Eastern/Western conceptions of the “Good Teacher” and the construction of difference in teacher education

ABSTRACT

This paper examines the recertification process of internationally educated teachers (IETs) in British Columbia (BC). In order to teach in Canada IETs have to go through a recertification process. The recertification process varies between provinces and is a full-time training process, following an assessment of IETs’ foreign credentials. Through interviews with IETs and professionals, I explored the prevalent conceptions of the “good teacher” in one IET recertification program. I argue that while Western-Eastern conceptions of the “good teacher” differ, they could complement and strengthen each other, particularly in the multicultural space of BC. Yet in the recertification process, Eastern conceptions of the “good teacher” were viewed as deficient, and thus, spaces for IETs to bring their experiences and voices to bear on reconstructing their professional identity in Canada were closed down.

KEYWORDS:

• “good teacher”
• internationally educated teachers
• teacher education
• diversity

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. The “charismatic teacher” discourse is not at the centre of my analysis, yet it captures a popular image of the “good teacher” that is commonly seen in the media.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Notes on contributors

Lilach Marom

Lilach Marom is a teacher educator and a graduate of the department of Education Studies at UBC. Lilach’s research is focused on questions of diversity and social justice in teacher education.