Inclusive Mentorship: Advancing Equity in Teacher Field Placements

Pre-service teachers from intersectionally equity-denied communities often enter field placements without seeing themselves reflected in their mentors or school environments. According to the Alberta Teachers' Association's 2023 Member Opinion Survey, only 5.4% of respondents identified as members of a community of colour, and 3.6% identified as Indigenous. In contrast, the 2016 Canadian Census reported that 23.5% of Albertans identified as members of a visible minority, and 6.5% identified as Indigenous. This gap highlights the pressing need for initiatives like the Equitable Field Experience Initiative that promote more diverse and inclusive schools. While visible markers are extremely important, they are not our only focus regarding equitable field experiences and the future diversification of teachers in Alberta. We look forward to working with a wide range of self-identifying, intersectionally equity-denied pre-service students and mentors, and/or mentors who have demonstrated a commitment to equity in their practice and pedagogy. This session begins by highlighting the lack of intersectional and diverse representation in Alberta’s educator workforce and sharing our reflections on our responsibilities as racialized and equity-denied faculty and teacher educators, mentors, and co-conspirators (Love, 2019). We introduce the Equitable Field Experience Initiative—an opportunity to pair intersectionally equity-denied pre-service teachers with mentors who share lived experiences or are committed co-conspirators in equity work. Participants will actively engage with the initiative’s objectives, provide feedback, ask questions to shape ongoing research, and explore ways to mentor equity-denied teacher candidates more equitably in their own contexts. Together, we will examine strategies to strengthen mentorship, including: Recognizing and addressing personal biases Challenging deficit thinking Understand the nature of interpersonal and systemic factors that lead to inequity. This session invites teachers and administrators to imagine practicum as a transformative site where mentorship begins before one becomes a teacher. Participants will leave equipped with actionable strategies that centre inclusivity, equity, and empowerment in field placements, enhancing mentorship and advancing the teaching profession for all. Why Attend: Engage in an exploration of centering inclusivity and equity in the mentorship of new teachers that: Support and empower equity-denied teacher candidates Strengthen mentorship practices across schools Provide tangible, actionable strategies to implement immediately in your own teaching context Learning Outcomes: By the end of this session, participants will be able to: Recognize how a lack of representation in field placements impacts equity-denied teacher candidates. Apply practical strategies—such as recognizing bias, challenging deficit thinking, and practicing “calling in”—to strengthen mentorship relationships. Describe the Equitable Field Experience Initiative and identify ways to engage with or adapt this model locally. Imagine field placements as transformative sites where mentorship begins before candidates formally enter the teaching profession.