Teacher Education: Prospective Teachers’ Expectations of Addressing Indigenous Students’ Identities
Lorenzo Cherubini, Ed.D.
Abstract
School board and school administrators, as well as classroom teachers, are invited to re-examine the complex socio-historical outcomes that have had an adverse effect upon Indigenous student engagement and achievement in public schools. Recent policy initiatives in Ontario have focused upon improving the educational experiences of Indigenous students in publicly-funded schools. To better inform policy discussions and the relevant literature, this study examines the perceptions of teacher candidates prior to their teaching assignments in K to 12 public schools in southwestern Ontario. It investigates prospective teachers’ expectations of their professional teacher education program in terms of preparing them to address Indigenous students’ diverse learning needs, and their own awareness of issues related to identity and social justice as reflected in the goals of the 2007 Policy Framework and the other respective Ontario Ministry of Education documents. The mixed-methods study is in response to a void in the research that too often has not considered preservice teacher perceptions of the relationship between their learning, the professional program of study, and their actual experiences in the classroom as student-teachers. The findings of the study include participants’ expectation that there will be significant differences between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students’ learning needs and preferences, and that issues of diversity will implicate significantly on their practice. Moreover, prospective teachers expect to be directly supported in facilitating culturally-responsive classrooms.