Week 5:

In the article this week Learning from Place: A Return to Traditional Mushkegowuk Ways of Knowing. They examine critical pedagogy of place and how it is tied with identity, recovery, space and place that help us live well in our environments which is seen as rein habitation and also, decolonization, or identity and change ways of thinking that injure and exploit other people and places. In regard to rein habitation and decolonization within the article youth got the opportunity to explore and learn about special relationships between elders and the land on a 10-day river trip. Throughout this trip there were many activities that brought people together giving them the opportunity to share stories by interviewing community members. The value of the Kistachowan river and the impact it has on the history of the people is explained, emphasising its value in ways not usually looked at. An audio documentary was conducted after this trip by the youth explaining the importance of the river and everything they had learnt.  An example of how Decolonization is represented through the renaming of parts of the river. Parts of the land that were once Indigenous names are now English names because of colonization. The elders pass on this information so that the youth can remember their culture. 

As a future educator I think that exploring place in lessons creates a better opportunity for hands on learning and emphasises importance as well. It gives students opportunities to create real connections and hopefully get them more engaged.  I do not have a specific subject area that I know I want to teach but I think that it is possible to bring Place learning into any subject field and look forward to exploring new ways as to how.