Two things that really stood out to me during this session were the idea of acknowledging more than one perspective/acknowledging other ways of learning, as well as a question (and answer) that came up about how to decolonize/Indigenize assessment. 

Carolyn Roberts made us think about how, as teachers/teacher candidates, we can bring in other/multiple/different perspectives into the classroom. The idea of acknowledging and talking about more than one perspective, as well as acknowledging different ways of learning, really resonated with me. Carolyn explained the idea of perspectives through a lesson plan on dams, and gave examples of questions we could ask students (ie. who is the dam impacting? Whose livelihood depends on the dam being here? What animals are being affected? Who chose to put the dam here?). It reminds us that there is more than one side to a story. It also reminded me that the First People’s Principles of Learning are one of these ways of learning that are not (or have not been) present in our school systems. This encourages me to talk about these perspectives in the classroom, which could help students make different kinds of connections to what they are doing or what/how they are learning.

I interpreted the different ways of learning as acknowledging that all students are in different places in their learning journey, regardless of the “grade” they are in (which was also talked about by Carolyn). I suppose an advantage of the art classroom, in terms of age/grade level, is that there is often a range of grade levels/ages/abilities in each class (or at least, what I know from my experience up until now). This has me thinking about how I can keep assignments open ended, or allow for many different possibilities for learning depending on the student/learner. Schools can often put students into boxes, but I hope that students will feel like they have a bit more freedom and autonomy in the classes I teach.  

The second thing that stood out to me was the question about decolonizing/Indigenizing assessment (I think Selena asked the question!). For those of us taking the assessment course right now, I’m sure many of us read the most recent reading about getting rid of rubrics, which I am very on board with. Again, I’m thinking in terms of an art classroom here, so I don’t know how this would work in other subjects or how teachers from other subjects feel about this, but I really love the idea of having discussions and giving verbal/written/personal feedback rather than rating students on a scale. Even a proficiency scale that isn’t a letter/number grade is still a scale. Earlier today in that assessment class, someone brought up how there is a conflict between honouring that students are at different parts of a learning journey, but that we still having to assess them against a competency/curriculum. Selena's question in the symposium chat reminded me of this comment. It really has me thinking about the impacts of how we assess, and how assessment is a western/colonial system used to rate and kind of decide who moves ahead and who doesn’t. I have/do benefit(ed) from this system. It has me feeling a bit frustrated because I know in the current school system, even if we don’t give a grade for assignments, we have to give a final course mark. But I don’t think grades are always proof of learning... It becomes a bit daunting thinking about how to dismantle this... During the Q&A at the end, Arlo Kempf mentioned something about teachers (or professors?) who were getting punished or fired for giving students As as long as they were engaged with learning (I think I heard this right?! ie. the grade was kind of arbitrary, the teacher/prof just wanted the students to feel like they were learning no matter what). I remember asking one of my professors last semester if I could just give all the students As as long as they were just willing to show up and learn, so this comment definitely made my eyebrows raise a bit when I heard it (if I heard it correctly!).

Some final (pretty big) takeaways for me from this evening’s talk were about stepping into discomfort, being “Imperfect Accomplices”, and situating ourselves/our perspectives in the work that we do. It feels scary for sure, to be uncomfortable, and as Arlo mentioned, and Sheila reiterated in her post, as a white person I’ve had the luxury of walking away from uncomfortable situations. But not taking action is starting to feel more uncomfortable (if that makes sense). I know I need to put in the work, and actually do the work (not just think about it or say it).

There was so much more from the talks this evening that I feel like I still need to process… I’m thankful for the opportunity to have attended. 

As I reflect on this series, I think about how we are all responsible for and implicated in challenging colonialism in our classrooms. As a settler on this land, Il inherit a legacy of injustice and a history of dehumanizing laws and acts. We need to challenge our deep-seated beliefs in order to transform the institutions that hold power. We need to understand that colonization is not a discrete event that happened in the distant past, it is the foundation of so many structures that continue to perpetuate unjust outcomes in the lives of Indigenous peoples. I see the biggest violence perpetrated by settlers was the forced separation of Indigenous people from their land, knowledge, language, and culture. I was intrigued by Marie Battiste's concept of "Deconstruction and Reconstruction". I see it as a useful framework for thinking about how we can enact meaningful change going forward. We need to think about the restitution of Indigenous peoples' spiritual and economic autonomy and their dignity. We need to rethink our relationship to the land and learn from the sustainable practices and connections that Indigenous peoples have had with the land for centuries. I found myself pausing often to take notes on the parts that I want to include in my teaching philosophy.

I also watched Jo-ann Archibald’s two talks on Indigenous Storytelling/Storywork. As an English teacher, I felt inspired by the stories she told. Stories get to the root of what it means to be human and how we make sense of our experiences. Indigenous storytelling practices deeply involve the values and knowledges of ancestors, family members, elders, community members. As I write this I see the spellchecker freak out over “knowledges”! We can adopt these frameworks, as well as the FPPL, to engage in reflection about our profound connections to the land and other beings. Jan Hare’s series also discussed how stories are powerful for relationship building, as we relate to our students by sharing stories and listening to theirs. Beyond this, we should also engage students in listening, participating, and contributing to stories. Stories are not just one-sided dialectical lectures. They are dynamic. They involve the principles of reciprocity. responsibility, reverence, respect, synergy, holism, and interrelatedness. To me, respect stands out the most. It is about acknowledging that there is no one right view of the world. I hope to include Coyote’s story about two-eyed seeing in my storytelling unit. There is no one right way to tell a story. I was feeling apprehensive before about putting a criterion on my project for “storyline structure”, because I don’t believe that students should view stories in any structured or predictable way. Moreover, educators have responsibilities as storytellers/ We choose the stories we tell and how we frame them will have an impact on how open students are to new knowledges. I want my students to see stories as cyclical, history as reiterative, and human beings as fluid and interconnected.

First, one of the principle parts of Indigenous pedagogy is found in the connection between what one does in the course of ones day, the practices of life, and its meaning to the culture and history of which it is a part. In attempting to teach students to understand the cultures that existed in what would become North America since time immemorial, deriving meaning from daily practices and acts and from cultural knowledges should be at the centre of what I am teaching. Helping students draw connections between these acts and the way that it informed and shaped Indigenous societies. Rather than looking at a society from the top down, as we often do for Western societies and others, and to see them as distinct from the practices of the people and their daily life, looking at societies from the ground up can give us insight into what a society means to the people who are a part of it. This practice need not only be applied to Indigenous societies. It can also be used to examine other societies and understand how the daily habits and rhythms of life shape society.

Secondly, a circular framework to understand history is invaluable in the study of history and how it has shaped and been shaped by society; one of the key features of the social studies curriculum. Many of the topics that I will be choosing to cover with my students are connected to the modern world, and seeing the circularity that is inherent in historical trends will help students to grasp why it is important to examine and learn from the stories we tell about the past. In addition, one of the Principles of First Peoples Learning is that learning should benefit the learner. Being able to help students understand and comprehend the world they live in now by examining the past, seems lie a way not only to make social studies relevant, but also beneficial to students.

Thirdly, one of the repeated ideas was that of being a learner as well as a teacher. In studying and learning and teaching we need to be humble and to be open to learning as teachers. Letting my students act as guides and giving them greater agency and choice as well as listening to them and their needs is something that I want to be central to my practice as a teacher. As one of my professors in the B.Ed program is fond of reminding us: The word assess comes from the latin word which means to sit beside. Sitting beside my students as we both journey into learning together and building a relational practice seems like an excellent way to build a classroom where everyone will be able to be successful in what every way is important to them.

 

If I have learned anything from this symposium, it is to view everything I do as a future educator with multiple viewpoints. Just because I think something is positive others might not feel the same way. At times, I will have to check myself and be humble in acknowledging that I made a mistake. My growth is the growth of my future students.