Tag Archives: identity

M4P4: MathCatcher – Meet Small Number

“Mathematics Through Aboriginal Story Telling”

MathCatchers is an outreach program for educators and learners, encouraging numeracy through storytelling, pictures, and hands-on learning. They created a character named “Small Number” who ‘engage(s) Aboriginal learners in math and science through the use of First Nations imagery and storytelling.’ Through various videos, the opportunity for various discussions about anything from basic counting and pattern recognition to exponential growth and probability permutations and combinations. These videos will serve as a foundational part of my final project, with many Alberta curriculum pieces being tied to various sections of the video. I envision these videos being part of the regular classroom routine, with students constantly being brought back to the story and encouraged to dig deeper into the math and culture embedded within.

“The main character in our animations thus far is a boy called Small Number. He is a bright, playful kid, with the ability to recognize patterns and calculate quickly.”

M4P3: Danielle Black – Indigenous Film Maker

After reading Ginsburg’s Rethinking the Digital Age, I wanted to find more about Indigenous media local to my area.

Danielle Black grew up in Calgary, and is a member of the Siksika First Nations, a part of the Blackfoot Confederacy, Plains people, Treaty 7. She is an Indigenous artist who is using film to change perspectives and tell stories about Indigenous past but also about modern Indigenous people. She created a short film titled A Love Letter To My Unborn Child, “which speaks to her future child about the joys and trials that will await him/her as an Indigenous person navigating the world.”

I chose to include this in my research for my final because it displays resilience, strength, and hope in the face of adversity. This is a good piece of media to analyze with students, as it features Indigenous youth and offers a modern perspective on the struggles that Indigenous peoples face, and I think it shows many values of Indigenous knowledge and cultures. There is a lot to unpack in this 7 minute video, and I think it is worth unpacking and diving deep into the meanings.

M4. P2

When the topic of Identity comes up in conversation, usually the first question people get is, “What are you?” or, “Where are you from?” Usually, I respond with something witty such as, “I’m a human, from Earth.” But, as you can imagine, I get a lot of eye rolls and will eventually tell people my incredibly elaborate racial and ethnic background.

As I continue to create my Unit, I keep coming back to Identity and how the importance of Place is in regard to Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing. In order to authentically develop a sense of our identity, I believe that the place(s) in which we have lived and/or have had lived experiences is crucial to our story.

Below is one option for Mapping our Identity.

Using Google Maps or MapMe you can create your Identity Story by dropping pins in places that have helped you develop or create your Identity. Click HERE for a PDF on how to do this.

M4. P1

Jo-Anne Chrona said it best when speaking about the FFPL and what needs to happen first:

“a deep understanding of the FPPL is first necessary, and this understanding can then be used to guide educators’ choices about what is important to learn, and what kinds of learning experiences to create for, and with, learners in the contexts the learners and educators are in. This will vary from place to place, and community of learners to community of learners” (2014).

As I was researching the worldviews, I came across this incredible video resource from Focused Education Resources. You can find the link HERE. Of note for me, was the video below which goes through connectedness and relationships. Through this course I have developed a deep understanding for the importance of these particular principles and how we must “look for ways to relate learning to students’ selves, to their families and communities.”

References

Chrona, J.First peoples principles of learning. Retrieved from https://firstpeoplesprinciplesoflearning.wordpress.com/

Focused Education Resources. (2021). Retrieved from https://focusedresources.ca/en/supports-tutorialsvideosguides

M4P5: Youth who inspire

These five First Nations youth are being highlighted for their action in restoring language and culture and ultimately hope in their communities. They are also an example to students of action: it is personal, it takes different forms, and it is in response to a personal connection. As the final project considers using technology to inspire activism in the classroom, all of these youth use technology for their purpose. Exploring who they are, their message, and their delivery offers students a rich experience of activism in action.

M3. P5

Before we can explore Identity, we need to learn about how Identity was taken, stolen, and lost. As part of my professional development this year in school I wanted to find a way to connect with my students in a way that would be engaging for them but also authentic to Indigenous culture and tradition while at the same time amplifying Indigenous voices. I came across a Graphic Novel called This Place which explores the last 150 years of Canadian History retold by Indigenous writers and comics artists.

There are 10 stories throughout the novel, each one telling the story of the true, painful history that Canada has been so quick to hide and silence. The stories talk about Residential Schools, The 60’s scoop, land and water rights and highlights Indigenous people throughout history. It’s been one of the most incredible novels I have read to my class.

Watch below for the Book Trailer or Click HERE to read an excerpt.

M3. P4

Jeremy Ratt is a half-indigenous half-caucasion 19-year-old. He created a podcast earlier this year in which he “discovers his Indigenous roots and explores what it means to be Indigenous. Ratt finds strength in his Indigenous identity, leading to conversations with new faces in unfamiliar places, gaining wisdom and finding the missing pieces to his past and present along the way” (CBC, 2021.)

As someone who can relate to Jeremy’s experiences, I have found the first few episodes of his podcast to be both enlightening and emotional. He talks about how his lived experiences have influenced his identity and connection to land and his people.

You can listen to his podcast on CBC Listen, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify. You can also read more about him on CBC

M3. P1

I came across this article from the University of Kansas on the Impacts of Hyperdocs on Education. What I was most intrigued with was the connection between the impacts mentioned and the themes of the course so far. Most of the educators talked about how they were able to spend more one-on-one time with their students, building relationships and learning alongside one another, or, how the use of Hyperdocs allowed them to meet the individual needs of each student and provided the opportunity for students to reflect on their learning. As I am focussing on how learning requires exploration of one’s identity, I found this article very helpful in forming a foundation for using this format in my final project.

Hyperdoc Impacts on Education

Also, if you aren’t sure what a Hyperdoc is, I’ve attached an example of one for the Novel “Amal Unbound.” You can click the link below to view it – feel free to use with your students!

Amal Unbound Novel Study Hyperdoc

M2. P5.

The following are Identity-based activities from the University of Michigan’s Inclusive Teaching site. Although not developed based on the FPPL, I believe that they would be valuable activities to do with students to begin the conversation surrounding who they are and how they see themselves. Even though the site doesn’t state any relation to FPPL, these activities are labelled as “Personal Identity Wheel,” and “Social Identity Wheel.” It immediately creates this connection to Indigenous ways of knowing and learning from the term “wheel” which I can connect to circles, which we know are incredibly important to Indigenous culture as they relate to the cycles of the natural world.

A note on the last image here – there is language and terms that I would absolutely refrain from using as they are negative in nature. I would even remove the “body size” category and ensure that Gender/Sex had appropriate examples that were inclusive of all.

M2. P4

The FNESC which stands for First Nations Education Steering Committee has an incredible website with tons of valuable knowledge and resources for Educators. If you click on the image below, you will be taken to a PDF of authenticated First Peoples resources along with documents to help you or your school evaluate the authenticity of resources you find or bring into your building. As I’m focussing on Identity, I loved how each resource is annotated in-depth with information about all the authors, the retelling, Indigenous Language used, and features of the resource such as if it includes a teacher guide.