Teacher Professional Learning, Culturally Responsive/Sustaining Practices, and Indigenous Students’ Success: A Comparative Case-Study of New Zealand and Saskatchewan, Canada

Authors

  • Theresa Papp University of Saskatchewan
  • Michael Cottrell University of Saskatchewan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11575/ajer.v67i2.58419

Abstract

Employing a multiple instrumental case study approach, we document and analyze initiatives in Saskatchewan and New Zealand to enhance cultural responsiveness among White educators through professional learning initiatives undertaken as part of broader strategies to animate more equitable educational outcomes for Indigenous students. The findings of this research confirm the capacity of teachers to act as agents of change and highlight the potential of teacher professional learning to catalyze educational reform and innovation, ensuring that schools can indeed benefit students who have historically been underserved by public education. We conclude that the growing Indigenous presence in classrooms is a powerful driver of innovation, which offers the potential to transform curriculum, pedagogy, and teacher-student relationships for the benefit of all learners in these contexts and beyond.

Key words: Indigenous students, teacher professional learning, culturally-responsive pedagogy, Saskatchewan, New Zealand


En utilisant une approche d'étude de cas instrumentale multiple, nous documentons et analysons des initiatives en Saskatchewan et en Nouvelle-Zélande visant à améliorer la sensibilité culturelle des enseignants blancs par le biais d'initiatives d'apprentissage professionnel entreprises dans le cadre de stratégies plus larges visant à produire des résultats éducatifs plus équitables pour les étudiants autochtones. Les résultats de cette recherche confirment la capacité des enseignants à agir en tant qu'agents de changement et soulignent le potentiel de l'apprentissage professionnel des enseignants à catalyser la réforme et l'innovation en matière d'éducation, garantissant ainsi que les élèves qui ont historiquement été mal desservis par l'éducation publique peuvent effectivement profiter des écoles. Nous concluons que la présence croissante des autochtones dans les salles de classe est un puissant moteur d'innovation qui offre la possibilité de transformer les programmes d'études, la pédagogie et les relations entre enseignants et élèves au profit de tous les apprenants dans ces contextes et au-delà.


Mots-clés: élèves autochtones, apprentissage professionnel des enseignants, pédagogie adaptée à la culture, Saskatchewan, Nouvelle-Zélande

Author Biographies

Theresa Papp, University of Saskatchewan

Dr. Theresa A. Papp is a researcher in the Department of Educational Administration at the University of Saskatchewan. Her research interests focus on Indigenous Education, that extends to a comparative international context, through discovering strategies that have the capability to improve educational outcomes for Indigenous students globally. As a post-secondary instructor, she has introduced gamification into her classrooms and explored entrepreneurship as instructional approaches. She is the recipient of various university and provincial scholarships and two SSHRC research grants. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Dr. Theresa Papp, Department of Educational Administration, University of Saskatchewan, E-mail: tap655@mail.usask.ca

Michael Cottrell, University of Saskatchewan

Dr. Michael Cottrell is Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Administration at the University of Saskatchewan. His teaching and research interests include Indigenous education and Indigenous educational leadership, Comparative and International Education, Community Development, Migration and Intercultural studies, Globalization, and the history of the Irish diaspora. Through his academic and community work he is committed to achieving more equitable social relations locally and globally.

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Published

2021-05-31

How to Cite

Papp, T., & Cottrell, M. (2021). Teacher Professional Learning, Culturally Responsive/Sustaining Practices, and Indigenous Students’ Success: A Comparative Case-Study of New Zealand and Saskatchewan, Canada. Alberta Journal of Educational Research, 67(2), 105–128. https://doi.org/10.11575/ajer.v67i2.58419

Issue

Vol. 67 No. 2 (2021): Summer

Section

ARTICLES

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