Tag Archives: education

Module 3, Post 2- Shannen Koostachin; Kids Can Change the World

The videos in Week #8; March Point Project, Fraser River Project and Allariarniq- Stepping Forward, demonstrated the challenges faced by your today as well as their courage in taking steps to make a difference. These videos reminded of the courage and commitment of Shannen Koostachin, a young girl from Attawapiskat First Nation who took a stand and worked on trying to convince the Federal Government for better conditions at First Nations School. Tragically, she died in a car crash at the age of 15 in 2010. Her dream has been an inspiration for First Nations communities as well as for non native communities to learn more about the educational conditions and add their voices to making a difference.

Here are some links to learn more about Shannen’s dreams.

Shannen’s Dream- First Nations Child & Family Caring Society Website

http://www.fncaringsociety.com/shannens-dream

Videos made by students to talk about educational inequality

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=111&v=tpK0tDKoMc0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHPHUHYq8A8

Articles about Shannen being the inspiration for the creation of a new superhero

http://www.yesmagazine.org/happiness/first-nations-teenager-inspires-new-superhero

Aboriginal Multi- Media Society- Article about Shannen

http://www.ammsa.com/publications/windspeaker/footprints-shannen-koostachin-youth-leader-led-fight-new-school-andchildren

Information to access NFB Documentary about how Shannen’s dream was brought all the way to United Nations in Geneva

https://www.nfb.ca/film/hi-ho_mistahey_en/clip/hi_ho_mistahey_clip2

Module 3; Post 1 – Defending Cultural Rights

Impersonators have caused aboriginal people great harm

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/doug-george-kanentiio-impersonators-have-caused-aboriginal-people-great-harm

This article published in the Ottawa Citizen on July 2nd ties back to our discussion in Module 2, week #6 when we were examining the ways that Indigenous Peoples are protecting Cultural Rights. It connects to our discussions in Module 3 by demonstrating how action is being taken through technology through commentaries to make people more aware of the damage that can be done by those impersonating aboriginal people for their own personal gain or status . Doug George- Kanentiio gives many examples of the damage that can be caused by impersonators.

“Sometimes the person who makes this claim does so out of a need to belong or a sense of fantasy as to Native culture. They may do so based upon obscure family tales or because they may have heard a whisper as to a distant aboriginal ancestors somewhere in their past. They may also have other motives such as government grants, academic advancement or securing federal, state or provincial benefits targeted for Natives.” (Doug George- Kanetiio, Impersonators have caused aboriginal people great harm, July 2nd, 2015)

He gives examples of the economic effects of marketing Indigenous Arts as authentic by impersonators. He also talks about the effects of those claiming to have Indigenous ancestry in order to get into academic programs. For every impersonator, there is one less space for Indigenous students, making it even harder for these students to make the next step in their educational careers.

George-Kanettiio, The Ottawa Citizen. retrieved July 2nd, 2015. http://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/doug-george-kanentiio-impersonators-have-caused-aboriginal-people-great-harm

Module 2, Post 2 – Ministry for Tribal affairs India

The Ministry for Tribal Affairs was set up as late as 1999 in India separating from the Ministry for Social Justice, to create focused efforts towards integrated socio-economic development of tribal populations in India.

http://tribal.nic.in/index.aspx

The site is home to a variety of official information regarding Tribal data, schemes for tribal empowerment, tribal healthcare, Forest Rights Act, constitutional provisions and Annual reports of the working of the ministry.

What was impressive to me was that site has a detailed record of the Parliamentary discussions concerning Tribal issues which could be found at the link given below.

http://164.100.47.132/LssNew/psearch/qsearch15.aspx

Module 2, Post 1 – Centre for conservation and study of Adivasi languages and culture

While studying for the research paper, I came across this great Academy for conservation and study of Adivasi culture and language based in the tribal village of Tejgadh, Gujarat in India.

http://www.adivasiacademy.org.in/intro.aspx

The Adivasi Academy does not follow a single track academic agenda, courses and research programs are created from batch to batch or project to project depending on the needs perceived for conserving tribal identity or promoting development in Adivasi areas. The projects include research on community ethnographies, language tools, healthcare programmes to tackle sickle cell anaemia and tuberculosis (prevalent in those parts) and tribal education.

Module 2: Post 4- New BC Curriculum- Aboriginal Focus

Action in British Columbia’s school curriculum seems to be happening based on the recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Report.

“Aboriginal history, culture and perspectives have been integrated across subject areas and grade levels in B.C.’s new curriculum,” said an Education Ministry statement. (New BC Curriculum will have Aboriginal Focus. June 17th, 2015).

B.C.’s Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation Minister John Rustad said, “classes will give students a more complete understanding of the province’s history with its Aboriginal Peoples and strengthen reconciliation efforts…. Students will study topics such as discrimination, inequality, oppression and the impacts of colonialism.” (New BC Curriculum will have Aboriginal Focus. June 17th, 2015).

The new B.C curriculum overview has sample rationale statements from different subject areas- Math, Social Studies, Science and Language Arts.

The following is a statement from Language Arts-

“Aboriginal worldviews are an integral part of the English Language Arts curriculum, as all students learn about themselves and others as British Columbians and Canadians. Students see their own diversity reflected in what they see and do, and they learn to recognize and respect a range of worldviews.” (Aboriginal History- Transforming Curriculum and Assessment, June 2015.)

BC’s Education minister has also devoted one Professional Development Day for teachers to focus on Aboriginal Education. (http://www.castanet.net/news/BC/142595/A-change-in-curriculum)

References and Educational Links

Meissner, Dirk. New BC Curriculum will have Aboriginal Focus. June 17th, 2015. Globe and Mail, Canada. retrieved from http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/new-bc-school-curriculum-will-have-aboriginal-focus/article25003962/

Aboriginal History- Transforming Curriculum and Assessment-https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/sites/curriculum.gov.bc.ca/files/pdf/aboriginal_education_bc.pdf

Shared Learnings- Integrating BC Aboriginal Content- K-10. http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/abed/shared.pdf

MOE Aboriginal Prescribed Learning Outcomes K to Grade 5

School District 37- Kamloops/Thompson. Implementing Aboriginal Content Across the Elementary Curriculum. Retrieved June 21st. http://www3.sd73.bc.ca/education/content/fn-cross-curricular-elem-resources

Canadian Press. A Change in Curriculum. June 19th, 2015. retrieved from http://www.castanet.net/news/BC/142595/A-change-in-curriculum

Module 2.5: The competitive nature of medical school

In the article “Canadian medical schools struggle to recruit Aboriginal students” some Aboriginal doctors describe the cultural difference between being a student in an Aboriginal community and being a student in a major Canadian medical school as being a major hurdle.

Coming from an Aboriginal nursing background, I was used to an environment that was very nurturing, very non-judgmental, very non-competitive,” she says. “You learn to be very comfortable talking about your struggles, what you need to work on to become a stronger person or a better caregiver. Medical school was very different. It was a very competitive environment… people keep their cards close to their chest… they don’t want to reveal themselves; what they see as weaknesses. I found this very difficult. My colleagues didn’t understand. When asked to self-evaluate, my colleagues thought I was putting myself down. I think my ability to talk about myself is a huge strength, it lets me improve as a doctor and as a person, but my colleagues didn’t see it that way. I found this very difficult.

There are several reasons for this cultural difference posited in the blog post, including the poorer quality of education students can receive on reserve, lack of modelling in their own communities, and also lack of respect for or integration of traditional knowledge in many undergraduate medical programs. The article indicates that more needs to be done than simply recruiting indigenous students, but rather that the programs need to change to better suit/fit with the ways indigenous students already live.

Module 2.1: LIME Network

The Lime Network, or the Leaders in Indigenous Medical Education Network, represents a group of New Zealand and Australian Deans of medical education with a two-pronged goal:

to incorporate traditional/indigenous knowledge into medical education/practical training, and
to develop best practices in the recruitment, retention and graduation of indigenous medical students

This model is very interesting for a number of reasons, but I think of most use in a course like our own, is the page they’ve developed to share Resources & Lime Publications. On this page, the LIME network shares resources which include a collection of videos/curriculum frameworks and “good practice case studies” (much of undergraduate medical education is currently taught through case-based or problem-based learning).

Module 2, Post 1 – Teaching First Nations Issues/History

Teaching Aboriginal Issues and History

This article caught my eye as I was looking at some of the Truth and Reconciliation press. The article itself is very brief and the title pretty much says it all, but I think it makes an important point that to really be able to teach about these issues teachers need to have the right information and training.
http://www.cbc.ca/m/news/canada/sudbury/ontario-teachers-need-more-training-on-aboriginal-issues-report-1.3105687

As I started to look around there are not very many resources to draw on for teachers in this area.
This article is quite (very!) old, but it discusses the importance of integrating the history of the First Nations with the traditionally taught Canadian History, something that is still not being done effectively.
http://www.cbu.ca/mrc/first-nations-history

This is an article by the Elementary Teacher’s Branch of the Ontario Teachers Union about some of the challenges of teaching First Nations in social studies. This article seems to highlight what I have noticed, there is a lot of rhetoric but few resources.
http://etfovoice.ca/article/first-nations-metis-and-inuit-education-101/

Catherine

Walking in two different worlds

The article First-nations youth inhabit two different spheres speaks of the two worlds First Nations students must walk in when it comes to education. Traditional knowledge and ways of learning are of great importance for the well-being and health of Indigenous peoples and their communities, for it allows them to know who they are and where they came from. However, as stated in the article, these skills and knowledges are “not recognized by a piece of paper”. As young First Nations students step away from their traditional world and into the classroom, they are faced with challenges and inequities. While many aspire to achieve their dreams and understand that education is required to pursue a job or career, the lesser quality of education puts them at a disadvantage.

After reading the article, I searched for more information on how First Nations students perceive the Canadian’s school system and found this video. It speaks of funding issues, low graduating rates, and lack of the right resources.

Decolonizing Pedagogies

While searching for articles relating to teaching practices that would support the learning of both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students in educational settings, I came across the “Decolonizing Pedagogies Teacher Reference Booklet”.

The booklet was developed as part of a project (Aboriginal Focus School, Vancouver School Board) and discusses the concept of decolonizing teaching and learning approaches. The author, Heather E. McGregor, explains clearly what it means to decolonize pedagogies, why it’s necessary, and what are the challenges associated with it. In addition, she provides readers with two samples demonstrating how teachers have implemented decolonizing pedagogies in their classrooms.

McGregor states that decolonizing pedagogies can benefit all students (Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal), however, in order to create opportunities to challenge and deconstruct “colonial understandings”, it is important that:

Teachers and students have access to appropriate materials and resources.
Learning activities foster collaborative interactions, reflection, discussions and a sense of belonging and identity.
Teachers deconstruct dominant perceptions of history, such that alternative histories are included to support Indigenous knowledge and enable students to create meaning, counter stereotypes and myths, and gain a better understanding of colonial oppression.

This resource would be helpful for anyone looking to gain a better understanding of what “decolonizing pedagogies” means and how different strategies can facilitate the deconstruction of colonial knowledge such that it creates a space for Indigenous knowledge and self-representation.