Indigenous curriculum has a growing presence in Canadian schools, which I think is amazing. BUT… I’ve found this has left most non-indigenous teachers, scared and unsure how to approach teaching about a culture in which they don’t belong.
Well, I think that’s also great. It means that these teachers care about teaching these subjects areas respectfully and authentically. The problem these teachers are left with is…. how do I teach about a culture I know nothing about? Well it can be done by taking the right considerations, and with the right resources. To start I've made a FREE booklist of my top 20 favourite books to get you started. Find it here. I find that our educational world is lacking the curricular resources to support teachers in teaching Indigenous curriculum, and particularly, resources without the jargon, theory and academia ramblings. My focus is to provide teachers with valuable, classroom-based resources that save you time and provide a guide and lessons to implementing authentic Indigenous perspectives. Lose the stress of having to navigate Indigenous curriculum blindly, while walking on eggshells. I want to provide you with thoughtfully prepared, ready-to-use documents that give you a guide to navigate new curriculum, curated book suggestions, and supplemental lesson plans and activities. Using the popular book Stolen Words, I've created this mini-unit to introduce Primary classes to Residential Schools. In this resource you'll find meaningful, ready to use activities and worksheets for your students to gain an understanding of the topic. By using Reading Comprehension techniques, you'll be able to lead your students through this tricky subject. Save your time, and lose the stress. Get this resource here. As a consideration, I self-identify as a Metis person, and have many years experience of working with Indigenous peoples in Canada. However, my advice or suggestions that I provide are from my own unique experience, and may not be the right way or be respectful for every individual or group. Please keep this is mind while exploring my Indigenous related resources. Some general rules of thumb and protocols that I have when teaching with or about Indigenous peoples comprise of these 3 general rules:
2. Don't cookie cutter it. - All Indigenous Communities are unique. When teaching an Indigenous unit, or when working closely with an Indigenous Community in any capacity, please treat each person or topic individually. Specifically in regards to teaching, don't teach that ALL Indigenous communities are the same. Each community has its own concerns, ways of doing things, values, ways of teaching etc. 3. Acknowledge. - A gesture of respect is acknowledging the land you live on or are visiting. When teaching a unit on Indigenous culture, residential school, or other topic, it's a good rule of thumb to acknowledge that the place you are teaching and living on is (probably) the traditional territory of someone else. - Example: A am grateful to live and work on the unceded (or traditional) territory of the ________ Peoples. If you have any questions along the way, let me know how I can support you!
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