From yarning circles to zoom: navigating sensitive issues within indigenous education in an online space

Inclusive Indigenous Education is geared towards shifting worldviews, sharing agendas, and preparing social-justice-oriented educators. With this comes the expectation that pre-service teachers will leave supportive education programs prepared to teach sensitive issues related to Indigeneity. Yet, with the onset of COVID-19, systemic changes were made to accommodate demands of online learning, requiring initial teacher educators to consider how online learning might accommodate sensitive topics that demand interpersonal connections. With recorded tutorials, synchronous and asynchronous timetables, and for students to remain relatively anonymous, it is difficult to determine how pre-service teachers receive sensitive discussions. This article addresses these issues by reflecting upon the responses of five educators and 90 Indigenous and non-Indigenous pre-service educators within a compulsory first-year World Indigenous Knowledges course. Findings provide insight into the thoughts, feelings, and growth of a first-year cohort navigating complex social justice issues before, during, and after a global pandemic.