Learning What Schooling Left Out: Making an Indigenous Case for Critical Service-Learning and Reconciliatory Pedagogy within Teacher Education

As teacher educators, we argue that the colonial history of First Peoples, coupled with alarming educational disparities, warrants a specialized approach to Indigenous service-learning within teacher training that requires a critical examination of positionality by service-learners. Our study examines the service-learning experiences of non-Indigenous pre-service teachers working in Indigenous classrooms over a three-month period through reflections and focus groups. The results underscore the risk that a lack of critical reflection by service-learners could play in widening existing educational gaps, and concludes that a reversal of perspective on the education gap could enact the possibility of reconciliatory pedagogy

Integrating Indigenous Perspectives into Teacher Education in Alberta

Anti-Indigenous racism is the result of a lack of knowledge about Indigenous peoples according to Senator Murray Sinclair (Ho, 2019). Teacher education is one of the most powerful ways to combat racism towards Indigenous peoples as it impacts not only pre-service teachers but in-service teachers, their students, and their families. Alberta’s new Teaching Quality Standard was released in 2018 (TQS, 2020) and requires all Alberta teachers to possess and apply a foundational knowledge of Indigenous peoples. The study examines how teacher education institutions in Alberta are integrating Indigenous perspectives into their programming and how they plan to further this integration through collaboration between institutions and connections with schools

Exploring the Issue of Failure to Fail in Professional Education Programs: A Multidisciplinary Study

There is a universal demand for well-prepared professionals in all disciplines, and society has entrusted professional schools with the task of preparing such individuals (Ralph, Walker, and Wimmer, 2008). Within this context, field or clinical instructors and university faculty have an academic and professional responsibility to teach, supervise, and evaluate students’ field or clinical experience to ensure that each graduate of their program is competent. However, there is evidence that some instructors and university faculty experience difficulty in identifying and making decisions to fail students who display incompetent or unsatisfactory practice (Bogo, Regehr, Power, and Regehr, 2007; Brown, Neudorf, Poitras, and Rodgers, 2007; Hawe, 2003). A qualitative descriptive design was used to explore the issue of “failure to fail” in professional programs including Nursing, Education, and Social Work. Results indicate that: (a) failing a student is a difficult process; (b) both academic and emotional support are required for students and field instructors/preceptors/ faculty advisors; (c) there are consequences for programs, faculty, and students when a student has failed a placement; (d) at times, personal, professional, and structural reasons exist for failing to fail a student; and (e) the reputation of the professional program can be diminished as a result of failing to fail a student. Recommendations for improving the quality of field or clinical experiences and support for students and field instructors/preceptors and will thus improve the quality of our programs and graduates are presented

Pedagogy as gift : contextual views from Scotland and Canada

The purpose of this symposium is to bring together those who are interested in considering an alternative conception for pedagogy steeped in northern, Indigenous ways of knowing that promote equity, inclusion, and the importance of contextual factors in the enactment of pedagogy. To this end, this symposium session brings together four academics, beginning with an expansive discussion of pedagogy as gift and then narrowing this to the enactment of pedagogy for and with remote populations. The symposium then presents a discussion of pedagogy situated within the Canadian context with a focus on story-based approaches that connect Indigenous pedagogies with contemporary contexts. Finally, the impact of leadership on expanding such discussions of pedagogy is examined. The symposium starts from the belief that pedagogy is best conceptualised as 'being in and acting on the world, with and for others'. From here, each presentation considers politicized ways of knowing ways for their impact on contemporary educational contexts. Pedagogy as gifting: Indigenous knowing in contemporary education – Dr Paul Adams In her book, Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer (2013) discusses how strawberry gathering signals '... a world full of gifts simply scattered at your feet' (p. 23). For her, such conceptualisations necessitate togetherness; gifts, '…from the earth or from each other establish a particular relationship, an obligation of sorts to give, to receive, and to reciprocate' (25). Clearly, here the marker of reciprocity and personal connection is through the removal of exchange as transaction to be replaced by gifting; that which establishes a '…feeling bond between two people' (Hyde, quoted in Kimmerer, 2013: 26) that increases with their passage through and by sharing. In this presentation, I shall contrast the idea of pedagogy as 'the methods and practices of teaching' (after Adams, 2022) a theoretical position based on personally held, teacher beliefs and ideologies often subject to neoliberal political positions, with pedagogy as gifting: connected, reciprocal actions based in and acting on the world, done with and for others. I shall show how re-thinking the basis for pedagogical action offers significant scope for enacting pedagogy in ways connected to community belief systems that seek to recalibrate the world and our place in it. Keywords: pedagogy; gifting; Indigenous knowledge Remote Pedagogy in Canada's North – Dr. Patricia Danyluk The community-based pathway in our Bachelor of Education program was designed to develop teachers in rural and remote parts of Canada. The program has been a catalyst for the creation of teachers who already live in the community and are often mothers working as educational assistants. As Indigenous peoples make a significant portion of Canada's remote population, the program is anti-racist in design, seeking to provide rural and remote residents with the opportunity to complete their teacher education without relocating to an urban environment. Teachers and teacher education programs in Canada are tasked with incorporating Indigenous perspectives into the classrooms. Anti-racism theory is devoid of acknowledgement of racism towards Indigenous peoples and instead focuses on a multi-cultural perspective which fails to recognize that Indigenous peoples were the original inhabitants of Canada. Undertaking a critical race theoretical perspective, this research examines how teacher education programs and schools are integrating Indigenous perspectives into their classrooms and how they can work together to combat anti-Indigenous racism. Findings demonstrate the ways in faculty and teachers have led this work through personal decolonization and developing connections with Indigenous Elders and communities. At the same time, teachers report a fear of making mistakes and offending someone. This research examines how teacher education programs, teachers and schools can work together to combat anti -Indigenous racism in Canada. Keywords: Remote education; Critical Race Theory; community; pedagogy Building Understandings of Indigenous Pedagogies through Story – Dr. Aubrey J. Hanson In this session, I will explore questions that arise when we seek to bridge traditional Indigenous pedagogies and contemporary educational settings. As an Indigenous (Red River Métis) scholar in literary studies, curriculum studies, and studies in Indigenous education, I seek in this presentation to explore story as a conceptual and methodological framework that enables pedagogical continuity and innovation. In Canada, educators are required to build and apply knowledge of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples, histories, and cultures in their teaching and learning practice. An additional layer of possibility exists when teachers can engage in Indigenous education practice through Indigenous pedagogies, such as storytelling, land-based learning, and intergenerational learning. However, complexities and struggles arise when teachers try to connect with or engage with Indigenous knowledge systems that are foreign to the non-Indigenous majority. In my current research and teaching I offer story as a way into this work. Story offers a framework for understanding relationality and ethical engagement; it builds connections between teachers and other pedagogies like land-based learning; and it honours the onto-epistemological roots of Indigenous knowledge systems. Approaching Indigenous education work through story also enables teachers to connect their labours to pressing contemporary concerns like issues of environment and of social justice, as story-based framing makes space for the articulation of relationships and responsibilities. While story-based work is already prevalent within the methodological literature in Indigenous scholarship, building stronger understandings of story for pedagogy and practice is of benefit to all educators. Keywords: Indigenous education; story; knowledge traditions; pedagogy Pedagogy Leadership for Change – Dr. Amy Burns This presentation will chronicle my evolving experiences as a pedagogical leader, starting first in the public kindergarten to grade twelve school system and now as a formal leader in initial teacher education. Drawing upon my own doctoral research, my experiences as a kindergarten to grade twelve teacher and leader, and my work as a leader in the postsecondary environment, this presentation will examine the ways in which critical pedagogy, or a pedagogy of equity, is taken up in those very different environments. From a feminist lens, I will contrast three themes in particular that have become particularly pronounced for me in my time in the academy. The first of these themes, evolutionary pedagogy, will examine the impact of past experience on my conception of myself as a leader in the academy and on my role as a pedagogical leader. Secondly, pedagogy will be examined as an activist moment, one that challenged me in the early years of my career, both in K-12 and in postsecondary, and will be presented as one that still tends to frighten many, although (perhaps?) less so in the academic environment. Finally, my role as a pedagogical leader will be examined with respect to influences that have shaped me as a leader to this point including specific examples of pedagogical leadership that continue to push my thinking and partnerships that expand my standpoint. Keywords: educational leadership; critical pedagogy; pedagogy leadership; activis

Pathfinders: Realizing Reconciliation Through Lessons Learned

In 2016, a group of Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars came together to imagine a better world through a bold approach to education at the Werklund School of Education. This imagining took the form of a newly designed graduate pathway program which focused on meaningfully and actively responding to Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) (2015) 94 Calls to Action. Central to the design of our program is the inclusion of a capstone service-learning project that asks graduate students to bring together Indigenous and non-Indigenous groups in designing and delivering projects of mutual benefit. In sharing insights from their respective learning journeys, our students reveal the complexities and challenges of reconciliatory work but also its many rewards. Further, in sharing these courageous acts, we hope to inspire others to take action

Moving from Discussion Boards to Jamboard

Jamboard is a digital interactive whiteboard that allows learners to collaborate in real time. Jamboard was released by Google in 2017 and is one of the free products on Google’s G-suite. Prior to discovering Jamboard, I relied upon discussion boards in each of my classes. In my role as instructor, discussion boards provided me with insight into who was completing the course readings and acted as a form of assessment, both formative and summative. In this brief vignette, I discuss how Jamboards offer many of the advantages of discussion boards and provide students with the opportunity to interact with their instructor and peers. This results in a more enjoyable online course

From saboteurs to allies: the role of children and youth in teacher candidates’ development of classroom management

How do children and youth in the classroom impact on the development of student teachers’ classroom management skills during the teaching practicum? This study approached the problem through the sociology of childhood/youth, using a human development framework, and asked children and youth what role they believe they play in the formation of classroom management skills for teaching candidates. Utilizing a phenomenological method, this study sought to discover the perspectives of children and youth, and student teachers themselves, as classroom management developed. Until now, the role that children and youth play in the development of classroom management for student teachers has largely been ignored. Through a series of observations, focus groups, student teacher questionnaires, and narratives, a portrait emerged of children and youth as active agents in the development of student teachers’ classroom management skills. The key findings indicate that children and youth utilize their agentic status to communicate their needs to student teachers verbally, physically, and through behaviour. A new model of student teaching emerged, suggesting a teaching quadrad where children and youth in the classroom are recognized as playing a role equal to or more significant than that of associate teachers or faculty in the development of classroom management for student teachers.Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Human Studie

Learning to Teach on a Construction Site: Applying Kolb's Model to the Student Teaching Practicum

This study examines the pre-professional development of two pre-service teachers during a non-traditional student teaching placement on a housing construction site. The findings are analyzed from the perspective of Kolb’s (1984) model and examined against the Teaching Effectiveness Framework by Friesen (2009) to outline a powerful opportunity for field-based teacher education. Initial findings point to an enriched pre-service teaching environment that provided the opportunity to create rich inquiry based interdisciplinary lessons related to the building project, the potential to build pre-service teacher conversational and workplace skills through interaction with community stakeholders and the opportunity to develop competencies in peer feedback and collaboration.YesWerklund School of Education, Galileo Educational Networ

Using Indigenous Talking Circles in Online Environments

Talking circles online offer an opportunity for students to connect with one another during the course and in doing so enhance student satisfaction with the course. When facilitating a talking circle, the host must make it clear that they are drawing upon Indigenous knowledge systems. This requires educators to learn about the Indigenous peoples in the territory and ensure that they are respecting protocols and practices. Talking circles can be used to share feelings and thoughts, to connect with content, to build community, and as a form of assessment. The authors share their experiences using talking circles in synchronous sessions

Moving Toward Critical Service Learning as a Signature Pedagogy in Aboriginal Communities: Why Good Intentions are not Enough.

This study examines the experiences of student teachers that participated in a service-learning program working in Indigenous communities throughout Alberta. The intent of this study is to share what student teachers experienced as they combined formal theoretical knowledge and course content with community-based praxis. Initial results point to a synergistic relationship between the length of service learning and the depth of critical reflection. Those education students who were able to shift their understanding of the educational gap from a deficit perspective to recognition of their own gaps in knowledge are often those who think, act and perform with integrity.YesWerklund School of Education, Galileo Educational Networ