Exploring the Newness of Welcoming International Preservice Teachers in Teacher Education: A Collaborative Self-Study.

• In Event: Supporting Across the Stages of Teacher Development: Self-Studies of Mentorship for Pre-service, Graduate, and Doctoral Students

Abstract

In response to growing ethnic diversity of preservice teachers in England, we as a group of 5 white teacher educators engaged in a collaborative, inter-institutional self-study to critically examine our own assumptions and practices. Over the course of one academic year, we utilised reflective journals, autobiographies, meeting transcripts, and critical incident narratives to examine how unconscious bias and systemic norms impact the experiences of international preservice teachers (IPSTs) during Initial Teacher Training.
Findings revealed persistent structural and cultural barriers, including deficit-based assumptions, misaligned cultural expectations, and a lack of recognition of prior educational experiences. In this paper, we present the ongoing tensions in our practice and their subsequent impact, and demonstrate how we embed equity-driven practices in our teaching.

Authors

• Robert J. Campbell, St. Mary's University College

• Rachel Davies, King's College longon

• Daniel Cottle, University of Birmingham

• Caroline Neuberg, Leeds Trinity University

• Eleanor Wylie, Institute of Physics