October 17, 2022
Indigenous teachers play a significant role in creating environments that are culturally responsive, empowering, inclusive of Indigenous knowledges, and promote decolonization and educational sovereignty in classrooms and communities.
To build on these strengths, the Faculty of Education hosted a three-day symposium that brought together Indigenous teacher education programs (ITEPs) around the world, including Nunavut Arctic College, University of Alberta, McGill University, University of Victoria, York University, University of Winnipeg, University of Oregon (USA), University of Arizona (USA), University of New Mexico (USA), Sami University of Applied Sciences (Norway), James Cook University (Australia), Curtin University (Australia), and La Trobe University (Australia).
From October 13 to 15, 2022, symposium participants worked to identify key insights and knowledge gaps concerned with developing, implementing and measuring success and community-defined impact of ITEPs. They shared their strategies, challenges and success through discussion circles, presentations, and structured dialogues.
One of the outcomes of the symposium will be a report that will detail a research agenda for Indigenous teacher education and draw on critical dialogues, knowledge co-creation and symposium activities. It will also help guide research directions and establish research questions and key issues in Indigenous teacher education, based on priorities identified by scholars, teacher educators, students and community members taking part in the symposium, as well as those conducting research in this critical area of development.
Dr. Jan Hare, Dean pro tem, received a Spencer Foundation grant to support the creation of the symposium. More.
