Category Archives: MODULE 4

Module 4 – Post 2 – COPA’s 10 Short Animated Films

COPA’s 10 short animated films are used to help educators start conversations with their students, other educators, and their communities. These films have been modified and adapted from COPA’s A Circle of Caring project with images and content that was guided by Indigenous educators and peoples. They are for educators, schools, and families.

The ten short films focus on a variety of subjects and are titled as cultural pride, equity and diversity in schools and communities, safe/inclusive/accepting schools, nurturing kindness and empathy, positive role modelling, believing in children’s success, a telephone call from school, storytelling and reading with our children, everyday success at home, creating a space for study, working together and learning from each other, parent-teacher meeting, joining school council, supporting and not blaming, listening carefully, problem-solving together, bullying hurts, support for a child who is being bulled, who has witnessed bullying, who is bullying others, and approaching the school.

I really appreciate how these short films are offered in 8 languages (English, Cree, Inuktitut, Michif, Mohawk, Ojibway, Oji-Cree, and Oneida). It would also be powerful to play these films in a language other than English. This would allow students to learn words in one of seven Indigenous languages that are provided. Beside each video, there is a guide for educators to use to help with follow up questions after watching each film.

I absolutely love how this film guide from COPA’s short animated films provides the cast of characters and supplies a short write up about them. Below are screenshots from the guide. I would definitely be using these short films in the classroom with my Kindergarten students. In this guide, there are all the lesson guides that go with each of the short films.

Module 4 – Post 1 – Joining the Circle: Guide for Educators

Joining the Circle is a guide for educators that can used for students and educators of all ages; to increase the “confidence and sensitivity in education practices” to aid in facilitating the growth of Metis, Inuit, and First Nations students; to introduce schools and communities to the languages, history, perspectives, and culture of  Metis, Inuit, and First Nations; and to “support our individual capacity and help create systemic change for safe, strong and free school communities with and for Indigenous students and families” (COPA, 2016, p. 9). This guide discusses the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), the Indigenous Education Strategy, the role as an educator, describes Metis, Inuit, and First Nations peoples, and the terminology that is used throughout this guide.

This guide focuses on the barriers faced by Metis, Inuit, and First Nations. Some barriers that are faced are their culture and identity, spoken language, their spirituality, the contributions they made to Canada (aka: Kanata), land, treaties, relocations, the Indian Act, Residential Schools, intergenerational trauma, racism and discrimination in students’ lives, racism and bullying, suicide, lateral violence, internalized racism, the missing and murdered indigenous women, marginalization, Indigenous youth and children that are in care, students had to study away from their home, working in reserve communities, and children having parents in prison. Yes, there are TONS of barriers faced by Indigenous peoples. It is not only residential schools.

This is such a good read for educators to educate themselves and to also find a starting point for teaching students about the different barriers faced by Indigenous peoples.

Reference

COPA. (2016). Joining the circle: Guide for educators. Retrieved from http://copahabitat.ca/sites/default/files/educatorsguide_en.pdf

M4-P2 Ground Blessing Ceremony and House Post – Burnaby North Secondary

Burnaby North is in the middle of a rebuild on grounds of the current fields and parking lots which is located on the unceded territory of the hən̓qəmin̓əm̓ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh speaking peoples . Before construction began, the Indigenous Team at the school and district (comprised of Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples) met to discuss how we could recognize this new build with the context and guidance of our Ingenuous community and partners.

 

This Blog does not have to do with technology, but with ceremony and I believe it is useful for research for those who are looking at examples of indigenization in schools. I believe that Howe (1998) is completely accurate when he states that ceremonial events can’t be replicated in cyberspace. I say this as a non-Indigenous person who has been blessed to be invited to such ceremonies in the past. Nevertheless, this particular event supported what we have been uncovering in this class, the relationship between Indigenous and non-indigenous peoples working to uphold the Indigenous Traditional Knowledge system.

Teachers at Burnaby North were looking at how the new building could be a first step in reconciliation and wanted  to work with the Coast Salish (be it through art or teachings). We also did not want this to be a ‘one-off’ situation and looked to Indigenous artist and Squamish Nation Elder Xwalacktun to guide a collaborative art installation for the next building. Ultimately it was decided that he would come to the Burnaby North over the course of the year and work with Indigenous students and non-indigenous students on a House Post. Some of the features on the House Post have elements of the sea, sky and air as requested by the Indigenous students whom he talked to earlier in the year.  There is also the Medicine wheel to represent the many Nations who come to our school as well as salmon to represent the streams that drained both into the Burrard Inlet and the Fraser River.

Students at Burnaby North working on the House Post

But before the Elder Xwalacktun began, we had a Ground Blessing Ceremony with our Indigenous students, families, community member, administration and Indigenous community members. The ceremony began with an acknowledgment from our Principal, we has drummers from school, song, and blanketing take place as we offered gifts into the soil as we broke the earth. Stories were shared and in a large circle, we listened and learned. I was invited to shovel the first scoop along with other Indigenous students . The most moving part (for me) was when the ceremony was complete, THREE BALD EAGLES circled above our heads.  I can’t really explain the feeling we all had that day. I spoke to my students after and we just felt so at peace and really in awe with how nature almost communicated with us that day. I really felt like the eagles were almost acknowledging us at the site. It is this feeling that I think Howe (1998) believes is unimagined in cyberspace. I’ve included a link to another such project at a local Burnaby school below.

Ground Blessing Ceremony

Let me know if you have any questions!

Further Links

Indigenous Learnings and Moscrop’s Spindle Whorl

 

Acknowledgement is necessary to move forward.

Module 4 – Entry 3

Tyler Ohashi

Acknowledgment is necessary to move forward

My research statement has me looking at Indigenous knowledge closely. As a middle-aged, white educator, when I think back on going through the school system, I had relatively few problems. As I research and learn about Indigenous experiences with the school system, it is clear that they did not have the same experience. Many (all) Indigenous students experience racism as it is built into the system (Lanson-Billings and Tate, 1995) and that a lot of the racism is invisible so it is difficult to bring it to the surface and address it (Hogarth and Fletcher, 2018). This is why my experience in school when I was younger was a pleasant experience, I did not know I was in a system that oppressed Indigenous people. I was in a system that legitimized the exclusion and segregation of Indigenous people into horrible institutions such as residential schools. Therefore, that horrible truth lived in the background until it was “found” by the news stories that are revealing the truths about residential schools. “We cannot begin to right a wrong, or grieve a loss, or mend a system, without first acknowledging the wrong that has been done, the loss that has occurred and the system that is broken (Hogarth and Fletcher, 2018).”

When I saw Manitoba’s new Indigenous relations minister’s comments about residential schools, I was a bit shocked! Is he a product of the same education system that I experienced? Does he really believe that residential schools had good intentions?

“Residential schooling was intended to root out and destroy Indigenous knowledge, languages, and relationships with the natural family to replace them with Eurocentric values, identities, and beliefs that ultimately were aimed at destroying children’s self-esteem, self-concept, and healthy relationships with each other and their families (Battiste, 2017, p.56).”

 Therefore, I am validated in the importance of reworking my practice to be inclusive of Indigenous knowledge. I would like to expand my practice to be more inclusive to all my students. Historically, teachers are the ones that have been used to try to assimilate Indigenous peoples (Jones Brayboy & Maughan, 2009) so we can be the ones to make a change in a positive direction, one that is more inclusive.

References:

Battiste, M. (2017). Decolonizing Education: Nourishing the Learning Spirit. Purich Publishing.

Ladson-Billings, G., & Tate IV, W. F. (1995). Toward a critical race theory of education. Teachers College Record, 97, 47–68.

Hogarth, K., & Fletcher, W. L. (2018). A space for race: Decoding racism, multiculturalism, and post-colonialism in the quest for belonging in Canada and beyond. Oxford University Press. (Read Chapter 1- Race, racism and antiracism in Canada– pp. 1-23).

Jones Brayboy, B. M., & Maughan, E. (2009). Indigenous knowledges and the story of the bean. Harvard Educational Review, 79(1), 1-21.

Re-Learning is Required

Module 4 – Entry 2

Tyler Ohashi

This post is kind of backward because I was thinking about how I can reform my practice to be more inclusive and I search for media that supported my thinking. My research question has me thinking about how to bring more Indigenous perspectives into my practice which has been based predominantly on Western principles. Much of the content used in teaching leaves out the knowledge of Indigenous peoples. To implement change, there is going to need to be more Indigenous perspectives in teaching and learning in all areas rather than in one-off tokenistic events (Kouri, 2020). I am beginning to understand that I am going to have to make some fairly large changes in how I do things. I am going to have to do some re-learning. I hesitate to use the term “un-learn” because I don’t feel that everything I have done up to this point is invaluable, consequently, I like re-learn. 

As a result of my search, I share this video that demonstrates how difficult this journey might be. Re-learning how to ride a bike is a difficult task! However, with determination, it can be done. Like Destin’s determination to ride this backward bike, I am determined to update my practice with pedagogy that will benefit all students in my classroom. Note at the end of the video, he rides a regular bike again. This demonstrates that old knowledge should not be thrown away because it can be useful. Now, Destin can ride both types of bikes and he has grown in his capacity. For me, I am going to keep old practices that are worth keeping and work on bringing new practices that will move my teaching abilities forward.

Enjoy the video 🙂

I can see myself using this video as a provocation for a growth mindset.

Reference

Kouri, S. (2020). Settler Education: Acknowledgement, Self-Location, and Settler Ethics In Teaching and Learning.International Journal of Child, Youth & Family Studies, 11(3), 56-79.

M4, E4: Indigenous STEAM resources for families, teachers, and communities

Module 4: Ecological Issues in Indigenous Education and Technology

Entry 4: Indigenous STEAM resources for families, teachers, and communities

Another great resource for the teachers out there. Two things stand out to me when I look at this site. First, the learning activities are built on a framework of story arcs, weaving in the storytelling piece of Indigenous Knowledge systems. Second, in looking at the sister projects, I see that this organization offers learning experiences not only for students, but families as well. Including families in Indigenous STEAM activities can help to further Indigenous families in connection to their culture and non-Indigenous families to learn more about the land they live on. 

 https://indigenoussteam.org/

M4, Entry 5: ‘Contest seeking Indigenous knowledge keepers, artists and storytellers’

As my final blog post, I wanted to write about a fascinating competition I came across in my research on Indigenous use of VR and AR technology. The Share Your Roots VR Competition invites participants who are Indigenous Knowledge Keepers, storytellers, and artists to share their creative gifts and be given the chance to develop their own customized VR experience (Baiguzhiyeva, 2021). This competition is a partnership with the Indigenous-owned ORIGIN, Uber, and the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB) with the aim of educating both Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth in the long-term pursuit of reconciliation (Baiguzhiyeva, 2021).

ORIGIN has a VR-based application called ImmersiveLink, designed with career exploration in addition to Indigenous cultural awareness embedded within it; the app, when combined with Oculus headsets, immerses users in 360-degree VR tours (Baiguzhiyeva, 2021). I would personally like to see initiatives that bring VR technology to Indigenous youth more directly and their communities to foster experimentation, creativity, and ultimately education. Even for Indigenous youth who do not intend to pursue careers involving VR, the technology can still serve as a ‘guide’ to exploring a variety of educational paths and career options available to them in immersive and engaging ways (e.g., environmentalism, social work, law, teaching, etc.).

References

Baiguzhiyeva, D. (2021). Contest seeking Indigenous knowledge keepers, artists and storytellers. Toronto Star. Retrieved from https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2021/03/19/contest-seeking-indigenous-knowledge-keepers-artists-and-storytellers.html

M4, E3: Indigenous relationship with the buffalo

Module 4: Ecological Issues in Indigenous Education and Technology

Entry 3: Indigenous relationship with the buffalo

I was lucky enough to be in the car when this replay of CBC Radio’s Ideas: The Buffalo was playing. This 3-part radio series originally aired in 2020 and tells the story of the Indigenous people’s relationship with the buffalo. The part that piqued my interest was the discussion of the buffalo hunt and the technology used by the Indigenous people to control buffalo herds. We talk about technology in this class, but I really liked the perspective on how living in close connection with the land and observing the world allowed communities to meet their needs without what we consider “technology”. In addition, hearing a variety of people tell their stories is a very grounding experience. I have only listened to part one, but I am finishing it up this week. 

CBC Radio. (2020). Ideas: The buffalo. [Audio]. https://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/radio-series-explores-revered-relationship-between-indigenous-peoples-and-the-buffalo-1.5735457

M4, E2: For-Credit Summer Camp

Module 4: Ecological Issues in Indigenous Education and Technology

Entry 2: For-Credit Summer Camp

I am currently searching for concrete examples of Indigenous STEAM opportunities for students that will directly inform my final project. Much of what I have found encourages the use of place based education and promotes hands-on learning to engage, excite, and inspire students to choose careers in STEAM. This study provided recommendations to reduce barriers to STEAM education such as involving families and adopting more of a summer camp model when approaching the teaching of STEAM classes.  The authors found that challenges in K-12 STEAM education “include lack of capacity by teachers, lack of relevant curricula, lack of adequate facilities, and, most fundamentally, a lack of resources.”

I can relate to these problems as a teacher and parent and understand the struggle of trying to make STEAM education relevant in classrooms that have a lack of resources and time, very large class sizes, and combined with many interruptions to learning (everything from pandemics to bake sales) that reduce instructional time. 

I was excited to learn about a summer camp organized by Actua that provides students with those engaging, hands-on STEAM experiences that are also for credit. I think this is a creative way of blending the best of both worlds. It makes me start to rethink how I could teach some outcomes in a field trip format instead of in traditional methods and how I could set things up to really engage learners.  

 

CBC News. (2018, July 17). New summer camp offers STEM education from an Indigenous perspective. CBC News. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/new-summer-camp-offers-stem-education-from-an-indigenous-perspective-1.4750527 

Kerr, J., Hess, D. Smooth, C., & Hadfield, M. (2018). Recognizing and Reducing Barriers to Science and Math Education and STEM Careers for Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders. CBE – Life Sciences Education 17 (4). https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.18-06-0091

M4: Entry 2 -‘I regret it’: Hayden King on writing Ryerson University’s territorial acknowledgement

Hayden King is a professor of Indigenous politics and policy at Ryerson University. In an interview on the program CBC program, Unreserved, he discusses the territorial acknowledgement that he wrote for the University in 2013.  As these acknowledgements become more commonplace he addresses how they have become superficial and ineffective, doing a disservice to the treaties.  He would like to see the acknowledgements updated to include a statement of action at the end.   “This is the land that we’re on and this is what we’re going to do to breathe life into our obligations to those communities and those treaties.” (King, 2019)

 

 

CBC Radio. (2019, January 18). ‘I regret it’: Hayden King on writing Ryerson University’s territorial acknowledgement. https://www.cbc.ca/radio/unreserved/redrawing-the-lines-1.4973363/i-regret-it-hayden-king-on-writing-ryerson-university-s-territorial-acknowledgement-1.4973371