I was able to be exposed to many resources this week, including readings from Battiste, a star article (http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2015/07/07/universities-decolonize-their-courses-and-campuses-goar.html) and an insightful presentation on a Master’s thesis, that all focused around the decolonization of the education system in Canada. Though the truth and reconciliation act, universities and grade level education institutions have been working toward making indigenous issues a main focus in and outside the classroom. As a university student learning to become a teacher, I find that being given the opportunity to re-examine what decolonization means and what steps can be taken to forming a more inclusive and aware community is extremely eye-opening and helpful. I find that the recognition I have gained so far in my time in the BEd program is reflective of both personal gain and noticeable advancements in the education system.
In terms of the specifics I have learned about decolonization, I think the talk given to us in class was one of the most relatable and clear demonstration of the implications of the decolonization narrative. First and foremost, I found the speakers clear distinction and explanation for using the term Indigenous instead of Native, First Nations of Aboriginal was extremely eye opening, especially as a person who is not fully aware of the distinctions but has written numerous blogs on this topic. After learning more, I want to go back and re-word all of my previous entries for this blog; the last thing I want is for my unawareness to be mistaken as disrespect. In delving more into the content of the presentation, I was a little bit stunned at how far behind the University of Ottawa seems to be in decolonizing their own realms of education. As the presenter noted, in some instances, decolonization is not even a possibility. We will never be able to remove all aspects of colonialism that have been so rooted in every aspect of our education – form what we are learning, to how we learn, to the very rooms we learn in. I found it interesting how, by looking through the lens of another, the physical spaces in which people learn can have a great effect on their educational experience and their sense of belonging in a community. As a white French/English speaking person who grew up in Ottawa, I never really noticed how the environment of uOttawa played into my experience as a student, since the environment was something I was used to for my entire life. I found I was really able to better understand how some people may feel under-represented in their community, thereby feeling less included or important. I find it to be very important that we are able to become aware of the importance of all aspects of our education in order to better understand the experiences of others. This, however, does not mean that progress is impossible. Progress toward not just reconciliation, but also fair representation and inclusiveness, are possible. Some of the first, concrete examples of action according to the truth and reconciliation committee have been in educational institutions. We have seen change in curriculum along with changes in spaces, recognition and resources available to Indigenous students. As with everything, this process has been slow moving and will require constant collaboration between Indigenous peoples and settlers, along with an openness and acceptance of the truth and of others. I was also amazed to see how misguided some attempts at including and giving space to indigenous cultures can become. Many movements toward incorporating indigenous traditions and cultures have turned into a large-scale form of tokenism. In these instances, I find this is another great example of how decolonization requires true collaboration between indigenous and non-indigenous parties. We are not able to make progress if we throw up a tipi and call it a day. There needs to be communication and strong bonds formed between groups and, most importantly, an opportunity for indigenous people to speak. I find settlers, as the presenter called non-indigenous folks in her presentation, can tend to try to cover up problems by coming to quick conclusions that they alone have deemed solutions to the problem. Instead, we should be asking what indigenous communities think would be helpful in mending relationships between these groups. If we work together and are willing to be more considerate, we can all move toward positive action. Much of what I learned in class also made me think of how issues at uOttawa are just as important to address in the grade level education system. Universities, especially program like teacher’s education, work as a pivotal link that is required between private institutions and the public, and public and education, that is required for decolonization, truth and reconciliation to become a reality in the future. Not only is it important to decolonize education at lower levels to provide more inclusive settings for Indigenous youth, promoting aboriginal success, but it is also extremely important to provide a more clear and truthful understanding of the history and current relations of indigenous and settler people. As Indigenous education is brought to the forefront of schooling, all students will be able able to have a more truthful representation of the past, while given the opportunity to build stronger and more understanding relationships with their peers of different backgrounds.
1 Comment
In reading the prologue of The Inconvenient Indian, one of the first things I noticed was how the authors made the clear distinction between himself, the tribe or band he identified with, and other Aboriginal people or groups. In talking about First Nations communities and issues, I find the euro-centric lens tends to group all Aboriginals as the same. It is important to remember, however, that throughout North America, there is an array of groups, all of which have individualized cultures, ideas and beliefs. I can admit that I am not always sensitive or correct when discussing or describing the different groups of First Nations, Inuit and Metis. I find that learning more about the differences and individual practices of these groups would be extremely helpful moving forward. The more Canadians are willing to learn about Aboriginal groups – the similarities and differences, the past and the present, the bad and the good - the more likely we are to build strong, meaningful and understanding relationships that can foster reconciliation and unified growth. Also while reading the prologue I was able to grasp a greater understanding as to how Native Americans can interpret the boarders of Canada and America. As a Canadian in education, I have spent some time with my colleagues discussing the importance of the boarder to the Canadian identity. It is the boarder where the land changes from American to Canadian that allows me to define myself. As a part of Euro-centric culture, my identity has become a product of how others identify themselves. For example, a portion of my Canadian-ness is strictly that I am not American; yet, so much of being Canadian is dependent upon being a neighbour to the South. And still, Aboriginal peoples, their stories and their histories, are not defined by these boarders. As the author said, “it’s a figment of someone else’s imagination”. This boarder, the one that is so important politically, both for the non-native individual and internationally, lacks importance for those whom were here before its existence. First Nations, Inuit and Metis are not defined by our boarders, but rather, defined by their own. These boarders, that is, the lines between tribes or bands, may not be as distinct on a global scale, but, in some ways, it is more meaningful. Native American and First Nations relations and dynamics of course have been affected by the boarders we have defined; nonetheless, history, stories and experiences are able to flow through the North and the South. The final component of the prologue that stuck out for me was the importance and role of storytelling in history. Story telling – both fictional and non-fictional, is a very strong and important tool both in First Nation cultures, but also in the world of education. Stories can be used as a depiction of history, using a combination of true and fictional events to depict the lens which First Nations peoples have lived and continue to live through. A story allows for individual accounts to be representative of the feeling and reality of an entire group of people. As Canadians, it is critical that we are able to use both documented histories, along with verbal storytelling, fictional novels, and accounts of lived experiences to get a better sense of how all people have experienced history. I think that this method of sharing information should also be used more in the classroom, as storytelling can be an important creative outlet students can use to share a powerful message. Regardless of whether specific events are real or not, a story can be used to express themes, feelings and certain realities that are very real to different people throughout history. Blanket Exercise This week, my class was also given the amazing opportunity to participate in a blanket exercise. This exercise was designed to demonstrate the land and populations of First Nations peoples in Canada throughout history. During the exercise, different members of the class would stand in different "regions" of Canada, represented by different blankets on the floor. Then, a script was read, depicting different events overtime that changes the population and geographical dynamics of First Nations peoples. When an event occurred that caused large populations to die, a classmate would sit down. As Aboriginal people lost land, a side of the blanket would fold. By the end of the exercise, only very small pieces of cloth were left, with large gaps filled with missing stories, missing historical accounts, missing culture and missing lives. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend this exercise as I was hit with the flu in the days prior. I was so excited for class that day, as I always find kinesthetic learning to be intriguing and meaningful to me. In discussion with my professors and colleagues, I feel that everyone was extremely moved by the results of the exercise, and also with a sense of understanding of First Nation history that they have not been exposed to in the past. From hearing these accounts, I have come to further realize the importance of considering different accounts and stories when attempting to understand the complexities of Canada's history. In school, I was not exposed to more than an extremely euro-centric and out-of-date representation of First Nations people and Canadian history. Not only were many facts addressed that people had not heard about before, but also, common historical events are seen from the perspective of the subjugated. Through hearing of this exercise, I understand how the past can be viewed through an array of lenses, and that perceptions from all parties are required to have a better understanding of each other today. Through most of my reading of When Everything Feels Like the Movies (WEFLTM), I must say I wasn’t too sure as to how this book pertained to my role as a teacher. Although I found the book hard to put down, I wasn’t able to fully wrap my head around how reading about a teenage boy’s fantasies would help me in my career. However, after giving myself a chance to reflect upon the book, while pairing it with other readings including Why We Must Read Young Adult Books That Deal With Sexual Content and discussing the role, or even importance, of sexual-content-filed books for teenagers, I have come to realize that teacher’s must all be prepared and aware of discussion surrounding teen sexuality.
Educating students about safe sex is critical. There have been many debates regarding the intent and appropriateness of talking about sexuality in schools, particularly since the change in the Sex Ed curriculum for public schools in Ontario. However, these readings have also made me realize the importance of teens not only understanding safe sex, but also having resources such as teen fiction novels that provide very raw and true representations of teen sexuality. The book WEFLTM can be used as an outlet, a safe space or a site of exploration for teenagers. This novel, although sometimes overly graphic, can be a useful piece of information to any type of reader. An adult can read this book to better understand the thought process and emotions that teens experience in their everyday lives. Also, straight teens can read this book to better understand the difficulties gay teens go through on a regular basis; this novel is a small window into the life of someone else, as with every novel. Although it does not have a happy ending, this book is an important avenue for understanding other people’s experiences. Finally, a gay teen and read this book feeling that they are not alone. Of course, not every LGBT teen will relate perfectly with the main character. Some may find him vulgar, a misfit or too attention seeking. Regardless of his downfalls, this character is real. Jude goes through some struggles that all teens go through and others specific to him, his family life, his gender and his sexuality. It is important to see that although much of this book focused on his fantasies, romantic relationships and sexuality, there was so much more to the character that everyone can relate to. I also found it interesting how the author decided to use Hollywood as an escape for Jude. He was able to replace the torment in his life with fame; agony to stardom. I find that this form of escape portrayed by Jude not only contributed well to the basis of the story, but also helped the reader understand some coping mechanisms teens use in order to free themselves of what feels like unbearable situations. I found this method of storytelling helped Jude through his journey, helping him realize that there is more to life beyond high school. I also feel the Hollywood façade contributed to the reader feeling that much more deeply for when Jude was murdered. I know that regardless of how the story was told, I would have cried reading the last chapter; nonetheless, I think the genuine hope that Jude felt through the use of this superstar script for his escape from his personal and social agony made his downfall even more heartbreaking. When I was researching other resources to support this novel for our multiliteracy group, the first theme that can to mind was LGBT teens and bullying. The next theme was how family dynamics affect the teenage experience. Although this book is seen in a sense as overtly sexual, sex was one of the last thing I considered or got from re-thinking about this book. This process has allowed me to reconsideration the true meanings behind the text. As mentioned, sex and sexuality are a critical component to the book and are sufficiently discusses; nonetheless, I think it is critical to understand how the individual character and all of his life experiences and relationships shaped his story. I found Kevin Arnett to be a very powerful and strong person from the film Unrepentant. While watching the movie, I was overwhelmed with sadness by the things that have occurred and kept secret over so many years. As a Canadian, I felt ashamed that so many horrible acts are a part of our past and continue to go unrecognized. I am happy some progress has been made through the truth and reconciliation act, but I can blatantly see that so much more has to be done and yet, there will never be enough done to correct the mistakes of our past.
I think the fact that Christian institutions were behind all of the agony caused in residential schools helps uncover the reality that religious institution are not innocent, no matter how much we wish they were. I think Westernized communities like to think of Christianity as a peaceful religion, often viewing other faiths as harsh or cruel; however, as a Christian, and especially as an educator, I think it is necessary to continuously re-evaluate ourselves and the role we have played in contributing to some terrible histories and realities people are faced with, particularly in the aboriginal community. If I was Kevin Arnett, I hope that I would fight for the same cause with such passion for the truth. However, I think I would go about it in slightly different ways, particularly if the issues were discussed in the setting of the classroom instead of a church. Firstly, I think, as a white woman, it is my time to simply sit and thoroughly listen to the experiences of First Nations Peoples. Of course, I do think Kevin’s work as an ally to First Nations peoples is important and in some ways necessary, but I also think that there is a time for white people to just stop and listen to others, without being at the forefront of change for that particular group. I think the film was extremely powerful, but I find it would have been even more important and powerful if the main focus was not on a white man, but rather on the First nation peoples themselves. Also, if I was in a classroom faced with these issues, I think I would try to work more within the system to generate change. I think the fact that Kevin was able to stick to the truth, regardless of personal consequences, was admirable; however, as a teacher, a major influence in children’s lives, I feel I could make more of an impact if issues and truths were discussed directly in the classroom through an open and understanding dialogue between all members of the class. I hope that if these issues are presented in my classroom I would not shy away from discussion, as exposing our past and being honest is the only way to make progress toward the reconciliation that is so crucial. The readings of this week focused specifically on issues surrounding race and gender inequality found in all societies around the world, and how these prejudices or discriminations work within and between each other to shape a person’s experience. Being able to understand how these aspects of human experience interact on a personal and professional level as teachers is extremely important. Personal and social beliefs based on race, gender, religion and all other hierarchical perceptions will usually play a role in student, teacher and community interaction and understanding in classrooms. It is therefore important as a teacher to recognize how differences between students can positively or negatively affect their time at school.
The first reading I read was What It’s Like to Travel as a Black Women. This article was written by black women discussing her experiences travelling to different parts of the world. One thing I found extremely interesting is how in certain situations, her skin colour contributed to her feeling invisible (for example, when a friend said “no one goes” to a market that was very popular in the black community), while in other situations, she was too visible, and for extremely biased and inappropriate reasons (another example being when she went to Spain and was mistaken as a prostitute). This article really emphasized how different people are able to experience the same thing (in this case, travelling) in such different ways based only on their personal characteristics and identities. As a teacher, it is critical to take into consideration how student’s experiences will vary because of differences between the students. Every child will have a different past and will be affected by things differently in the classroom. Therefore, teachers should remain sensitive to individual experience while promoting positivity and understanding between the students in the class. A teacher should also be aware of who they are and how society’s pre-determined and skewed perception of who they are shapes their own experiences. This sensitivity, however, should not be mistaken for lowered expectations of weakness. Students should be pushed to express their best selves in and outside the classroom while growing to be aware and respectful toward others’ personal identities and experiences. This concept of reflecting upon personal experience in a world full of intersecting beliefs is seen in more detail in the second reading, I wouldn’t want to be a woman in the Middle East: White female student teachers and the narrative of the oppressed Muslim woman. This piece speaks mainly to white female teachers entering the teaching profession and their perception of patriarchal structures around the world. More specifically, the author feels that white women tend to use the narrative of oppressed women in the Middle East as a contrast to their own lives in order to diminish any personal experiences of patriarchal oppression in the western world. In a society where people are placed in concrete binaries or ‘us’ and ‘them’, Muslim women are seen as the ‘other’, lesser group in comparison to white women. This can, in turn, remove attention from the other powerful binary of men and women, while creating negative and unequal space between different women. These binaries are so harmful as they are always created in order to benefit one side. In a binary, one group is always superior, leaving the other group to be seen as the ‘lesser’; less deserving of opportunity, less important, less ideal. The author of this article suggests that white women must consider their role in western patriarchy instead of harmfully comparing themselves to women with other forms of intersecting differences. In a way, it is almost as if western women make themselves feel more liberated by putting other women down instead of facing the true issues at hand. I found it important that the author clarified that she was not arguing that Muslim women were not oppressed; rather, she was arguing that female oppression occurs in all areas of the world, in all races and in all classes, and that no discrimination should be avoided by focusing on other groups. I found this reading very interesting and the author brought up points that I as a white female teacher have not had much opportunity to consider. As I was able to clearly see in the first paper, personal experience and “social positionality” play major roles in personal experiences and perceptions of the world. As mentioned, it is important to consider social differences when reflecting upon the student experience. Nonetheless, it is equally as important to consider that a teacher’s knowledge is also structured on their position and experiences. This will, just as equally, play a major role of student-teacher, teacher-teacher and teacher-community interaction. As a white female teacher, I must reflect on my position and my experiences and realize how they shape me and the way I teach and interact with others. Only then can I authentically present ideas, build relationships and better understand societal norms and individual perceptions of the world. When exploring the question of how youth identities and literacies challenge normative beliefs about what it means to belong in a classroom, each of the papers describe similar ideas from different angles. The first paper, Caught in a Transnational Nexus: Teacher Practices and Experiences in a Context of Divergent Ties to the Homeland by Naomi Lightman, the effects of transnationalism in Canadian education are studied with focus on secondary schools of the GTA. Although it was hard to make strong conclusions from this paper due to the minimal number of sampled individuals, there were some very interesting observations made regarding the effects of transnationalism on student identity. I found it interesting how the author was able to clearly indicate that immigration to Canada is often looked at in two separate ways; first, as an economic opportunity for wealthy immigrants to gain a good education in plans to, one day, leave Canada, which is the most common perception of Canadian immigrants; and second, as an opportunity at a ‘better life’ than one could find in their home country, which is not as often associated with secondary level education, but rather directly with the work force. From my experience, I have always been aware of these stereotypical groupings, but I have become curious how these students – both immigrants, but of different circumstance – would experience schooling in Canada. Socioeconomic class plays a major role in how transnationalism is perceived in schools and how people will experience their education in Canada. In some ways, all people who have immigrated to Canada undergo similar experiences; nonetheless, individual circumstance still would play a major role in the way students adapt to school (and life) in Canada.
The experiences students have undergone directly affect their self-identity and therefore affect the ability for these individuals to identify as Canadians in their own right. In this research, Lightman has found that many students often identify more closely with their homeland than with Canada. That is, by identifying so closely with their place of origin, students will in turn identify less with Canadian culture and people. Although diversity can be a strong asset in classrooms, one may also say that through strong and somewhat isolated nationalism, acceptance of others could be lost, and boundaries could be built. A lack of connectedness to Canada could, in turn, lead to a lack of connectedness in the classroom. But, in another sense, people may find the classroom is the only place they are able to find and connect to other people in and outside their cultural groups. When entering a country with different cultures, languages and people, having a stable group of like-minded individuals, which could be found in some schools, could help with adapting to a new life. This leads to another observation that was made in this research paper. There was differing opinions on the importance of multicultural frameworks in schools within the GTA. One argument is that people’s individual cultures should be less focused on, which in turn would allow for “negative ethnic and racial stereotypes held by the students” to be tackled in a positive way. Although I understand the logic behind this argument, I must say I disagree that ignoring culture will help limit harm. This reminds me of the “colour blind” argument often used when discussing racial inequality. No problems of inequalities nor stereotypes will be solved by ignoring the issues. Furthermore, race and culture should be celebrated in the classroom. Although we should work toward creating an environment where students are more comfortable expressing the portion of their Canadian identity, their histories and homeland identities should not be forgotten. The second argument, which better aligns with my views, is that transnationalism should be incorporated into the classroom, making the discussion more relatable and helpful for students. By doing this, children could become more comfortable in expressing themselves, thereby allowing them to rethink who they are and how their experience plays into their identity. By creating an inclusive classroom that celebrates diversity, students can learn to be accepting of one another, crossing the boarders of race and becoming a new community. This process, however, should not be simplified. Many factors, including Canadian and International perceptions of transnational experiences, dictate how individuals are perceived and treated. Teachers should understand that they are not trained to save every student who has faced issues in their life. Also, the Canadian identity students often struggle to find should not be forgotten. Teacher’s face a constant balancing act between inclusiveness, awareness, student development and appropriateness that requires them to be aware of individual circumstance and social expectations. Student Identity and it’s relation to social inequality is further examined in the paper Toward a Critical Pedagogy of Engagement for Alienated Youth: Insight from Freire and School-based Research by Peter McInerney. More specifically, McInerney discusses the presence and causes of student alienation in schooling. Many of the arguments for the causes of alienation of all students can be applied directly as possible causes of identity disconnection for immigrant students (as seen in the first paper). Alienation occurs for students who are disconnected from their studies, feeling that the content has no relevance or importance to them in their own life. Causes of alienation are found in deeper social issues, often relating to power inequalities in the schooling system. Social and economic conditions trickle down to the level of student-teacher interaction and power differentiation is often used as a tool in classrooms. This creates an environment that could lead to further student alienation. Policies are still implemented in schooling systems that support ideas that students are trouble makers that must be controlled by their teachers. When student’s behaviour is constantly seen as a problem that needs to be fixed, and their thoughts are never considered or incorporated into curriculum or classroom activities, individuals are then unable to see value in their own thoughts or actions, leading to internalized loss of self-worth, self-identity and human agency. As is also seen in Sit Still and Face Foreward, teachers are often only seen as effective when they have a mastered “classroom management”. In these cases, teachers feel like failures if they are unable to ‘control’ their classes and individuality of students is not considered, thereby ignoring human agency. Yet, the ‘uncontrollable’ students are often those who have no interest in being at school due to the social alienation they have experienced. As one can see, alienation is a circle that continuously spins, powered by stereotypes and labels given to the ‘unruly’ youth. This de-humanizing powerlessness that can be experienced by youth in traditional classrooms is even further engrained in hierarchical boundaries of race, class and gender. Teachers should be leaders of a classroom, not controllers. The voices of the students should not be hushed, but rather encouraged. When students contribute to what is being taught, they are able to realize their self-importance. Also, everyone, including teachers, can then learn more – learn from different people with different levels and types of experience. In a sense, I think inclusion and expression is a form of class management; however, unlike traditional practices, the students are not behaving because they need to, they are behaving because they want to. They are less focused on attempting to get out of doing work (cause by the alienation they feel in the classroom), and more focused on wanting to academically and socially contribute because their voice, maybe for the first time, actually counts. In urban schooling, where, most often, almost all students are minorities in some form of the word, I can only imagine the importance of creating a classroom setting that provides a platform for students to create their own ideas and voice their own opinions. In a society where students already feel alienated, internalized feelings of hopelessness and self-oppression already exist. The classroom is not an equal playing field for students. Some know they belong there; others only go because they’re required to (if they go at all). This is not because they are “troubled kids”, “at risk youth” or any other label. Most often, this is due to a society that continuously reminds them that they are not good enough. How, then, do we as teachers help students understand that they are able and deserving to achieve greatness? Students must be given a platform to express themselves – they must feel like they are contributing to their own knowledge rather than “being passive recipients of some externally imposed curriculum”. Only when students feel like they belong and contribute to a classroom will social alienation be able to be minimized. I hope that when I am faced with students who have experienced alienation for themselves, I am able to understand how their personal experiences have contributed to their perception of school. I know that patience, empathy and respect will be critical in order to build a relationship and gain trust from the students I will work with. By showing students that their voices, opinions and ideas matter, they will then be able to create an environment of comfort that promotes an acquisition of knowledge. References Graham, E. (2015, August 14). "Sit still and face forward": How the myth of teacher control undermines classroom management. Retrieved August 31, 2015, from Living in Dialogue: http://www.livingindialogue.com/sit-still-and-face-forward-how-the-myth-of-teacher-control-undermines-classroom-management/ Lightman, N. (2014). Caught in a transnational nexus: Teacher practices and experiences in a context of divergent ties to the homeland. Citizenship and Education Research Journal, 4(1), 29-40. McInerney, P. (2009) Toward a critical pedagogy of engagement for alienated youth: insights from Freire and school-based research. Critical Studies in Education, 50(1), 23-35. (also for 3150) The readings Democratic Citizenship Education and Molded Images both encourage discussions around the topic of social justice in schooling. The first text provided a much more broad description and analysis of the histories and roles of incorporating issues of social justice into a school setting. It was interesting to learn how the history of legislation around social justice issues, powered by the inequalities of capitalism, was so tightly tied with its integration into the school curriculum as a way to protect youth. Since justice has become an important focus in schools, these environments have been seen as a place where all children are equal in opportunity and resources provided to them. Seeing the way school systems work today, however, one can see that this is definitely not always the case. Often, the curriculum can actually work to reproduce the exact inequalities it attempts to destruct.
Even so, these issues may not always exist strictly in the curriculum provided by the ministry of education. Partnered with the explicit or actual curriculum, teachers work with an implicit or hidden curriculum as well. As described in Democratic Citizenship Education, “A hidden curriculum is a side effect of formal education…[including] norms, values and beliefs that are implicit to the curriculum foci, classroom resources, institutional structures, grading practices and teaching methods”. This understanding of implicit curriculum reminded me of the importance of understanding individual experience in working within an urban setting (this theme was first seen in the Ayers, Daniel and Chambers readings from PED 3150, week 1). There are so many external factors that affect the atmosphere of a classroom (many of which vary in urban settings compared to other school settings). By understanding these factors, one can then better understand how the effects of the implicit curriculum, and the way it is received by students, may vary between urban and non-urban schools. These readings make me wonder how school atmospheres are affected by student and teacher reactions or abilities to adapt to explicit and implicit curricula and how the implicit curricula will be focused upon in classrooms without necessarily addressing the issues directly. The second reading also works heavily around the theme of reproduced inequalities in schools. Speaking more directly about inequalities between First Nation people and non-Natives, Fletcher explains how the curriculums of Canada have continually misrepresented or left out teachings of First Nations peoples, culture and history. Often, even when Canadian multiculturalism is incorporated into the curriculum in some form, there is little portrayal of this group in a modern sense. This narrative contributes to maintaining a “Romantic Mythical Order” which paints First Nations peoples as uncivilized helpers of white people. As someone who went to school in suburban Ottawa, I very much understand the concerns surrounding the incorporation of native teachings into the curriculum. I personally had very little exposure to First Nations culture or people and, as the author joked about in their piece, I literally watched the film “Dancing with Wolves” to fulfill the “first native perspective” component of the curriculum. With so little focus and the out-dated, inaccurate representations of this prominent Canadian culture, I feel sad to realize how little I know regarding First Nations, Inuit and Metis culture as a Canadian. Both readings also address how positive social change requires the use of schools and curriculum as an agent that transmits current information about minorities to the general population. The curriculum can be adapted, for instance, to better represent First Nations peoples and culture for both Native and non-Native communities, thereby allowing all Canadians to become more aware and appreciative of the history, differences and similarities between both groups. By using school as a platform where long histories of different groups can be dissected and better understood, equality for all people can be just that much closer to becoming a reality. Social change is a never ending process that we must be open to in order to affect positive change both in and out of schools. References Davis, B. et.al. (2015). Moment 3: Democratic Citizenship Education. In Engaging Minds: Cultures of Education and Practices of Teaching. NY, Routledge. Fletcher, S.D. (2000). Molded Images: Frist Nations People, Representation and the Ontario School Curriculum in Sel Coldstein et.al., eds., Weaving Connections, Toronto, On. Orleans climb
hills painted with colours with the calming smell of the brisk autumn air strong beats playing with the car windows rolled down a mix of french and english, unique to this town spending fall days at the local pumpkin patch getting lost in the corn maze and in the winters, waiting for the most exciting event, the Santa Claus parade dreaming of leaving, yet too attached to let go my mother, in her sweet voice saying, "you are ready, you will go far" the sun beating down while it's still freezing cold a place of comfort, a place to learn release |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
November 2015
Categories |