Category Archives: MODULE 3

M3P3

Teaching History from an Indigenous Perspective.

A great article that I would like to look at for my project.  I think it is so important to learn from the people who know the best.  If we want to teach indigenous culture, it should be taught from and indigenous perspective.  However, how do we do that, when the majority of teachers are not Indigenous and only have a very limited knowledge about Indigenous culture.  How can I understand Indigenous ways and how do I chunk it into sizeable parts so it can be easily digestible for a union member who is not used to learning and might find this content and the reason we are learning it a little challenging.

Teaching History from an Indigenous Perspective.

 

M3P2

The idea of an immersive education system, hands on learning, understanding why things are and where they come from is so important in getting buy-in from the learners.   I love this next video for a number of different reasons.  Eddy Robinson gives us the reasons behind why he is teaching us, he gives us stories to engage the learners.  I also love this video because of the way the learners start off hesitant but through his story and  the indigenous stories he tells, the learners are so engrossed and you can tell that there is a shift in perspective and understanding of what it means to be a leader and an ally.

M3 P1

What does an Indigenous school look like?

When I very young we came from England to Canada, specifically to Montreal.  We were told that we had to learn French no matter what.  I was put into a french immersion class.  In this class it was all the new immigrants that had recently landed in that area.  We all spoke a different language and the only way to converse with anyone was to find a common ground, in this case French.  We were not taught any of the basics of other curriculum, only 6 months of French.  The result was that after the 6 months…I went from not knowing any French to understand and becoming quite fluent in the language.

Looking back at this story, it made me think about what would an indigenous school look like?

I want to incorporate this idea into my work and the course that I am creating.  I’m curious to know what does an indigenous school look like?  Should it be completely immersive,and holistic? should it have aspects of indigenous knowledge since we all need to learn to live and work in the Eurocentric world?

 

Another video I found interesting was regarding the theme of decolonizing education.

Is this what needs to be done, and what that would look like.

Module 3 Post 5

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/day6/episode-339-manchester-s-resilient-teens-thunder-bay-racism-conservative-party-crashers-reggaeton-and-more-1.4128253/ryan-mcmahon-s-12-step-guide-to-decolonizing-canada-1.4128258

 

The comic tone of this article makes it very approachable for even the most hesitant of reader. Ryan expresses himself and issues in a way that I find accessible without losing the importance. He writes 5 reasons why Colonialism still impacts Canada and writes in a way that ensures all feel accountable.

Module 3 Post 3

https://youtu.be/QP9x1NnCWNY

Indigenization vs decolonization. This was really informative for me in differentiating two terms that I think sometimes are used synonymously. Nikki speaks about the historical implications of colonization on all parties, which I thought was an entirely different perspective, and perhaps will allow for more settler folks to see an opportunity to understand their role in decolonization and reconciliation. She speaks very heavily to the truth.

Module 3 Post 2

https://oxfordre.com/education/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.001.0001/acrefore-9780190264093-e-240?print

The summary of a very informative article to be used for the final project of this course offers great oversight on why decolonizing spaces is important and who it impacts. It also provides some depth into what decolonizing looks like in summary form, ready for quick consumption. The article goes much further in-depth and allows for deep thinking about the impacts of colonization.

Module 3 Post 1

https://www.uvic.ca/research/centres/youthsociety/assets/docs/briefs/decolonizing-education-research-brief.pdf

This is a great “cheat sheet” to getting the basics of decolonization. I found it helpful mainly because it highlights the why the what and the who clearly and identifiably. It is a general reference, so lacks the importance of locally based knowledge, but serves as a guide to decolonizing our spaces. A good first step.

Module 3 (Post 5) – Western Science Finally Catching up to Indigenous Knowledge?

https://www.macleans.ca/society/how-western-science-is-finally-catching-up-to-indigenous-knowledge/

This article from Macleans was an interesting read. George Nicholas from Simon Fraser University takes a look at the differences between Western and Indigenous science and Western science’s reluctance to accept traditional knowledge. He acknowledges that both sciences have value, which makes me think about how valuable it could be to incorporate multiple ways of knowing into science education.

Module 3 (Post 4) – Indigenous Cultures and Astrophysics

This article from National Indigenous Television, News, and Programs (a division of Australia’s Special Broadcast Service), explores how Indigenous oral histories have preserved scientific knowledge for generations. Krystal de Napoli, a Gomeroi astrophysicist, explains how the Dreaming stories of Torres Strait Islanders contains ancient knowledge about stars and astronomy.

I really enjoyed this read and thought it did a wonderful job of explaining how stories can contain multitudes of knowledge from many different interconnected subject areas and allow for a deeper understanding of the environment.

You can find the article here.