Paper Title
Critical Literacy Practices: Prospective Teachers’ Expectations

Abstract
This research paper examines teacher candidates’ expectations of the extent to which critical literacy will be a significant component of practicing teachers’ pedagogy to interrogate mainstream assumptions and colonial traditions for Indigenous and non-Indigenous students in publicly-funded classrooms. The qualitative component of the survey was administered to over 200 teacher candidates enrolled in a professional teacher education program in Ontario, Canada, prior to their field practicum experiences in classrooms. This presentation will focus on the responses of the study participants enrolled in the consecutive education Junior/Intermediate teacher education program of study. The qualitative data was examined using Grounded Theory. Participants’ responses were initially coded, and then theoretically saturated according to theme. The respective themes were subsequently collapsed into a core category. The presentation, therefore, will discuss the core category that emerged from the grounded theory analysis, including: Prospective Teachers’ Expectation that the Associate Teachers will Implement Critical Literacy Objectives in their Pedagogy When Indigenous Students are Present. The presentation will detail how the prospective teacher participants considered critical literacy as an important and related concept to culturally-responsive pedagogy. However, the presentation will also point to the fact that the same study participants qualified that such pedagogical considerations are most relevant in classrooms that include Indigenous students. Keywords - Critical Literacy; Indigenous Students; Prospective Teacher Expectations.