PME 811 Blog e-Journal: Programming for Reconciliation: Entry #6
My Inquiry Question:
How can education be re-conceptualized to include Indigenous knowledge and education and how does this new conception promote innovation in teaching and learning?
The Calls to Action specifically related to ‘education for reconciliation’ include:
- Make age-appropriate curriculum on residential schools, Treaties, and Indigenous peoples’ historical and contemporary contributions to Canada a mandatory education requirement for kindergarten to grade 12 students.
The TRC also calls for the Council of Ministers of Education of Canada to maintain an annual commitment to Indigenous education issues, including:
- Developing and implementing kindergarten to grade 12 curriculum and learning resources on Indigenous peoples in Canadian history, and the history and legacy of residential schools.
- Sharing information and best practices on teaching curriculum related to residential schools and Indigenous history.
- Building student capacity for intercultural under-standing, empathy, and mutual respect.
- Identifying teacher-training needs relating to the above.
Calls to Action and Teacher Responsibilities (Katz, J., 2018, p. 175-176).
What would it look like, sound like, and feel like, if school teachers did their part in action to the Calls?
- Instill in all students an appreciation for diversity, Indigenous culture and history and Indigenous contributions to Canada past and present.
- Introduce Treaty education to students so they understand the partnership that needs to be honoured as a Canadian.
- Create a trauma informed classroom where students feel safe, develop self-worth and a sense of belonging.
- Create a classroom in which the gifts of every student are sought.
- Reach out to Indigenous parents without judgement and to build bridges.
- Engage students in deep conversation and reflections about issues related to diversity, Indigenous culture and history.
- Engage students in deep conversation about Residential schools and Missing and Murdered Indigenous women.
- Engage students in learning about Indigenous perspectives through respect and empathy.
- Connect Treaty education and Indigenous perspectives across curricula.
- Create a classroom that reflects a worldview in which community and interdependence are of equal value to the individual and independence.
The aforementioned list of actions are adapted from the work of Jennifer Katz, and illustrate an excellent example of innovation in education. If each of these actions were implemented with fidelity in classrooms across Canada, I believe we could experience a newly conceptualized education system that honours the importance of Indigenous education and knowledge. I believe that this would begin the groundswell shift needed from the dominant academic approach to curriculum to the reconceptualist or humanistic approach. "Reconceptualists focus on education's larger ideological issues and are interested in curricula's interactions with political, economic, social, moral and artistic. They see the school as an extension of society and students are capable of changing society" (Hunkins, F. P., et. al, 2016, p. 8).
References:
Katz, J. (2018). Ensouling our schools: A universally designed framework for mental health, well-being, and reconciliation. Portage & Main Press.
Hunkins, F. P., & Ornstein, A. C. (2016). Curriculum: Foundations, principles, and issues. Pearson Education.
Hi Julie,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post! I thought your inquiry question was very impactful and an important subject. I agree that educators need to do their part in action to the Calls and the list of strategies you included are excellent examples of what we can do. I hope to have more professional development on the subject so I am confident in teaching my students and why it is so important to learn, acknowledge and support.
All the best,
Kathleen
Hello Julie,
ReplyDeleteYour inquiry question is incredibly relevant and important in todays education landscape. I have enjoyed reading your posts and becoming more knowledgeable on the subject and thinking of ways I can integrate these ideas into my practice. Your posts have been organized in a way that build on each other as you continue to explore the topic. The word “Engage” is used several times in the list of Calls to Action which really highlights the importance of these conversations and discussions within the classroom.
Looking forward to continuing to visit your blog during the coming weeks,
Anthony
Hi Julie,
ReplyDeleteI found this post really interesting and informative, as this is definitely an important topic for educators to learn more about. I sometimes wonder if I am teaching my students about residential schools in an age-appropriate way, as I find it’s a balance between wanting to provide them with enough information without making them anxious or scared (I teach Grade 1/2). I feel like I have done a decent job implementing many of the “actions” from that list, but there is obviously so much more that I could do. Reading this list of actions reminds me how important it is for us as educators to implement these calls to action, as I was not even aware of residential schools when I was in elementary and high school, and I was ignorant about the treaties and many other indigenous topics.