Indigenous Perspectives - Integrating Aboriginal teaching and values into the classroom

  

https://www.theeducatoronline.com/k12/news/aboriginal-scientific-knowledge-to-strengthen-science-teaching/265836

 

Integrating Aboriginal teaching and values into the classroom (Toulouse) 

Context

Toulouse explains why attention to the self-esteem of aboriginal students is key to their success. Self-esteem is described as a positive interconnection of physical, emotional-mental, intellectual and spiritual realms of aboriginal students. This definition stood out to me, as it was the first time I read that the spiritual part is highlighted and seen as a key part of an individual identity. Toulouse explains that educators need to acknowledge the importance of fostering self-esteem and respecting the view of aboriginal students if we want to engage in an inclusive pedagogy that can change their realities. To foster positive self-esteem aboriginal students, need a system that celebrates their culture, language and points of view.  In this article, Toulouse presents a cultural framework created by the “Leaving Teachings” of the Ojibwe people to value the aboriginal learner based on seven living principles: respect, love, bravery, wisdom, humility, honesty and truth.

Innovation in teaching and learning

Based on the cultural framework “Leaving Teachings” of the Ojibwe people, there are seven principles that can guide innovation for aboriginal communities:

• Respect: Aboriginal students need to feel sincerely engaged and valued (feel that teachers have high expectations of their potential). For this, aboriginal culture needs to be represented and celebrated in the entire school agenda (for example aboriginal view that we are all sacred and have a place in this world, we are unique and valuable), schools need to have more aboriginal resources.
• Love: educators need to support aboriginal student’s unique learning styles, which includes a more holistic learning style, visual organizations, hands-on and reflective learning, preference to collaborative tasks.
• Bravery: educators need to create opportunities to celebrate their nations like the “Path to New Beginnings Curriculum Project in Norther Ontario” with activities and lessons from Kindergarten to Grade 12 that honors the contributions of aboriginal peoples, are guided by local Elders, and highlight innovation.
• Wisdom: educators need to acknowledge aboriginal approach to learning as an ongoing process, which engages students at all levels (physical, emotional-mental, intellectual, spiritual level), reflects on their unique background and experiences and needs an environment where knowledge is shared through humor and group talk.
• Humility: Ojibwe peoples see humility as asking for assistance to others, and invite educators to asks aboriginal experts for advice regarding how to teach/discuss key questions, and how to include indigenous curriculum (from collecting resources, to assigning resources to grades and disseminate information and resources to school boards.)
• Honesty: Acknowledging the considerable educational gap between First Nations and Canadians in reserves and non-reserve school, educators need to “be and get real” and take responsibility and accountability. A way to make real change is by including aboriginal parents and guardians, and prioritizing the needs of aboriginal students.  
• Truth: coming to terms with “how things really are” schools need to measure aboriginal learners performance and pay a close look to key metrics like graduation, retention and career paths.

Questions to the author:

• How can educators manage resistance to connect learning to spirituality?
• Is there financial support from the Canadian Government to hire Elders as school guides in curriculum and approaches to teaching?

Implications in a business school:

• • Include indigenous contributions, innovations, inventions in course syllabus.
  • Celebrate aboriginal culture school-wide by organizing celebration for key-dates leaded by aboriginal/indigenous students; organizing forums/events to positively portray indigenous way of thinking and acting
  • Purchase and create more aboriginal books and resources (business cases, videos, articles) with the help of an Elder or indigenous counsellor.
  • Organize study/business trips to aboriginal lands to immerse in the way the communities learn and make business.
  • Acknowledge territory and learn the ways aboriginal people engage and take care of the land.
  • Adapt traditional curriculum to aboriginal peoples learning style: holistic learning, visual organization, hands-on, reflective learning, collaborative tasks, engagement of students at all levels (physical, emotional-mental, intellectual, spiritual level), discussion environments where knowledge is shared through humor, and group talk.
  • Recruit more indigenous students, understand what they need to succeed, provide them with more resources and support and  look for ways to engage their families.

Toulose, P.R. (2008). Integrating Aboriginal teaching and values into the classroom. What works? Research Into Practice, (11), 2008, 1 - 4