Journal article
Land acknowledgment in action: dedicated study of Indigenous stories in an elementary teacher education program
Journal of early childhood teacher education
04/30/2026
DOI: 10.1080/10901027.2026.2660960
Abstract
Guided by the belief that justice in education requires collective liberation, this study examines how two cohorts of first-year undergraduate preservice teachers (PTs) engaged in a yearlong study of Indigenous literatures through a weekly Indigenous Land Acknowledgment in an introductory elementary education seminar at a Midwestern university. This weekly opening functioned as a sustained curricular commitment rather than a symbolic gesture, curating multimodal stories from Indigenous leaders, families, teachers, youth, and communities. Across two semesters, PTs were invited to "take a seat at the table" as learners, listen critically and humbly to Indigenous stories, and pursue inquiry with openness. Grounded in the premise that stories matter, this pedagogical space disrupted mis-knowledge that Indigenous peoples are absent from contemporary early childhood and elementary school contexts. Using critical qualitative inquiry, we analyzed PTs' inquiry projects, reader responses, and community-engaged assignments to examine how justice-centered coursework shaped their understandings of Indigenous histories and present-day realities. Findings indicate that PTs experienced a range of emotions as they unlearned dominant narratives, including surprise and discomfort, alongside growing responsibility to continue listening, learning, and sharing these stories in their future teaching. Importantly, PTs articulated "truth-telling" as a pedagogical responsibility central to their roles as educators.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Land acknowledgment in action: dedicated study of Indigenous stories in an elementary teacher education program
- Creators
- Saba Khan Vlach - University of IowaLia Plakans - University of IowaEunJung Kim - University of IowaI-Chun Vera Hsiao - University of Iowa
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Journal of early childhood teacher education
- DOI
- 10.1080/10901027.2026.2660960
- ISSN
- 1090-1027
- eISSN
- 1745-5642
- Publisher
- Taylor & Francis
- Number of pages
- 18
- Language
- English
- Electronic publication date
- 04/30/2026
- Academic Unit
- Teaching and Learning
- Record Identifier
- 9985161336502771
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