Module 4 – Post 3 – First Nations Education Steering Committee

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http://www.fnesc.ca

The First Nation Steering Committee (FNESC) is a board of 100 First Nations community representatives working to improve education for First Nations students in BC. They are active in communicating the priorities of BC First Nations to the federal and provincial government and have accomplished things such as winning the legal recognition of their authority to be decision-makers in the education of their children, and created innovative curriculum including English First Peoples 10, 11, 12 which is now being used in classrooms across BC.

The site provides resources for all levels of the education system from K-12 to post-secondary.   Some that I could see being very useful are:

BC First People Learning Resources, Books for Use in K-7 classrooms.  For non-indigenous teachers, this reference guide is a great way of ensuring that what they are choosing are authentic First People texts.

I particularly like one of the resources that they provide on their site, which is a poster that can be posted in the classroom of the First Peoples’ Principles of Learning.  It is an excellent reminder that I plan to use in my classroom from here on out.

http://www.fnesc.ca/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/PIPEL-6342c-FNESC-Learning-First-Peoples-poster-11×17.pdf

 

Module 4 Weblog – Post #4 – Healing Through Storytelling

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Through my research, I have come to understand that a key strength of digital storytelling is not simply the media file that presents the story; more specifically it is the process that led to the creation of that media.

Kookum (Grandmothers) and Youth Circles is a workbook developed to support an Equay-wuk (Women’s Group)  workshop held in the winter of 2012. This group supports the needs and interests of women in the 31 First Nation communities in remote Northwestern Ontario. The workshop and the workbook both provided opportunities for both elders and youth to consider the stories that they had to tell, including their experiences of the Residential Schools – either first hand or through inter-generational impacts.

Reviewing the workbook provides tremendous insights into the types of reflection and strategies that can help contribute to people sharing their own stories as a means of healing themselves and, in some cases, those around them.

Module 4 – Post 2 – In Our Own Words

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In Our Own Words: Bringing Authentic First Peoples Content to the K-3 classroom  was developed by the First Nations Education Steering Committee with assistance from the BC Ministry of Education. “This resource has been developed in response to desire on the part of teachers for more guidance and information on how to incorporate First Peoples materials into their instruction and assessment practices.”  The resource opens with a number of frequently asked questions including ones such as

  • What is meant by First Peoples?
  • What themes and topics might I encounter in First Peoples resources?
  • How do I find out which resources are appropriate for my local area?

There are then 8 prepared classroom units that have been developed to provide crosscurricular education surrounding a specific topic.  A convenient chart on page 25 of the document breaks down the grade level and subject area that each of the units cover.  For example, Unit 5: The Spirit of Celebration is meant for a grade 2 level and will cover curricular expectations in English, Dance, Health and Career Ed., Music, Social Studies and Visual Arts.  Each unit provides an estimated amount of time to finish, curricular connections, and detailed lesson plans (including material lists) for the entire unit, making it very accessible to teachers of all backgrounds.

http://www.fnesc.ca/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/In-Our-Own-Words-final-Apr-16-web.pdf

Module 4-Post 5 : Youth science programs

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Another source of information that I’ve found enriching is the official website that talks about the aboriginal youth and technology. The site which is sponsored by the government of Canada is specifically made to deal with this issue: Aboriginal youth and science.

http://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1312993954643/1312994422679

The site doesn’t really give a lot details about the issue itself but it does lead the reader to important separate links that provide essential information about the kind of programs aboriginal youth have received recently. I feel what the site is boosting here is the progress achieved in this respect from both sides: the designers and the learners. One of the given links that I really think useful in enhancing our understanding of the issue is the one about children:

http://www.actua.ca/

Here the programs offered for young learners are explained with some details. I think this source can be a good guide about the youth science programs

Hussain

Module 4 Weblog – Post #3 – Digital Harvest

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One of the most interesting aspects of researching digital storytelling and its use in Indigenous communities, has been the variety of initiatives supported by the strategy of digital storytelling. Digital Harvest is one such initiative. Organized in 2012 by the Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities Indigenous Food Network, the project provided an initial event/opportunity for collaboration and learning between First Nations youth and elders, which later resulted in the compilation of multimedia presentations. Once posted, these presentations, in turn, provided materials for learning in other communities.

Some of the results of the Digital Harvest project can be found on YouTube.  As part of the workshop associated with the project, the group observed the difference in the effects of traditional vs. colonial food (e.g. bacon, Kool aid, hot dogs, etc.) on their bodies, energy, etc. Not surprisingly, the traditional foods left the group energized and enthusiastic, while the colonial foods left them exhausted.

In describing the project, the project coordinator explains the strengths of the initiative in terms of …”the correlation between the traditional aspects of the oral First Nations cultural practice of storytelling and the contemporary technologies associated with digital storytelling and video production.”(http://www.indigenousfoodsvi.ca/updates/digital-harvest-2012/)

Module 4 Weblog – Post #2 – Indigenous Waves

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In searching for podcasts associated with Indigenous culture and education in Canada, I discovered a resource that originates from right here in my own city of Toronto. Indigenous Waves is a radio show, broadcast on CIUT 89.5 FM. The show’s website offers articles and podcasts organized by a range of categories relevant to Indigenous issues. One of the most recently posted podcasts is a discussion with Anishinabek Grand Council Chief Patrick Madahbee and author/educator Niigaanwewidan Sinclair regarding the First Nations Education Act, for which draft legislation was released in October.

The discussions in this podcast, like much of the media coverage at the time that the draft legislation was released, help to remind us of how the strategies of the federal government in Canada, even in 2013, are ultimately still openly controlling in their approaches. My participation in ETEC521 has instilled a type of hopefulness in me for the future of education in Canada in general, as well as Indigenous education.  However, the reality of this draft legislation is sobering and discouraging. Resources like Indigenous Waves certainly help to keep this reality in focus.

Module 4- Post 4: Teaching through technology

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A good source, I came across this week, is a report about using technology in addressing the learning needs of the aboriginal learners. Traditionally, if there are any attempts of improving or designing any learning program technology is put in the second place. This situation probably suited a period when technology was in its first steps. The link to the report I am putting here is a hub for a lot of reports that tackle different issues. I just focused on this specific report as it offers a direct and effective treatment of the issue of using technology by the aboriginal people. The link doesn’t really offer a full reading of the articles but it gives general overview of these articles. If there is a need to see the full text then you can just google the title of the article. Accessing these articles is really easy as the government of Canada has sponsored their publication. Thus they are open to the public.
http://www.conferenceboard.ca/e-library/abstract.aspx?did=66
Hussain

Module 4 – Post 5 – University of Calgary Multimedia History Tutorials

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The University of Calgary has a series of websites put together by The Applied History Research Group.  This group is comprised of faculty members from the University of Calgary and other institutions.  The research, narrative, and web design of the tutorials is done by honours level undergraduate and graduate students in the faculty of History.  The website has a copyright date of 2001, so while the page is relatively old, the information is still quite valuable.

Most of the tutorials are a general history of Canada, but there is a section on “Canada’s First Nations”. This includes a history of the First Nations People from Antiquity up to approximately the 1870s when the numbered Prairie treaties were signed.

Module 4 – Post 4 – Metis Culture and Heritage Resource Centre

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The Metis Culture and Heritage Resource Centre is an organization based in Winnipeg that has a mandate to “honour the richness of Metis culture and history through preservation, restoration, education and sharing.” They provide a newsletter, a Metis genealogy service, workshops, community outreach programs and various other community and advocacy programs.

The MCHRC website has information about all of these, as well as an online version of the newsletter, Historical Maps of the Metis culture, lessons on the Michif language, and information on many important Metis landmarks.

Module 4 – Post 3 – Nunavut Tourism

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I came to the Nunavut Tourism website while researching Inuit music.  The Library and Archives Canada webpage on traditional Inuit music references the Nunavut Tourism site as the source for much of their information.

The website appears to be a typical tourism type website with headings like “Things to See and Do”, “Where to Stay”, and “Planning Your Trip”, but a more in-depth look at the individual pages reveals that there is a wealth of information about Nunavut and Inuit Life.