Author Archives: alvesm

M2-P5 First Peoples’ Map of Canada – First Peoples’ Cultural Council

Continuing with my last blog post, I will be focusing on language preservation through technology to contend Howe’s (1998) point on spatial disparity within Cyberspace.

The First Peoples’ Cultural Council has created an interactive map of BC which not only identifies all First Nations within BC, but breaks down language, heritage, and arts for each community. Pronunciation and basic greetings are also apart of the welcome tabs for each nation. Highlighting the over 200 First Nations communities, you can see how many First Nation community members are speaking their language. I visited the geographical location of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation and noticed that 0% of the community can speak the language, Hul’q’umi’num’. Where as 6% of the community can semi-speak and 3.5% are learning. I noticed that the Squamish First nation had similar statistics with the language being semi-spoken by .6 percent of community member but 10% of the community is now learning the language. I began to wonder if technology was aiding in this upsurge of learners?

We have been saying throughout the discussions in class that technology needs to be curated and in control by Indigenous communities. Cathi Charles Wherry, a special advisor to the council states, “One of the most exciting aspects of the map is that the content is created by Indigenous people about Indigenous people […] so we’re not just the subjects, we’re the creators of the content. So this is very unique. It’s not an outside entity looking in at us. It’s from within the communities” (Wherry quoted in Dickson, 2020) 

This would be an amazing resource to use in and outside of the classroom and across elementary and post secondary.

https://maps.fpcc.ca/#55.678348649442825/-125.95849609375/3.9960778141674207

Dickson, C. (2021, June 15). New interactive map shares Indigenous arts, language and culture throughout B.C.  CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/first-peoples-cultural-council-interactive-indigenous-map-1.6067254?cmp=rss

M2-P4 – Dr. Amy Parent: Raising Nisga’a Language, Sovereignty, and Land-based Education Through Traditional Carving Knowledge (RNL)

I will be looking at Howe’s (1998) 4 aspects of tribalism in my final paper. The first aspect, the spatial dimension is threatened by cyberspace as “identity and land are inseparable” (p.22). After viewing Mary Simmons video this week, she furthers the point that Inuit identity is embedded in language. So how can language/identity be preserved for community member especially those students who have moved away from their nations?

Dr. Parent aims to tackle a three part project that looks at language development through VR, the carving of a new house pole, and the reparation of a house totem pole from Edinburgh, Scotland. I am interested, for my paper, in the VR component (Johnson, 2020).

Dr. Amy Parent believe’s virtual reality has the ability to revitalize the Nisga’a language.  She considers language as a “‘guide for a total way of being. It teaches us our cultural behaviors, ethics, and who we are as a people, in terms of our identity,” …“Our language contains important land-based  knowledge, which provides us with the ability to live well with every aspect of Mother Earth.'” (Parent, as cited in Van Eeuwen, 2020).

“only approximately five per cent of Nisga’a citizens can speak their language fluently” (Van Eeuwen, 2020). This projects aims to combine technology and the minds of Elders and Knowledge keepers to commutate land-based knowledge in the Nisga’a language. Dr. Parent sees the VR medium as a way to spark interest for youth, and

I am glad I came across this project and want to reach out to Dr. Parent as she is looking for a classroom in Vancouver. It would be great to be involved in this project.

 

References

Eeuwen, T. V. (2020). UBC Prof Amy Parent creates revolutionary program to revitalize Nisga’a Language. Retrieved from https://looselipsmag.com/features/ubc-prof-amy-parent-creates-revolutionary-program-to-revitalize-nisgaa-language/

 Johnson, R. (2020, December 23). Project to use virtual reality technology to teach Nisga’a culture and language. CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/nisga-a-vr-technology-language-culture-1.5846341

 

https://amyparent.ca/projects/

 

M2:P3 Molly of Denali – Indigenous Representation in Animation

I have a three year old who is obsessed with PBS kids. She is also a big fan of “Molly of Denali”. The cartoon is produced by both Canadian and American production companies and tells the story of Molly, a young Indigenous girl. Molly and her family manage a trading post in Denali, Alaska and she uses social media platforms to share her experiences. The animated show links technology and representation and has recently won Canada’s Youth Media Alliance’s 2021 Awards of Excellence and represents

A young Canadian Indigenous student from Emily Carr, Lia Fabre-Dimsdale, has secured an internship with the animated TV show. Fabre-Dimsdale is a member of the Liidlii Kue First Nation and landed an internship with Mitacs, a “not-for-profit organization that fosters growth and innovation in Canada and offers a number of internships to Indigenous students”(Ryan , 2021).Fabre-Dimsdale is enrolled at Emily Carr and finishing her Bachelor of Media Arts. Her main focus is working on storyboarding and design.

Fabre-Dimsdale is excited to be working on the project, she believes, “A lot of times, Indigenous characters are presented simply for the fact they are Indigenous. Having Molly who is adventurous and enthusiastic in her own right, while also connecting with her culture and community is a great balance” (Ryan, 2021). Molly of Denali also reflects what we have been covering so far, the link between representation in media and indigeneity. I also visited the PBS site and under the Molly of Denali link, there are games, activities, games and a podcasts. This provides extension for children to experience life in Alaska alongside Molly and her family. Even though the show  is geared toward younger children in primary grades, I think practicing visual and media literacy skills on an episode would be a great way to analyze representation.

Ryan, D. (2021, May). Animation internship offers opportunity to broaden Indigenous representation on screen. https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/animation-internship-offers-opportunity-to-broaden-indigenous-representation-on-screen

M2-P2 “Achieving Indigenous Student Success: A Guide for Secondary Classrooms”

Hello everyone,

Dr. Pamela Rose Toulouse in an Indigenous educator who has formulated lesson plans, assessments, and theory within this resource guide. It is one of the only resources I have come across that directly links Indigenous student ‘success’ with actual lesson guides. This is also a great resource for those who are apprehensive about covering certain Indigenous content for fear of appropriation. Toulouse includes two sections, the first dedicated to “culturally relevant pedagogical practices” with a focus on Indigenous world view. The sections has detailed lessons for every discipline: math, science, languages, etc. The lesson plans are easy to connect to curricular goals and the First Peoples’ Principles of Learning.

M2-P1 21 Things You May Not Know About The Indian Act: Helping Canadians… Bob Joseph

Hello everyone,

Bob Joseph’s “21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act” is a resource I recently purchased and have found myself referencing time and time again. Easy to read and poignant, Joseph outlines the 21 restrictions outlined by the Indian Act in a clear and concise way. I use this reference in my Social Justice class to illustrate and simplify the Indian Act and to connect current and relevant issues. Joseph includes stories that accompany these 21 points which humanize the effects of the Indian Act and how Reconciliation, as we know it, does not fit with what this Act has outlined. Before indigenizing can occur in my own pedagogy, it is imperative to  understand WHY this needs to happen. If you are looking for something for a senior class to contextualize Reconciliation, this would be a great source.

Joseph, B, (2018). 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act: Helping Canadians Make Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples a Reality. Indian Relations Press. 

M.1-P.5 Article-Culturally Responsive Schooling for Indigenous Youth: A Review of the Literature

M.1- P.5

I came across this article in a previous class and found myself revisiting it for this course. Castagno & Brayboy (2008) claim that Indigenous epistemology is left out of the traditional school framework. Indigenous students learn by seeing “the big picture and its meaning rather than the smaller parts that make up the whole” (Castagno & Brayboy, 2008, p.951). Schools break up this ‘whole’ by dividing students into classroom, disciplines, and often focus on student centred approaches and neglect that Indigenous knowledge focuses on community. To consider the socially responsible schooling for Indigenous youth that Castagno & Brayboy (2008) discuss, learning styles should be “hands-on, connect to real-life, [offer] direct experience, participation … be reflective [and] collaborative” (p.954). I am interested on HOW technology can mimic this type of existence.

 

Reference

Castagno, A. E., & Brayboy, B. M. J. (2008). Culturally responsive schooling for Indigenous

               youth: A review of the literature. Review of Educational Research, 78(4), 941-993.

               https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.3102/0034654308323036

M.1-P.4 Legacy of Hope, 100 Years of Loss-Teacher’s Guide

M.1-P.4

The 100 Years of Loss is an amazing teacher activity guide which can be ordered through the Legacy of Hope. This national indigenous charitable organization has curated an educational kit with full pull down blinds that fill an entire wall of a classroom with the timeline of residential schools throughout Canada. The kit also includes full lesson with resources, videos, and rubrics connected to competencies. You can also download some of the resources directly from the website. The resource should be a staple in school libraries or within the Social Studies department. All lessons are suitable for grades 8-12.

I just recently visited the website and noticed the podcast section. I will be looking into this over the week. It is one the most authentic sources I have used and helps with indigenizing curriculum with the voices of those who lived and experienced the residential school system.

 

References

100 Years of Loss, The Residential School System in Canada [Kit]. 2017. Canada. Legacy of Hope Foundation.

 

M.1-P.3 Takaya Tours + Indian Arm Management Services: Sea School Fieldtrip

M.1-P.3

After this week’s readings, I made an instant connection to a field trip we took a couple of year ago with Takaya Tours and Indian Arm Management Services up through the Burrard Inlet (Səl̓ilw̓ət).

We took our 30 indigenous student on a passenger eco-tour boat from Rocky Point Park in Port Moody or Deep Cove in North Vancouver. Our tour included a Tsleil-Waututh guide who provided interactive dialogue and detailed the importance of land and culture throughout the tour. The journey stops at various points to catch wildlife and indigenous pictographs. Howe (1998) discuss the importance of land as being “fundamental to tribal identity” and this field trip uniquely ties curriculum and culture together. Although our Indigenous students come from various places, they all seemed connected to the guide as his message and teachings were universal. This would be a great field trip for any discipline.

If you are thinking of a field trip option, look them up!

 

Howe, C. (1998). Cyberspace is No Place for Tribalism. Technology and Native American Culture, 13(2), 19-28. https://doi.org/10.2307/1409143

M.1-P.2 Burnaby School District Aboriginal Enhancement Agreement- Stronger Together

M.1 – P.2 

Aboriginal Enhancement Agreement

This course has brought me back to the Stronger Together Enhancement Agreement that has been an ongoing and updated agreement created by the district and Indigenous communities within Burnaby.

https://burnabyschools.ca/indigenouseducation/wpcontent/uploads/sites/4/2017/01/AborignalAgreement2014_FINAL_low_res.pdf

This document led to the creation of the position I now hold as Indigenous Success Teacher. The overall goal is to provide our students with cultural development, social emotional development, and a focus on academic success.

The idea is that with these three components, students will be able to “walk confidently and competently in the modern, urbanized world in which Burnaby is situated” (Stronger Together, 2019). The second agreement, Stronger Together, is up for renewal as the 5 year timeline is up. I began thinking, what could be added or changed now that I have been in the role? If you look under the academic goal, the district monitored  the core skills of early literacy and numeracy, the indicator for this would be performance standards. Academic success can include other indicators beside literacy and numeracy and I believe should connect curricular goals and course content, include case studies of groups of learners, and measure ‘academic success’ with the consultation and guide of an Indigenous framework, one that connects to the Principles of Learning. OR some other scale? Questions…

Above is a photo of Burnaby North’s Youth and Family coworker, Lorelei Lyons, and Mandy Alves (me, lol) at dinner party for our Grads.

 

 

M1-P.1 Online spaces which promote academic success and community for Indigenous Students

M1-P1

The title is a little rough for my first blog post. I work one-on-one and with Indigenous students in their classes, help work out post-secondary paths, alter/adapt assignments, meet with parents and teachers as a mediator, meet with district representatives, and try to create a community between all of the different nations our students come from. This is a very rough description.

Students are connected to social media but like this week’s readings, I don’t know if these spaces are reflective or respective of Indigenous ways of knowing and being. I started looking at Twitter to see what representation looks like and came across an article on CBC “Meet some of the influencers of #NativeTwitter”. This hashtag curates a catalogue of Indigenous artists, writers and thinkers. Chelsea Vowel is one of these influencers and @Indigneousxca is a twitter account she created highlighting experiences  of Indigenous peoples across Canada. I am interested in bringing these voices into the lives of our students. I also want to recreate a community amongst my students where they can share their own hashtags. This article has me thinking of ways to create a small community that can share shared histories and realities to draw our community together.