Canadian Schools Benefiting from the Refugee-background Teachers’ Curricula and Pedagogies

• In Event: Unforgetting Newcomer Experiences, Knowledges, and Identities: Humanizing and Future-making Pedagogies across Canada and the U.S

Abstract

Refugee-background students often enter school systems that are ill-equipped to meet their complex academic, linguistic, and socio-emotional needs (Dryden-Peteron 2022; Hiebert & Yu, 2023; Author 6, 2025). While much research focuses on how schools can support these students (e.g., Ebied, 2022; Stewart, 2011), less attention is given to the critical role played by teachers who share similar migration and schooling experiences. This paper examines the perspectives and practices of five male public school teachers who experienced forced displacement either directly or through their families and are now working in Western Canada. Their insights will contribute to culturally responsive teaching practices that foster a greater sense of belonging and respect for diverse identities, which is essential for the academic success and social wellbeing of refugee-background students (Cherng & Halpin 2016; Ladson-Billings, 1994).

This paper highlights a subset of interviews conducted as part of a larger study that examines how teachers across Canada are experiencing and responding to the increase of newcomer students who have lived through forced displacement caused by war (Author 6, 2025). Group interviews with these teachers reveal answers to three core research questions: (1) What challenges do teachers encounter in meeting the educational needs of refugee-background students? (2) How do their personal and professional experiences shape their curricular and pedagogical responses? (3) What resources, training, and/or professional development do they identify as essential for effectively supporting students with refugee experiences? Data were analyzed using an inductive, semantic coding process within a reflexive thematic analysis framework to amplify the voices of teachers from traditionally marginalized communities (Braun & Clarke, 2020; Neito, 2017).

Findings reveal that participants navigate a host of external and institutional challenges—including systemic racism, structural barriers to professional support, lack of cultural awareness, and insufficient trauma-informed training to support their students. Grounded in their own lived experiences of migration and marginalization, teachers employed culturally responsive, relational, and care-centered pedagogies (Noddings, 2013) that prioritize psychological safety and affirmation of student identity. For many students, these men were their first teachers of African and Middle Eastern heritage, bringing relatable perspectives and practices to their schools. Two of these teachers worked with administrators to establish the first high school African Studies and Islamic Studies courses in their districts. A couple coached and built students’ confidence through sports. One teacher created innovative math assessment tools that did not necessitate Anglo-Saxon cultural knowledge. Their classrooms became sites of cultural exploration and community building. All five called for additional financial and professional supports to better address the educational and psycho-social needs of their refugee background students.

This study contributes to a growing body of scholarship on equitable schooling for refugee-background learners (Davis, 2024; Heringer, 2023; Le Pichon, et al., 2024) by centering the voices of refugee-background teachers as key agents of change. Their pedagogies illustrate how experiential knowledge can disrupt dominant narratives and inform inclusive, holistic educational practices. Findings underscore the urgent need for teacher education programs and school systems to recognize, support, and learn from the unique expertise of refugee-background educators.

Author

• Sofia Noori, University of British Columbia