Tag Archives: UBC

Justin’s Module 4: Post 1

  1. Aboriginal Family and Community Literacy Curriculum – Workshop #6 (Circle of Courage)

For the final project, my group and I using the Circle of Courage framework and tying it into Social Emotional Learning (SEL) in our classrooms. This resource was great in introducing the four main principles of the Circle of Courage: Belonging, Mastery, Independence, and Generosity. For anyone who doesn’t know what the Circle of Courage is, it is a holistic program based on traditional Aboriginal ways of knowing, personal development, and community values. What differentiates this resource from other Circle of Courage resources I’ve posted is the section that talks about mending a broken spirit. Below is a screenshot of the “mastery” lesson and the lesson on mending a broken spirit.


Lastly, what I like about this resource is that different teachers are able to share their ideas on this blog. Collaborative learning allows for multiple perspectives to be taken into account, while providing a vast majority of ideas that can be implemented into lesson plans.

Module 1 Weblog

I would like to focus my research on the instructional design of e-learning in higher education that incorporates the Indigenous experience and meets the needs of Indigenous learners. I tried to get resources specifically from higher education, but found one with K-12 resources:

Cape Breton University. (n.d.). MIKM 2701: Learning from Knowledge Keepers of Mi’kma’ki [Course Description].

This course answers calls from the Truth & Reconciliation Commission (to incorporate Indigenous knowledge and perspectives into higher education curriculum) by sharing the “history, culture, and wisdom of Indigenous peoples in Mi’kma’ki and across Canada.” It is offered for-credit or for general interest to the public. Classes from the Winter 2016 offering were live webcasted and then archived online.

Indspire (n.d.). K-12 Institute: Successful Practices.

This Canadian Indigenous-led registered charity includes 1000 resources in their online resource centre for Indigenous education stakeholders. Proven practices in the form of research, models, frameworks and educational strategies are shared for K-12, across subjects, provinces, grade levels, topics (e.g., online learning, holistic learning practices) and Indigenous affiliations.

Koissaba, B.R. (2014). E-learning principles and practices in the context of Indigenous peoples: A comparative study. Cultural Survival Quarterly.

This article is published by Cultural Survival, an organization that “advocates for Indigenous Peoples’ rights and supports Indigenous communities’ self-determination, cultures and political resilience” (Cultural Survival, n.d.). The article highlights cases of e-learning in Indigenous communities from Australia, Kenya and the United States, and includes recommendations to develop e-learning practices that better serve the needs Indigenous communities.

Reedy, A., Gulwa, H.W., Charles Darwin University, & Marmaruni School. (2016). Online learning and teacher education: The experiences of Indigenous teacher education students. Learning Communities: International Journal of Learning in Social Contexts, 20, 40-51.

This article looks at the needs of Indigenous post-secondary students taking online courses in Australia. The data was collected through “yarning,” a conversational research method, and a research study into the experiences of Indigenous post-secondary students in order to inform the design of online learning environments.

The University of British Columbia. (2017, February 21). ‘The little MOOC that could’: Online course promotes Indigenous ways of knowing [Media Release].

This is a media release about a massive open online course (MOOC) that introduces participants to indigenous histories and worldviews and shares teaching tools on indigenous education. The third offering ran in Winter 2017 with 8,200 registrants (mostly educators), and the next offerings are slated for Fall 2017 and Winter 2018.

4.4: Reporting in Indigenous Communities

Website: http://www.riic.ca/

This website is a resource for journalists who work with indigenous communities. It was created by Duncan McCue, who is a CBC journalist. McCue has also been a professor at the UBC School of Journalism. I found the most useful section of the website to be a Reporter’s Checklist. While the is written with a great deal of humour, it also serves as a valuable list of cultural concerns journalists should be mindful of when working in indigenous communities (e.g., Have you requested permission to film or photograph a ceremony? What are the protocols about naming, or using the image of, a deceased person in this Aboriginal community?). In the Teachings section, reporters who have worked with indigenous communities are encouraged to leave blog posts about their experiences in an effort to build “collective wisdom”. The Resources section is a collection of links to sites that can help reporters build their understanding of indigenous issues in Canada.

The Ethnographic Film Unit at UBC

This link http://anthfilm.anth.ubc.ca/index.html takes you to the website of the ethnographic film unit at UBC. Situated in the department of Anthropology, it undertakes research and film production from the perspectives of anthropologists, filmmakers, students, and community members (I assume at least some of whom are aboriginal, based on the topics of their films).

Many of their films and related curriculum packages have First Nations themes and topics. These resources are available for sale on their site.

Module 1 post 4

Module 4 Post 5 – Indigenous Foundations

My last post (Module 4 Post 4) drew attention to the project “What I learned in class today“, because of my particular interest with the topic, but upon further exploration I found this project’s mother-site, “Indigenous Foundations“.  The site describes itself as: a website project developed by the First Nations and Indigenous Studies Program. It provides an accessible starting point for instructors, researchers, and students in any discipline who want to learn more about Aboriginal cultures, politics, and histories. The information presented is concise and easily digestible, while still conveying the depth and complexities of the topics.”

On the left taskbar for the site is a run-down of past research initiatives, including “What I learned in class today”, and their current project called “Knowing the Land Beneath our Feet“.  A short video made by the two coordinators provides the introduction to the project, which is about making the ‘unfamiliar’ land on which UBC resides (un-ceded Musqueam territory) once again ‘familiar’ to those who travel on it.  At the moment they provide walking informational tours, but the website also says that the program plans on making a digital tour as well, which I am particularly happy to hear as I’m across the country!

When I went on a search to see if there are similar tours in Southern Ontario, the closest result I found was at the Woodland Cultural Centre, which is in Brantford and serves three support communities: Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, Six Nations of the Grand River and Wahta Mohawks.  They offer a wide range of activities for elementary grades, but I would easily take a grade 9 or 10 class on some of the workshops labeled 6+.  I’m glad to have found a potential resource for future school trips, but at least I know now that searching and finding these kinds of centres nearby is more possible than I would have previously thought.

Module 4 Post 4 – What I learned in class today

By doing a bit of quick research into Tim Michel, whose video interview we watched this week, I found this article (“Undergraduate Research Examines Class Discussions”) about a research project undertaken by a group of UBC students.  Their work resulted in the project and website, “What I learned in class today: Aboriginal issues in the classroom”, which asks educators the question of how they discuss Aboriginal issues in their own lessons.  The project did a number of video interviews with Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal UBC students, asking them to recount some of their experiences of talking about Aboriginal issues, including when it was clearly difficult to do so.  They also interviewed a number of UBC instructors, who shared their experiences and beliefs about this topic.

Another feature of the website that is incredibly interesting and helpful for instructors who have questions about how to best address Aboriginal issues are resources and discussion topics for self-education, tied back to the interviews.  Most of the website’s components and resources also appear to be available for download, including a workshop (and trouble-shooting guide!) model for interested parties.  I look forward to absorbing this project’s contents, and considering how I might be able to use these excellent primary resources and guides in my own teaching!

Module 2 Post 4: ETEC 510 Wiki – “Indigenous Cultures and Education”

ETEC 510 (Design of Technology Supported Learning Environments) through UBC (which I am also currently enrolled in), has an ongoing wiki project where students contribute in various ways.  I recently found an entry that has been contributed to by many students since 2008, titled “Indigenous Cultures and Education“.  It has a number of sections about different facets of this subject, and an extensive reference list from which learners can explore.