Tag Archives: education

Jessica Presta: Module 2, Post 4

My research into why Indigenous people are under-represented in healthcare as professionals has taken me down a path of understanding the institutionalized racism that exists in our healthcare system in BC. It comes as no surprise that our colonial history has led to powerful systemic structures that perpetuate racism towards the Indigenous people of our province. Understanding this history was the first step to uncovering some of the barriers which discourage Indigenous people from seeking out healthcare education. Then I looked at the education system, specifically nursing education, to get a sense of how these systems are also deeply colonial and what work is being done to decolonize these spaces. I came across this webinar hosted by The Center for Nursing Philosophy on the topic of decolonizing nursing. They had an expert panel of speakers representing research on decolonization in nursing from around the globe.

The first speaker is Dr. Lisa Bourque Bearskin, associate professor and Inaugural BC Research Chair in Indigenous Health in Nursing at Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia, Canada, who introduced the concepts of decolonization and truth and reconciliation. She begins at 6:49 min and speaks for approximately 15 minutes. A notable takeaway for me was learning about Indigenous nurse pioneers such as Mary Seacole, Edith Monture, and Mary Mahoney who had a great impact on the profession and who are left out of nursing academia. Rather, we are taught about Florence Nightingale, a Caucasian woman of English decent who is coined the founder of modern nursing. These expert panelists call for the decolonization of nursing academia to enhance the success of BIPOC students.

Jessica Presta: Module 2, Post 3

Another resource I wanted to call out for educators looking to decolonize their curriculum is the ‘First peoples principles of learning‘. This poster was created by the First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC) and as a classroom resource aimed at highlighting the main principles of First Peoples learning practices. The role and responsibilities of the FNESC is to support First Nations students and advance First Nations education in BC. Their website has a plethora of resources aimed at supporting this goal.

Module 2: Post 3 – Indigenous knowledge

This essay by Dr. Marie Battiste at the University of Saskatchewan is a wonderful overview of Eurocentric knowledge and Indigenous knowledge. The author explores the ways in which Eurocentric knowledge has sought to discredit Indigenous knowledge, and she details the recent resurgence in interest, validation, and exploration of Indigenous ways of knowing – for example, in science, law, education, and ecology.

Battiste describes how, through an “act of intellectual self-determination, Indigenous academics are developing new analyses and methodologies to decolonize themselves, their communities, and their institutions” and that “Indigenous scholars discovered that Indigenous knowledge is far more than the binary opposite of western knowledge.”

She emphasizes the need for Indigenous knowledge especially in education, for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. She writes “more and more literature has challenged the suppression of Indigenous knowledge and has underscored the importance of bringing it into the mainstream to establish a body of knowledge that can be drawn on for the common good.”

As we know, “the exclusive use of Eurocentric knowledge in education has failed First Nations children. Indigenous knowledge is now seen as an educational remedy that will empower Aboriginal students if applications of their Indigenous knowledge, heritage, and languages are integrated into the Canadian educational system.”

Battiste describes Indigenous knowledge in general, but helpful terms: “Indigenous knowledge is an adaptable, dynamic system based on skills, abilities, and problem-solving techniques that change over time depending on environmental conditions[…]”. Furthermore, “Indigenous knowledge is also inherently tied to land, not to land in general but to particular landscapes, landforms, and biomes where ceremonies are properly held, stories properly recited, medicines properly gathered, and transfers of knowledge properly authenticated”.

She also notes that “focusing on the similarities between the two systems of knowledge rather than on their differences may be a more useful place to start when considering how best to introduce educational reform.” This sentiment inspired me to focus, in my final research paper, on how Indigenous education and non-Indigenous education are similar. I won’t be directly comparing the two, but to the extent that it comes up, my goal will be to see the similarities and – where there are differences – to see what I can learn from Indigenous ways of teaching and learning, in an effort to flip the script on assimilation.

Reference

Battiste M. 2005. Indigenous knowledge: Foundations for First Nations. WINHEC.

Module 1 (Post 1): A dialogue about decolonizing science education

The website linked to the image above has a recording of a discussion with three panelists (Dr. Gregory Cajete, Dr. Lorna Wanosts’a7 Williams, and Skye Augustine) about decolonizing science education and practicing indigenous science. If his name sounds familiar, it may be because Dr. Cajete was cited by some of the authors in our module 1 readings. The dialogue is the 13th in a series that were organized by the Reconciling Ways of Knowing Stewardship Society during 2020 and 2021 to continue the conversation about reconciliation despite the pandemic. Each of the panelists has a unique set of experiences to share and helps to broaden our understanding of how to include Indigenous ways of knowing in science and science education.

Module 1: Post 3 – wisdom of belonging

For a previous MET course, I watched this video about the Circle of Courage:

If you haven’t seen it, it’s worth watching. The speaker describes Indigenous ways of teaching as involving: Generosity, Belonging, Independence, and Mastery. It’s a really beautiful talk and related to, but a bit different from, the First People’s Principles of Learning.

This video really stuck with me, so I looked up the speaker, Martin Brokenleg, and read the articles on his website.

I especially liked the article “Native American Wisdom on Belonging.” In it, Brokenleg writes, “Belonging is the organizing principle in Partnership cultures. Significance is assured by belonging, whereas in Dominator cultures one gains significance by stand ing out from the others, as seen in the hyperindividualism of U.S. society today.”

I really think I want to focus on individualism vs collective for my research project, but I may need to narrow down that huge topic a tiny bit… We’ll see. 🙂

Module 1: Post 4 – Davin School Renaming

This article has personal meaning as I taught during one of my internships in my undergraduate program at the University of Regina at this school. The newly named The Crescents School is located near downtown Regina and was previously named Davin School. At the time of my internship, I did not understand who the school was named after, and did not know about Davin’s impact on Indigenous Peoples across the country.

This news article resonated with me because of the readings of Hare (2011) and the Lee Brown video and the brief discussion of Nicholas Davin who played a significant role in creating residential schools. The article discusses how Davin Elementary School was renamed 4 years ago to The Crescents School. It was not until July 2022, that the masonry bearing the name “Davin School” was removed from the building.

In the module 1 readings, we discuss the colonial impact of Western education and the importance of including ancestral knowledge, culture, and making learning relevant for Indigenous students. The article serves as a reminder for me of the work that needs to be done and the steps towards reconciliation that we need to take.

https://globalnews.ca/news/9017743/the-crescents-school-regina-davin-removed/

First Nations Technology Council- M1- Post 2

First Nations Technology Council

“Our work is grounded in the belief that reconciliation and innovation go hand-in-hand, and that a diversity of backgrounds, experiences and world views participating and leading in technology fields will lead to a more prosperous future for all Canadians.”

What do they do?

funded and accredited education programs to advance Indigenous people’s careers in innovation and technology;
participate in and lead community research projects;
create strategies to advance equitable, affordable and sustainable access to technology in Indigenous communities.

Interests:

This website has an article asking: “How can we greatly increase Indigenous participation and leadership in the ICT sector?” I am interested to research this more since I was also interested in knowing more about the role of gender in the ICT sector, and I think these two areas are related.
Another topic which seems interesting to me is Indigenous Digital Equity. “The First Nations Technology Council defines digital equity as a state in which every Indigenous person, community and Nation is fully equipped to access and effectively use technology to contribute, thrive, and succeed in today’s digital society while preserving self-determination.” I would like to research more about this topic as well.

M1 P1 Language and Indigenous Education

For this module, I looked into articles surrounding the importance of preserving Indigenous languages and how we, as educators, can encourage language retention and engagement within schools. The 5 resources I found were very interesting and provoked some important reflection!

McCarty (2003) ‘s article (https://doi.org/10.1080/03050060302556) focuses on the challenges created by conserving linguistic and cultural diversity among Indigenous groups in the United States. A lot of the challenges seen in the US can be seen here in Canada. The article presents some new approaches to Indigenous school to emphasize Indigenous language, culture and heritage as a way to confront the legacy of colonialism.
Duff and Li (2009)’s article (https://doi.org/10.3138/cmlr.66.1.001) is a look into why and how Canada is committed to encouraging French in education systems, however Indigenous languages are overlooked. It presents a looks into national policies that protect Canada’s two official languages, English and French and what Canada is starting to do in terms of protecting Indigenous languages.
Report on Teaching and Learning First Nations Languages in Different Locations and Locales by the Assembly of First Nations (https://www.afn.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/AFN-Archipel_Language-Learning-Report_ENG-1.pdf) : This resource is a fantastic overview into Indigenous language retention, engagement and approaches to teaching Indigenous language in both remote, rural and urban settings.
Khawaja’s (2021) article (https://doi.org/10.3390/soc11030089) explores the consequences and solutions of Indigenous language loss in Canada. What I found particularly interesting is both the exploration into why there has been such a drastic language loss in Indigenous communities in addition to the importance of language reclamation.
Haque (2014)’s article (https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2014.89249) is particularly revelatory exploration of language policy in Canada and the effects of racist systems of power on policy-making.