Tag Archives: Curriculum

M4P3: The Transmountain Pipeline

                                                                   

One area of focus for my final project is exploring activism with my class, with this classroom learning module adapted as the final project. The proximity of our school to Burnaby Mountain offers an opportunity for rich discussion and personal connection regarding the TransMountain Pipeline. It also offers us a chance to explore some of the messaging that is available online, both through the site Coast Protectors and the Transmountain site. Both sites discussion environmental issues at play, but in very different ways. What information is provided and what information is missing? Helping students evaluate the messaging is an important piece of decolonizing technology use.

This CBC Kids news video is a good introduction to the topic, providing background on both sides.

http://https://youtu.be/Hv5RBMVpGTc

M3P5: Books to Build On: Indigenous Literature for Learning

This University of Calgary website, in combination with Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, offers a  curated list of Indigenous books suitable for all ages (from child to university student). As a bonus, they have also included lesson plans with most of the books. I considered my knowledge of Indigenous books suitable for my class to be well developed, and this resource offered new books to add. In particular, I like that it is not limited to social studies or language arts (where indigenous content is often included), but rather focuses on all the subject areas (including science, math, etc).

M3P1: Indigenous Math Games

I came across this resource, and I plan on taking at least one of each type of game and incorporating it into the Alberta Program of Studies.

The game “Hubbub” caught my attention. Players take turns tossing the dice and collecting point values, represented by the sticks. The game ends when all of the counters are gone, and whoever has the most sticks at the end wins.

This is a very simple game that opens up lots of discussion about probability, at many different grade levels. I can see it being used in elementary for patterns and collecting data; in the middle school level for simple probability; and at the high school level for statistics and probability.

http://mathcentral.uregina.ca/RR/database/RR.09.00/treptau1/mathcontent.html

M2P5: Tua’ll (and then) I used math to tell a story

Tua’ll (and then) I used math to tell a story: Using think alouds to enhance agency and problem solving in an indigenous high school mathematics class

This thesis is an action-research project in a high school math classroom that focuses on student discourse and agency. I am excited that I found such a detailed and extensive account of someone’s journey of incorporating Indigenous culture into an Indigenous high school mathematics class.

Below are some findings, implications, and questions from the report.

M2P4: Indigenous Learning Preferences and Interactive Technologies

A research study conducted in BC that studied the impact of interactive technologies on math achievement of Indigenous students in Grades 4-7.

Kitchenham, A. (2017). Indigenous Learning Preferences and Interactive Technologies. The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 46(1), 71-79. doi:10.1017/jie.2016.12

M2P3: Alberta Ed Sample Lesson Plans

“These sample lesson plans support Education for Reconciliation through the inclusion of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit perspectives; treaty education; and residential schools’ experiences, with learning outcomes identified in the current Alberta programs of study.

Each sample lesson plan includes content(s) or context(s) related to one or more of the following aspects of Education for Reconciliation:

  • diverse perspectives and ways of knowing of First Nations, Métis, or Inuit, including values, traditions, kinship, language, and ways of being;
  • understandings of the spirit and intent of treaties; or
  • residential schools’ experiences and resiliency.”

I was excited to find this resource, but then noticed that Mathematics was not a subject included, which makes me eager to try to gather resources for teaching math in the K-12 classroom, but also makes me question why?

M2P2: Indspire Online Resource Centre

“Indspire is a national Indigenous registered charity that invests in the education of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people for the long term benefit of these individuals, their families and communities, and Canada.”

Within the Online Resource Centre contains documentation and evaluation of various projects that Indspire has completed. Some that interested me are:

M2P1: Stepping Stones

“Stepping Stones is a publication of the Alberta Teachers’ Association Walking Together: Education for Reconciliation and is intended to support certificated teachers on their learning journey to meet the First Nations, Métis and Inuit Foundational Knowledge competency in the Teaching Quality Standard.”

This resource is helpful in providing a detailed overview of various topics including, but not limited to, terminology, Treaties, Canada’s history, First Nations Traditions and culture, and residential schools.

M1P5: Indigenous Education Resources

This website houses some amazing information for Indigenous Education.

A school is also highlighted on this website:

“Nala’atsi is a school based in Courtenay, British Columbia for students with Indigenous ancestry in grades 10 to 12. It is a 10 month program that provides individualized support for students whose needs have not been met in a mainstream classroom setting. Nala’atsi aims to give students a sense of community and belonging, a safe and compassionate learning environment, as well as access to a variety of exciting cultural activities within the community and beyond.”

M1P3: Indigenous Culture-Based School Mathematics in Action

Indigenous Culture-Based School Mathematics in Action: Part I: Professional Development for Creating Teaching Materials

  • This first of a pair of articles describes a professional development project that prepared
    four non-Indigenous mathematics teachers (Grades 5-12) to implement Canada’s Truth and
    Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC, 2016) notion of reconciliation: cross-cultural respect through
    mutual understanding

https://scholarworks.umt.edu/tme/vol18/iss1/9/

Meyer, Sharon and Aikenhead, Glen (2021) “Indigenous Culture-Based School Mathematics in Action: Part I: Professional Development for Creating Teaching Materials,” The Mathematics Enthusiast: Vol. 18 : No. 1 , Article 9.

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Indigenous Culture-Based School Mathematics in Action Part II: The Study’s Results: What Support Do Teachers Need?

  • The research question: What precise supports must be in place for Grades 5 to 12 teachers to enhance their mathematics classes in a sustainable way with Indigenous mathematizing and Indigenous worldview
    perspectives?

https://scholarworks.umt.edu/tme/vol18/iss1/10

Meyer, Sharon and Aikenhead, Glen (2021) “Indigenous Culture-Based School Mathematics in Action Part II: The Study’s Results: What Support Do Teachers Need?,” The Mathematics Enthusiast: Vol. 18 : No. 1 , Article 10.

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*June 20 – Edit*

I came across this resource that pulls together the above two pieces of research. It is from the McDowell Foundation, which provides grants for teacher-led research projects in Saskatchewan.

Culture-Based School Mathematics for Reconciliation and Professional Development