistent influence of multiculturalist ideology in Canadian schools.Ph