The school where I teach sits on the shared, unceded, ancestral territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) nation. One thing I am trying to incorporate more in my language classroom is to also teach sounds, letters and words of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ Alphabet. The MOA in Vancouver has a great resource for the alphabet, with the sounds attached as well. I believe this is a great resource to incorporate Indigenous languages into the French classroom.
In my FRAL 9 class, we just started a unit on “les contes” and I am trying to bring in Indigenous perspectives as much as possible.
One of the resources I am using is the book above, and it is proving to be an important part of bringing in Indigenous knowledge into theclassroom.
https://www.leslibraires.ca/livres/corbeau-vole-la-lumiere-recueil-de-bill-reid-9782896110742.html
I found this week’s readings really interesting because it made me reflect about the difference between indigenizing and decolonizing an education system. In McGregor’s reading, it’s evident that Nunavut’s education system has been decolonized as it has been designed by and for Inuit communities. However, in Nichol et al.’s reading, there has been a lot of thought in incorporating Indigenous ways of teaching and knowing, however it’s clear that the system the teachers are working within is still a colonized, western system that has time constraints, exams etc. I have struggled for many years now feeling like I’m not doing enough and that I haven’t decolonized my classroom yet. After reflecting on this week’s readings, I looked at the curriculum for one of the courses I’m teaching this semester (which I’ve linked below) and there is only one bullet point which reflects on integrating anything Indigenous into the curriculum. The bullet point states : Identify and analyze cultural values and symbols in Aboriginal and other texts. It’s challenging to decolonize a classroom, when the system itself does not prioritize decolonizing. Yes, they are trying to indigenize, however there needs to be a systemic shift for it to be completely decolonized. I think I need to remind myself of this on days when I’m feeling defeated.
https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/fral/9/core
This video was really interesting for me. I had never thought about what ‘modern’ really meant in terms of ‘modern languages’. Dr Ruth Bush explores the teaching and decolonizing of modern foreign languages. One of the first questions she asks is the question of which languages we teach and the predominant focus on Western European languages in modern language teaching. Modern languages has focused mostly on Western languages. Languages were used as a way of improving cultural cooperation which was particularly of growing importance after the First World War. With such a focus on ‘modern languages’, students don’t have access to other languages because they don’t fit historically into what modern languages have meant. Dr Ruth Bush goes on to question the need for the word ‘modern’ in ‘modern languages’. At our school currently, we still have a department called ‘modern languages’. I think it would be an interesting unit to do with students to understand and deconstruct what the word modern really means, and how we can decolonize the department and how languages are taught at schools in Canada.
https://www.futurelearn.com/info/courses/decolonising-education-from-theory-to-practice/0/steps/190049
When looking into BC related resources to de-colonizing, I do find it interesting how few resources there are for French language classes or language learning in general. For instance, here is a list of curriculum bundles offered by UBC which ave been assembled by Indigenous educators from around BC. Out of 21 bundles, not a single one is related to French and if it could be, it would be up to the teacher to translate it all.
https://indigenizinglearning.educ.ubc.ca/content/
As I go through (the limited) literature about de-colonizing French Immersion classes, I find that a lot of it is Social Studies focused. Where I struggle is more in my Core French and FRAL courses. I realize I’d also love to implement more technology while also de-colonizing my classroom. Before taking the course, technology and indigeneity seemed like oil and water to me. However, I’m seeing that there are ways in using technology while also making space for Indigenous knowledge and ways of teaching in my classroom. I’m curious to know more about digital story-telling as a way to learn more about Indigenous stories but for students to also tell their own stories in relation to the land where they are situated. I will be using modules 3 and 4 to explore some directions for my research paper, so I apologize if they are a little all over the place!
This research paper was completed for a Master of Education program. As I go along looking for sources for my own research paper, it is very evident that the literature out there is limited. I may have to change topics or re-orient my focus. Nonetheless I have enjoyed reading and listening to what I can find. This paper looks at how the Ministry of Education of Ontario has made Indigenous education a priority, however not within the French Immersion education programs. Three French Immersion teachers are interviewed and asked about how they can integrate Indigenous perspectives in their practice. One of the main findings is the need for teachers to move beyond Eurocentric stereotypes about Indigenous people.
https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitstream/1807/77080/1/Lesongeur_Julie_201704_MT_MTRP.pdf
I have just started to read this book and it will play a key role in my final research paper. It examines how language has been used as a tool of domination and conquest and how language classes have a tendency to reflect that. It also examines how educators can meaningfully decolonize a language class.
When I lived in Wellington, New Zealand from 2012-2014, I was amazed by the number of my New Zealand friends who were either roughly fluent or at least spoke a few basic sentences in Te Reo Maori, an Eastern Polynesian language spoken by the Maori people of New Zealand.
Having grown up in BC, I knew very little of our Indigenous languages (and history… to be completely honest). It’s clear that New Zealand’s government has been making an effort and continues to do so to not only incorporate Maori knowledge into their education system, but to also encourage Te Reo Maori language learning for all students. The New Zealand government has some audacious goals, however necessary in order to emphasize the importance of sustaining and celebrating Indigenous languages. One of the government’s goals is to have at least one million speakers of Te Reo by 2040.
A longer and more elaborate look into their goals are stated in the following article :
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40841-021-00223-2
I came across this article the other day and I thought it was a really interesting conversation around language education and Indigeneity in Quebec, Canada. Bill 96 states that Indigenous students in Quebec whose third language is French must take five French courses in English CEGEPs. The head of the First Nations Education Council of Quebec has called this “cultural genocide.” They say that there is too much emphasis on “forgetting your roots” and on French language learning to become a good citizen of Quebec, rather than focusing on getting into a university.
Is it right to have Indigenous students following the same language laws as non-Indigenous students? What value does learning a colonial language hold for an Indigenous student?
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/bill-96-amendment-indigenous-students-1.6434127