Author Archives: kirsten ocoin

Module 4 Weblog

  1.  Indigenous Education- Twitter Feed

https://twitter.com/indigenoustweet?lang=en

I came across this Twitter feed that shares important Indigenous news from around the world. The feed focuses on “revitalizing indigenous and minority languages through online communities”. When I came across this feed I was reminded of the film from Week 9 that depicted the loss of language amongst indigenous youth. Having educational resources such as this Twitter feed keeps indigenous language at the forefront and encourages these important languages to live on.

  1. STARS- Blog

http://starsusask.blogspot.ca/

This is a blog dedicated to Student-Teacher Anti-Racism Activism. It is an educational resource that shares links to different books, documentaries, links and pictures all having to do with anti-racism. While it shares perspectives from many different communities, it does seem to favour Indigenous perspectives and provides some invaluable resources that can be used in the classroom. It seems to have been discontinued since 2015 but the existing resources are still appropriate to use.

  1. Cree Code Talker- YouTube Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JiUPBKST5M

This is a short film on YouTube that details the life of an older half English/half Cree Canadian man who served in the American army as a code talker for the secret communication system utilizing the Cree language. It was created by the NSI Aboriginal Documentary, a short documentary training program developed to take Aboriginal film makers to the next level. This can be shown in a classroom as a great example of Aboriginal film depicting the important role the Cree language had on the American army.

  1. Treasure Language Storytelling (TLS)- Website

http://www.treasurelanguage.org/

This website is an initiative to showcase the beauty of storytelling. It provides videos of storytellers sharing their stories in their native languages before translating it into English. It aims to preserve languages around the world by showcasing various storytellers. This would be a great resource to share with one’s students and can even be duplicated in your own classroom. Showcasing the diversity of the students in your classroom by allowing them to tell a story in their own language and then translate it into English would be a great way to embrace all languages. This would be especially useful for Indigenous cultures as those languages are seemingly deteriorating quickly.

  1. ACTUA- InSTEM (Indigenous Youth in STEM): Website/Program

http://actua.ca/en/programs/national-aboriginal-outreach-program

This is a website I came across when I was looking at how STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) activities can actively include indigenous perspectives. These are programs run across Canada and educators can sign up to have a visit to their school or to visit the University running the STEM program. While not all of the programs are geared towards indigenous youth, this is a great resource for educators looking to include STEM into their weekly curriculum complete with free activities. Educators can look at the activities and decide how they can, on their own, include indigenous perspectives (if they don’t already have some included).

Module 3 Weblog

Module 3 Weblog

  1. Stepping Stones- Ontario Government Brochure

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/document/brochure/stepStones.html

This was a resource I came across when locating information for my final project. It is directed to educators of youth and provides a wealth of information specifically focusing on teaching to students’ ‘whole self’- cognitive, emotional, social and physical self. For learning to occur, students must be taught by educators who can understand the developmental changes they are going through. This is a great resource to remind to help us understand youth development better.

 

  1. Photovoice with Aboriginal Youth- PDF

http://www.cmha.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Final-Draft-Photovoice-Book-June-5.pdf

This is a community project that was made to promote mental health of Aboriginal youth and families. While it is specific to three different regions in British Colombia, I thought the idea of having youth take photos, as a way of telling a story about their lives, was an intriguing method that educators can implement in to the classroom. Including storytelling into the classroom as a way to share and transmit knowledge, educators can encourage aboriginal ways into the classroom.

 

  1. Peer Perspectives: Expressions of Aboriginal Youth (3 parts)-YouTube Videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuhfenCO45U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXLwFlypPPY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlqhKbVyFJA

This is a 3-part video series on YouTube from Access to Media Education Society (AMES). These videos follow 3 First Nations artists and the role that video has played in encouraging youth to share their stories. The youth explained that they wanted and saw the need to see aboriginal youth represented properly in the media and so they started created their own films. This would be a great resource to use in upper Elementary or High School classes.

 

  1. Aboriginal Education as Cultural Brokerage- Scholarly Paper

http://mje.mcgill.ca/article/viewFile/2853/3980

This is a scholarly paper written by Kitchen, Cherubini, Trudeau & Hodson (2009) that discussed the experiences of six Aboriginal teachers and their opinions of teacher education not being respectful of Aboriginal languages and cultures. They authors discuss how both Aboriginal education and western education should not be taught separately but should be melded together as one way of teaching. This was an interesting paper for me as I have lately found myself wondering how I can include aboriginal perspectives into my teaching. After reading this article I realized it should not be the inclusion of one aboriginal based activity into a classroom but rather how incorporating a more holistic approach to education in general may be the answer.

 

  1. What Brings Us Here- Instagram Feed

https://www.instagram.com/whatbringsushere/

This is an Instagram feed of “Indigenous-led activism” based out of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Each picture/video depicts a story explained by aboriginal perspectives. While many of the stories are quite heartbreaking and perhaps not appropriate for all age groups of students, it does provide another way of experiencing and becoming knowledgeable about Aboriginal culture. Instagram is one of the most widely used social media platforms that reaches millions of people across the globe. To see that aboriginal perspectives are being shared on such a platform is encouraging to see.

Module 2 Weblog Post

Module 2 Weblog

  1. A Journey Into Time Immemorial- Interactive Website

http://www.sfu.museum/time/en/enter/

http://www.sfu.museum/time/en/flash/

This is a great interactive Canadian website that I came across. I provided two different links, as one is strictly flash whereas the other also provides additional educator information. It provides the viewer with access to interactive spaces including games, interviews (both videos and audio clips) of Indigenous people as well as provides educators with curriculum connections. It also has numerous ‘articles’ detailing different parts of BC Indigenous everyday life. This would be a fantastic resource to share with students!

  1. Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (Kids Stop)- Website

https://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1315444613519/1315444663239

I thought this was a great site that could be used for younger children as an introduction to Indigenous culture. The website, run by the Canadian government, provides a lot of information and descriptions of Indigenous cultures, traditions and customs. It is interactive and also provides links for educators to link with the curriculum.

  1. 10 Books About Residential Schools- CBC News Online Article

http://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/10-books-about-residential-schools-to-read-with-your-kids-1.3208021

This is an article written by CBC that outlines 10 different books that can be read to children to help explain the residential school era. This is a very important part of Canadian indigenous history and should definitely be taught in school to help acknowledge and understand the pain and suffering they went through. While this can be a very difficult subject to talk about, these books, geared to younger children, will help start the important conversations that need to be had.

  1. Using Dialogue Circles to Support Classroom Management- YouTube Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTr4v0eYigM&t=69s

This YouTube video by Edutopia discusses how ‘dialogue’ or sharing circles can be used to discuss important issues like bullying. The video also discusses the use of sharing circles for purposes of restorative justice. While it does not specifically address Indigenous culture (or the fact that these circles were established in Indigenous cultures), one can infer ways that we can implement Indigenous educational practices such as these into our classrooms on a daily basis.

  1. Walking Together- Scholarly Paper

 http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/aswt/documents/indigenous_pedagogy/storytelling_as_a_foundation_to_literacy.pdf

This is a paper (reference below) that outlines the importance of oral storytelling in literacy instruction, particularly for Aboriginal students. It begins by detailing the challenges faced in literacy learning by examining the residential school era. It then continues on and explains various Aboriginal traditions and customs. I found this article to be a great resource that helps educators to understand the importance of including Aboriginal perspectives and educational ways of teaching into their classrooms.

McKeogh, Anne, S. Bird, E. Tourigny, A. Romaine, S. Graham, J. Ottmann, and J. Jeary. (2008). Storytelling as a foundation to literacy development for aboriginal children: Culturally and developmentally appropriate practices. Canadian Psychology, Volume 49, No. 2, pp. 148–154.

Module 1 Weblog- Kirsten O’Coin

I suppose that I have not yet chosen a topic to research yet because my knowledge surrounding Indigenous Education is severely limited. That being said, I did complete my teacher’s diploma in Australia where many of the courses integrated Indigenous perspectives. I am very interested as to how Indigenous perspectives can be integrated and weaved into more of the Ontario education system- specifically pertaining to the Elementary sector. That being said, I have come across some interesting websites that might help my narrow down my topic of research.

PDF Files- Aboriginal Perspectives: A Guide to the Teacher’s Toolkit

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/aboriginal/toolkit.html

  • This resource is an Ontario educator’s resource with links to the curriculum for each grade as well as actual strategies and lessons that can be utilized. The resource outlines specific expectations that can align nicely with lessons/units on Aboriginal culture ranging from Grades 1-12. Majority of the lessons fall under Social Studies/History and Language.

Website- Teaching for Indigenous Education

http://www.indigenouseducation.educ.ubc.ca/

  • This website is a “digital learning resource” aimed at educators teaching Indigenous/Aboriginal perspectives. Not surprisingly, it is an UBC blog and provides a plethora of information mostly connecting to BC curriculum expectations. It ranges from learning/teaching about relationships to pedagogy and politics. It has a variety of attached resources that one can peruse.

Research PaperDigital Opportunities Within the Aboriginal Education Program: A Study of Preservice Teachers’ Attitudes and Proficiency in Technology Integration (Dragon, Peacock, Norton, Steinhauer, Snart, Cabonaro & Boechler, 2012)

http://ajer.journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/ajer/article/view/1017

  • This paper examines pre-service teacher’s opinions on the effects technology has had on implementing and gaining access to Aboriginal perspectives. It provides insight into how technology has changed Aboriginal education, while paying special attention to how social media outlets have created cause for concern in the Aboriginal community.

Website- Project of Heart

What is Project of Heart?

  • Project of Heart is a website that aims to educate people on the history of Aboriginal people in Canada, specifically referring to Indian Residential Schools and the harm that this experience caused to the children and their families. The website provides many resources that give detailed information about the history as well as a step-by-step inquiry based guide on how to lead your students through this tough topic by conducting their own investigation.

TedTalk– Transforming the Teacher in Indigenous Education (Chris Garner)

  • An inspirational TedTalk with tips for educators on teaching Indigenous Education. While Garner, a South African, is discussing Australian Aboriginals, this still can be transferred to Canadian Aboriginals. He stresses the importance of potential + effort + relevance to own context= success. If students are able to relate to the information being taught (or the ways in which it is taught) the students has a great chance of success.