Tag Archives: truth and reconciliation

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 4.5 Moving Forward

The first part of this documents title is: Aboriginal Worldviews and Perspectives in the Classroom, with the subtitle, as above, Moving Forward.

From page nine of https://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/abed/awp_moving_forward.pdf 11 21 15

The rationale behind including this piece to my project/portfolio/whatever it is becoming, is that it outlines and details key work that has taken place in BC toward facilitating change in education. Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind is that this is an online government document . . . mediating aboriginal 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 | Post 4 History of residential schools ignored in Canadian curriculum

This is a story that is playing on the CBC radio 1 in The Current with Anna Maria Tremonti as I write this blog post. Great interview with Charlene Bearhead, an education coordinator with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that talks about this opportunity to add this discussion to the Canadian curriculum and the value of doing so for students and for the future of Canada. If there is a transformational change in the curriculum and in our awareness of the history of residential schools and first nation reality, then this report, the process that created the report and the stories that were painfully shared, then this is a commodity that can be leveraged to change the importance, relevance and priority of this history and its inclusion in our education and dialogue as we move forward in our negotiations and discussions.

http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-june-10-2015-1.3107341/history-of-residential-schools-ignored-in-canadian-curriculum-1.3107389