Coyote Science is a Canadian production on the APTN (Aboriginal People’s Television Network). Instead of throwing on Bill Nye (I might be aging myself here, but the kids still love it!) or Brain pop, using these videos to show science through another lens would be awesome. The episode list has a plethora of topics which would be great for students of elementary or middle school ages.
While this is not an Indigenous story, the idea of using anchor texts to start conversations can be very powerful. They All Saw A Cat could be a fantastic simple story that could be used at even middle school or higher levels with the right structure around it as a starting point to looking at perspectives. It would be a great time to talk with students about the perspectives that are taught in Canada now and historically (Euro-centric) and how we are attempting to honour and learn through other perspectives as well. Following a discussion about this book followed by a book or story from your local Indigenous nation and seeing how the perspectives might be different would be powerful and a safe entry point for teachers.
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:
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.
This resource is detailed and long with a large amount of content covered though the perspective of Indigenous peoples. It was written and shared by the First Nations Education Steering Committee. I found a great connection between the Forest Math book in my previous post and the mapping lesson. Its a great way to blend both ways of approaching a similar end goal, all while looking at math through the lens of Indigenous ways of knowing. This resource is a fantastic resource for teachers who may not yet be comfortable incorporating Indigenous ways on their own as it’s clearly scripted and connected to the curriculum.
Trying to incorporate Indigenous ways of knowing into the classroom doesn’t have to be fancy, or resource heavy. It can really be around the APPROACH (as we see in the First People’s Principles of Learning). Talking about the Syilx people’s connection to the land that we see through their stories (like the 4 Food Chiefs) and then taking students outside to look for math (and science) in the forest takes the Euro-centric silos of these subjects out into the blend of the real world. This digital book was a resource sent out by my district’s Indigenous Advocates as a great set of questions to help teachers see the possibilities of non-siloed teachings possible outside (and of course there are way more). By having specific examples of what you can do outside, the questions you can ask the students and the extension questions as well makes it an approachable task for any teacher!
This resource from Alberta is specifically designed for teachers to help them incorporate a wide range of Indigenous ways of learning into their classrooms. This is certainly coming from a more holistic approach as opposed to specific content connections which, as we’ve been learning, is more authentic. I think, in terms of making teachers more comfortable trying some of these ways, this site does a great job. They have a lot of text based descriptions of different options for classrooms, as well as a wide range of videos or audio from different sources to help teachers feel more comfortable. A perfect example of this, which would certainly make me feel more confident trying this practice is the video of Judy Louis engaging a class in a circle story technique. Seeing the technique in action with an authentic group of kids is so much better for a nervous teacher than just reading about possibilities they might encounter. So overall, a great resource for what I’m trying to accomplish!
As a non-Indigenous teacher, this was a great interview to watch, to hear her speak about what indigenizing curriculum should mean, how it’s a verb, not a noun. How it’s a way to BE learning, as opposed to a specific thing to learn. I think this is a great, but challenging thing to hear for teachers who aren’t necessarily comfortable using Indigenous ways or content in their classes. Being told that there isn’t just a list to go through, but a way of thinking and approaching things can be scary, but it is also freeing, the idea that you can start anywhere and that you don’t have to be “right” or “correct” about everything. After all, how could I, as a non-Indigenous person, be an expert on a different culture without years of immersing myself into that culture. But Dr. Archibald calls us to take small steps to learn along side the kids, and show them that it’s ok to ask questions and not have the answers right away.
The stories that are often used in Indigenous teaching are often oral, so having a source when bringing in an elder or stroytelling isn’t possible is great. While always having the stories told in person by an elder or someone who understands the values and lessons involved is always best, but this source gives a good summary of some of the meaning behind different stories. It’s also arranged by general learning levels as well as by topic or theme. With a summary and context for each book, it becomes much easier for a non-Indigenous teacher to select which ones they think would be great for their classroom.
This is a great resource for any teacher in BC looking for land based connections. This could easily be connected to Outdoor Ed/PE if the students are going on walks to find the food items (maybe not moose, but hopefully some of the plants?), or connected to science/PHE/Nutrition when looking at the nutritional facts of each item. While this is a general list for all of BC, I’m sure you could connect them with any specific region of BC. This would be a very safe resource for a teacher just trying to start out as it has tons of great, easy to use information.
BC Traditional Food Fact sheet
I connected this to the Okanagan College Indigenous Garden, which would also be a great learning opportunity for leaners in the Okanagan.
In my search to find ways of incorporate Indigenous ways of thinking and learning, it’s been hard to find resources that, in my opinion, would make a non-Indigenous teacher comfortable with implementing it in their class. I find that often it assumes a lot of previous knowledge, or assumes that you have a sense of where the students could take the learning. This source, which is more Ontario based, lays out different options that all revolve around a general essential question. The mix and match resources are easily laid out with suggestions and extensions as well as starting teachers off with a great explanation of how to use the resource and what challenges and mindset they might find helpful. Overall, having this would be a great balance between teachers who would appreciate a step-by-step approach and the openness of Indigenous ways of learning.
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/secretlifeofcanada/secret-life-of-water-1.5257931