Lived experience of new teachers implementing First Nations, Métis, and Inuit perspectives into their teaching practices

Abstract

This study explores how teachers experience and implement Competency Five of the Teacher Quality Standards (TQS) into their respective teaching practices. This competency is one of six standards that Alberta teachers are required to follow to maintain their teaching licences. Competency Five is focused on incorporating First Nations, Métis, and Inuit histories and perspectives into the classroom and whole-school approaches to education. Grounded in my own identity as a Métis educator, I approached this research with a desire to learn more about teachers’ lived experiences as they navigated their personal approaches to attending to Competency Five. Using a Narrative Inquiry approach, blended with Indigenous Storywork, I conducted semi-structured interviews with ten educators from my school division. The findings revealed that teachers recognize the importance of Competency Five – however, they often experience ambiguity in its interpretation, as well as emotional challenges as they wrestle with teaching difficult histories, fear of incompetence, and inauthentic implementation. At the same time, participants shared meaningful “heart-opening moments” and positive teaching stories that highlight the importance of this work. As teachers, they are sitting with the tension of understanding the value of Competency Five while feeling doubt about how to implement it well. These findings suggest a need for clearer guidance, more meaningful professional learning, and greater collaboration with Indigenous communities. Ultimately, this research emphasizes that meaningful implementation of Competency Five is valuable work that positively impacts students and educators, and that it requires more support and time to have truly impactful implementation.