Professional lives and initial teacher/educator education experiences of Indigenous early childhood educators, child care workers and teachers in northern Ontario

ABSTRACT

Drawing on our analysis of focus group and narrative data, together with a review of initial educator/teacher education programs designed for northern Indigenous educators/teachers, we propose culturally appropriate programs that address the unique needs of northern Ontario Indigenous educators and teachers. The professional trajectories and initial teacher/educator education experiences of 5 Indigenous early childhood educators and teachers provide insight into the challenges of becoming credentialed. We propose that accredited programs should be designed in collaboration with northern Indigenous leaders in order to respond to the identified challenges.