Learning from Place

            This article is about a river trip and held many examples of reinhabitation and decolonization. It discussed the goals and challenges of the 10-day river trip. I personally have not paid much attention to these two concepts so this article was a great start and enhanced my thinking on these topics. Reinhabitation and decolonization can be linked in regards to education.

            The first thing I noticed in regards to the definitions of reinhabiation and decolonization was how there is such an emphasis throughout the article about teaching and the significance of the land, specifically the water. In the article, they participated in an excursion and it was during this time that the importance of the water to the Muchkegowuk culture was brought up. It is very important. An example of decolonization is that many traditions of the Mushkegowuk people were carried on. In this the young people spent time with the elders and had conversations. This resulted in skills, traditions, and other knowledge surrounding the culture to be passed on. Throughout the whole river trip the elders were essentially educating the younger people on the culture and told stories.

            I think place is an important aspect to consider in teaching. Since I am an elementary student, it will be very important to help students understand different concepts and cultures from our own, such as this article. So, for children this could be broken down into easier concepts and then be built upon further. Also, often times learning visually is beneficial to children so whether it is them creating the art or looking at the pictures and listening to the words of a picture book a visual take on things can be beneficial. Also, who we are teaching plays a big role in this. There would be a variation in teaching from a grade one student versus a grade four student. Whatever is being taught in school needs to be adapted to whoever is learning.  

2 Comments

  1. Kaitlyn Maier

    Connecting your classroom to the places around you would be an important way to connect with students. It can be a way to relate to them, and adapt lessons to things they can physically connect to. How would you do this in your future classroom?

  2. Gillian

    I am glad you were able to learn more about these terms as you mentioned you did not have a lot of prior knowledge on it. I agree with how one of the main themes of the article was the Elders passing on their history and culture onto youth. I would have liked to know your thoughts about some of the more detailed ideas they used in the area of creating relationships with the land. They talk a lot about how important the land is to them and that it is not just a resource for them. Also, what kind of concepts would you focus on in the classroom and then build upon?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

© 2024

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑