Diverse Classrooms, Diverse Teachers: Representing Cultural Diversity in the Teaching Profession and Implications for Pre-Service Admissions

Abstract

This article challenges the homogeneity of the teaching profession in Canada by articulating the pressing need for a more diverse teaching body, as it relates to students’ academic achievement and social well being. Given the subject location and interest of the author, literature reviewed in this paper primarily revolves around research on Black educators. The essential themes that underscore this paper are: teachers of colour as role models, culturally relevant pedagogy, and pedagogies of Black teachers. While there is a growing body of literature on teachers of colour in the American context, there still exists a paucity of Canadian research on teacher diversity, and the ways in which pre-service programs are implicated in the recruitment and retention of racialized teacher candidates. Using an anti-racist lens, I examine the role of Black educators within the nexus of representation and pedagogical diversity. Finally, I elucidate the integral role of Faculties of Education in responding to an equitable representation of Canadian teachers.

Keywords

• teacher diversity
• equity
• Canadian teaching population