Tag Archives: culture

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/

MODULE 4 – ENTRY 4: What Matters in Indigenous Education: Implementing a Vision Committed to Holism, Diversity and Education

This site pertains to what the ongoing issues are for Indigenous students in ourschools. The overriding issues affecting Indigenous student achievement are a lack of awareness among teachers of the particular learning styles of Indigenous students, and a lack of understanding within schools and school boards of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit cultures, histories, and their perspective. In essence, how can we try to bridge that gap?

Public Domain photo by Shutterstock

Reference:

People for Education. (2021). What Matters in Indigenous Education: Implementing a Vision Committed to Holism, Diversity and Education. Retrieved on July 7, 2021 from https://peopleforeducation.ca/report/what-matters-in-indigenous-education/

Module 2: Post 1 – Carolyn Roberts – Reconciliation

In this TED talk, Carolyn Roberts talks about some of the Indigenous history, culture, and how to move forward in Reconciliation.

Roberts discusses the history of her family and how her three sisters and her mom went to residential schools. Her mom is unable to speak any of the languages from where she is from as she was unable to practice her language. Her mother became so shut down that she has never hugged anyone in her life. This made me extremely sad because the residential school robbed her from everything and anything. Even though residential schools are not in session today, Roberts talks about how Indigenous children are still being taken from their families. I did not want to believe it to be true but it is happening TODAY. Indigenous children are being taken from their families and put into the FOSTER CARE system and being placed into non-Indigenous homes. Roberts was put into foster care once she was born. She states that “60% of the children in foster care are Indigenous children” (TED, 2018, 6:52). Wow. Indigenous children are STILL being taken from their families. Roberts also states that “50% of Indigenous people living on reserves live in poverty [and that] 60 reservations across Canada live in boil water advisory, some have been for over 20 years” (TED, 2018, 7:54).

Roberts tells us a story about a coyote searching for his bone needle. An owl comes down to help the coyote. Owl goes in the sky to see if he can find this bone needle but can’t. Owl asks coyote, who was searching near the fire, where he had it last and he points to the bushes which was away from where he was searching. Coyote was searching by the fire because that is the only place that the fire was providing him light to see. Roberts then says, “as Canadians, what we see by the fire are the effects of our colonial system and the effects we see are the alcoholism, the drug abuse, and all that the colonial system has done to our people. We are starting to see a little more language come back but that is the easy thing that we can see by the fire. What’s going to take courage and time is to look over by the bone needle by the bushes there is a thousand piece puzzle that is made up of all that has happened in order to get to where we are today, of what we see the effects of. If I were to go over to this puzzle and take just one piece of the puzzle out. That one small piece would be the residential school system. There are 999 other pieces to this puzzle that we still need to learn about, and that we still need to educate about in order to be able to move forward in Reconciliation” (TED, 2018, 10:30). This made so much sense and it makes me want to discover what else am I unaware of. It is time to get more educated about the other 999 pieces of this puzzle.

Reference

TED. (2018, March 20). Reconciliation in your community [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5x0gIYhnCPA

M1, Entry 2: Foundational Knowledge Resources for Educators

Module 1: The Global and the Local in Indigenous Knowledge

Entry 2: Foundational Knowledge Resources for Educators

I want to take the opportunity to share 3 resources that have been provided to me as an Alberta educator. These resources have been helpful to me on my learning journey and I respect that they have been developed in partnership with Indigenous Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and our educational and professional institutions. These specific resources are focused on the Indigenous communities located within Treaty 6, 7, 8 lands. They are very extensive and are not meant to be consumed in one sitting, but they will be important to my learning this semester. As a student of this course, tasked to research a specific question related to Indigeneity, education and technology, I view building my foundational knowledge related to Indigenous ways of knowing as paramount to my ability to complete my research task.

Here is a brief overview of each resource in the order that I have used and will use them in my journey.

Education is our Buffalo. This thorough resource was published by our provincial teachers’ association and was my introduction to Indigenous Foundational Knowledge in Alberta when I started teaching here. This book helped me to build an awareness of the worldview, ways of life, and traditions of Indigenous people who live, work, and play in an area that was new to me. The value to this resource for me was giving me some confidence as a non-Indigenous educator.
Walking Together, Learn Alberta. This extensive website developed with Indigenous leaders and Alberta Education provides foundational knowledge for educators through a dozen topics that are explored through four phases: Beginning together, Respecting wisdom, Observing practice, and Exploring connections. The value of this website is elevated by the videos of Elders and Knowledge Keeps speaking on topics that range from wolview to Residential Schools to Pedagogy. Our school and city does not have a connection to a First Nation and as such does not have Elders who can visit our schools. This is one way technology can support my students by letting them hear the wisdom of these Elders. I will be using this resource this year.
Stepping Stones. Our provincial teachers’ association has been working with Elders and Knowledge Keepers to develop resources to assist educators in taking steps to develop their foundational knowledge. Each publication on topics ranging from Elder Protocol, to Alberta Metis settlements to the Sixties Scoop is intended to help educators move one step further along their path of building foundational knowledge. These resources are used at PD sessions that I attend regularly.

The significance of these foundational knowledge resources has become apparent to me since exploring the Indigenous connection to the land juxtaposed against the individualism that is promoted through the use of technology (Bowers et al., 2000) in Module 1. I have shifted the way I am viewing this professional learning from a “course I have to take” to a “journey I will travel along a path” to help increase the authenticity of this experience.

References

Alberta Education (n.d.). Walking Together: First Nations, Metis, and Inuit Perspectives in Curriculum. https://www.learnalberta.ca/content/aswt/

Alberta Teachers’ Association (n.d.). Education is our Buffalo: A Teacher’s Guide to First Nations, Metis, and Inuit Education in Alberta. https://www.albertaschoolcouncils.ca/public/download/documents/55705

Alberta Teachers’ Association (n.d.). Stepping Stones Series.https://www.teachers.ab.ca/For%20Members/Professional%20Development/IndigenousEducationandWalkingTogether/Pages/Resources.aspx

Bowers, C.A., Vasquez, M., & Roaf, M., Native People and the Challenge of Computers: Reservation Schools, Individualism, and Consumerism. American Indian, 24(2), 2000, 182-199.

M1, Entry 1: Storytelling through music: Indomitable

Module 1: The Global and the Local in Indigenous Knowledge

Entry 1: Storytelling through music: Indomitable

Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTJvpfkRRdA

DJ Shub’s award winning music video combines images, symbols, movement and sound to communicate the contrast between a world constructed by western culture and one rooted in Indigenous culture as seen through spatial, social, spirituality, and experiential dimensions.

The significance of this particular artifact connects to the theme of this Module. This work of art depicts the western world as dark and unwelcoming. The main character in this story is alone in a crowd, working as an individual, and rushing through a concrete landscape. As the story changes, he leaves this space of individuality and consumerism and travels into a more natural landscape. Meeting and greeting friends and family members and participating in his traditional culture through dance, he transforms into a vibrant, connected member of a larger community.

The art of storytelling is reinforced with the use of technology in this instance. I appreciate that the content creators are members of the Indigenous community, highlighting an example of how technology can be used to build knowledge of their culture on a global scale.

The music in this video features the Northern Cree Singer’s song “Young and Free”. While the title of the video is Indomitable. I hope that everyone who sees this post watches the video to see the resilience and unconquerable nature depicted in this story.

DJ Shub. (2016). Indomitable ft. Northern Cree Singers (Official Video) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTJvpfkRRdA