Wāhkōhtowin: Equitable Teacher Education for All Our Relations

• In Event: Indigenous Teachers and Learners: At the Intersection of Preparation, Curriculum, and Course Mandate

Abstract

This paper details initial findings of the Wāhkōhtowin teacher preparation partnership model created on teachings of Nēhiyaw (Cree) Elders on Treaty 6 territory in Saskatchewan, Canada. The Wāhkōhtowin model is designed to decolonize teacher preparation in ways that foster student learning and engagement; develop Nēhiyaw teacher identity and proficiency, and; support reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. This presentation describes the outcomes of the first year and a half of a four-year study that includes responses from First Nations teacher candidates, collaborating teachers, program leaders, partners, and Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers. To align with the Indigenous relational framework of the model, the study employs qualitative mixed methods of interpretive description that utilizes Indigenous, qualitative and quantitative approaches.

Authors

• Dawn Wallin, Univerity of Saskatchewan

• Yvette Arcand, University of Saskatchewan