An Orientation to Diversity
“An orientation to Ontario is all well and good…but what does Ontario know of me?”
The words resonated in the meeting room in which 20 recently certified teachers from various countries were assembled. They had come to the information session to understand their Ontario teaching certificate but mostly to gather any leads on possible employment.
Each of the participants in the session, many of whom waited several months for their credential assessment by the College to be completed, was finally certified to continue their teaching career in Ontario and was facing the same daunting task of finding employment in Ontario.
They listened attentively and took copious notes as the College presenters explained what it meant to be an Ontario certified teacher, the various entries on a certificate of qualification, how to access additional qualification courses and the ways the public could be assured of the qualifications and competence of Ontario certified teachers.
As the presenter began to speak about the additional qualification course “An orientation to teaching in Ontario”, I could see some participants beginning to shift in their seats, slowly putting their pens and looking somewhat more quizzically at the presenter.
The presenter spoke about the value in understanding the Ontario context, classroom management techniques, expectations of teachers with respect to communication with parents. As an experienced teacher and school leader myself, I nodded as I affirmed each of the elements of the orientation program designed to help internationally educated teachers (IETs) integrate themselves into the Ontario context. I felt proud of the work that the College was doing to assist IETs in understanding the Ontario context and adapting their practice to our context.
As the presenter began to provide specific examples of differences between Ontario classrooms and the teaching context in other countries and as she began to describe the shift the participants would need to make in their practice, a quiet murmur began in the back row. The presenter continued and the murmur grew louder and it was clear that the participants were reacting, and not in a favourable way, to this part of the presentation.
To learn more about this scenario, including the author’s own response, please attend the Intersections of Diverse Teachers and Diverse Learners at CSSE 2013, or stay tuned to the DiT website because we will be posting those details in the near future.
Until then, please leave a comment so that we can read your responses to this scenario. Here are some questions to consider interacting with each other and the author (Dr. Michael Salvatori, from the Ontario College of Teachers) about:
- From your perspective, what might have caused this shift in the reaction among the participants to the presentation?
- How do you feel about this reaction and to what extent do you feel it is reasonable or to be expected?
I feel this reaction is quite expected, as teaching practices tend to vary from country to country and these practices tend to reflect some of the deep rooted cultural values of the society in which they taught. For example, certain values (like respecting your elders) is a lot more deeply rooted in Eastern cultures and so it’s reflected in their teaching practices – like not questioning the teacher, listening to authority, etc. but these practices may manifest differently in the Ontario context. I think it’s important for IETs to acknowledge these differences gradually and feel this reaction now, where they have time to understand the culture they’ll be teaching in rather than reacting in the classroom infront of the students. That being said, the presenter should be sensitive to this as well and not undermine IETs and their cultures in the process. It’s a tricky balace to strike.
The shift in the reaction among the participants to the presentation could be explained by a number of factors. By obtaining their certification, IETs could have felt that the assessment done by the College was a final step in gaining access to employment. Thus the description of the various differences and adapting their practice to the Ontario context might have triggered their perplexity, “do I still need more now that I am ready to teach?” Also, the presentation itself, as an event, was a time for celebration for IETs. They might have felt that speaking about additional shifts in practice could have been addressed earlier in their application process. I believe that it’s important to address such concerns in a presentation/orientation. To make it better received, this part could come earlier in the talk or be integrated with what it means to be an Ontario certified teacher and how teacher education programs/courses here in Ontario help IETs transition to their profession. The specific examples that the presenter had prepared could come in handy. For example, “to be a teacher in Somalia means …., now that many of you have taken the program/courses in … you can easily identify that there are some differences in teaching practices around the world. How do we apply the knowledge we gained in various contexts to Canadian school contexts? What are the main areas that have been identified by practicing IEPs …” Having a practicing IEP or a panel of IEPs representing a number of source countries and various experiences of the certification process (those who went through an entire teacher education program, those who had to take a few courses only and those who did not have to study in Canada), as a guest speakers could help the audience better understand the complexity of the certification process, employment opportunities and the importance of reflecting on the context.
As a credential assessor, I have witnessed various reactions from applicants. Assessments tend to raise expectations of internationally trained professionals – IEPs tend to assume that a statement of comparability or equivalency guarantees employment. Services providing assessments or regulatory bodies have no responsibility for employment, but this aspect is not clearly understood by IEPs. I believe it is important to have presentation for IEPs that describe the ways a decision on a case is achieved, with a focus on the impact of international mutual recognition agreements – these in most case are limited to English speaking and commonwealth countries (education systems similar to Canadian system) which give easier access to licensure in Canada. For examples, applicants with Law or Medical degrees. By better understanding the methodology that is used when assessing foreign credentials, IETs/IEPs will have more appreciation for the work that the College does and see the importance of identifying those areas in their teaching that need to be adapted to the new Ontario context.