Coming Up Against the Wall: Learning From Attempts at Ojibwe-Immersion Teacher Education

• In Event: Critical Issues in Teachers of Dual Language and Bilingual Learners

Abstract

Within the past 15 years, the support for and initiative to start Ojibwe immersion schools has proliferated yet there exists no no teacher certification programs that enable immersion teachers to be successful in efforts to create rigorous, culturally relevant learning environments in the Ojibwe language. Drawing on feminist critiques of institutional appropriations of diversity and inclusion (cf. Ahmed, 2012), we study three past attempts in Minnesota and Wisconsin at Ojibwe immersion teacher education. We explore two salient themes: 1) assimilationist barriers, and 2) a lack of accountability to the lived experiences and knowledge of Ojibwe teacher candidates. Finally, contributing to these broader conversations surrounding teacher education and diversity, we ask, is simply certifying more teachers of color enough?

Authors

• Erin Lee Dyke, University of Minnesota

• Mary Hermes, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities