Tag Archives: Elders

Module 4 – Post 1

Our Words, Our Ways: Teaching First Nations, Metis and Inuit learners is a resource guide put out by Alberta Education. It is a bit dated (2005) but one of the main things that drew me to this resource was that it was created to support how Aboriginal students learn as well as a variety of strategies to help with lesson planning. As I am looking for ways to support bringing in western and traditional ways together through place based learning, I thought this resource would be helpful. Within the resource you can find information about Aboriginal cultures, history, perspectives, strategies such as rubrics and ideas to help support teachers in meeting the needs of Aboriginal students when they are planning for their lessons. Aboriginal Elders, teachers and psychologists as well as other members of Alberta’s Aboriginal communities helped to contribute to the making of this resource guide and it is aimed to support administrators, teachers, school staff, counselors and even liaison workers. 

Access to the pdf document: https://education.alberta.ca/media/3615876/our-words-our-ways.pdf

Alberta Education. (2005). Our Words, Our Ways: Teaching First Nations, Metis and Inuit learners. Alberta Education. Aboriginal Services Branch and Learning and Teaching Resources Branch. 

M3P2: Location and Minecraft

The importance of location was highlighted in this module, and I was inspired by the Anishinaabe World in Minecraft, a collaborative project between the Louis Reil Foundation and Microsoft, that “honours, celebrates and explores a Manitoba Anishinaabe community” (Minecraft Anishinaabe World, n.d.). It made me wonder if a similar project could be created that reflects the locality of First Nations on whose territories my school resides. To that end, the Cobblestone Collective offered a more in-depth look at Minecraft and the incorporation of Indigenous knowledge through an Elder led three-part session. The sessions focused on local plants, medicines, traditions that guided cultural practice and allowed students to engage in an immersive experience. It was full of relevant information for an educator looking to expand their use of Minecraft to remove the colonizing focus while responding to the cultural knowledge of their students.

Cobblestone Project three part series: https://cobblestonecollective.ca/manito-ahbee-aki-minecraft-education-edition/

References:

Minecraft Anishinaabe World. Louis Riel School Division. (n.d.). https://www.lrsd.net/What-We-Offer/Pages/Minecraft-Anishinaabe-World.aspx.

Module 2- Post 2: Elders in Schools

A culture centred on “All My Relations” is the foundation of all First Nations teaching and learning. The inclusion of Elders in the process can be described as the ‘heart’ of First Nations Pedagogy. Since Pre-Colonial times, Elders have been the Gatekeepers of First Nations wisdom, knowledge, and history. Elders traditionally hold crucial roles in supporting both formal and informal education in First Nations communities. They impart tradition, knowledge, culture, values, and lessons using orality and role modeling traditional practices.They are important knowledge keepers, and they also help to ensure cultural continuity.

In 2013, The Elders in Schools Program provides an opportunity for Elders to be teachers within the school setting. The program was developed to ensure every school has an elder. The main purpose is for students and staff to learn from the elders about the the wisdom, knowledge and experiences, as well as their language and traditional skills of the local people in the aboriginal communities in NWT.

https://www.ece.gov.nt.ca/en/services/renouveau-en-education-aux-tno/elders-schools-program

A similar pilot project was developedled by the Tlicho Community Services Agency in 2019.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/pilot-program-tlicho-language-program-1.5082117

Module 1 Post 3

The Path of the Elders provides an opportunity for deepening knowledge of First Nation studies in the classroom through guided activities. It includes teacher programs for grades 4 to 10 as well as an introduction to language considerations. I appreciate that this is geared towards the students themselves and gives them an opportunity to engage with the content either on their own or as steered by the teacher. I appreciate both the breadth of knowledge and the way in which it is presented. From a technology perspective, it is fun and engaging, with good graphics and few glitches. From an education perspective, it offered an authentic voice, games with clear rules, and lots of information for students of all ages.

https://www.pathoftheelders.com/

Module 1 – Post 2

In our school division we have only lightly explored the Walk With Us Project. It was brought up as a resource during a meeting but I had not explored it further until my last ETEC class where I worked on a group project on different types of virtual tours. This project was developed by a former teacher in Ontario “to help students in remote First Nation communities showcase their hometown and tell their childhood stories through the use of Google Maps Street View.” Essentially the Walk With Us project breaks itself down in two ways. The first is by connecting First Nations communities in a visible Google Map. The interactive map allows you to upload 360’ images of your school and community and once you have uploaded the images you are now part of the map. This allows anyone to visit the communities and learn more about them. The other part of the project is to work with students to help create these visual tours of their communities for storytelling. The, “Students are the historians by interviewing Elders and teaching others about where they live in an immersive and engaging way.” This is a great way to connect communities together and to allow stories to be shared from those communities as well as understanding more about those communities.

Walk With Us Project

 

Walk With Us Project: https://sites.google.com/view/walkwithusproject/home?authuser=0

(n.a). (2019, July 6). Walk with us project helps First Nation students ‘tell stories of where they live’. CBC News. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/thunder-bay-walk-with-us-project-1.5121822

 

Elders Gathering (M1P1)

In 2016, the annual Elders Gathering was held on the T’exelcemc traditional territory in Williams Lake. A live stream was recorded of the event. This gathering is especially important to me, as the speakers are Elders and leaders from my local community.

At [3:15:20] Chief Joe Alphonse speaks. He talks about his ancestral connections to the Chilcotin War in 1864, and about the monumental win of the Tŝilhqot’in Nation in gaining the first declaration of Aboriginal title in Canada. “It was not just a Chilcotin win, it was a win for all First Nation” [3:17:00].

I invited Chief Joe to my Career & Life class a couple of years ago. One of the most impactful pieces of wisdom he shared was the importance of being a warrior. Today’s weapons are different (education, words, and legislation), but the goal remains the same: to stand up for a better future.

I wish I had downloaded the second day’s video when it aired, as it was quickly taken down. I think the reason(s) why is an important point to discuss. YouTube said it was for “copyright infringement”. It was unclear if the algorithm flagged it, or if it was reported by an individual.

  • Was it because local Indigenous musicians shared their love of Elvis by singing his songs in their language?
  • Was it because some of the sacred dances’ origins are points of contention?
  • Was it because of protocols, or because someone disagreed with sacred wisdom being shared on a public platform?

To make matters worse, the file I had saved my favourite quotations on seems to have been lost in the ether. This just goes to show that while digital technology can be a boon (ex: allowing anyone to witness the Elders Gathering during/after it took place), our reliance on it can be dangerous, and lead to even greater losses of Indigenous Knowledge.

Note to self: backup MET notes as PDFs and print them, rather than leave them on the obscure mind-mapping program I have been using.

– Laura Ulrich