In response to this email it is very unfortunate that schools and teachers don’t understand the importance of teaching Treaty Education in the classroom. It can be very difficult to teach something when there's very little support given. It is important that students and educators understand and learn the importance of Treaty Education because “We are all Treaty people”.
The purpose of teaching Treaty Education or First Nations, Metis, and Inuit (FNMI) content and perspectives where there are few or no First Nations, Metis, or Inuit peoples, is because it is not only about their history and culture but it also ties into the importance of Canada’s history, and the people who were here before others arrived. While this is considered our land it really is First Nations, Metis, and Inuit peoples land first and still has strong ties to the land itself. It is important to teach Treaty Education whether many FNMI peoples or not because it is part of Canada’s long history and students should know every part of history not just the European side. Learning about Treaty Education is an enriched experience which can teach the importance of what belongs and community. Teaching students about Treaty Education will also begin to teach people about the importance of trying to fix or acknowledge what wrongs happened in the past. It is not only a lesson about Treaty Education but is also showing respect for the people and land we live on. It can be hard to educate on a topic that some people might not find beneficial to the curriculum or learning about. One way to start off the topic of Treaty Education in a classroom no matter what students you have is to see what they already know and go back to the time period where treaties were in place, relating it to the popular and important topic of Truth and Reconciliation.Another great way to start this conversation is to take a look at identity and what that means to some student. After they have an idea of their own self identity incorporating treaty education can give them the opportunity to look into their own and the communities identity. This is a great place to start as the understanding of identity is very important to the FNMI community. Some great resources to look at that may help you further are Claire, Mike & Claire, and "On What Terms Can we Speak?". These resources make some great points and can be very helpful when starting and incorporating Treaty Education into the classroom. It is important to understand that “we are all treaty people” will have a different meaning to all of your students and finding a common understanding of teaching what it is and not interfering in someone's opinion is important, especially as a teacher. To understand what “we are all treaty people” truly means it is important to understand and educate yourself on the topic at hand. This could mean many different things for many different people because of background, knowledge and access to education and resources. Most people that live in Canada think that being a “treaty person” is to be First Nation, Metis, or Inuit. Being a “treaty person” is to respect and understand that this is not our land but that we are living on someone else's land. Over the past couple of years Canada has really started to take ownership that for instance this is Treaty 4 territory and land. The start of major events involves an elders blessing and prayer and a someone acknowledging the land we live on. The meaning of “we are all treaty people” is to know and understand that we are living and sharing the same land. It's about an understanding of community and what history connects us all, past and present. Within the curriculum “We are all treaty people” relies heavily on students' understanding of identity. What does their identity mean to them and how does being a treaty person tie into their own lives.
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According to Levin’s article Curriculum Policy and the Politics of what Should be Learned in Schools, school curricula is developed and implemented by many parties that you might expect and some you might not. Teachers, along with what are considered to be “experts” in the fields or subjects are one of the main contributors to the school systems curriculum. While this makes a rich and very structured learning program and outline for the classroom it can also make it hard for those who have to teach grades or subjects they know very little or nothing about. While these “experts” might hold the best knowledge and understanding of an area, they are an expert of the field not children or their students themselves. This creates a heavy curriculum that may not quite fit the needs of the students at certain levels. Another main contributor to the development and implementation of curriculum and or policy is the government itself. Politics are one of the main contributors to the curriculum. Everything has to go through the certain government levels in order to be approved and while this may seem like a good idea it also can cause students to not get the proper education they need or desire.
One of the things Levin talks about in this article is society involvement. I agree with Levin in the fact that society and students voices play an important role in this area and that it isn't being heard enough. There is a lack of public input and connection to the policies and curriculum. These curriculum and policies are all to create a student and a member of society that has certain knowledge about different things. These people that create documents and outlines for students to learn teach the basics of subjects, but what about the basics of life as an adult? When thinking about it learning these skills plus skills that will benefit them in their life as an adult, a good example for this might be learning taxes or how to manage money. But because these things don’t exactly fall into a subject area they are left out completely. Only students that are privileged enough to have classes offered in their schools to teach them that even have a chance to learn these important life skills. When creating policies and curriculum, I personally think it would be beneficial to ask society and the community who have already been through school what would have benefited them most and what they wish they would have learned and finding a way to incorporate these things into the classroom. When comparing Levin’s article and the Treaty Education Document they have a couple things in common. Both curriculum was developed by multiple people in different levels and field areas. The Treaty Education Document tells teachers what their students should have learned by the end of grade 12 but not how or to what extent they should learn it. Just like in Levin’s article the Treaty Education Document sets up what is to be taught and what students are to take away from the class. This can be difficult as some students take away different things from others and or have a stronger desire with the subject to learn. Some tensions that may have occurred when creating the Treaty curriculum is be aware of past and present history and how to preserve it without offending or being culturally incorrect (We want the right information to be taught). The Treaty Education Document states “Making mandatory instruction in history and content of the Treaties in the K-12 curriculum.”(pg. 3) It is important that the instruction of learning the history and content is updated to the best of education knowledge and that it can work towards creating understanding of the past in as truthful a way as possible. It is important to remember that creating documents, policies, and curriculum in education all have their tensions, what is important is providing the students with the best information possible so they are about to learn. A) Some ways that you see reinhabitation and decolonization throughout the narrative is:
B) As teachers it is important to embrace every student and families cultures as classrooms are so diverse. The main way to do this is to create strong connections with students and their own environment. Learn about what is important to them and where they came from. Creating a good connection with each of your students can help you support them in and out of the classroom and help you as a teacher understand where a student is coming from. It is important to know your boundaries when teaching any subject that could have many possible views or something that you yourself cannot relate to. As teachers you want to make sure you have an open classroom where all ideas and cultures are accepted but also know your boundaries as a teacher to what you are able to talk about without affecting the culture or students. Having students share where they came from and their background or have their family talk about it is a great place to start. Other ways to do this in a classroom can be field trips or having outdoor class. |
Whats on this page?Here I will write my responses and thoughts to readings, texts, articles, conversations and more throughout my time in ECS 210. Archives
March 2020
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