In 565-T Perspectives in Anti-racist education we looked at this book on Anti-racism that provides as fantastic framework for teachers who want to be more than just multi-cultural, but wants to bring anti-racist approaches into their classroom. This certainly connects to any lesson planning that would incorporate Indigenous ways of knowing, learning, perspectives or culture into their classroom in more than a multi-cultural light. Dr Muhammad focuses on 5 pillars that help guide teachers:
- identity: helping students develop a sense of who they are and want to be
- skills: proficiencies in academic content and literacy skills
- intellect: gaining new and authentic knowledge about the world
- criticality: understanding the relations between literacy, power, and oppression
- joy: not just focusing on negative aspects, but letting the students see the joy
These 5 pillars are something that Sarah and I hope to use as a framework to not just incorporate Indigenous ways of knowing as a “one off” for the students, but use the criticality sections to ensure that we are educating our learners about WHY it’s important that we’re looking at other perspectives. For a teacher who isn’t yet comfortable, having simpler things that they ARE comfortable with and go deeper as they get more experience and confidence.
