ABSTRACT

Using a critical approach, we studied the intercultural understandings of Canadian teachers who participated in a 3-week international teaching practicum in Kenya, 5–6 years before. Critical interculturality was used as the theoretical lens to explore the impact on teaching, constructions of identity, and power relations. We argue that while this international teaching practicum provided an ‘awareness’ of the Other, it functioned within a neo-liberal, object-based framework that failed to address systems of power, and, in some ways, perpetuated colonial perspectives. Participants in this study were able to question power relations but lacked the support needed to develop a critical understanding of their own positionality and how power works in intercultural encounters. If international teaching practicums are to continue, we suggest that participants and facilitators be supported in developing critical perspectives related to these issues. This will necessarily require the maintenance of long-term equitable relations with host communities. We conclude by offering substantive curriculum and programmatic structure recommendations for international/overseas teacher education programs.

摘要

我们使用批判性方法研究了 5-6 年前在肯尼亚参加了为期 3 周的国际教学实习的加拿大教师的跨文化理解。批判性跨文化性被用作理论视角来探索对教学、身份建构和权力关系的影响。我们认为，虽然这种国际教学实践提供了对他者的“意识”，但它在新自由主义、基于对象的框架内运作，该框架未能解决权力体系问题，并且在某些方面延续了殖民观点。本研究的参与者能够质疑权力关系，但缺乏必要的支持来发展对他们自己的位置以及权力在跨文化遭遇中如何运作的批判性理解。如果国际教学实习要继续，我们建议支持参与者和促进者形成与这些问题相关的批判性观点。这必然需要与东道社区保持长期的公平关系。最后，我们为国际/海外教师教育项目提供实质性课程和项目结构建议。