EQUITY AGENTS: CREATING AN INNOVATIVE LEARNING CULTURE WITH FOREIGN TEACHERS AND LĂOSHĪ 老师 WITHIN AN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

Abstract

Educators within international school contexts are proponents of equity and believe that they listen to and advocate for the local teaching assistants, aides, and staff. However, issues of power, organizational structures, and lack of sociocultural knowledge and awareness create divides between the foreign teachers and the local teachers in international school settings. This participatory action research project examined ways international schools can take charge of an equity agenda by creating networked innovation communities that are grounded in a paradigm of hope. Findings indicated that tensions exist between local and foreign hired teachers that are derived from equity issues and the use of promising practices such as Community Learning Exchanges and Networked Innovation Communities may work to mitigate these tensions.