Preparing teachers for emotional labour: The missing piece in teacher education

A quality education for all children and youth is required for the continued advancement of modern civilization. But this outcome is threatened by a growing international teacher shortage. Increased rates of teacher attrition and reduced rates of enrollment in teacher education programs are driving this shortage; however, research suggests that teacher candidates’ lack of preparation for the emotional labour of teaching is another important contributing factor, one which can be addressed in teacher education programs. The aim of this paper is to explore this problem and surface potential solutions. First, the social historical context of teaching is explored as an entry point to inquiry into this topic. Next, through discussion of the emotional nature of teaching, the thesis that teacher candidates must be prepared to handle the emotional labour of teaching during their teacher education program is advanced. Then, a review of the literature surfaces three key content areas which if addressed during teacher preparation can help prepare teacher candidates to handle the emotional labour of teaching: identity development, emotions and teaching, and social-emotional competence. Finally, these components are included in a theory of change for a new program that could be integrated into existing teacher education programs.

Teachers' Voices: Pandemic Lessons for the Future of Education

In late 2019 and early 2020, governments around the world closed educational institutions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A similar response occurred in Canada and resulted in a sudden pivot by teachers from classroom-based instruction to remote teaching. During and shortly after this time, we undertook a survey study of over 2000 Canadian teachers, as well as follow-up interviews with a representative sub-set of those who took part in the initial round of the survey, to gain perspectives on teaching during the pandemic crisis. We summarize the foundations of the entire study and focus on the analysis and discussion of interview data to provide enhanced understanding of initial survey results. This study presents five lessons from the voices of teachers in the initial stages of COVID-19 in Canadian K-12 schools. Each lesson addresses a reality of teaching that was magnified by the pandemic and is highlighted for future consideration of educators in times of uncertainty and change.

The Process of Playful Learning in Higher Education: A Phenomenological Study

Higher education faculty strive to adopt pedagogical approaches that generate student engagement, motivation, and quality learning experiences. The literature on play has much to offer higher education. However, playful pedagogy remains an uncommon approach in education and is often represented in the literature as a practice utilized for a singular purpose and not as an underlying teaching philosophy. This phenomenological study examines the meaning of students’ experiences of play as a foundation to learning. The themes that emerge are: 1) play is underutilized and devalued in higher education, 2) play cultivates relational safety and a warm classroom environment, 3) play removes barriers to learning, 4) play awakens students’ positive affect and motivation, and 5) play ignites an open and engaged learning stance to enhance learning.

Pedagogical Talking Circles: Decolonizing Education through Relational Indigenous Frameworks

This article focuses on pedagogical talking circles as a practice of decolonizing and Indigenizing education. Based upon Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) Calls to Action and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), non-Indigenous educators have a responsibility, while Indigenous educators have an opportunity, to transform normative colonial institutional knowledge structures and practices. Pedagogical talking circles are particularly useful in providing supported spaces for participants/students to engage in reciprocal and relational learning. The pedagogical theories outlined in this article utilize three main Indigenous methodological approaches: situated relatedness, respectful listening, and reflective witnessing. Based upon these underlying approaches, this article speaks to the necessity for decolonizing education (K-12 and post-secondary).

Framing the Watercolour and Gouache Study Collection from VSAR-1060: Studio Practice and Ideas/Image

VSAR-1060 Studio Practice and Ideas/Image is a first-year course in the School of Creative Arts at the University of Windsor that introduces students to the fundamental concepts of 2-dimensional image-making. This assignment was designed to teach the complexities and nuances of colour mixing, and to reinforce students’ understanding of the elements of art and the principles of design.

Test Anxiety in Potential First-Generation Students: A Longitudinal Examination of the Role of Psychological Needs

It is estimated that 15-22% of students have high levels of test anxiety (von der Embse, Jester, Roy, & Post, 2018), which can be associated with greater academic stress and poorer educational performance (e.g., Steinmayr, Crede, McElvany, & Withwein, 2016). First-generation students (where neither parent has completed post-secondary education) are a critical group to study given that they are at higher risk for poorer educational attainment and being unsuccessful at the post-secondary level. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the link between basic psychological needs and test anxiety in a sample of first-generation Ontario high school students across two points in time (N = 147; Mage = 14.82, SD = 1.28). Self-report data was collected as a part of an on-going longitudinal study focusing on students attending a high school with specialized programming to enhance the transition to post-secondary institutions. Results from cross-lagged path analyses indicated that being older, female, and having higher levels of needs frustration significantly predicted higher levels of test anxiety over time within this sample. Our results highlight important educational implications, emphasizing the importance of fostering classroom environments where students perceive their psychological needs to be met, particularly within this unique population of students.

Integrating Multiliteracies for Preservice Teachers Using Project-Based Learning

Using a project-based learning approach, three teacher educators, teaching three different methodology courses, worked together to create, plan, and assess an arts-based assignment completed by preservice candidates. The preservice teachers created an animation project while applying curriculum expectations in three subject areas: visual arts, music, and language arts. The three subjects were segregated for the purpose of instruction, integrated during the group work and creative process, and then jointly assessed using negotiated reporting. This paper describes the project and details the challenges of integrating teaching and learning across institutionally segregated courses when student expectations are conditioned by their prior experience of siloed, subject-based learning, and discusses lessons learned by the three teacher educators and implications for team teaching across the curriculum.

An Investigation of Canadian Undergraduate Music Education Students’ Personal and Professional Experiences During a Three-Month Residency in China

The present study investigated undergraduate Canadian music education students’ personal and professional experiences during a three-month residency in China. Participants (N=3), in this case study, were part of a SSHRC funded Canada-China Reciprocal Learning Program and were in the process of completing a Bachelor of Education degree. The participants observed classroom teaching, attended workshops/presentations at Southwest University in Chongqing, China, and gave presentations to Chinese teachers and students. They were asked a wide range of open-ended questions relating to their preconceptions of life in China, coping strategies (e.g., language, local customs, environmental context, etc.), curricular and pedagogical similarities/differences, relationships with their Chinese counterparts, and potential impact on their future educational and professional plans. The findings indicated intellectual, social, and personal growth over this three-month period. Students spoke of overcoming fear and acquiring increased personal/professional self-awareness. However, there was no solid assurance that the participants’ experiences would have a lasting positive effect on their future pedagogical practices.

Why Does Digital Learning Matter? Digital Competencies, Social Justice and Critical Pedagogy in Initial Teacher Education

Digital tools and spaces are becoming prevalent in schools across the world requiring the development of digital skillsets for student-teachers. Digital technology, in enabling education to extend beyond the space and time boundaries of the conventional classroom (Seifert, T., Sheppard, B. Wakeham, M., 2015) , brings the digital landscape into the classroom and firmly into the frame of reference for those preparing student-teachers to enter the profession. For Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes which foreground social justice, the digital (technology which is linked to the internet) goes far beyond a skillset or a discrete subject. Engaging with digital learning encompasses the 21st century context - both local and global - in which student-teachers and their future pupils are situated. Developing a critical pedagogic approach involves understanding the context in which one lives and enabling learners to challenge or change it (Freire, 1996) . For those working in ITE a postdigital lens provides a means to understand the context in which they are situated. Critical pedagogy enables student-teachers to understand that context and challenge the inequities which persist, preparing them not simply to navigate the digital landscape, but to engage with it critically. Reflecting on student-teacher learning this article explores the digital dimension, highlighting the importance of digital learning when engaging with critical pedagogy and social justice in ITE.