Indigenous Perspectives

 

The two articles I read for this post were built on each other. The first is Pedagogical Pathways for Indigenous Education with Teacher Education by Brooke Madden, followed by Integrating Aboriginal Teaching and Values into the Classroom by Dr. Pamela Rose Toulouse. The first look at teaching pre-service teachers how to ensure they use the right pedagogical approach when incorporating and doing justice to Indigenous learning and living. The latter focuses on helping teachers who have been in the classroom to incorporate Indigenous ways of learning and living into their already carefully curated practice. The two articles have the same goal: effectively using Indigenous knowledge and practices in the classroom to ensure our Indigenous students feel valued, seen and appreciated. Additionally, our non-indigenous students understand the history and consequences and have an understanding and appreciation for the way of life.

 

Teetering the line between exposing students to the horrific realities of colonization and the horrors that came with it and showing the immaculate culture and way of life of different Indigenous groups can be challenging. Students need to understand the history, but as

 Madden mentions we need to be careful that  “pedagogical methods intended to foster empathy” do not “reinscribe colonial ways of knowing about Aboriginal-non-Aboriginal relationships” as we need to be cautious that we do not only portray Indigenous peoples as “ victims provided solutions and support by the ‘all-knowing’ non-Aboriginal ‘rescuers’” (Madden, 2015,  p. 9).

 

In Toulouse’s work, she suggests ways of including Indigenous knowledge and practices in positive ways to help Indigenous students feel welcomed in the classroom, which I believe can be used in the school to share knowledge and ways of learning. Her recommendations are as follows:

 

• Celebrate individual achievements and cultural backgrounds
• Engage the student at a physical, emotional-mental, intellectual and spiritual level
• Use a variety of teaching methods with a particular emphasis on holism, visual organizers, kinesthetic opportunities and reflection.
• Create an environment where humour and “group talk” are accepted

Toulouse, 2008, p. 3

 

These suggestions can benefit every student in the classroom while utilizing First People’s Principles of Learning (FPPL) (see attached image). Both Toulouse and the FPPL adhere to Madden’s opening statement,

 

“respect for Indigenous knowledge and traditional approaches to teaching and learning; integration of content that is relevant to, and builds upon, Indigenous students' relational views of human, natural, and spirit worlds; reciprocal teaching and learning relationships that disrupt a teacher/student hierarchy; and the teaching that, with knowledge, comes responsibility to one's relations, including future generations.” (Madden, 2015, P. 1)

 

This statement inspires me to ensure I am rooting all my lessons and units in the First Peoples Principles of Learning to ensure that I am doing my part to make sure that  Indigenous methods are being shared “through honoring both the teachings and the traditional modes through which they are transmitted” (Madden, 2015, p.12). Madden ends her paper with some questions you can ask yourself to ensure you are doing just that:

“What are the traces of this interpretation?

How is this linked to, yet deviates from, Indigenous traditional models of teaching?

How does this respond to the needs of Indigenous students and communities?”  

(Madden, 2015, p. 13)

 

As this course progresses, I am challenged to keep my mind open to the evolution of my definitions of innovation, teaching and learning. These two readings reminded me that personal innovation does not need to be innovative for everyone; we don’t need to recreate the wheel for everyone to broaden our teaching practice. Sometimes, personal innovation is looking to old practices or practices you are unfamiliar with to enhance how you teach and your students learn.

 

 

Resources

Madden, B. (2015). Pedagogical Pathways for Indigenous education with/in teacher education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 51, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2015.05.005

 

Toulouse, P. R. (2008). Integrating Aboriginal teaching and values into the classroom. Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat.