Category: Blog Posts (Page 2 of 2)

In the article, “Cree Elders’ Perspectives on Land Based Education: A Case Study” by John Hansen, emphasis is placed on the important aspects of decolonising the westernized traditional english educational model, by implementing land based educational pedagogies that explore Indigenous epistemology, worldviews and perspectives. As stated, “Many contemporary theories, national and international policies do not incorporate Indigenous voices into their understanding of nation, or peoples.” (Hansen, 2). In order to work toward attaining tangible elements of reconciliation, it is crucial to recognize the importance of incorporating Indigenous knowledge into the curriculums we are reframing today. Observations focus this study in the geographical region of Northern Manitoba, with a group of Cree Elders but its content and messages are applicable in many Indigenous and Non-Indigenous communities across the country. 

It is evident that we recognize the harmful impacts of colonialism and how its effects have been detrimental to self identity, cultural teachings and traditional knowledge of Indigenous peoples. The article discusses some of the key elements that continue to affect Indigenous populations today, its content illustrates the need to work towards decolonization projects, as colonialism still is very present in our euro-centric education system. What can Indigenous land based education do for our present and future students, are there avenues to foster opportunities for Indigenous and Non-Indigenous individuals to mutually benefit from the knowledge that stems from Indigenous ways of knowing and being through culturally responsive education? Historically, the settler dominant style of educational approaches has dominated much of the content being taught inside classrooms across Canada. Hansen states, “that colonial Indigenous education has been geared towards assimilation into Western culture rather than towards maintaining Indigenous culture and identity” (4). It is important to intertwine traditional Indigenous knowledge with traditional English knowledge, to co-create curriculums that are culturally competent for learners in various geographical locations across Canada, as the importance of land that we share must be respected and looked after for the benefit of all.

Additionally, I will aim to focus my further research on land based education and its availability in Saskatchewan and our neighbouring provinces, finding other sources that relate to the topic of land based learning and its context in the modern curriculum. I will seek to summarize what opportunities are available to Indigenous and Non-Indigenous students and how its accessibility is important and recognize the need to decolonize our education system

Hansen, John. Cree Elders’ Perspectives on Land-Based Education: A Case Study – Eric. 2018, https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1202549.pdf. 

I observe a traditionalist approach to confine itself in ways that fail to meet the needs of all students, while favoring the majority. This approach lacks significant aspects needed to accommodate and include all people in a learning environment. Students are not all the same and many students require different educational accommodations to provide an open ended style of learning. In my schooling, I was able to make a connection to the sequence of the four fundamental questions and how they relate to the style of teaching I encountered in my primary and secondary school. As stated, “What educational purposes should the school seek to attain?” (Tyler, 4). I feel as if the focus was to select a certain theme, such as Shakespeare in English class and how if you understood what was going on you would be able to attain higher marks, deeming you a better student on paper. It can be controversial to assess this particular element of the curriculum as a purposeful way of attaining knowledge, considering the language used is hugely outdated and consists exclusively of white characters. I still to this day do not really understand much of the style of language used in this work and what the goal is of being able to articulate what Shakespearon english does for a grade eight student. Does that mean I am not competent in English class based on Tyler rationale? 

We can observe that the product model broken down into sections was the focus for all students and presumably determined that the outcome of attaining these trivial tests was the whole focus of this curriculum. It is seen that, “part of the focus of Tyler’s curriculum theory was based on small trivial portions of learning, rather than the significant parts” (Tyler, 5). This seems to create barriers in actually understanding what content is being presented to students and how they are properly assessed, it focuses on an authoritarian power model that does not allow students to think outside the box and allow themselves to think how they need to think. It does not allow an individual to formulate answers based on how they interpret the works, instead it concludes all answers must follow the A,B and C format of assessment. Additionally, Tyler’s rationale associates the education of students’ success similar to that of a successfully checked grocery list. This kind of assessment lacks inclusion, if you consider some people’s grocery lists are much different than others, which come test time, will separate individual success based on what they have or have not checked off. 

This product model will work for the majority of students and be a concrete way for teachers to be able to deliver content across the board, causing a uniformed approach to the educational strategies used in classes. Many students will be able to thrive with this style of education and it allows for the burden of creating lesson plans to be more universal for teachers in respect to their time. This style does come with its perks, but it fails to meet the needs of all learners, creating a gap for some students who require additional support in the ways in which they learn. It can be observed that this model will work, as long as we have extra resources, additional supports such as learning resource teachers and speech pathologists available to students in our schools with respect to the various sets of learners teachers will encounter in an educational environment.

Kumashuro describes common sense as something that is related to the environment of which an individual or group of people has familiarized themselves with, related to the surroundings, cultures, and ideologies that they have encountered up to that point in their lives. Kumashuro assumes that common sense is something everyone should know and is universal. It is crucial to realize and acknowledge that common sense and its applications will vary based on the geographical locations of the world and the people that occupy them. As stated, “commonsensical ideas are often what help us to make sense of and feel at ease with the things that get repeated in our everyday lives” (35). This quote in particular is important to recognize when considering that there are 7 different continents in the world, boasting many diverse cultures and various practices that include forms of “everyday life” but do not necessarily apply to all people in a society. In order to empathize with Kumashuro, we must first be able to identify the cultural differences that may be present for the individual and their audience, and recognize the changes or shifts that might arise in order to be a leader.

Deconstructing the implied one size fits all approach to “common sense” is a crucial step in allowing people to feel valued and included in what they are familiar with, in a situation where an individual may feel oppressed. We cannot assume a blanket term such as common sense is at the forefront of everybody’s minds, because that is not realistic when we consider the diversity of the world in which we now live and grow in. When we observe Kumashuro’s introduction to life in the new community, we might observe they have a little prior understanding of what is expected based on past life experiences, allowing them to adapt to certain aspects of teaching styles and habits. But in the larger picture of the recently changed location of where Kumashuro is now, it is evident there is not the same set of rules, societal expectations, practices and concepts of knowledge they had been familiar with in their own development. We need to expand our social horizons and adapt a way of thinking that allows for plural approaches to creating and transmitting knowledge in order to redefine “traditional” ways of the past. 

In the current world we live in, our teaching identities and strategies need to acknowledge and aim to reflect the diverse populations that we have in our school systems today. I am a strong believer in adapting culturally compatible lesson plans based on the demographics of an area or location to suit the needs of the learners with the best possible effort and contribution from administration, teachers, community members, and the government. There is a guideline that is implemented by the government, but teachers do have the ability to adjust and accommodate different ways of knowing and being to provide a more inclusive approach of teaching.