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Talking circle

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I was in the inner circle today!

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Talking Circle

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Cassie's point about seeing indigenous education and content as more than just a social studies unit is so powerful. By moving past the curriculum requirements and seeing how powerful incorporating indigenous learning into all subjects areas can be, we are decolonizing education. Highlighting indigenous ways of being and knowing in all areas is crucial. Because there are lessons to be taught and understood that fit in with all concepts and subjects. I think we need to normalize this way of looking at indigenous education and education as a whole.

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I like the conversation regarding seamless education. It's so important. Indigenous education simply isn't reciting information, rather, its gaining a perspective that can be integrated to all aspects of life because it's how we see the world, and ourselves within the world simultaneously. Indigenous education is so important for Indigenous students because it allows them to return to their community and contribute in a way that is meaningful but doesn't take away from where they come from or dismiss that knowledge- rather they can see how these two worlds and understandings can work to enhance each other. I think in consideration of this perspective we can thus see how it would benefit Non-Indigenous students too. Indigenous education and western education working together in unison doesn't only benefit the Indigenous students, but it gives Non-Indigenous students tools to give back to their own community and stay true to that community but also contribute a valuable perspective that honours Indigenous values. I think we are somewhat hesitant when it comes to incorporating Indigenous knowledge because we see it as foreign, and we think to incorporate Indigenous knowledge we need to dismiss everything we know. Indigenous knowledge and western knowledge doesn't need to be grouped individually, rather, being able to find the gaps in which they "fill each other up" benefits all identities, and doesn't value one way of being over the other.

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I believe having Indigenous events and celebrations brought into the school helps to break down the "Fort Walls" so to speak. Experience is often the best teacher, seeing, feeling, hearing, using all senses helps cement understanding. The one caution I see, and one I believe we need to be conscious of as educators, is ensuring we don't perpetuate the "Mythical" stereotyping that occurs in movies and books. Showing our Indigenous leaders/peoples in every day life is imperative to dissolving these stereotypes.

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I like Jen's remark about how FPPoL should be integrated in holistic way, not just as part of Social Studies. FPPoL can be taught through all the curriculum. The FPPoL should be considered a teaching philosophy rather than a single topic to be cover in the curriculum.

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I like Jen's remark about how FPPoL should be integrated in holistic way, not just as part of Social Studies. FPPoL can be taught through all the curriculum. The FPPoL should be considered a teaching philosophy rather than a single topic to be cover in the curriculum.

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GC

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The point on bringing all aspects of the students and education together in a holistic and seamless way is so interesting for me to reflect on. I am beginning to connect and make a better understanding of introducing Indigenous ways of knowing and being within the curriculum. Cassies point of teaching Indigenous content through an Indigenous lens instead of the Eurocentric lens is extremely important and such a great way to be authentic about what is being tought.

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I like Adriana's point about extending the connection from school to home by inviting the parents into the child's learning. I think it is important we all share and invite different community into the classroom where we can see what each other is like and build that holistic connection in the classroom.

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I agree Adriana! It is so important to connect with families during positive moments. I think that is something we really need to remember and will help so much in connecting with families.

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I think it's great that there are now Indigenous support workers within the school to integrate more Indigenous knowledge into the classroom. I remember that when I was in elementary school, we learned about Indigenous peoples but it always felt like there was some disconnect.
A disconnect between the things that Indigenous people had to suffer through and our learning in the moment. In elementary school I don't remember the teachers connecting the teachings to how Indigenous people still have to live and how we can start reconciliation. I think this also relates to what Cassie was saying about how Indigenous knowledge should be weaved into the curriculum rather than a specific topic that needs to be a checked box.

I also like how Adrianna mentioned how we can make an activity or lesson about the variety of cultures we have and how we can be inclusive of all cultures.

I love Adrianna's idea of calling the families when something good happens and not only just when bad or difficult things happen. That this is allowing to see a more holistic view of the child not just the good and bad separately.

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I think that it is incredible that these events happened at Grandview Elementary. I know this school, and worked with some of the students in their after school program. (Not at the same time as this article) A lot of these students come from challenging homes and difficult life situations. I think that having these events would be very healing for many of the students I knew there.

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Well said Cassie and Adriana. It is important for teachers to be thoughtful and intentional when including parents into the learning community of the classroom. Meaningful involvement opens the door of communication and trust.

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I completely agree with Adriana & Cassie. I think it's important for students to draw connections with what we are teaching. The same way we make connections with Math, Language Arts, Science etc. we need to give that same importance to Indigenous education and practices. Not just make it a box to check off and meeting the curriculum requirements. I also think it's a great idea to give parents and families an open invitation that way we are educating them as a whole rather than just the student. If parents are also given knowledge its more likely for them to carry out practices and continue learning and practicing.

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The importance of inviting families into the school, rather than an open invitation. In this school, the invitation was into traditional Indigenous practice. The families were invited to participate or collaborate- in whatever way they were able. It enabled everyone to join and learn where they were at. The celebration of Indigenous ceremony at the school- especially a school as Grandview, with such a high population of Indigenous students truly is an act of reconciliation.

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Great points, Cassie, Adriana and Deanica. There's such an important difference between valuing and incorporating Indigenous content meaningfully into the classroom vs including Indigenous content to 'check a box' without considering authenticity and understanding. This conversation about creating connections between school, family, and community benefits all students.

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I agree with Adriana's point of inviting over Indigenous speakers with purpose. Having open doors for Indigenous peoples is great but its not as meaningful and relational as inviting them into your classroom with intent and purpose. Creating a project that both the teacher and Indigenous support teacher/volunteer/parents can work on together with the students that allows the students and teachers alike to build relations with each other as well as to the Indigenous culture and community is what is really going to benefit the students and allow them to learn and unlearn.

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The article was great at providing examples on ho to incorporate Indigenous families and creating a safe environment for them to participate in school activities. Also, being aware of the generational trauma and being cautious in how we make them feel welcome. The point that was made about the survey for parents or family members to fill out is a great starting point so that assumptions are not made. Just because a person is indigenous does not mean they know their indigenous culture.

Cassie point about not teaching in a Eurocentric way and teaching through Indigenous practices and to be authentic in the approach is key to not just checking the box as Adrianna pointed out.

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I connected with Adriana's point about making the connection between school and home and extending the invitation to the parents to be involved with their child's learning. I also liked her idea about how to bring the community into the classroom and sharing their learning. It would be interesting to see this implemented starting in a neighborhood surrounding the school where a holistic connection surrounding is being built.

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I agree with Jordan's point of incorporating the perspectives of Elders, and creating opportunities for intergenerational learning.
Deanica's point of ensuring that every Indigenous child feels validated is really important. We need to be mindful not to use "Indigenous" as an umbrella term, and ensure students can see their individual culture represented in the Indigenous practices we use in our classrooms.
Being an "ally" is not a title you can give yourself. If you do the work from your heart, others will view you as an ally.

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Adriana brings up a great point on how it is important to integrate Indigenous families and communities within the classroom and school community in a meaningful and purposeful way, as opposed to just an open invitation. Taking the time to find out what is important and meaningful that Indigenous Elder's, or community members could bring to your school to offer an authentic learning experience, while also working toward building a more positive impactful relationship that is ongoing, rather than just to be used as a once off to check off that box as Deanica had mentioned. Goes back again to what we have spoken about so much within our program of building relationships first before any meaningful learning can take place.

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I like Adriana's point on holding a true meaning and putting respect on the activity that is being done. As well as connecting families to the lessons that are being taught to their children. By inviting and allowing these connections it can be more meaningful to the knowledge being passed on to the students.

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I like Adrianna's point about having an explicit invitation creates meaning. By having a support worker, it can help reconciliation and connect the bridge from parents and school in a respectful and meaningful way. It is important to create meaningful content instead of just ticking the box. Deanica brings up a good point of being mindful that there are a variety of different cultures that can be in a classroom so it is important to be aware of the differences that each student brings.

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I think it is an important reminder that, when considering about how to involve and offer invitations to Indigenous parents and communities to share with schools, that one must remember that Indigenous communities and peoples are not homogenous. To not assume about what one's traditions and culture may be.

Throughout this course and semester, I have learned that Indigenous teachings can absolutely be incorporated and interwoven with other areas of study. We completed an activity just this morning about incorporating Indigenous knowledge with art (in a meaningful instead of in a tokenistic way!). What I find discouraging is that I have not seen such intersectionality and this type of interweaving in the schools in which I have worked. I would like to witness more of this happening in schools.

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Good points being brought up. For so long Indigenous families have been taught to hide away their culture and not to teach their children how they have grown up because of their trauma. We cannot automatically assume that because someone is Indigenous that they will know everything there is to know. It is our job as educators to allow for even Indigenous students to learn about their culture as well especially when learning and playing on traditional territory.

I agree with what Adriana said that there are these one on one connections being built but community connection is extremely important. Robert brought up a great point about how do we create a seamless connection.

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I like Adrianna's point about making learning and activities meaningful. I agree that having a support teacher in the classroom would have a positive impact on the relationship between the school and the families, in a way that is respectful and contributing the reconciliation. It is a way that makes the families feel safe and understood while bringing indigenous education into the classroom. I also liked how a lot of the projects discussed took place across the whole school year, which gives students the opportunity to take a deep dive into the content, bring in different curricular areas and allows families to be involved throughout the year.

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Adriana talked about meaningful invitations and connecting home life to school, and how that is really important. Assuming that parents would know about their indigenous heritage based solely off go the fact that they are indigenous is highly presumptive. Having an indigenous support worker in the school can facilitate a connection to their roots with children who may not be immersed in their culture is great. It not only helps the child but also the family to reconnect with their culture and their traditions. Alongside this, we also need to understand that indigenous cultures are not all the same. We need to celebrate all traditions and cultures. Lumping all indigenous groups together under an indigenous umbrella is disrespectful and shows how little someone cares.

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It is really important to incorporate Indigenous knowledge and practices into the classroom. Particularly for Indigenous students to be able to celebrate their culture and connect with aspects of their culture that they may not have learned yet. I agree with Adriana’s point to build connections within the community through personal invitation as an act of reconciliation. It brings parents and community members together who may have had a disconnect from the school system and even heritage. This step can increase involvement within the community to contribute to these kinds of events and celebrations and can be a valuable learning experience for all. It is also valuable to have Indigenous resources teachers within the school community to support Indigenous students and bridge gaps that may exist.

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I agree with Cassie that it took too long, until 2009, for there to be mandates that we teach Indigenous education and ensure that Indigenous students are success at school.  Adriana brought up a great point that we need to take the time to invite the families and incorporate their knowledge into our classroom. I like how Adriana said that by inviting them in a meaningful way this makes the family feel valued, connected, respected and welcomed into the schools.

Bringing students information to the classroom is so important. If the individual students want to share their practices and culture, then have them share this information with the class so everyone can get to know each other and have respect for each other.

I like Adriana's point about how communities need to as well be involved to make communities more positive, more knowledgeable. Ex: what gifts to give people, what is sacred and important to that person not just "Indigenous people" in a general sense, more personal to show respect.

Yes!! Indigenous education is not just social studies, it is not a checklist, it is embedded to EVERY area of our curriculum. A more holistic approach. As Jen said, I want to Indigenize education in a holistic way because it positively affects ALL.
But, as Deanica reminds us, before reconciliation is TRUST. build trust with the students, the families, the local Indigenous community before anything else.

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I agree with Cassie that it took a long time to incorporate Indigenous knowledge into the education system. I thought Adrianna's point about building that connection between school and community through inviting each student instead of giving an open invitation was so important. It can definitely feel like they're ticking off a checklist. I also liked how Adrianna addressed the intergenerational effect of schooling and how some parents might feel disconnected from their own culture and the sudden invitation to create bannock might be difficult for them. I think these invitations can be seen as an act of reconciliation between schools and parents as well - for them to reconnect with the community that the school is.

I also think that incorporating Indigenous pedagogy throughout the class is so important instead of teaching it like a social studies unit. It's an important step towards decolonizing our education system - acknowledging the strengths of Indigenous knowledge.

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I think the bridge that crosses between home life and school life tends to be a bit broken and wobbly. School teaches one way and home could teach another when there isn't a big connection between the two. I liked how Adriana talked about how if you have Aboriginal Days at school, those Indigenous students might go home and tell their parents that they need to make bannock when the parents don't know how to do that. As educators we can't assume about a student's home life because we don't know unless we ask. The big question is, what can be do to fix the bridge and make better connections between school and home life?

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Allowing students, whether Indigenous or not, to have opportunities where they can include their families and cultural teachings/knowledge into their school experiences would be a great way to foster truth and reconciliation. Students' lives encompass so much more than just school, so it makes sense to give them the chance to bridge together all aspects of their lives for the purpose of meaningful learning. This holistic approach, as Robert described, would most likely benefit all students in the sense that they would feel their home communities are valued and are sources of knowledge that can be drawn from.

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I really like Adriana's idea of giving students the opportunity to share their families' culture and tradition. This is important as it draw connections amongst each other and it would create meaning into teaching. I also like what Adriana, Cassie, and Deanica mentioned about having potlucks in the school; where famillies are invited to share part of their culture and students' parents are welcomed to join. This demonstrates a sense of belonging in the classroom and in the school.

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Thank you Adrianna for sharing your perspectives of the meaningful interconnections of Indigenous projects impacts on student self in a meaningful way. In the district that I am currently in, our district provides Aboriginal Resource Centres where it lists the resources teachers can use that are subject-based and for the appropriate grade level. There are also protocols on particular Indigenous practices that teachers should be cognizant to respect the Indigenous traditional ways and ceremonies.

In regards to Jordan's comment, I can agree that students learning from Elders' voices is critically important. Hearing Elders' raw knowledge is beneficial because they have the authentic lived experiences and knowledge from their Indigenous upbringing.

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It's critical to include Indigenous education and treat it with the same attention as other subjects. As teachers, I believe we must be conscious of how we incorporate Indigenous education into our classrooms and ensure that we teach it through an Indigenous lens. I also believe that organizing family events and taking the effort to welcome families to school is a great way to strengthen the bond between home and school.

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I agree with Cassie and Adriana in that there is value in an explicit invitation, as opposed to an open invitation, making it far more meaningful. Like Deanica said, it is more than just ticking the box, it shows that their thoughts, stories, and understandings are wanted and valued in the classroom environment.

I like what Deanica said about not pan-Indigenizing, but incorporating a variety of knowledges and understandings based on where you are located and who you have in your class. It is important to remember that every single person comes to the table with different contexts, regardless of where they are from; therefore, we must understand people's knowledges and understandings to be unique and personal.

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Having school events that are inclusive of Indigenous parents and communities specifically allows the community to make more meaningful connections between home and school, especially since there may still be that disconnect between the two. Having that collaboration introduces indigenous traditions and cultural practices in a way that is valued and supportive.

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Talking Circle