Photo by Archkris on Wikimedia Commons, featuring the Honourable Murray Sinclair, Chief Commisioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada
The courageous voices that came forward to reveal the horrors of the Indian residential school system, coupled with the ensuing Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, have shed light on a dark and previously neglected chapter in Canadian history. Through the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Canadians have been given the opportunity to learn and reflect on this history. To guide the path toward reconciliation, the Commission issued 94 Calls to Action in June 2015, several of which directly impact student life in all Canadian schools:
63. We call upon the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada to maintain an annual commitment to Aboriginal education issues, including:
Developing and implementing Kindergarten to Grade Twelve curriculum and learning resources on Aboriginal 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 Aboriginal history.
Building student capacity for intercultural understanding, empathy, and mutual respect.
Identifying teacher-training needs relating to the above.
64. We call upon all levels of government that provide public funds to denominational schools to require such schools to provide an education on comparative religious studies, which must include a segment on Aboriginal spiritual beliefs and practices developed in collaboration with Aboriginal Elders.
Responses to these recommendations have varied across Canada, with their impact seen at both the provincial and individual school levels. For example, Alberta is currently developing a new K-12 curriculum that is committed to "include Indigenous perspectives in historical and contemporary contexts," with the elementary curriculum explicitly incorporating Indigenous worldviews in science (Alberta Government). In Quebec, a professional teaching competency focused on promoting Indigenous ways of learning has been adopted by individual schools, including McGill University:
Key elements of competency 15:
Create respectful and welcoming learning environments that connect and reflect to the holistic lifelong vision of education.
Actively engage in cultural security practices including cultural consciousness, awareness and competence.
Value Indigenous culture, language, land and knowledge in the classroom and in relations with families and the community.
Provide culturally responsive Indigenous instruction and assessment.
Develop respectful professional relationships with Indigenous learners, parents and community.
Incorporate Indigenous ways of learning and teaching in the classroom and of those on the land.
Recognize that each learner is part of a greater and wider family and community that contribute to his/her lifelong learning journey.
Participate in opportunities that involve establishing connections with students, colleagues, parents, the community and its members as well as connections to place.
Know how to select authentic material to address Indigenous culture and history.
Engage in a continuous learning process and see yourself a learner, not an expert.
Embedded within these initiatives is the idea that "we are not experts" on these topics. For Canadians, especially those new to this perspective, incorporating Indigenous approaches in education can seem daunting. As Restoule (2011) notes, non-Indigenous teachers might feel a pervasive "hesitance" when addressing these topics, out of fear of cultural appropriation. However, this hesitance and fear of the unknown can limit the transformative potential of education across Turtle Island if Indigenous pedagogy is not embraced.
Without realizing it, teachers may already be integrating elements of Indigenous pedagogy into their practices. The more we familiarize ourselves with these methods, the more we discover that they have already influenced our pedagogical decisions, sometimes even under different names. For instance, after conducting my lessons in the form of an Indigenous circle, I realized that Western schools have a similar approach known as the Harkness method. On a broader scale, educators' understanding of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs can be deepened by recognizing Maslow's influence from the Blackfoot in Siksika and their commitment to cultural perpetuity.
Sources:
Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada. (2021, June 22). Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1450124405592/1529106060525
Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada. (2019, October 20). Indian Residential Schools. https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1100100015576/1571581687074
Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada. (2019, May 10). Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement. https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1524504501233/1557513602139
Government of Alberta. (n.d.). Education for reconciliation. https://www.alberta.ca/education-for-reconciliation#:~:text=All%20new%20curriculum%20developed%20in,in%20historical%20and%20contemporary%20contexts
First Nations Education Council. (2021, January). Competency 15: Professional competency aimed at promoting Indigenous students’ educational success and well-being. https://cepn-fnec.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Competency-15-ANG.pdf
Restoule, J. (2011). Everything is alive and everyone is related: Indigenous knowing and inclusive education.
Bray, B. (2019, March 10). Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and Blackfoot Nation beliefs. Rethinking Learning. https://barbarabray.net/2019/03/10/maslows-hierarchy-of-needs-and-blackfoot-nation-beliefs/
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