Teachers’ Work: Communicating on Difficult Knowledge in Ontario Schools
Abstract
This thesis examines how K-12 teachers in Ontario navigate the complexities of teaching "difficult knowledge"—topics such as racial and ethnic injustices, Indigenous perspectives, immigration experiences, and gender issues—within the parameters of the school and the curriculum. Utilizing an institutional ethnography approach, the study examines the curriculum as an institutional text that coordinates and shapes teachers’ practices. Working with and against the curriculum, teachers find innovative ways to engage their students on difficult knowledge topics. Based on interviews with 12 K-12 teachers, this research explores teachers’ work and pedagogical approaches. They employ diverse teaching methods like storytelling, open dialogues, and collaborative exercises to explore sensitive subjects. Despite facing challenges such as time limitations and emotional labour, teachers make creative efforts to foster dynamic, open, and inclusive classrooms. The study enriches our understanding of the complex landscape within which teachers operate, influenced by multiple discourses, texts, pedagogies, and lived experiences.