Author Archives: ravneet sandhu

Digital storytelling is an engaging and effective way to share personal narratives, research, and ideas with a large audience. In doing some research for my final project, I came across some digital stories that were documented as part of a research project called Residential School Resistance Narratives: Significance and Strategies for Indigenous Youth. Many of the Centre for Youth & Society’s projects make use of digital stories to foster engagement between participants and the wider public, and to encourage digital literacy skills. Below is one of these stories.

https://www.uvic.ca/research/centres/youthsociety/resources/digital-stories/index.php

A friend of mine encouraged me to check out an Instagram page that she recently uncovered. The profile belongs to a young Indigenous boy named Opie with the username “baby_opie_”.  As I scrolled through his Instagram feed and looked at the photos and videos, I felt a more personal connection to Indigenous culture. When used responsibly, I feel that social media has the potential to provide opportunities for young Indigenous people to extend their identities online. By sharing stories and videos, they give voice to their Indigenous identities. A platform such as this allows Indigenous people to represent themselves, putting them in control in terms of the content that they choose to share with others, especially with the non-Indigenous community.

This Instagram profile is open to the public. Opie’s parents also have their own individual Instagram profiles. If you have an Instagram account, check it out! He’s got quite a big following.

“The romanticized tale of Indigenous peoples’ first interactions with cameras is all too familiar a narrative to the Western consciousness, portraying Indigenous peoples as fearful of the technology’s ability to “steal souls” (Winter & Boudreau, 2018, p.38).

Winter, J., & Boudreau, J. (2018). Supporting self-determined indigenous innovations: Rethinking the digital divide in canada. Technology Innovation Management Review, 8(2), 38-48. https://doi.org/10.22215/timreview/1138

This article reviews dominant narratives of digital technological development in Indigenous communities in Canada. It situates Indigenous peoples as innovators and creators rather than consumers of digital technologies. First the authors discus how dominant media has used technology to misrepresent Indigenous cultures and promote colonial biases. Next, they showcase digital storytelling and virtual landscapes revealing a small sample of Indigenous initiatives online in video game and app development and in augmented and virtual reality. Winter and Boudreau present some ways that Indigenous peoples are making space in digital environments for their worldviews and ways of knowing. Accordint to Lameman and Lewis (2011), video games, with their distinct combination of story, design, code, architecture, art, animation, and sound provide a rich channel that reflects traditions of oral storytelling and enables both developers and users to examine different strategies for pursuing cultural preservation and revitalization (Winter & Boudreau, 2018).

Never Alone is an adventure game following a young girl named Nuna and an arctic fox who set out to find the source of an external blizzard which threatens the survival of everything they have ever known. The game is based on the Inupiaq tale “Kunuuksaayuka”. Players can unlock live-action videos illustrating Elders telling stories or showcasing different cultural practices and traditions that inspired the game play.

A few days ago, a colleague introduced me to Strong Nations, an Indigenous owned and operated online book store. All of the resources that Strong Nations creates are made in Canada. I’m looking forward to spending my classroom funds on some Indigenous picture books from this site. I love expanding my classroom library!

https://www.strongnations.com/

In thinking about my research question, I encountered a book titled “The Importance of Storytelling as a Pedagogical Tool for Indigenous Children” by Georgina Barton and Rob Barton. I found Chapter 4 to be particularly useful, as well as, a good place to start.

This chapter explains that stories are a crucial part of cultural community and heritage for Indigenous communities (Barton & Barton, 2017). It is argued that storytelling should be incorporated into pedagogical practices. The authors reveal how planning learning and teaching around stories can benefit young children, especially young Indigenous children.

Mohd Roslan (2008) provides a number of reasons as to why stories and storytelling should be used in classrooms:

1. To illustrate a principle
2. To inspire other learning and activity
3. To engage in creative and imaginative learning
4. To help develop a positive attitude towards teachers and schools
5. To help explain abstract ideas or concepts

This chapter features a story which sheds light on the ways that story can spark positive learning outcomes. The story is called “My Mother’s Country” by Robert Barton. It is based on a traditional story handed down over hundreds of generations.

“In these lands Emu and Kangaroo wandered as friends in peace. They helped each other find food and protected each other from danger particularly the Dingo. They were always cautious of Dingo. How did he become the women’s most favoured pet? One day, Kangaroo and Emu were out looking around for food. They went to all the usual spots and there wasn’t much new grass. As their hunger grew, Kangaroo and Emu decided to try looking by the river. The river always had good grass but Kangaroo and Emu had to be mindful of crossing paths with the Dingo whose country was beside the river on the way. As they were travelling Kangaroo got separated from Emu. You see Kangaroo wasn’t paying attention to stick with Emu but on finding that feed. He got distracted by a patch of fresh green grass just off the usual path to the river. Overcome with hunger, Kangaroo went straight to that grass. The grass looked really good just sitting there. It looked like no one had ever eaten that before. Having lost his bearings and overcome with desire for the beautiful sweet grass, Kangaroo had strayed into Dingo’s country. In the meantime, Emu had continued on to the river and was nowhere in sight. While Kangaroo ate unaware of his surroundings . . .Dingo came along and saw Kangaroo on his country alone without Emu. Dingo knew this was his chance to finally get Kangaroo. Dingo pounced on Kangaroo while he wasn’t looking. It was a fierce fight and Kangaroo wasn’t ready – it was too late to run now. Kangaroo got hurt badly and blood was spilt on his fur all over. Emu could hear Kangaroo crying out from down by the river and ran as fast as she could to save Kangaroo. Dingo seeing Emu coming – took off into the bush. The women also came and helped Kangaroo but they couldn’t get the blood off his coat. Forever stained red to remind Kangaroo to stay on his country and stick with his mob. This was how the red kangaroo got his red coat and when Emu and Kangaroo got old they became the sun and the brightest evening star and have shone down on the lands of the Kalkadungu ever since” (Barton & Barton, 2017, p.48)

Barton (2017) suggests that this story offers a rational for how an Australian animal like the kangaroo got its red-colored coat and also a deeper moral understanding about relationships and values like obligation to the group, strength, trust, and the importance of land, identity and respect for etiquette when dealing with others and their country.

Barton, G., & Barton, R. (2017). The importance of storytelling as a pedagogical tool for indigenous children. In S. Garvis, & N. Pramling (Eds.), (1st ed., pp. 45-58). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315640549-4

I was very inspired by Tunchai Redver’s Ted Talk. She co-founded the We Matter Campaign, a national multimedia campaign that communicates with indigenous youth that there’s always a way forward no matter how hard it gets. It seems that these issues hit close to home for Tunchai as she witnessed addiction and violence in the communities and family she grew up in and experienced some issues herself.

I liked that she used the metaphor of a house to explain the everyday realities that Indigenous youth experience. The roof and foundation of the house represents oppression/colonialism including systemic racism, the Indian Act, and residential schools to name a few. The furniture, appliances, and everyday items of the house represent a loss of culture and language, violence, mental health issues, stereotypes, and abuse. All of these different issues are internalized and manifest in negative ways. Tunchai provides insight on how we can create an environment where Indigenous youth live and succeed. She returns to her metaphor at the end of the talk to illustrate what it should look like. In order to support our Indigenous students effectively, I think that it’s so important to understand where they are coming from.

“First Nations storytelling has always been a communal experience. Stories brought people together to share a past, to explain the seemingly inexplicable in creation or to instruct. A powerful story might also make children see the consequences their actions might have”. – Harvey McCue and Associates for Indian and Northern Affairs Canada

The Learning Circle is a resource that I implemented in my own classroom last year. I encountered it quite late in the year, so we were only able to work through the storytelling unit, but I was amazed by how engaged the students were during our sessions. The class would sit in a circle and listen intently. Some students would close their eyes. Below is an example of one of the stories.

The Learning Circle is organized in thematic units (storytelling, seasons, and games) with different learning activities. The exercises are short, but meaningful. It is noted that because First Nations communities are culturally diverse, the information in this activity book does not necessarily apply to all groups.

Click below to check out the resource:

The Learning Circle

https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1316530132377/1535460393645

As I work through this course, I’m interested in reading this book called “Knowing the past, facing the future: Indigenous education in Canada”.

It goes through the challenges that need to be removed before reconciliation can be met. It comes in three parts:

• Part 1 focuses on colonial promises and practices including the treaty right to education and the establishment of day, residential, and industrial schools
• Part 2 focuses on the legacy of racism, trauma, and dislocation
• Part 3 explores contemporary issues in curriculum development, assessment, leadership, and governance.

Carr-Stewart, S. (2019). Knowing the past, facing the future: Indigenous education in canada. Purich Books.

This teacher resource guide document has been developed by the First Nations Education Steering Committee with Assistance from the BC Ministry of Education and support from the Education Partnerships Program of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada. FNESC.

It has been developed to provide teachers with guidance and information on how to incorporate First Peoples principles into instructional practices. It’s important for educators to recognize that First Peoples content and world views are valuable for all students and should be incorporated into classroom learning experiences in meaningful ways.

It is evident that educators and communities have recognized a need for increased information and support in the use of culturally appropriate and meaningful Indigenous content and pedagogy. This guide provides a wide range of ideas that can be applied to incorporate First Peoples content into a K-3 classroom. After skimming through the units and activities, I can see how this resource can help support my Grade 2 students with their learning. I find comfort in the idea that this resource walks teachers through the lessons.

In-Our-Own-Words

British Columbia Government EBook Collection, First Nations Education Steering Committee (B.C.), & First Nations School Association. (2012). In our own words: Bringing authentic first peoples content to the K-3 classroom. First Nations Education Steering Committee.

As a primary teacher, I’m always looking for new resources that I can use to support my little learners within the classroom.

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We-Are-All-Connected-Adrienne-Gear

I recently stumbled upon this resource bundle. It explores different themes connected to the First Peoples Principles of Learning: self, family, community, and land. The nice thing about this resource is that it integrates Reading Power strategies that are an important aspect of the BC Language Arts curriculum. Included in this package, are detailed lesson plans and potential Indigenous book ideas to accompany the lessons. I am really looking forward to engaging my students in the learning activities.

Have any of my fellow teachers used this resource? I’d love to hear your thoughts!