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Anti-Indigenous racism is the result of a lack of knowledge about Indigenous peoples according to Senator Murray Sinclair (Sinclair, 2019). Teacher education is one of the most powerful ways to combat racism towards Indigenous peoples as it impacts not only pre-service teachers but in-service teachers, their students, and their families. Alberta's new Teaching Quality Standard was released in 2018 (TQS, 2020) and requires all Alberta teachers to possess and apply a foundational knowledge of Indigenous peoples. The article reports on the preliminary findings of a study examining how teacher education institutions in Alberta are integrating Indigenous perspectives into their programming. [Note: The page range (28-25) shown on the PDF is incorrect. The correct page range is 28-35. Articles in this journal were presented at the University of Calgary Conference on Postsecondary Learning and Teaching.]

The shift to online learning that occurred in March of 2020 created an unprecedented period of intense work for faculty and sessional instructors at the postsecondary level. This shift necessitated courses be adapted under short timelines, new technology be integrated into course design, and teaching strategies and assessment methods be adapted for an online environment (Van Nuland et al., 2020). This study examines how sessional instructors, referred to in this article as contract faculty, and continuing full-time faculty members delivering the same online courses experienced this shift. While the demands of a continuing faculty position call for balancing of teaching, research, and service responsibilities, contract instructors have their own unique stressors (Karram Stephenson et al., 2020). Contract faculty lack job security, are paid by the course, and often receive their teaching assignments with short notice. By examining their perspectives on delivering the same courses online, we learn that the shift to online teaching resulted in additional work in order to adapt courses to the online environment, with faculty describing the challenges of balancing the additional work with other responsibilities of their position. Concerns of participants focused on a perceived inability to develop relationships with students in an online environment.

This article will outline one Canadian teacher education response to the closure of kindergarten to grade twelve schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant online teacher education practicum that was subsequently developed, termed the pandemic practicum. In the month of March 2020, teacher educators across Canada were prompted to move to online delivery of content for preservice teachers and, in many cases, this pivot was, while not simple, at least imaginable. More difficult was the integration of an online solution for the teaching practicum, a cornerstone of teacher education. The following article outlines the steps taken to ensure a credible and engaging online experiential offering. Themes were generated through the self-reflections of the design and leadership team, as well as through a survey completed by postsecondary students undertaking the online practicum. Findings included the initial challenges as noted by the design team including program and licensing requirements, as well as philosophical differences among stakeholders as to the role of practicum in teacher education. In addition, a number of important opportunities were presented by this shift to an online practicum, including the importance of the pedagogy of online learning and the need to re-vision and question the practicum.

In the spirit of taking an action-based response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's (2015) Calls to Action and principles, a group of educators came together in 2016 to create a one-year graduate pathway program that sets students on paths toward reconciliation. By examining the contributions of international and national scholars who explore topics of reconciliation, we extend this global discussion with insights gained from our praxis-based approach in education. Inspired by Chung (2016), we present a model which identifies a set of entry points into the work of reconciliation: listening and learning from Indigenous peoples; walking with and learning from Indigenous peoples; and, working with and learning from Indigenous peoples. By examining what we have learned through our program "Indigenous education: A call to action," our model posits that reconciliation is accessible to those who are willing to listen and learn, and, most importantly, take action.

In 2016, a group of Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars came together to imagine a better world through a bold approach to education at the Werklund School of Education. This imagining took the form of a newly designed graduate pathway program which focused on meaningfully and actively responding to Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission's (TRC) (2015) 94 Calls to Action. Central to the design of our program is the inclusion of a capstone service-learning project that asks graduate students to bring together Indigenous and non-Indigenous groups in designing and delivering projects of mutual benefit. In sharing reflections from their respective learning journeys, our students reveal the complexities and challenges of reconciliatory work but also its many rewards. Further, in sharing these courageous acts and thinking about the lessons learned through our own role as post-secondary educators, we hope to inspire others to take action.

The history of Canadian preservice teacher practicums demonstrates that great effort has been put forth to bridge the perceived divide between university teaching programs and classroom practice. Although innovative theory and practice is often researched at the university, this can fail to transfer for a number of reasons resulting in a replication of outdated practices at the school level. Teacher education programs can prepare preservice teachers to creatively respond to current and future challenges. When the practicum is placed at the centre of the preservice teacher program, as occurs with professional development schools, collaboration between the university and school is fluid. Supervisory models for mentor teachers have also proven effective, especially when they introduce mentor teachers to innovative practices, develop helpful feedback skills, assist preservice teachers in identifying theory in practice, and encourage critical reflection and risk-taking. Strengthened collaboration between the university and school sites fosters the development of competent, reflective new teachers willing to take risks and implement innovative strategies befitting a 21st-century classroom.

This article chronicles a provincial collaboration between ten Bachelor of Education degree-granting universities in Alberta, Canada. This collaboration focused on the newly implemented Teaching Quality Standard (2018) in Alberta and its impact on preservice teacher practicums. Data were collected through curriculum mapping and interviews at each institution. Each institution analyzed their own data and shared themes at a number of group meetings. Two common themes arose: (a) the interconnectedness of practicum and teacher education courses and (b) the role of the Teaching Quality Standard as a development tool within practicum.

To address teacher retention in rural and remote areas, universities have begun to offer Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) programs to help people living in these communities gain their teacher certification. However, because many students who enrol in such programs have been out of school for many years, they often struggle with academic writing. Through student surveys and focus groups, along with instructor interviews, this design-based study sought to determine the extent to which technological supports and pedagogical techniques influenced the acquisition of academic writing skills for B.Ed. students within two online courses. Among the findings, students emphasized the importance of face-to-face interactions, particularly during their summer residency, to build the trust needed to provide authentic peer-to-peer feedback. They saw individual instructor formative feedback as having the most significant impact on their writing abilities. Although not originally intended as a writing intervention, students found ongoing discussion postings--albeit challenging and time consuming--as essential to the development of their academic writing abilities. Students appreciated the learning modules created for this course; however, their effect was mitigated by technical difficulties and a lack of teacher presence to provide guidance around how they could be best used. Recommendations include redesigning community-based B.Ed. programs to address writing skills, incorporate formative feedback structures, and provide scaffolding for writing and constructive peer feedback on discussion posts

As teacher educators, we argue that the colonial history of First Peoples, coupled with alarming educational disparities, warrants a specialized approach to Indigenous service-learning within teacher training that requires a critical examination of positionality by service-learners. Our study examines the service-learning experiences of non-Indigenous pre-service teachers working in Indigenous classrooms over a three-month period through reflections and focus groups. The results underscore the risk that a lack of critical reflection by service-learners could play in widening existing educational gaps, and concludes that a reversal of perspective on the education gap could enact the possibility of reconciliatory pedagogy.

This article examines the phenomenon of failure in a Bachelor of Education practicum from the perspectives of preservice teachers. Utilizing a phenomenological theoretical framework and methodology, the perspectives of four preservice teachers are shared. The data were drawn from practicum reports, field notes, interviews, and student teacher questionnaires. Analysis of the findings reveals how insufficient content knowledge, inadequate planning, and avoidance of difficult discussions lead to failure. Further analysis of the sequence of events leading up to the failure reveals the significance of clear and authentic communication in the early days of the placement. Although the four preservice teachers struggled with failure, they also demonstrated resilience in their quest to become teachers. The authors conclude with six essential questions that help to mitigate failure.

This article presents a Canadian perspective on the issue of failure to fail in Bachelor of Education programs. The issue of failure to fail in Bachelor of Education programs is one that had not been explored in any great detail. What literature does exist focuses on the strain that a teacher experiences when s/he mentors a student teacher (Siebert, Clark, Kilbridge, & Peterson, 2006) and the wide variety of situations that can result in failure (Sudzina & Knowles, 1992). This study examines whether the issue of failure to fail in final pre-service practica exist and, if so, why? Twelve interviews were conducted at a mid-sized Canadian university in Ontario with university supervisors and associate teachers on the topic of teacher candidate failure during the final teaching practicum. All participants had experience with teacher candidates struggling during practicum. Faculty commented on their supervision of student teachers in Ontario, other provinces in Canada, and the United States. Results indicate that both university supervisors and associate teachers find the decision to fail a student teacher difficult, taking an emotional toll on both the supervisor and the student. University faculty report the decision to fail results in additional work for the faculty responsible; however, failure to fail an underperforming student teacher could diminish the reputation of professional programs. Associate teachers feel a sense of betrayal when their recommendations to fail an under-performing student are not followed by the university. These findings have implications for improving the quality of field experiences and support for students, associate teachers, and faculty in Bachelor of Education programs.

There is a universal demand for well-prepared professionals in all disciplines, and society has entrusted professional schools with the task of preparing such individuals (Ralph, Walker, and Wimmer, 2008). Within this context, field or clinical instructors and university faculty have an academic and professional responsibility to teach, supervise, and evaluate students' field or clinical experience to ensure that each graduate of their program is competent. However, there is evidence that some instructors and university faculty experience difficulty in identifying and making decisions to fail students who display incompetent or unsatisfactory practice (Bogo, Regehr, Power, and Regehr, 2007; Brown, Neudorf, Poitras, and Rodgers, 2007; Hawe, 2003). A qualitative descriptive design was used to explore the issue of "failure to fail" in professional programs including Nursing, Education, and Social Work. Results indicate that: (a) failing a student is a difficult process; (b) both academic and emotional support are required for students and field instructors/ preceptors/ faculty advisors; (c) there are consequences for programs, faculty, and students when a student has failed a placement; (d) at times, personal, professional, and structural reasons exist for failing to fail a student; and (e) the reputation of the professional program can be diminished as a result of failing to fail a student. Recommendations for improving the quality of field or clinical experiences and support for students and field instructors/preceptors and will thus improve the quality of our programs and graduates are presented.

This article reports on the initial findings of an ongoing study that will see six preservice teachers placed in a nontraditional practicum placement as part of their bachelor of education program. Reported here is the examination of emergent professionalism of the initial two preservice teachers during their nontraditional practicum placement on a housing construction site. Emergent professionalism is enacted when teachers shift their concerns from self to other, as described by Fuller. The findings are then examined from the perspective of Kolb's experiential learning model, including the concrete experience, observation of and reflection on that experience, formation of abstract concepts based upon the reflection, and testing of the new concepts. As a result of this analysis, new insights are shared regarding the ways in which preservice teachers develop their emergent professionalism through examination of the environment, multiple sources of feedback, interdisciplinary lessons, and a hands-on learning environment.

This article reports on the findings of 25 associate teacher surveys and six associate teacher interviews collected between June 2008 and February 2009. The survey invited associate teachers to report on the preparedness of student teachers, including their strengths, weaknesses, and how well prepared they were for the realities of becoming a teacher. Findings indicate that associate teachers believe that bachelor of education programs place too much emphasis on detailed lesson planning, that student teachers are weakest in the areas of classroom management and assessment and evaluation, and that student teachers underestimate the level of commitment required for the profession of teaching. Associate teachers point to the increasingly complex nature of the classroom, children's lives, and the implementation of differentiated learning as challenges facing student teachers. Their perspectives shed light on the need to rethink student teacher preparation. (Contains 1 figure.)