Here is a link to my Google Slides Presentation as well

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vSI207_J8lEeyuLIRddHgC0FpGuOsEinRCH1LJL5AfkJEHj_eoHZl4Fjk_MOdxal_H28kOw7lam9tsu/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=30000

• Part 1: At the beginning of the reading, Leroy Little Bear (2000) states that colonialism “tries to maintain a singular social order by means of force and law, suppressing the diversity of human worldviews. … Typically, this proposition creates oppression and discrimination” (p. 77). Think back on your experiences of the teaching and learning of mathematics — were there aspects of it that were oppressive and/or discriminating for you or other students? I don’t think that there were aspects of mathematics that discriminated against me or were oppressive. I am someone who struggles in math, but I always had teachers willing to help and put in the extra time if I had a good attitude and level of determination. I grew up in Canada with the understanding of a base ten system, and I suppose it wasn’t until taking a Math Class at the First Nation’s Univeristy that I was aware of other base systems. We learned about Indigenous cultures that used the webbing between fingers to count (a base 4 system) instead of a base 10, counting on fingers. So maybe someone else who arrived from a different cultural background would find feelings of oppression and discrimination in math.  

Part 2: After reading Poirier’s article: Teaching mathematics and the Inuit Community, identify at least three ways in which Inuit mathematics challenge Eurocentric ideas about the purposes of mathematics and the way we learn it.

First thing that stood out to me was that for the first 3 years of schooling, they had mathematics delivered orally in Inuktitut. Second thing that stood out was how “they don’t preserve mathematics as something that will help them solve everyday problems”, but more a social construct and spacial awareness.  Another is that they do not use the base 10 system, but instead a base 20 system.

• How can teachers maximise engagement among multilingual students? Teachers cam maximise engagement by making sure the students feel that their languages are personal and important, as well as making sure they see their multiple languages as an asset and something to build confidence. Teachers should encourage their students to use both their native language as well as encourage English, so the student doesn’t feel like they are always struggling, finding themselves discouraged.
•  What are some effective ways to integrate multilingual instructional strategies into classrooms? An effective way that teachers can integrate multilingual instruction is to incorporate small words and phases into their classroom for all students to learn. This will connect the students and build relations. Making sure the student feels as if their language is personal to them, can help give them security at school. Having some of their work displayed in their native language as well as English can help them feel this way. Inviting family members and community members to come in and tell or read stories using their native language will benefit all students, as well as aiding in acceptance and understanding amongst classmates. 
• https://www.edcan.ca/articles/multilingual-students/

Blog post: How might we begin to address the ways in which the systems that we teach our curriculum in are intrinsically homophobic, transphobic, biphobic and oppressive towards queer and trans people?

As society evolves, we as educators should be evolving with it. Any of our students or colleges could be a part of the 2SLBGTQ+ community, so it is important to make sure they feel safe and welcome in the school and accepted by their classmates and teachers. Our curriculum is intrinsically homophobic in the sense that many of the literature that is used within English curriculum contains heterosexual characters and stories. Family representation is almost always made up of a mom, a dad and some sons or daughters. Bathrooms and dress codes and awards, are all based around boys and girls. There is no fluidity between gender identity and it can make students feel as if they are not represented in their schools. I think it is important to incorporate queer representation into our curriculum casually, as not to make a “huge deal” of it, but simply expose student to the fact that you are allowed to love who you love, or that it is acceptable to express yourself if you do not feel your assumed gender at birth was incorrect. Keeping the shock out of it, and just making sure it it a normal part of society is important, so students can feel safe, feel represented and everyone can be accepting and understanding.

• “As part of my classes for my three week block I have picked up a Social Studies 30 course. This past week we have been discussing the concept of standard of living and looking at the different standards across Canada . I tried to introduce this concept from the perspective of the First Nations people of Canada and my class was very confused about the topic and in many cases made some racist remarks. I have tried to reintroduce the concept but they continue to treat it as a joke. The teachers at this school are very lax on the topic of Treaty Education as well as First Nations ways of knowing. I have asked my Coop for advice on Treaty Education and she told me that she does not see the purpose of teaching it at this school because there are no First Nations students. I was wondering if you would have any ideas of how to approach this topic with my class or if you would have any resources to recommend.”
• In response to this email that Dr. Mike Capello received, my first thing that I related to was when Claire had said in her intro, that many teachers believe Treaty Education is only important for schools with a higher population of Indigenous students, where-as she stated that it’s very important for schools with a low population of Indigenous students to learn about treaties. This is because often the racism comes from white students, or students from a non-Canadian background because they do not understand or do not try to understand. Claire believes that because her school has so few Indigenous students, it is more important to put more effort into educating on Indigenous cultural programming and teaching the histories (7:30), so that those few Indigenous students feel like they belong, instead of the opposite. I really enjoyed how Claire had stated that instead of calling it Treaty Education, she sometimes refers to it as Settler education, as the majority of her students are settlers and they need education on sharing land and honouring the histories of treaties and relationships.
• For me, “We are all Treaty People” is such a strong statement, because when the word Treaty comes up, so often, settlers automatically think Indigenous people, and disconnect the word and the events from themselves. We are all a part of the treaties and the agreements, and broken promises that came along with them. The fact that our ancestors treated these lands as unclaimed or used phrases like “they weren’t using land productively” (as stated in Dwayne Donald’s lecture). I also connected strongly with around 13:20 in Dwayne’s lecture and how he said, in the curriculum, we tend to pass over the history of the relationships and try to deliver the curriculum as if it’s an information problem, as if it’s a timeline to learn to repair the relationships. This is not the case, or at least cannot be solely thought about delivering a historic timeline to right the wrongs. I agree with him, we need to focus on the relationships and educate on those. Indigenous people and settlers had many positive relationships off the start, that’s why we have the Metis nation! It wasn’t until power driven influences started corrupting peoples minds and decisions, telling us to disconnect and belittle (because we couldn’t understand). Treaty education should be about repairing and renewing the Canadian Culture.

Thinking back to my days and school, and comparing it to the days in which I EA now, I find many similarities, but also many differences. The main difference is in the students and their cultural background. My elementary school was made up primarily of white children, and there was very little diversity. That being said, about 30% of my school came from the same religious background, Laestadian Lutheran Church. These families had many children, the largest having 16, and they were not allowed to view programs on the television or listen to music. (That is my knowledge from my Elementary School days). Now I bring this up, because now that I am viewing things through a “teacher lens” I am noticing how my teachers did not incorporate Culturally Appropriate Pedagogy into our classrooms, but instead, they simply asked the students to leave the classroom, this happened during music class, holiday crafts and activities and times where we watched the TV. This was back in 2000-2005, so ipads were not an issue, and I also cannot recall if they were allowed to par-take when we went to the computer lab. I also am unaware of what these handful of students did while they were asked to leave the classroom, if they received some alternative source of education or arts activity, or if they were simply asked to sit in the hallway. As a student, we viewed these Laestadian students as different, and there was a separation amongst the class because of it.

I want to do my best to keep this sort of segregation out of my classroom and make sure there are activities where everyone feels included. With the growing diversity amongst classrooms these days, it makes me wonder how often students from other cultures and backgrounds feel alienated as well. At least with the Laestadian students, they had roughly 5 other kids in the classroom, in the same boat as them, though it still does not make it right.

In the Lopez article there is a quote that states “Research has shown that lack of socialisation for whites in talking about race makes it difficult, and the same would be true for students ” (Copenhaver-Johnson, 2006). And I found that very interesting and it rang true in my ears as well. Race is something I did not talk about in school, and it still remains somewhat of an uncomfortable topic for me, because I cannot relate. I am glad to see that this teacher had made the students journal about race and also share, having them sit in a bit of discomfort, while also being in a safe environment. Growth happens in moments of discomfort, and opens up doors for education. I hope that students can learn from one another about their backgrounds and cultures, and that there is space for everyone to share comfortably.

In regards to the music education, I was thinking about my elementary school again and the complete lack of music education we had. I suppose we used the recorders a bit, and did start band in 4th grade… but I wonder if it had to do with the fact that a handful of students in each class were nt able to participate in music education. The story of Winkler, MB was very inspiring to me. They had such a lovely and well rounded music program for their elementary students, but again, it seemed to be incorporated with the students in their town and their backgrounds. To have a program so evolved and in depth is great for those kids who are already interested.

Just before the Winkler section, there was discussion about how teachers who have an interest in music often have to put in exta time outside of the classroom time. Many volunteers hours are put in after school, and it’s all for the students success and out of the kindness of the teacher. There is a rural school I work in that has an extremely dedicated teacher like this. The school itself has very limited music education being taught in the classroom, no band program, and it is a k-12 school. I worked at the day care when this teachers kid was attending, and often, she was the first their in the morning and the last picked up because of all the extra hours she was putting in, teaching music outside of school hours. Her dedication is hugely inspiring!

I really enjoyed this read by Akom on Hip-Hop pedagogy and also the classroom discussion we had. I am late to making this post, but feel hip-hop has it’s importance and relevance in schools. It was funny to me, because as I was reading this article at my grandparents house (where I stay while up here for school) my grandma proudly brought up that she had just read about hip-hop being a means for education in schools in dealing with issues of racism. CHHP is student centred and helps to bring out the voices of those who experience racial discrimination. “CHHP insists that students are active agents and as such should analyze a diverse set of data: field notes, video footage, photo-voice7, web research, artifacts of popular culture, interviews, archival research, oral history, and surveys, to name a few.” (Akom) shows some of the tools students learn to utilise, and then find ways to connect it to themselves, their communities and their lives. Through the classroom discussion we had, I learned that it is important for this sort of pedagogy to represent the students you are teaching, and if it is out of your knowledge, or cultural repertoire then you need to be careful in how you connect and deliver your lesson. Katia used the example of how strange it would come across for a white teacher, to be teaching hip-hop dance moves to a group of white kids who have no understanding or connection to the culture, especially without trying to understand it or bring in the knowledge or experience of someone who does.  “time, CHHP identifies research as a significant site of struggle between traditional Western research and decolonizing frameworks that reflect the inherent ability of people of color to accurately assess our own strengths and needs, and our right to act upon them in this world (Smith, 1999).” (Akom).

I am really enjoying learning about different pedagogical approaches to teaching!

I am having a hard time deciding what my understanding of citizenship is honestly. I am finding that there are many different layers to the concept or how it can be discussed. The point Mike Capello brings up though, about how Citizenship education is deeply embedded in settler colonialism is something I am trying hard to focus on and understand exactly what systems and practices are set up in that colonial mindset and system. Because a lot of my education as a child and youth did not focus on the truths of our past, especially with the treaties and Canada’s first 150 years, I feel I have a lot of educating myself to do. Every system I know is colonial, and I want to understand how to differ away from that. So far, in my first year of my Education degree, there has been a lot of talk and stress on making sure we lift these colonial routes and fully embrace truth and reconciliation education and what our futures look like.

I found Mike Capello’s talk on Citizenship education very empowering and educational. He really has me sitting back and thinking about my past education and my role and place in Treaty education. When he speaks about how land acknowledgements are not just “a wrote performance of liberal goodness” (14:12) but “a vision of our future we are living into” (14:22), it really struck something with me cause it made me check in with myself and make sure I wasn’t education myself just for liberal goodness and actually attempting to understand Indigenous people, their knowledge and ways of knowing, to avoid using them for political correctness, as stated around 12:41.

It is our jobs as educators to incorporate Treaty Education and the Journey towards Truth and Reconciliation into our citizenship education as much as possible to start to strive away from systems embedded in colonialism and make room for further education and acceptance. To strive away from a system that makes it advantageous for those who are white. Joel Westheimer states that it in important to educate on kids to “know how to tell what’s worth reading (6:11) and I would agree with that and tie it into Capello’s statements about preparing our students to engage the world and teat critical thinking and critical engagement.

According to the Levin article, curriculum is dealt with strongly through government control and sanctions. Levin talks about government being pulled in all different directions from the people. “polititians are constantly bombarded with requests or demands to do things, stop doing things, increase funding, decrease funding, pass legislation, repeal other legislation, and so on.” (Levin, p.11). These pulls in many directions, as well as re-elections as a pressure point, result “that important decisions are often made very quickly with quite limited information and discussion.” (Levin, p.12) Levin states that government involvement in curriculum comes into play in two major areas. The first being which subjects and classes should be included in school curriculum, and the second being the actual content of each subject. Government decisions handle those two major matters, as well as how many days the kids should be in school, how many subjects they cover, and then the public’s opinion about how many hours should be in a school day, after they have requested more subjects to be covered. There is constant pull in all directions which surprised me, though I don’t feel it should have. I guess I have not given it a tone of thought as to all the pull in direction of what is being taught in school or how often the kids should be in school. In my opinion, the school system works well, and I feel I received a well- rounded education. on page 15 of the Levin article, there is a statement about the issues of school have “an important element of the politics around education is that everyone has gone to school, so just about everyone has a feeling of being knowledgeable and a personal response to educational issues.” (Levin, p. 15) and how this is different than issue in the Medical field or other areas. Which got me thinking about how I had a positive educational experience, but the same could not be said for every other person across the country. I think it is important for Governments, at a more local level, to have more voices heard, and be able to carry them up.

After reading the Treaty Document, the connection I made is that the government has acknowledged it’s Treaty documents that were made years ago and is trying to educate the country on the importance of document signed that bonds the people of this nation to the promises made. Acknowledgement is huge, and the fact that the government has stood up and made it so that the past and true history are not being hidden or skirted over is very important. I imagine there would be backlash from people who do not have the knowledge or education behind the importance of Treaty Education and connecting the people of Canad through truth and acknowledgement. Some other tensions that could have risen, are if Indigenous voices and perspectives were not included in the reform of Treaty Education in Canada.

• What does it mean to be a “good” student according to the commonsense? According to Common sense, being a good student means that we listen when a teacher is talking, we hand in our work on a timely fashion (when the teacher has declared we do), we sit still and obey.. for the most part. There is a typical mold that our current education system would like our students to fit into, and when they don’t, it is seen as a problem. Just like with Kumashiro’s high school student, N. N was questioning the curriculum around him and would defy the teachers in their methods or concepts in the lessons. He was aware that they had to teach it that way because that was what was asked of them. N was an intelligent individual and could comprehend his readings and assignments, he just wanted to have a different stance on them, over the one he was told to take. Other teachers struggled with N, but Kumashiro allowed N to voice his understandings and view points, instead of shutting him down, telling him he was wrong and not allowing for his own growth.  
• Which students are privileged by this definition of the good student? The students who are privileged by the definition of a good student, are the ones who “fit the mold”. Which basically means, those who conform to, or have a background in the Colonial ideal, or those who do not have a Learning Disability. If you can sit still, follow directions, listen intently and participate thoroughly, you are considered a good student. A student who has a good supportive home life, with proper meals to fuel their bodies and brains. The privilege could come from a family that has had many generations living within the country, they are established in the traditions and customs. Now, that is a hard statement to make, because it does not acknowledge Indigenous people who were successfully living here before the disruption to their lives, when settlers came in and rip their world and lives apart. Just like in the Painter textbook, it outlines and breaks down the groups of people that they perceived as not being able to become good students, or even educated for that matter. We tried to completely change the Indigenous population to become like the settlers, forcing them out of their comforts, and now to this day, we are still seeing generations struggle from Inter-generational Trauma, leading them to the possible lables of “bad students”   
• How is the “good” student shaped by historical factors? I think through my other two questions, I have also answered this. Through colonisation, we are trying to fit many traditional customs and understandings into a “western” ideal, disregarding others that do not fit. Those this is changing for the better all the time, still, those who are advantaged are those who find familiarity in the system laid out, or those that reaped the benefits during settlement into Canada.