Tag Archives: indigenous resources

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 Paper– Digital 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.

A Selection of Authentic Implementation Guides

Something I have realized through this course is something Einstein once said (don’t worry, I am not comparing myself to Einstein :P), “The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don’t know.” I completely imagined myself creating a nice little framework to provide a context and background for educators and then creating resources for the classroom.  I realized two things; no such framework can exist, the context and background I was referring to can only be gleaned through the process of trying to understand, not in a nice little package.  Second, I lack the expertise to create authentic resources in this area.  It would be an exercise in futility, and a huge irony that a Westerner is advocating “authentic indigenous perspective integration” while creating inauthentic resources… In light of this, I focused my final weblog on collecting quality, authentic resources that already exist. Enjoy!

(Please note that the titles are links to the full documents)

1

First Nations Education Steering Committee

The First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC) has created a resource on residential schools and reconciliation for grade 5, 10, and 11/12.  They offer detailed lessons, progressions, curricular connections, and supplementary resources such as books, videos, and handouts. They offer high-level critical thinking activities that encourage critical thinking; each at an age appropriate level.2

Authentic First Peoples Resources

This is also a compilation of resources by FNESC. It analyzes a large selection of literature for use with grades K-9. It provides descriptions of each, reading levels, curricular areas, themes, and the nation represented.  One caveat of this one is its organization, which is alphabetical rather than by grade level, theme, or subject.  It makes it a bit arduous to find what you need, but you can easily tag the pages that will be of interest to you for quick reference later!

3

In Our Own Words

Again produced by FNESC, this resource varies from those above in that it provides a framework of background, understandings, and attitudes for educators.  It directly speaks to the apprehension teachers might feel in authentically integrating Aboriginal perspectives. It highlights themes and ways of knowing that are important to indigenous cultures before going on to present a selection of complete, and detailed, classroom units for grades K-3.

4

 

The Learning Circle
This is a resource produced by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada. It is targeted at ages 8-11 and id developed thematically with themes such as transportation, communities, families, and environment. Each unit provides main ideas and objectives, background information for the teacher, and classroom activities.  One thing I do notice about this one is it is primarily devoted to “traditional” practices.  That is, it does not frame Aboriginal cultures as a current and ongoing culture of practices and understandings, but rather relegates it to the past.  It would need to be supplemented or framed correctly to be used well.  For example, perhaps examining Western and Aboriginal cultures in the past, and then comparing the present.

Guide to Canadian Aboriginal Resources

This document is essentially a weblog itself!  It provides brief descriptions and links to a variety of Canadian Aboriginal resources.  These are arranged thematically with topics such as Aboriginal arts, activism, history, and social problems.  The compiled resources are targeted to a variety of age groups, but will take a bit of further investigation to fins what you are looking for!

5

Shared Learning

Shared Learning is a document produced by the Aboriginal Education Enhancements Branch of the British Columbia Ministry of Education. The resource begins with an overview of the document and its uses and then provides information on the history, foundations and attitudes needed to utilize the resource. It is organized thematically and by age group, so the same themes carry through all age groups in age appropriate ways. Each component is further divided into the sections of Shared Learnings, Instructional Strategies, and Resources. An addition benefit of this resource is that it positions Aboriginal cultures as contemporary and evolving, not as a relic of the past.

Module 4, Post 5 – Tribes in Transition: Conflict over Identity, Resources and Development’

It was indeed heartening to find the proceedings of an international conference on the issues concerning the adivasi people in India. Though I could not access the complete report of the conference, a brief sketch of the topics addressed could be found below. It was great to know that there were mainstream public discussions about important issues ranging from Tribal Cultural Heritage and Conflict over Identity to Tribal Women and Human Trafficking. It just goes on to emphasize the fact that the indigenous communities are uniting for their own rights and concerns and making their voices heard.

http://www.indiantribalheritage.org/?page_id=18259