Author Archives: zoe armstrong

Advice for Teachers – M4 P5

CBC released an article in 2019 called, “There’s no quick fix: Advice for teachers struggling to properly integrate Indigenous content into classes.” The article takes teachers questions and hesitations and has 3 people (Carolyn Roberts, Colinda Clyne & Niigaan Sinclair) respond with advice. I felt like the article was a really nice way to wrap up my blog posts as it brought together so many of the themes I have been exploring and reading about through my research for my final project. On of the sections of my final project is Barriers to implementation (in regards to Indigenous knowledge in the classroom) and this article expresses many of the concerns that I have heard from educators around me.

Sinclair states, “I think there’s probably no one more up for the task. They need to be empowered and resourced, but I believe inn teachers. I always believe in teachers.” I think there is so much truth to this statement. If a teacher is not doing the work, it is often because they either don’t know it needs to be done or they don’t know how to do it. Very rarely is it because they are actively choosing not to. As I reflect on my own teaching practice, that is definitely the case. When I feel empowered and supported to do something, I will try anything!

A few pieces of advice from the article:

“It’s relationships that we teach at schools, not curriculum.” *This piece of advice has been prominent throughout our course.
“For me, it comes back down for them to understand the history of the place where they live.” *Again, this is a piece of advice that has surfaced throughout the entire course. Knowing whose land you are on is crucial.

Cultural Appreciation – M4 P4

In this article I found, Grant Loveless, a student at Austin Community College discusses the difference between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation and why it matters. I appreciated this article because it allowed me to think deeper about the difference between the two, it also fits well into the cultural appropriation vs. appreciation section of my final project. Loveless identifies 4 tips for people to distinguish between the two:

Examine your own culture. I thought this point was fantastic considering our discussion in Week 11 about engaging with other cultures.
Listen & be mindful. Sometimes listening involves asking questions in order to more fully understand a certain aspect of culture.
Analyze the context. There will be certain aspects of culture that are more appropriate to share in, in certain situations.
Be open to teach and share your own culture. This was an interesting point I have not considered much as a white person. People may (or may not) be interested in learning more about my culture and if they are, I should be more open to sharing.

The Sixties Scoop – M4 P3

The Sixties Scoop is something I have heard of before but wanted to look into further. In order for us as a society to move forward, it is important that we learn about and understand our past. Most of the research I have done, both professionally and on my own, has been about residential schools. The sixties scoop is another really intense part of Canadian history that I think it’s important to learn more about. This article from Erin Hanson about the Sixties Scoop was really helpful for me in learning more about what it was exactly. A few shocking details from the article that really resonated with me:

“In 1951, twenty-nine Aboriginal children were in provincial care in British Columbia; by 1964, that number was 1,466.”
“it was not until 1980 that the Child, Family and Community Services Act required social workers to notify the band council if an Aboriginal child were removed from the community.”
“Families approached agencies for help and found that what was described as being in the child’s “best interest” resulted in their families being torn asunder and siblings separated.”
“Sadly, the involvement of the child welfare system is no less prolific in the current era…the “Sixties Scoop” has merely evolved into the “Millennium Scoop.””

My biggest takeaway from looking into the Sixties Scoop is that it is not actually a problem of the past. It is a problem that persists today. Hanson describes it has the successor to residential schools. Cultural genocide persists through the amount of children still in care and taken away from their families.

Indigenous Elders in the Classroom – M4 P2

Upon researching for the Meaningful and respectful implementation portion of my final project, I came across this video from the Province of British Columbia. It’s a short video but it had a few really powerful messages that I was able to reflect on. One of my goals as an educator is to build a meaningful relationship with an Elder in my community. I think it would be an incredible experience for all the students in my school to be able to learn and listen about Indigenous perspectives surrounding topics they are learning about in their classes.

One of the pieces of advice that was shared in this video about Indigenous perspectives and world views in the classroom was, “when you put your arms out and open them to the community, the community open their arms to you.” There are many excuses as to why I have not begun to make a connection with an Elder in our community. But my takeaway from this message is that now that I know more about the topic, I need to take the plunge! Another thought shared in this video was “if it’s not you, who else is it going to be?” Though my school is filled with fantastic educators, I am the one who needs to get organized in order to make this happen for students, especially for Indigenous students in our community. For them to see themselves and be able to share in their culture and stories with their classroom community.

Personal Learning Journeys – M4 P1

As I continue my own personal journey towards understanding more about Indigenous knowledge and culture as well as my own Truth and Reconciliation journey, I found the words of Michelle Fenn in this article to be helpful. She says, “As a non-Indigenous educator, I know that I will continuously be on a professional and personal learning journey. I acknowledge that it is my responsibility to do this learning.”

I sent out a really short survey to some fellow educators on the reasons why they don’t feel comfortable incorporating Indigenous knowledge into their teaching practice. Many of them shared that they didn’t feel like they knew enough about it to do it in a respectful way. The follow-up question to that was what would help them to feel more confident in doing this? Many of them shared that having more professional learning (PL) opportunities to discover more about this would be helpful. What I think many of them are not taking into account is that though it is our professional responsibility to incorporate Indigenous knowledge into our teaching, it is also our personal responsibility as non-Indigenous educators to do the learning ourselves and on our own time. If we are as committed to decolonization as we say we are, it is going to mean making time in our own lives to put in the work.

Upon further reflection, I understand why educators are requesting more PL opportunities. It can be frustrating to be told you need to do something without the support of how to do it. That being said, there is learning that can and needs be done outside of these PL opportunities so that non-Indigenous educators can do their part in working towards Truth and Reconciliation.

Weaving Ways – M3 P5

I found the Weaving Ways resource online while researching for ways in which teachers can implement Indigenous knowledge into their classrooms. It was created by the Alberta Professional Development Consortium alongside the Calgary Board of Education and Elder Bruce Starlight of the Tsuut’ina Nation here in Alberta. Though I was aware of the importance of the circle in Indigenous cultures, the symbolism came up again through this resource. It made me reflect on how often I allow my students to be in a circle formation in my own classroom as one of the guiding questions in this resource is, “How can I draw from the ways Indigenous peoples foster cultures of belonging to compliment the ways I create belonging in my classroom?” This resource focuses on 4 main “quadrants” that are all meant to be inter-connected:

Cultures of Belonging
Instructional Design
Pedagogy
Sharing Through Story

They are presented in a circle formation to enforce this idea of inter-connectedness.

Truth and Reconciliation in the Classroom – M3 P4

This article from Dr. Kate Freeman, Shawn McDonald and Dr. Lindsay Morcom (2018) discusses the ways in which we can work towards truth and reconciliation in our classrooms as educators. This article fits well with a few of the topics I am researching for my final project: Barriers to implementation and Meaningful and respectful implementation. It made me reflect on the ways in which I try to incorporate Indigenous knowledge into my classroom. A few of my key takeaways from the article:

“It’s very important that teachers realize that the education system has been used to rob Indigenous people of their languages, their cultures, and their communities through the residential school system. This is why teachers have a responsibility to work with Indigenous people, families, and communities, rather than continuing to work in a system that speaks for Indigenous people, families, and communities – that is, don’t do for, do with.”
“Fortunately, teaching is not about having all the answers and teachers are not being asked to be experts on all of Canada’s Indigenous people.”
“Ask yourself: “If I were a member of the group in question, could I be offended?” Take history into account, and show empathy.”
“The inquiry approach is a wonderful opportunity for teachers to move metaphorically from the position of all-knowing sage in front of their students, to co-learning partner sitting beside their students.”
“It’s not about teaching everything, it’s about having the integrity and humility to teach something”

Cultural Appropriation in Sports – M3 P3

As I was reading about cultural appropriation, many of the situations found were about sports teams and their chosen mascot. This is interesting to me as I coach many sports, watch many sports and am overall interested in the world of sports. At school, our mascot is a warrior and it was only around 7 years ago that the logo for this mascot was changed from an Indigenous person in a traditional head dress to an arrow with feathers hanging off of it. This was before my time but apparently there was work completed with Indigenous folks and Elders in the community to ensure the use of the arrow and feather was appropriate for our school. There are so many examples of this within sports communities:

Cleveland Indians are now the Cleveland Guardians (baseball) https://edmontonjournal.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-chief-wahoos-removal-a-blow-against-cultural-appropriation
Edmonton Eskimos are now the Edmonton Elk (football) https://globalnews.ca/news/7201833/edmonton-eskimos-football-team-name-change/
Washington Redskins are now the Washington Commanders (football) https://hhsepitaph.com/10670/sports/nfl-team-rebranded-washington-football-team-in-response-to-cultural-appropriation/
Kansas City Chiefs… not renamed however changed their mascot (football) https://www.npr.org/2021/07/27/1021373125/kansas-city-chiefs-removed-their-offensive-mascot-but-have-no-plans-to-change-na
Chicago Blackhawks have no plans to change their name (hockey) https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2899256-blackhawks-wont-change-name-plan-to-raise-awareness-of-native-american-culture

With so many examples of this appropriation in high profile organizations, it’s no wonder that the issue of cultural appropriation needs to constantly be addressed with our students and in our communities. After realizing how much of Indigenous culture is appropriated, I feel as though the section in my final project Cultural appropriation vs. appreciation will be an important one.

Critical Race Theory – M3 P2

Critical Race Theory (CRT) as stated by Britannica.com is, “intellectual and social movement and organized framework of legal analysis based on the premise that race is not a natural, biologically grounded feature of physically distinct subgroups of human beings but a socially constructed (culturally invented) category that is used to oppress and exploit people of colour.”

Though it has resurfaced more so in the United States, the concept still applies to those of us living in Canada. Many of the arguments surrounding Critical Race Theory and the lived experience of Black Americans could potentially be similar to the lived experience of Indigenous people living in Canada. Our society has been created around Indigenous folk being the “Other.” Systemically, they have been treated differently (i.e. Residential Schools) leaving their current experience in our legal, medical and educational systems as very different than white folk.

Learning more about CRT has allowed me to reflect a little bit more profoundly on what I think race is and how it is constructed.

The following videos and article were also helpful for me in gaining more of an understanding around Critical Race Theory:

https://www.edweek.org/leadership/what-is-critical-race-theory-and-why-is-it-under-attack/2021/05

White Teachers, Critical Race Theory and Aboriginal Education – M3 P1

The following project I found on the topic of white teachers, critical race theory and Aboriginal education. The author, Michelle Vanhouwe, submitted it as part of her Masters. What interested me the most of this project was the section about the challenges to implementing anti-racist education.

Three areas of resistance are discussed:

traditional pedagogic concerns: Vanhouwe goes into detail about the traditional belief of meritocracy; the belief that we are all the same and have equal opportunity if we work hard enough. Anti-racist education challenges this.
conservative political views: Such as assimilation and what it mean to be Canadian.
conservative views of race and anti-racism: We don’t acknowledge race and racism, it is seen as a problem for the Other, etc.

As I continue to research for my final project of this course, I think the Reference list from Vanhouwe will come in very handy. The town I live in has many conservative political views and this project allowed me to think about that a little bit more deeply. I sometimes live in a fairy tale world where I think everyone has the same views on life as I do because typically I choose to surround myself with like minded people. This was a good reminder that there will always be people who disagree and in order to move forward we need to work through that.