Alberta's Aboriginal Teacher Education Program: A Little Garden Where Students Blossom

Abstract

Aboriginal teacher education programs have existed in Canada for four decades. Theirprimary purpose is to increase the number of Aboriginal teachers in Canadian schoolsso more relevant and effective education can be provided for Aboriginal children thanwlmt federal and provincial schooling has offered them in the past. This article presentsthe results of an examination of the Aboriginal Teacher Education Program (ATEP)at the University of Alberta that took place between 2011 and 2015. The study exam­ined the reasons why people enrol in ATEP, their experiences both in higher educationand in ATEP specifically, the perceived adequacy of their preparation as teachers, andtheir experiences as beginning teachers in both provincial and band-controlled schools.It continues and expands on previous work with the Indian Teacher Education Pro­gram at the University of Saskatchewan.Our findings suggest that Aboriginal teachers often enter the teaching professionin response to the need for more effective and appropriate education for Aboriginalchildren, and that ATEP is adequately preparing them to provide culturally relevantand equal educational opportunities for Aboriginal children. Our participants' expe­riences as students in ATEP were overwhelmingly positive and culturally affirming.We conclude that ATEP is a high-calibre program that is making important contribu­tions to improving education for Aboriginal peoples at all levels, and that it can serveas an exemplar for teacher education programs across Canada that have the same goal.