What kind of educator does the world need today? Reimagining teacher education in post-pandemic Canada

ABSTRACT

Our unique pre-service and in-service teacher education programmes at Simon Fraser University, in which experiential learning and professional mentorship are combined with academic course work, have undergone emergency modifications in order to enable our students to continue with their programmes while adhering to government restrictions due to COVID 19. As we respond to the emergent needs within university and school communities, social-emotional wellness, connection, ‘being apart together,’ engagement, and support for vulnerable students and those with exceptionalities, are currently the most important considerations. The pandemic has highlighted the need to dismantle racism and systemic inequities within our educational systems; to prioritise mental health and wellness in schools; to broaden and decolonise mainstream conceptions of teaching and learning as well as access to education; to build caring reciprocal relationships with the natural world; and to recognise teachers as researchers and community leaders. It is these issues that frame our vision of teacher education in the post-pandemic era. Inspired by the scholarship of Michelle Tanaka and Gregory Cajete, we ask ourselves and our students, what kind of educator does the world need today, and what kind of world are we going to leave for the children?

KEYWORDS:

• Pandemic pedagogies
• anti-racism and equity
• trauma-sensitive teaching
• wholistic teaching and learning
• decolonising education

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. Canada, is a large a country encompassing 9.09 million square kilometres (slightly smaller than China), with a population of 37.59 million (approximately three times the population of the city of Wuhan). The country is comprised of ten provinces and three territories, with provincial and territorial governments managing education and healthcare, and the federal government regulating most taxes and benefits, as well as border security. The province of BC, with a population of approximately 5 million spread out over 945 000 square kilometres, is situated on the West coast.

2. The essential worker designation was quite broad and included the fields of healthcare, law enforcement and emergency response, social work, food and agriculture, transportation, Industry and manufacturing, sanitation workers, communications and information technology and financial institutions.