tapahtêyimisowin, mâtinamâtowak, wâhkôhtowin: Wise Practices in Teacher Education to Improve Outcomes for Indigenous Students

• Main Author: Shannon L.L. Loutitt
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: English
• Published: 2024
• Subjects: Indigenous students; teacher education; anti-oppressive practice; relationship; Indigenous pedagogies; First Nations; inuit
• Online Access: https://era.library.ualberta.ca/items/4eecb62a-7b1c-4acd-bf76-ba96a678a2ff; https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-78gc-0080

Indigenous students deserve to feel a sense of holistic wellbeing and experience equitable educational outcomes, but Alberta’s K-12 education system is not currently meeting the needs of many of its First Nations, Métis, and Inuit students. Education should empower Indigenous students to achieve success as is understood by them and their families. While numerous systemic changes must take place to improve the holistic wellbeing and educational outcomes of Indigenous students, the role of teachers in students’ lives is central. Through a woven approach grounded in Indigenous methodologies, this paper answers the question: How should teacher educators approach professional learning for teachers in order to improve outcomes for Indigenous students? Teacher educators for pre-service and in-service teachers must begin with tapahtêyimisowin (humility), mâtinamâtowak (sharing), and wâhkôhtowin (relationship); these interconnected themes are rooted in Indigenous ways of knowing and provide a foundation from which to model wise practices. Teacher educators should model anti-oppressive practice, multiple forms of relationship, and Indigenous pedagogies in professional learning for teachers. The intent of sharing these wise practices is to contribute to teacher education that has a positive effect on the educational experiences of Indigenous students in colonial education, particularly Alberta’s K-12 system.