Deepening Knowledge to Inspire Action: Including Aboriginal Perspectives in Teaching Practice
Date
2014
Authors
Nardozi, Angela
Restoule, Jean-Paul
Broad, Kathy
Steele, Nancy
James, Usha
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
In Education
Abstract
Deepening Knowledge Project, through Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
(OISE), undertook research within the Initial Teacher Education program to explore the
relationships between teacher candidates and Aboriginal content. Our research question was, "Which strategies used within OISE’s Central cohort are most powerful in
increasing teacher candidates’ willingness and readiness to incorporate Aboriginal
knowledges and pedagogies into their classroom practice?" Data consisted of surveys
administered to approximately 70 teacher candidates at three key points in their program
as well as two rounds of interviews with five purposively selected participants. We found
that teacher candidates most appreciated the inclusion of First Voice perspectives, indepth instruction on current and historical events, and a continuous examination of
privilege as means to prepare them for incorporating Aboriginal content into their future
practice. While most students reported feeling more confident and willing to include
Aboriginal perspectives near the end of their program, there are three commonly stated
questions, reported on preprogram surveys that lead to inaction on Aboriginal inclusion.
Addressing these questions directly should help encourage more teachers to take up
Aboriginal perspectives in their classrooms.
Description
Keywords
Indigenous knowledge, teacher education, teacher resistance
Citation
Nardozi, A., Restoule, J., Broad, K., Steele, N. & James, U. (2014). Deepening Knowledge to Inspire Action: Including Aboriginal Perspectives in Teaching Practice. In Education, 19(3), 108-122. https://ineducation.ca/ineducation/article/view/140