Category Archives: MODULE 3

module 3: post 4 – thinking through making

Although Indigenous thinkers, scholars, voices and sources are obviously very important, I found this non-Indigenous anthropology professor’s talk extremely relevant to holistic thinking. It reminded me of the Kawagley & Barnhardt article “Education indigenous to place: Western science meets native reality” that we read in Week 7.

(The audio is not great at the beginning – you can hear people talking in the background. But if you stick with it, he has some very interesting points that seem, to me, to be informed by Indigenous ways of thinking.)

module 3: post 3 – The Clay we are made of

I found this 2017 book: The Clay We Are Made Of: Haudenosaunee Land Tenure on the Grand River by Susan M. Hill on Canada Commons.

Although I haven’t read the entire book yet, it provides a great history of the Six Nations of the Grand River (the peoples I am focussing on for my final project). It doesn’t focus on education, but there is some info on education. For example, this thought-provoking passage:

The TRC’s call understandably emphasizes education and related institutions. For Six Nations, there is certainly a need to address the direct impacts of the residential school system on the community, especially for the remaining survivors and their direct descendants. However, as many Indigenous people across Canada (and beyond) suggest, the effects are much further-reaching, and the mentality that brought about residential schooling also altered fundamental ideas held by Indigenous people about education, particularly in how it relates to Indigenous Knowledge/Original Teachings. The primary conduits for traditional Native education are the Native languages of the people. The attack on Indigenous languages by the residential school system and related policy initiatives is the most measurable in terms of impact. Therefore, upon embarking on reconciliation, the most assessable area of improvement could be language revitalization (for those communities who deem it a key goal of reconciliation). Fewer than 1 percent of all Grand River Haudenosaunee are now fluent in any of their original languages, but there is a great desire to regain fluency.

Alongside clearly articulated goals for Haudenosaunee language revitalization are aspirations for community-controlled education for the Six Nations community as well as adequate financial support to access quality educational opportunities inside and outside the community; this is relevant for all levels of education, from pre-school through doctoral studies. Many community-based thinkers have suggested this could easily be financed through land claims resolution. [emphasis added]

 

module 3: Post 1 – Reservation Dogs

Okay, I’m doing it. I’m posting about Reservation Dogs, the TV show. Here’s a trailer:

Here is a brief review (which touches on themes from this course, such as stereotypes and romantic exoticism): https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/06/arts/television/reservation-dogs.html

Through the show, I learned that the Cherokee Trail of Tears ended in what was then called “Indian Territory” and is now called Oklahoma.

In season 1, episode 6 Willie Jack goes hunting with her father. There is a lot of discussion about whether to leave the community. Willie Jack wants to go to California – a dream she has perhaps inherited from her cousin Daniel, who has died. This reminded me a lot of the kids in the “Alluriarniq – Stepping Forward” video, many of whom wanted to pursue their education and/or see other places in the world, but they all want to eventually come back to their community. I find this so different from my own culture, in which many people move away from the communities they grew up in. (For example, my Dad is from Thunder Bay but now lives in Peterborough, I grew up in Ontario, but both my sisters relocated to British Columbia many years ago).

I’m not sure whether this show will become a resource for my final research project, but I really wanted to include it as it’s a wonderful show.

M3 P4

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/

M3 P2

Decolonizing the French Language Class… Digital story-telling?

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!

Thing 6: Digital Storytelling

M3 P1

Decolonizing Knowledge and Indigenous Education : Perspectives from Elementary French Immersion Teachers

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

Module 3 Post 1

Module 3 Post 1

Before embarking on this leg of the 521 blog journey, I took the liberty to reread all of our collective posts over the last 2 months from Modules 1 and 2. You are all brilliant and have been moving forward in stride. I realize I have been focusing excessively on appropriation. I deduce two main reasons for this. First, I have been overseas away from Canada and therefore out of touch with the conversations that have happened here. Second, I have not yet deconstructed my own role as a white settler expatriate Canadian. These two points need to be examined prior to me participating in any role in the interlocution on this matter.

Either way, this is a conversation this is happening and that I very much have missed being a part of whilst overseas. Upon reviewing our collective blogs, I was reminded by the TRC that Call 63 requires Canadians to share “information and best practices on teaching curriculum related to residential schools and Aboriginal History” and to build “student capacity for intercultural understanding, empathy, and mutual respect.” Seeing this in writing gave me credence to continue. Isn’t it ironic I felt I needed a Western written permission slip prior to engaging in Indigenous research?

At the end of Module 2 Blog, I had stated I needed guidance from elders. Though tentatively scheduled, those conversations have not yet come to fruition. In the interim, I found this article, which is part of the Beyond the Classroom Mini Lecture Series, and which delineates foundational cultural interaction patterns for teaching indigenous content, speaking to elders and bringing them into the classroom.

Appropriation vs. Incorporation: Indigenous Content in the Canadian History Classroom – Active History

This is a rich resource of an array of material to guide educators with introducing Indigenous history into the classroom. I am eager to dive deep into this excellent compilation!

M3- POST 1

MediaSmarts, a Canadian non-profit organization focusing on digital and media literacy, named October 26 as the first-ever national Digital Citizen Day.

“Whether it’s checking the information we see online, thinking critically about the media we’re consuming or being aware on how we interact with others online, digital media literacy touches every aspect of our digital lives. Media Literacy Week and Digital Citizen Day are a chance for us to think about the role we each play in our online spaces and to focus on how we can all make those environments more positive for everyone.” – Kathryn Ann Hill, Executive Director at MediaSmarts

But, What is Digital Citizenship?

According to MediaSamrts, being a digital citizen refers to the safe and responsible use of digital tools and media. For me, that mostly means being respectful, following ethical rules, and being sensitive to others’ privacy and security.

Being a digital citizen, on the other hand, is meaningless if we don’t have the infrastructure for accessing the digital world. According to this report, in 2017, “only 24 percent of households in Indigenous communities have access to quality, high-speed internet.” And that’s the case when the UN has declared access to the internet as a human right.