PME 811 Blog e-Journal: What is Indigenous Education? Taking a First Look...Entry #3

My Ongoing 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?

What is Indigenous education?

In thinking about my inquiry question, I believe it is important to establish a better understanding of Indigenous education in terms of its history and current developments. In this post I will share some of the ways in which Indigenous peoples view education as well as the traditional learning approaches employed as they compare to Western/Colonial ways of learning.

“Not all societies have schools, but all human communities possess educational systems” (Miller, J.R., 1996, p.15)

According to Miller, there are two aims of education. First, is to explain who they and their people are and second, how they are situated within the physical world. The author also states that “educational system seeks to train young people in the skills they will need to be successful and productive members of their bands, city-states, countries, or empires in later life” ((Miller, J.R., 1996, p.15). As I reviewed the article and listened to the story of Nokum is my Teacher by David Bouchard, I listened and looked for the learning approaches that were evident in the context of traditional Indigenous education. As I read and reflected, I noticed several similarities and differences in the approaches to learning when comparing Westernized educational experiences to the historical approaches of Indigenous education.

In my comparison strategy, I have summarized a variety of pedagogical approaches or elements that help to describe what Indigenous education approaches are, and are not. I chose to compare and contrast the more traditional Westernized approaches of formal education, as we know it, with those of historical approaches to Indigenous education, as informed by Miller's article.

Comparison Chart Indigenous Education Approaches v. Westernized Approaches

From my perspective, the comparison chart clearly illustrates the disparity between the Western/Colonized ways of school implementation and the Indigenous ways of knowing and learning. The dominant Westernized curriculum conception continues to be academic where subject matter is the focus and acquiring an understanding of the core disciplines involves learning its content, conceptual frameworks and ways of thinking. The academic approach "tends to be historical or philosophical and, to a lesser extent, social or practical", (Ornstein, A., et. al, 2013, p.6). Conventional pedagogies and high stakes testing are the dominant teaching and learning approaches in Westernized education systems.

In reviewing the summary chart, one burning question comes to mind: How can we possibly expect that children who have learned and been raised in these traditional models of mentorship and guidance, learn and flourish in a Westernized system that is predominantly intrusive, direct, full of routines, and institutionalized?

I realize that my comparison chart is very specific in providing a "yes" or "no" to the listed approach and I believe that it helps to illustrate the historical ways of Indigenous peoples' learning compared to Westernized approaches. I can appreciate that there are many classrooms today that do employ such practices and I wonder how more of our current education systems might use and understand this list of strategies for the benefit of all learners.

If we could add elements of Indigenous culture, perspectives, and history to our curriculums and school environments, along with the intentional use of historical approaches to learning, I believe that all of our children, Indigenous and non-Indigenous allies will benefit.

This analysis is informed by a variety of sources of evidence including, my learnings from PME course 810, Integrated Planning, Instruction, and Assessment.

References:

• Bouchard, D. (2015).  Nokum is My Teacher
• Miller, J. R. (1996). Shingwauk's vision: A history of Native residential schools. University of Toronto Press.
• Ornstein, A. C., & Hunkins, F. P. (2013). Curriculum: Foundations, principles, and issues (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson. Read part of Chapter 1, pp. 1-8.