For the final weblog, I was interested in understanding how curricula has changed to support the role of place in the province of BC. Specifically, I also wanted to delve deeper into educational practices that have been introduced within the classroom.
Integrating Aboriginal Perspectives into Curricula (Manitoba Document)
Link: http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/docs/policy/abpersp/ab_persp.pdf
This resource guide is targeted towards curriculum developers, teachers and administrators. What I appreciated most about this document was that it respectfully acknowledged that each Aboriginal culture expresses the same world view in different ways. The chapter that I most enjoyed reading about was on the topic of the medicine wheel. To briefly reiterate, the medicine wheel is ‘an ancient symbol that reflects values, world views and practices and is used to represent the interconnected relationships among aspects of life and to provide direction and meaning to an individual’. In the Kawagley and Barnhardt reading, we learned that indigenous education should begin with the five basic elements of the universe. After reading about this ancient symbol, I wonder if the medicine wheel could also play a role in the classroom similar to the five elements. Learning about powwows was also eye opening for me and a tremendous privilege.
Aboriginal Worldviews and Perspectives in the Classroom: Moving Forward (Document)
Link: http://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/administration/kindergarten-to-grade-12/aboriginal-education/awp_moving_forward.pdf
I’m pleased to have come across this document, created by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with a First Nations Education Steering Committee and Representatives from the Ministry Curriculum team. I’m trying to be careful and not focus on as many government resources in my website exploration, but this document echoed many of the themes in the Kawagley and Barnhardt and Scollon readings which included:
- An emphasis on the role of the teacher to find out local protocols when introducing local materials
- A need to incorporate Aboriginal history, experience, stories, imagery and ecology in teaching practices
- Providing opportunities for students to engage with locally developed resources and local knowledge keepers
Participant testimonials, thoughts and suggestions by Aboriginal students were situated throughout the document which were a challenging reminder of the needs that still exist.
Voices of Wisdom (Video)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbxCtmteQ-U
The wisdom and narratives of elders are shared in this video and is intended to inform educational practices in the classroom. In short – wow. These stories were a powerful reminder of the importance of teacher training on the themes of history, spirituality, ceremonies and traditions and most importantly: respect. I learned that each elder has a different gift and the importance of storytelling in the classroom.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbxCtmteQ-U
Research Monograph: Principles to Valuing the Aboriginal Learner
Link: http://www.oise.utoronto.ca/deepeningknowledge/UserFiles/File/FNMI_-_Research_Monograph_11_-_Aboriginal_Perspectives_Toulouse.pdf
The monograph explores the relationship between self-esteem and educational attainment. The seven principles to valuing the Aboriginal learner include respect, love, bravery, wisdom, humility, honesty and truth. The last principle – truth, was humbling to read. To elaborate, truth is described as ‘the process of coming to terms with how things really are and developing a plan for change’. Teachers play a critical role in change and as such we need to be accountable to students and their communities to ensure that clear and measurable outcomes are being met.
Aboriginal Perspectives: A Guide to the Teacher’s Toolkit (Elementary and Secondary Audience)
Link: http://www.oise.utoronto.ca/deepeningknowledge/UserFiles/File/UploadedAmina_/AborigPerspectGuide_Toolkit2009.pdf
An electronic resource created by educators in Ontario who have expertise in bringing Aboriginal themes and perspectives into the classroom. The resource is broken up into two parts, the first section lists the expectations in the revised curriculum that contain Aboriginal perspectives (separated by grade and subject) and the second section contains teaching strategies for instructors to incorporate in the classroom. The guide was practical but simplistic. A more robust description of each strategy can be found here on the ministry website: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/aboriginal/toolkit.html.