Category Archives: Module 2

Module 2 Weblog- Kathryn Williams (née Gardner)

My research topic has changed and developed since the last weblog. On my Module Two entry I am looking more at Indigenous students and STEM subjects. My research is currently focused on barriers to Ingenious students being successful in STEM subjects and programs and initiatives that are trying to provide solutions to these obstacles.

How Native Kids see Science Differently – Interview with Megan Bang

http://crosscut.com/2016/10/how-native-kids-see-science-differently/

In this interview with Megan Bang, an Associate Professor at the University of Washington, the discussion focusses on the Science curriculum and on education not being culturally responsive. She argues that the Science taught at schools is not based people’s communities and that it especially isn’t related to Indigenous communities at all. The interview also discusses STEM subjects being more middle class and the shift that needs to occur to see more Indigenous students interested and successful in these subjects.

Karlie Noon- Employed by the CSIRO’s Indigenous STEM Education Project

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuFrnm3RytA

http://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/api/radio/player/podcast/764971?popup=1&node=627133

http://blog.ungei.org/karlie-noon-interview/

Indigenous woman Karlie Noon was the first Indigenous woman to graduate university in New South Wales, Australia, with joint degree in Mathematics and Physics. She went on to obtain her Master’s in Astronomy and Astrophysics. She had a disadvantaged upbringing and didn’t engage with school. An elder, however, tutored her in Mathematics once a week and that is how she found her potential in the subject. Karlie believes in the benefits of mentorship. She now works for CSIRO’s Indigenous STEM Education Project. If you Google her name, there are numerous articles, videos and podcasts that let you know about her and I’ve just included a few examples. In a great deal of the content, Karlie also discusses Indigenous people as the first scientists and explains this with great passion.

STEM.I.AM Initiative – Australia

http://www.stemiam.com.au/programs/

STEM.I.AM is an Australian program aimed at increasing the number of Indigenous students studying STEM subjects at university. The initiative is directed towards students in grades 5-12 and the exciting programs range from coding and robotics workshops to establishing community-led coding clubs. STEM.I.AM “encourages Indigenous kids to go to school, stay at school and learn and engage with STEM through the fun of coding and robotics.”

Improving Science Education for Native Students: Teaching Place through Community by Megan Bang, Douglas Medin and Gregory Cajete.

http://groups.psych.northwestern.edu/medin/documents/BangMedinCajete2009SACNAS.pdf

In the article the authors state, “Science classrooms are often the sites at which Indigenous children are implicitly and explicitly told they the knowledge of their people, their histories, and their ways of developing knowledge of the world are a myth, informal of outright wrong.” Cajete argues that Indigenous Science is about knowing place and that everything is related. I chose this article because the authors outline ‘effective science learning environments’ and how to foster them; I always find practical examples helpful for my own teaching practice.

Science from a Native Perspective: How do we Educate for a Sustainable Future? Interview with Indigenous Science Scholar Gregory Cajote

http://www.inmotionmagazine.com/global/cajete/gregory-cajete-int2015.html

In this interview, Gregory discusses his personal experiences of being as an Indigenous child in New Mexico; being successful at Science in school but then also being told different explanations by his grandmother at home. Even at a young age he sensed “a conflict of these two ways of looking at the world.” Cajote’s educational journey and his explanation of ‘Native Science’ is a topic that both very much interests me and one that I am hoping will feature in my final project.

Resources for Art

I have previously posted two resources. I wanted to post a few resources I have used as art projects with my students.

Coast Salish Sea Animal flash cards. My students love these. We have used them for their cultural teaching, and students have chosen an animal they resonated with. We then made a mural with shared information about Coast Salish people.

https://www.nativenorthwestselect.com/products/flash-cards-salish-sea-animal-by-coast-salish-artist

Coast Salish Art in the Classroom

http://uvac.uvic.ca/gallery/salishcurriculum/

This is an online resource for teachers, which includes guiding questions, examples, and lesson plans to help teach students about Coast Salish culture and art.

To continue the discussion.

http://www.surrey.ca/culture-recreation/19292.aspx

Examples of Coast Salish Art throughout the city of Surrey, that was commissioned by the city.

Dana’s Contributions to Module 2

The Ethnos Project

From their Home Page:

The Ethnos Project is a research initiative that explores the intersection of Indigeneity and information and communication technologies (ICTs) such as:

open source databases for Indigenous Knowledge management

information and communication technologies for development (ICT4D) initiatives

new and emerging technologies for intangible cultural heritage

social media used by Indigenous communities for social change

mobile technologies used for language preservation

The essays found in this site seem incredibly appropriate for our learnings in this course. The founder of The Ethnos Project, Mark Oppenneer, might be a “Wannabe”, however! I tried to learn more about him, only to find that either another person with the same name, or the founder of this page, was fired from his teaching job for inappropriate relations with a student. From Oppenneer’s LinkedIn profile, it appears to be the same person… What intrigues me about this website, is how polished it looks and how interesting the essays seem to be. My question is this: is the founder a “Wannabe” and should this site be not accessed should this be the case???

Knowing Home: Braiding Indigenous Science with Western Science

Anyone who says that Facebook is a waste of time, is not using Facebook to its full potential.

Recently, I joining a Science Teacher FB group and this group has actually revolutionized my teaching in only 4 weeks. Not only have I adopted something called Two Stage Exams, but someone recently posted a link to this incredible resource, Knowing Home: Braiding Indigenous Science with Western Science. What is particularly jaw-dropping, is that I saved this link two weeks ago, long before I watched this week’s video interviews. The co-author of this online book is none other than Lorna Williams!!!!

This book is a MUST READ for anyone teaching science. I have only had time to look at a few of the chapters but the one chapter that particularly applies to this week’s module is Chapter 9: Changing Students’ Perceptions of Scientists, the Work of Scientists, and Who Does Science

This chapter summarizes a study that was done with Grade5/6 students and Grade 11/12 in a First Nations Studies course. The stereotypes harboured by both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students are eye-opening, to say the least. As a science educator, what can I do differently in my practice to help my students see past these stereotypes? Am I do anything that reinforces these stereotypes?

Sask. First Nation chief says tobacco offering from visiting school’s coach a step toward reconciliation

From the CBC, September 30, 2017. Here is the original Facebook post from Chief Evan Taypotat.

People stereotype, consciously and unconsciously– stereotyping is often due to making assumptions, without taking the time to educate oneself of the truth. However, this was an example of someone taking the time to understand Indigenous culture and showing respect, in an authentic way.

Colorado River should have same legal status as a person: lawsuit

From the CBC, October 10, 2017.

In Week 6 of our studies, we were asked if we thought if cultures have rights to protect themselves?

Should the lawyer representing the Colorado River win his case, he may wish to move on to representing culture in the courts, as well! Although the article is a quick read, spending time listening to the lawyer’s arguments in the interview is recommended as it may provide you with extremely compelling reasons that make it obvious that our natural resources should be protected in court, as if they were a person.

Stop believing this myth: No, Native Americans are not “anti-science”

Although this website is highly irritating with its pop-up ads, the article itself is worth a read. I took some time to learn about the Salon website (you know, to check on something called “Authority”…) and according to Wikipedia (I know my credibility is sinking fast now…), Salon.com is a left-wing tabloid style, media outlet. NONETHELESS, I am posting this article because IF what it says is actually true, this article would be very valuable to anyone wishing to “braid” Indigenous science into their lessons. I would highly advise folks to use this as a stepping stone to research more into the topics it provides.

Module 2 – Post 2 – How Technology & Education Can Help Preserve Aboriginal Languages by Kevin Andrews

For many people who speak indigenous languages across the globe, this is not simply a “what if” question. According to National Geographic, one language goes extinct every 14 days, and nearly half of the roughly 7,000 languages currently spoken will disappear in the coming decades. This is a particularly challenging problem in the case of languages which have only an oral tradition, no books or even an alphabet. The issue of language extinction in Canada is one that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission examined as part of its mandate. The report released in late 2015 includes a number of call-to-action recommendations related to preserving indigenous languages including that the federal government provides sufficient funds for aboriginal language revitalization and preservation and that the work should reflect the full range of aboriginal languages and be managed by Aboriginal people and communities.

Fortunately, the process of preserving several Canadian aboriginal languages is already underway. One such venture is taking place in the Ojibwe communities of the Rainy River district in northwestern Ontario. It’s a collaboration between the Seven Generations Education Institute, a 30-year-old educational entity governed by the 10 First Nations in the Fort Frances and Kenora area, and Say It First, a company that uses “technology and community participation to modernize, expand, revitalize and localize aboriginal languages in Canada, and to help our First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities produce more language speakers tomorrow, that exist today.” Mike Parkhill, founder of Say It First and Brent Tookenay have collaborated to create a series of children’s books where the cover image can be captured by an iPhone to trigger a link to a spoken version of the story:

It’s this link between new technology and ancestral knowledge that Parkhill and Tookenay believe is key to the success of this program and another way technology is getting used to bridge the gap to help preserve Aboriginal culture.

Module 2 Weblog- Erin Howard

In this module’s weblog, I begin to dig deeper for sites that can inform post secondary institutions and educators on how to infuse Indigenous perspectives into their curriculum through best practices and quality resources.

University of Lethbridge FNMI Curriculum Database

https://airtable.com/shrNIbBIx60owZzBh/tbl1m3Zc1tTWu2GLm

I stumbled upon this incredibly comprehensive database of over 1100 FNMI resources for educators. This resource has been curated by educators at the University of Lethbridge and is dedicated to Johnel Tailfeathers, an educator at the U of L and founder of the database. The database was designed for education students and teachers for the purpose of incorporating Indigenous content into their classrooms. The resource spans content areas as well as grade levels and is searchable by many fields. Resources are hyperlinked where available. It is linked off the U of L FNMI Curriculum page found here: http://www.uleth.ca/education/resources/fnmi-collection

Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action

http://www.trc.ca/websites/trcinstitution/File/2015/Findings/Calls_to_Action_English2.pdf

This document has many implications to post-secondary education. It calls for changes to programming and curriculum to provide Indigenous perspectives, protect language, and eliminate inequalities in order to begin the reconciliation after the residential school crisis. Although many of the calls to action are targeted at government, I believe that it is our job as educators to take a proactive approach to meeting these requests and allowing this to inform our practices.

Alaska Native Knowledge Network: Culturally-Based Curriculum Resources

http://ankn.uaf.edu/Resources/course/view.php?id=2

This is another database of curriculum resources. It is from Alaska and includes resources for educators that encompass Indigenous perspectives. Some of these resources are place-based, although many would be useful to any educator. The site notes that it includes a “balanced, comprehensive and culturally-aligned curriculum framework adaptable to local circumstances”. What really caught my eye is that these resources are categorized according to an interactive theme-based curriculum spiral which is used to search. This framework challenges educators to consider not only what they are using as resources, but what values the resources may correspond to.

Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. Deepening Knowledge: Resources for and About Aboriginal Education

http://www.oise.utoronto.ca/deepeningknowledge/

University of Toronto’s “Deepening Knowledge Project” aims to incorporate Indigenous perspectives, histories, and knowledge into Canadian education. This site includes a large database for educators, student resources, and community-based resources. I was interested in the Teacher Resources page which had a huge list of up-to-date and relevant resources such as videos, readings, and lesson plans. What also caught attention was the section on First Nation Representation in the Media which examines how Indigenous are portrayed in media and includes quality media produced and written by Indigenous artist. This site is very applicable to this class and could be used as a resource for our final projects.

Aboriginal Post Secondary Education and Training Policy Framework and Action Plan 2020: Vision for the Future

http://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/post-secondary-education/aboriginal-education-training/aboriginal_action_plan.pdf

I couldn’t find a publish date on this particular document but it is still very applicable to my class project as it has a framework and list of recommendations for post-secondary educators with clearly identified targets and milestones through to the year 2020. On pages 12 and 13 are a list of principles and a framework that inform five main goals. These are further broken down into actionable steps and targets for the province. Although this resource is slightly dated, I feel that the principles and goals give a good foundation for post-secondary institutions and educators to consider when envisioning the future.

Module 2 Weblog Posts 1 – 5 – Kenny Jamieson

For my second entry into the Weblog, working with some of the recommendations made by Professor Marker, I have attempted to focus my searching on the understanding the connection between language, culture and landscape. Also, in keeping in line with the focus on educating with technology, I have worked to find additional examples of ways that Indigenous languages are attempting to be preserved and passed on through using technology.

Last Fluent Stolo Speaker:

http://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/last-fluent-stolo-speakers-language-lives-within-her

This first link is from the Vancouver Sun and the article and accompanying video highlight the efforts being taken to help preserve the Halq’emeylem language. This language is on the verge of no longer having any fluent speakers of it and the article highlights the importance of finding ways to help ensure future generations can become fluent in the language. Some interesting quick takeaways from the article and video are that one of the linguist’s working on preserving the language describes how context and pronunciation are just as important as dictionary definitions. She also speaks in the video about how knowing other languages can have a positive impact on the way you perceive the world.

Language and Identity, Language and the Land – Patricia Shaw

UBC E-Link – http://ojs.library.ubc.ca/index.php/bcstudies/article/viewFile/1595/1636

This journal article from Patricia Shaw focuses on how language is a crucial part of identity and culture for Indigenous cultures. She compares the importance and impact of language on Indigenous identities to that of the English language on people who are native English speakers. This comparison is used to show the devastating effects of language extinction on Indigenous communities and how by losing their language it directly impacts their culture. Her article goes on to discuss how individual Indigenous languages have a direct tie to the landscape, and how understanding ones identity is linked to their ancestral language and land. As many Indigenous languages, lands and cultures go unrecognized, either through ignorance or other means, it becomes more challenging for communities to continue to value their heritage and ensure it is passed on to future generations. As Shaw’s article is centered around communities in British Columbia, her message and claims are quite powerful.

“Speaking with names” – Keith Basso

http://www.douri.sh/classes/readings/Basso-SpeakingWithNames-CultAnthro.pdf

Following one of the recommendations made by Professor Maker regarding my research statement, I looked into the work of Keith Basso. This essay is part of a larger collection titled “Wisdom Sits in Places” and this particular essay focuses on the connection between landscape, places and language among the Western Apache. Within the article, there is a particularly interesting section that details a short conversation between two members of the community. Through their conversation, it becomes clear that places have a unique significance in their culture and that places help connect people to their ancestors and that their language is also directly connected to places. Within the stories that the Western Apache tell, locations and places in which the stories take place are paramount. There is a line that states “Placeless events are an impossibility; everything that happens must happen somewhere”. I think this line in particular signifies the importance of place and land within Indigenous languages and cultures.

Indigenous Language Revitalization TEDx Talk – April Charlo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kuC_IemiCs

This TEDx video focuses on how languages are used as a way to help people create meaning and understanding of their world. The speaker goes on to discuss the concept of ownership, and how for some Indigenous communities, this is not an idea that exists naturally in their language. The reference she makes is focused specifically on the natural environment and how it is impossible to own things that occur naturally in the world. For many Indigenous communities, certain concepts were forced upon them and their languages and cultures were forced to adapt to new ideas in order to survive – such as the concept of owning land. The video also highlights the connection between Indigenous cultures, language, and the land by discussing the idea of owning water. For the communities being talked about, water was not something that could be owned but that one had to ask to use. The speaker’s community understood how vital water was to life and did not believe in owning it. The video highlights how languages can have important meanings that go with the words being used and show important connections that different groups can have to certain aspects of the environment.

How Technology is Saving Native Tribe Languages TEDx Talk – Darrick Baxter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPBI8oUXZ8Q

This video focuses on how utilizing technology as a way to teach a language, in this case Ojibway, can be beneficial for learners who are interested in technology. The speaker in the video created an app to engage his daughters with learning the Ojibway language after he found that other methods, such as books or audio CDs, were not as successful. The speaker also discusses how the source code for the app was released for other Indigenous groups to use to create their own language apps and how various groups have created apps as a way to preserve and teach their language. Apps continue to show up as ways for languages to be shared and learned. An interesting feature of the Ojibway app discussed in the video (available here – http://www.ogokilearning.com/ojibway/) is that it is designed to work offline so that those living in places without reliable internet connections can still use it.

Finding New Voices (Mod 2- Post 1)

Last year I had an “aha” moment during a professional development session when we were shown the conflicting viewpoints of the Iranian hostage crisis through Google searches. The difference from Canadian Google versus Iranian Google was profound. Depending on which country you searched from, you would have two entirely different accounts of the event. As a history teacher, I’m aware that all history is biased and will vary depending on who writes it, however in this day and age, I was shocked to see such a stark difference from the same platform provider.

At the beginning of each year (being a teacher my “New Years” is September 1st) I make a personal finance, fitness, and intellectual goal for myself. This year my intellectual goal is to “challenge my confirmation bias”. I feel that I have always been a person open and respectful to others ideas, however, I’ve become more self-aware that my sources of information are from limited sources.

A recent revelation pertaining to this was after watching a Vice HBO Episode titled: ‘Post-Truth’ News & Microbiome. In this discussion, it showed Parallel Narratives of Twitter data surrounding journalism and Clinton/Trump supporters. Following only Clinton or Trump was an indication that your information circles only covered either left wing or right wing topics. As Vice puts more eloquently “[the] support had an effect on a user’s information flow as people seemed to cut themselves off from users who supported a different candidate.”

For more information on Vice’s story and Electome’s Analytics click here

If “following” is seen as supporting, then it will be difficult to break this segregation of information for fear of reprisals from peer groups. But maybe this is what we need. Following Trump and his supporters may help to bridge the gap in our understanding of each other. While I think (at least I hope) that the same degree of polarization does not exist between Canadians and Indigenous peoples presently, I wonder, are we making an effort to truly understand and “follow” each other?

Bringing it back to our topic; focusing on my goal and engaging in this course has made me analyze my current practices. How can we break free from our singular narrative bubble and actively seek Indigenous community members both locally and nationally to “Follow”? Indigenous Tweets and other platforms of the like might be a good springboard to find new sources of information. Moreover, reviewing and reiterating our current practices for searching for literature. Pivoting from UBC summons and Google Scholar to Indigenous databases and Index’s such as the Indigenous Peoples North America and iPortal: Indigenous Studies Portal databases. Searching through these ‘new’ mediums I found significantly fewer ‘hits’ for the subject matter I was looking for, however, what I gave up in quantity I found in quality with literature that was reflecting a new perspective.

Module 2 – Post 1 – First Nations Technology Council Are Fighting to Preserve Their Culture by Kevin Andrews

Decades of oppression and forced assimilation have led to the steep decline of Indigenous languages but there is new hope as tech-savvy young people are fighting to preserve their culture. For generations, Indigenous families used storytelling as their primary way to pass down knowledge and language as elders would speak to the children in their language and the kids would naturally pick it up but that began to change in the late 19th century once the Canadian government passed the Indian Act. This law enforced colonial authority over First Nations peoples, partially to force assimilation through policies that displaced Indigenous people and removed them from their communities. Most notoriously implemented through church-run residential schools that aimed to erase Indigenous children’s cultures and connections to family, these institutions enforced a language ban. If Indigenous children were caught speaking their own language, they would face corporal punishment.

Forced assimilation largely contributed to Canada’s Indigenous language loss by barring people from continuing to pass down the language.

Denise Williams, First Nations Technology Council executive director, is aware that Indigenous memories of colonialism are inhibitors to the First Nations embracing modern technology. She is taking steps to change this. As part of a 1982 Canadian constitution amendment that allowed the integration of Indigenous people’s right to self-government, it also allowed for the adoption of contemporary software and information systems. These tools imposed on communities, added on top of an already imposed government structure, became a sore point for many First Nations people and therefore, is now the mandate of Denise and her technology council members to change this.

Even though the First Nations Technology Council faces resistance from some community members who view tech as a symbol of colonial oppression Denise and the council has spent four years visiting over one hundred Indigenous communities in B.C. carrying out mobile technological training programs to overcome this deep-seated resistance, her team providing everything from Microsoft Office certification to PC repair training. The enthusiastic feedback she received made her view tech as a key tool for Indigenous empowerment.

Technology councils Instagram feed

On the council’s website, she notes that they have seen the profound effects of increased access to digital communication through movements like Idle No More and Stand With Standing Rock, which both achieved mass impact and galvanized activism. The council’s next mandate is to empower more Indigenous people to build communities and drive economic development online. Because of the work of this council, the future for technology has potential as Indigenous people gain the skills to partake in digital conversations while increasing reconciliation making a better world for all Canadians and Indigenous people.

First People’s Fiction Elementary Reading List

This is a website that houses a list of First People’s fiction picture books for elementary classrooms. One of my student’s favourite is ‘Mwakwa Talks to the Loon: A Cree Story’. What I appreciate about this resource is the extensive information and back story for teachers, helping to explain the importance of the book. For example, “In our individualistic, egotistical modern world, Kayâs’ story is an important one about the qualities of service and humility. It also contains an important message about the need to give thanks for the gifts that we enjoy. Furthermore, Mwâkwa Talks to the Loon contains environmental messages about our reliance on the natural world around us, and the necessity for us to attend carefully to our stewardship of the Earth.” The list goes through many resources, which support many of the social studies big ideas and curricular competencies of the new curriculum. I use the search option to find key words to support content cross-curricular. (ex. sounds, animal, culture, family, community, etc.)

https://www.leg.bc.ca/content-peo/Learning-Resources/Fiction-Reading-List-BC-First-Peoples-Elementary-English.pdf

Educator’s Resources – Only the Beginning

Module 2 Posts 1-5:

Orange Shirt Day at our School is one of the most important days of the year. It is a time where we ask our students, staff and school community to take a look back at parts of Canadian history we are not proud of. We are also asking our school community to also look forward, to help understand, and to learn so that the events of the past do not repeat themselves.

I’ve been spending a lot of time searching for resources to help teachers as they utilize Indigenous knowledge, teachings, and history into all areas of the curriculum.

Post 1:

Province of Manitoba: Education – Life/Work Exploration

https://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/cur/cardev/gr9_found/courage_poster.pdf

This is a link to a visual, and a detailed description of the Circle of Courage, the philosophy behind and its basis stemming from the four universal growth needs of children: Spirit of Independence, Spirit of Mastery,Spirit of Belonging, and the Spirit of Generosity.

I’ve been spending a lot of time searching for resources to help teachers as they utilize Indigenous knowledge, teachings, and history into all areas of the curriculum.

Post 2:

http://www.oise.utoronto.ca/deepeningknowledge/Teacher_Resources/Infusing_Aboriginal_Content_and_Perspectives_into_Your_Teaching/index.html

This guide, from the University of Toronto, assists teachers in infusing Indigenous content and perspective into different areas of the curriculum. It can be arranged by grade, subject area, “First Nations Representation in the Media”, as well as links to You Tube videos where students have asked an elder why certain things are the way they are https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzZWSZP2fvBfXqOdhyBHGGQ/videos

Post 3

They Came for The Children – The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada

http://www.myrobust.com/websites/trcinstitution/File/2039_T&R_eng_web%5b1%5d.pdf

This report was published by The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada to educate about Canadian residential schools and this horrific part of Canadian history.

Post 4

https://bctf.ca/IssuesInEducation.aspx?id=13404

The BCTF provides a small (but hopefully growing) collection of resources to assist educators as Indigenous knowledge is infused throughout the curriculum. As I have seen more substantial resources for other Provinces, I am hopeful that educators, and students of courses, such as this one, will provide BC teachers with a more comprehensive and thorough body of knowledge.

Post 5

Carolyn Roberts

https://www.carolynroberts.net

I am privileged and very proud to call Carolyn a colleague in my school district. I have witnessed her hard work and dedication to assisting students and educators of all backgrounds to learn about Aboriginal ways of knowing. Carolyn’s website has a number of links literature, lesson plans, You Tube Videos, and a variety of other resources.

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