How British Columbia Offshore School Teachers are Constructed on Government Websites

This article examines how the province of British Columbia (BC) constructs teachers on its government websites for the BC offshore school program. BC offshore schools are authorized to teach the BC curriculum with BC-certified teachers abroad, and currently operate in eleven countries. Our critical...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ian Alexander, Laura Werbitsky
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Canadian Society for Studies in Education 2023-12-01
Series:Canadian Journal for New Scholars in Education
Online Access:https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/cjnse/article/view/77716
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author Ian Alexander
Laura Werbitsky
author_facet Ian Alexander
Laura Werbitsky
author_sort Ian Alexander
collection DOAJ
description This article examines how the province of British Columbia (BC) constructs teachers on its government websites for the BC offshore school program. BC offshore schools are authorized to teach the BC curriculum with BC-certified teachers abroad, and currently operate in eleven countries. Our critical discourse analysis of BC provincial government websites shows that teachers are constructed as independent and responsible for their own understanding of employment conditions and for adapting to other cultures. A video on the government website does not give teachers speaking roles; instead they appear as background actors in still photographs. A secondary website mentions that teachers help internationalize the BC curriculum. While the main website issues cautionary advice to potential teachers, it does not explain any benefits of teaching abroad such as gaining economic, cultural, and social capital. The findings in this study will advance scholarship in the positioning of teachers in neoliberal global education, particularly in the BC context.
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spelling doaj.art-300ae4eec9854bc58edfd1c0d6e699022023-12-21T05:11:03ZengCanadian Society for Studies in EducationCanadian Journal for New Scholars in Education1916-92212023-12-01142How British Columbia Offshore School Teachers are Constructed on Government WebsitesIan Alexander0Laura Werbitsky1UBCUBC This article examines how the province of British Columbia (BC) constructs teachers on its government websites for the BC offshore school program. BC offshore schools are authorized to teach the BC curriculum with BC-certified teachers abroad, and currently operate in eleven countries. Our critical discourse analysis of BC provincial government websites shows that teachers are constructed as independent and responsible for their own understanding of employment conditions and for adapting to other cultures. A video on the government website does not give teachers speaking roles; instead they appear as background actors in still photographs. A secondary website mentions that teachers help internationalize the BC curriculum. While the main website issues cautionary advice to potential teachers, it does not explain any benefits of teaching abroad such as gaining economic, cultural, and social capital. The findings in this study will advance scholarship in the positioning of teachers in neoliberal global education, particularly in the BC context. https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/cjnse/article/view/77716
spellingShingle Ian Alexander
Laura Werbitsky
How British Columbia Offshore School Teachers are Constructed on Government Websites
Canadian Journal for New Scholars in Education
title How British Columbia Offshore School Teachers are Constructed on Government Websites
title_full How British Columbia Offshore School Teachers are Constructed on Government Websites
title_fullStr How British Columbia Offshore School Teachers are Constructed on Government Websites
title_full_unstemmed How British Columbia Offshore School Teachers are Constructed on Government Websites
title_short How British Columbia Offshore School Teachers are Constructed on Government Websites
title_sort how british columbia offshore school teachers are constructed on government websites
url https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/cjnse/article/view/77716
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AT laurawerbitsky howbritishcolumbiaoffshoreschoolteachersareconstructedongovernmentwebsites