“My Grandparents Used To Flirt Right There!” Active and Experiential Learning for New Teacher Professional Efficacy across Cultures

Abstract

This teacher education inquiry evolved through the collaborative practice of four faculties in a conceptual framework of: cultural safety, active and experiential learning, and catching our professional insights-looking backward and forward together: we construct. We are deepening our professional and cultural insights together as a program and as new educators, not repeating a catalogue description. The authors are teacher educators who have worked with a two-year Bachelor of Education program in rural, northern British Columbia, Canada. The purpose of studying the B. Ed. program is to: 1) foster higher graduation rates, particularly with First Nations students; 2) develop self-defined classroom effectiveness with new teachers; and 3) increase retention of graduates in northern communities. Our research question is: Are we on purpose, doing these 3 things? The theoretical framework includes concepts of: cultural safety, active and experiential learning, and teacher professionalism cross culturally. We share program examples, scaffolded throughout the four semester program to build teacher leadership qualities, in both specific academic areas and in navigating interwoven cultural spaces, including classrooms. Our experience has been that: culturally relevant, active and experiential learning can bridge the colonial trauma dynamics within a diverse cohort, while providing developmental supports, and modeling teamwork for new teacher professionalism in practice with our culturally embedded teachers and children. In this collaborative paper, we investigate data on the initial cohort size, retention and graduation rates, active teaching, and some of the active and experiential learning processes that emerged as successful in the northwest UNBC cross cultural teacher training program for elementary teachers. "My grandparents used to flirt right there!": Active and experiential learning for novice teacher professional efficacy across cultures The purpose of studying our B. Ed. program is: to foster higher graduation rates, particularly with First Nations students; to develop classroom effectiveness with students across cultures; and to increase retention of graduates who are teaching in northern and rural communities. In this collaborative paper we investigate data on the initial cohort size, retention and graduation rates, active teaching, and some of the active and experiential learning processes that emerged as successful in the northwest UNBC teacher training program for elementary teachers.