Week 6 – ECS 210 Blog Post

Learning From Place

This post is based off the article Learning From Place. Reinhabitation is present in the narrative through the river and the group trip involving the river. This is reinhabitation because the youth are learning from the elders how to appreciate the environment, specifically the river. Reinhabitation also happens in the interviews that the youth have with the elders. These interviews offer valuable information to the youth regarding stories of the land which teach the youth how to live in the environment. I found the interviews and the trip to be very interesting and it seemed like it would be a fantastic way to learn more about the land and to learn how to live in harmony with it.

In terms of decolonization I think that the interviews and experiences on the river also contribute to this. I think they help to change ways of thinking about the land that may be harmful. Also, I think that with the youth learning all they can from the elders, there will be less negative thoughts about the culture and about the land. Another way that decolonization was present in the narrative was when the schools agreed to give the youth school credit for the projects. I think that gets rid of the idea that all learning must take place in a classroom and encourages Indigenous youth to seek out learning opportunities that may better reflect their culture.

In my own classroom I could adopt these ideas by choosing places that mean the most to my students and then learning about them in a fun, hands on way. I could take my class on a fieldtrip to a lake or river and explain the significance of the water and land and why it is important to respect and honor it. I could also incorporate Indigenous teachings by including Indigenous readings in my English class and visiting cultural sites that promote environmental concern.