Tag Archives: Curriculum

Module 3 (Post 1) – Indigenous Connections to the Northeast Swale

The Meewasin Valley Authority is a non-profit organization that cares for the South Saskatchewan River valley and natural areas in and around Saskatoon, SK. The group has recently introduced a new resource to help secondary (grades 9-12) teachers engage in place-based education with their students at one of the city’s conservation areas. I was particularly excited about this as I was involved with a bioblitz that brought elementary school children to the swale for tours, exploration, and pond-dipping activities. The swale is an interesting landscape that was once part of the river valley many years ago and is home to a number of wildlife species and even some rare prairie plants.

From the site:

‘These new digital resources create curriculum connections to a section of content in the Meewasin App called “Indigenous Connections to the Northeast Swale” as well as physical interpretive panels located at this site. They also include links to a variety of other content and have been designed to encourage teachers and students to take part in land-based activities throughout the Meewasin Valley with a focus on Treaty Outcomes, Arts Education, Social Studies, History, Indigenous Studies, Environmental Science & Health Science.’

Module 2 (Post 1) – Living Knowledge

The Living Knowledge Project is an Australian-based research project that was developed to find the most effective way to integrate indigenous knowledge into the secondary science curriculum. The page that I have linked to here is dedicated to the history of ‘both ways’ education, where students are exposed to a mixture of western and indigenous education.

https://livingknowledge.anu.edu.au/html/educators/07_bothways.htm

Module 1 (Post 3) – Decolonizing Undergraduate Chemistry

I came across this recent paper in the Journal of Chemistry Education that gives an account of York University’s approach to decolonizing the undergraduate chemistry curriculum. It seems that many institutions talk about taking steps towards decolonizing courses, but I have had difficulty finding guidance of how to do this effectively in a post-secondary science department. This paper outlines some of the steps that are being taken to shift the narrative of the courses away from solely a western view of science.

In one example, instructors of a colloidal chemistry course included a discussion of ancient Egyptian codification of knowledge of papyrus. While this is a relatively small step, the instructor is acknowledging that science has been happening by peoples all over the globe for longer than the western view of science has existed.

 

 

Dessent, C.E., Dawood, R.A., Jones, L.C., Matharu, A.S., Smith, D.K., & Uleanya, K.O. (2022). Decolonizing the undergraduate chemistry curriculum: An account of how to start. Journal of Chemical Education, 99(1), 5-9. http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.1c00397

Module 3 Post 2 (Sam Charles)

In this post, I will highlight content related to Indigenizing curriculum. In the first two weeks of this module, the content has focused in on protecting culture and one way to do so is by Indigenizing the curriculum. While some of this subject matter only loosely connects with my final project regarding video as a dissemination tool for Indigenous knowledge, it is vital to have context within the discussion of using technology for sharing.

  • SFU Indigenizing Resources
  • Indigenization (of data)
  • UBC Indigenization resources
  • UFV Indigenization plans and resources
  • UBC Indigenous Studies Indigenization Discussion

Simon Fraser University provides a handy webpage that outlines the rationale for championing Indigenization, and resources to assist in that process.

Through my searches, found the Indigitization: Tools for Digitizing and Sustaining Indigenous Knowledge, is a collaborative initiative between BC Indigenous groups and academic partners from the University of British Columbia and the University of Northern British Columbia. The site provides resources to assist in Indigenous information management.

Similarly, University of British Columbia: Indigenous Foundations provides background and resources for educators to Indigenize their curriculum. It also includes some video resources that are of particular interest based on my final assignment.

Learn how the University of the Fraser Valley is working towards Indigenizing their programs and systems. The site includes their strategic plan, resources and initiatives at the institution.

This video describes what Indigenizing the curriculum means, and how it can be practiced (through the eyes of Jo-ann Archibald, Professor and the director of NITEP (Native Indian Teacher Education Program) at the Department of Educational Studies and the associate dean for Indigenous Education at the Faculty of Education at UBC.