Teacher cultural reflection and cultural action learning : researching a cultural dimension in teacher education

This chapter describes the range of methods teacher educators have developed to introduce a cultural dimension into teacher education programs. These include curriculum and cultural infusion models, where teacher educators develop courses for student teachers to enable them to better support the learning of culturally diverse student groups. Teacher educators have also developed cultural engagement models of teacher education, requiring student teacher experiences in diverse communities, and cultural immersion models requiring extensive life and/or teaching experiences in other cultures. Teacher educators have also developed two-way enquiry learning and bicultural models of incorporating cultural dimensions into teacher education. Examples of these types of cultural programs for Australian beginning teachers of Pacific Island school students are explained in this chapter. The chapter then reports on continuing research, which compares how such different models of cultural dimensions in teacher education influence the critical reflection of preservice and beginning teachers. In particular the research will compare student teacher reflection in cultural engagement modes and cultural immersion modes of teacher education programs. The research shows that living and teaching in a new culture promotes certain types of reflection on teaching, learning and culture.