Case Study | Otsitsa'shon'a Land-Based Teacher Education Cohort

Overview

In 2015, Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission called on the education faculties at universities across the country to “educate teachers on how to integrate Indigenous knowledge and teaching methods into classrooms.” Many, including the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), had already launched initiatives to give students the knowledge and tools they would need to teach future pupils about Indigenous knowledges, albeit within the bounds of a Eurocentric classroom. But now, OISE is poised to take the call to action further with a new Indigenous Master of Teaching stream: the Otsitsa'shon'a Land-Based Teacher Education Cohort.

Set to launch in fall 2026, the new stream will be available to Indigenous students in the university’s Master of Teaching program. It is designed to “guide entry into the teaching profession in ways that centre and prioritize shared Indigenous perspectives and worldviews related to land-based frameworks, pedagogies and learning.”

Engagement and Solutions

It is unlikely that any school in Ontario has no Indigenous students, yet many have no Indigenous teachers. Meanwhile, numerous studies have demonstrated that Canada’s teaching body does not reflect the student diversity in its K–12 schools—a situation that exacerbates inequitable outcomes. When students miss out on culturally relevant, trauma-informed and dignity-driven knowledges and practices, they are denied opportunities to connect with their cultures and identify with representative role models. The Otsitsa'shon'a Land-Based Teacher Education Cohort is a direct response to such gaps in Canada’s education system.

The program will combine land-based learning with digitally immersive technologies, empowering future educators to pair the connectivity of the virtual world with the culturally grounded learning opportunities that land-based education offers.

Additionally, teacher candidates’ practicums will take place at Indigenous-focused schools or in urban schools that have large Indigenous student populations. All placement locations will be selected by OISE. A key selection criteria will be the presence of strong teacher leaders who have demonstrated commitment and skill when it comes to integrating Indigenous perspectives, worldviews and trauma-informed, dignity-driven pedagogies. Teacher candidates will be able to learn in and contribute to supportive environments, and the students with whom they interact will be able to learn from innovative Indigenous educators.

Outcomes and Future Vision

Otsitsa'shon'a means “flowers” in Kanien'kéha (Mohawk), and that is precisely what OISE intends to grow through its new program. While it has not yet welcomed any students through the program, OISE is already creating a framework for success. It has pledged to create the Otsitsa'shon'a Indigenous Educators’ Association, a student-led organization at the university that will offer peer and advocacy support while serving as a hub for social, employment and volunteer opportunities. OISE has also established a digitally immersive classroom and study space for its Otsitsa’shon’a students to connect and reflect. Altogether, OISE hopes these resources, paired with the program’s land-based and culturally relevant focus, will helps its future educators to bloom.