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Issue #166
September, 2023

Early Childhood

kâ-nâkatohkêhk miyo-ohpikinawâwasowin (Making oneself aware of good child growing and raising).  Applying an Indigenous worldview to prevention and early intervention strategies

https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/jisd/article/view/73800/55994

Source: Journal of Indigenous Social Development [Volume 11, Issue 1 (2022)]

Summary: Given their  complicity  with  the  settler colonial  agenda,  governments  and  service providing agencies  must  do  more  than  acknowledge  the  harm  inflicted  upon  Indigenous  families  and communities. These organizations must intentionally engage in meaningful change by learning how to  provide  services  that  prevent  further  harm  and  authentically  support  Indigenous  wellness perspectives and healing practices. It is in this spirit and in support of these aims that the resource, kâ-nâkatohkêhk miyo-ohpikinawâwasowin (Making oneself aware of good child growing/raising), was created. Recognizing the inadequacy of Western concepts, beliefs, and values to effectively evaluate the impact of Indigenous designed services, this resource is based on nehiyaw (Cree) perspectives and teachings and encompasses ceremony, language, values, and beliefs that support the resiliency and healthy development of Indigenous children and families.

This article describes the context of kâ-nâkatohkêhk miyo-ohpikinawâwasowin’s creation, provides a summary of the framework, and highlights its current and potential impacts for program policy and evaluation, as well as for program funders.

Classroom Practice: Elementary

My Seasonal Round: An Integrated Unit for Elementary Social Studies and Science

https://www.openschool.bc.ca/elementary/my_seasonal_round/teacher_area.html

Source: BC Teachers – Leanne Baugh (Writer/Project Manager, Open School BC)

Focus: Junior students

Summary: This unit illustrates the integration of Social Studies and Science. The seasonal round was chosen as a theme for this unit because it lends itself well to integrating the topics of BC First Nations study in Social Studies and habitats in Science. A seasonal (or annual) round refers to the pattern of movement from one resource-gathering area to another in a cycle that was followed each year. Spring, summer, and fall saw the people moving to a variety of resource areas while during the harsher winter they gathered in winter villages. The abundance of resources also determined how often people moved. In areas that had a greater abundance of variety, people could stay in one location for longer than in areas where resources were scarcer.

Classroom Practice: Elementary Classroom Practice: Secondary

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Lesson Plans

https://www.mbteach.org/mtscms/2016/09/10/national-day-for-truth-and-reconciliation-lesson-plans/

Source: The Manitoba Teachers’ Society

Focus: Grades K-8 and 9-12

Summary: September 30 is the new National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. It’s also Orange Shirt Day across Canada. The Manitoba Teachers’ Society – together with Manitoba’s education partners and many Indigenous organizations – will be honouring residential school survivors.

Multimedia

Ocean, Fresh Water, and Us

https://cangeoeducation.ca/en/maps/ocean-freshwater-and-us/

Source: Canadian Geographic

Focus: Secondary students

Summary: This resource has been co-designed by a national team of partners to educate students, teachers, and the broader public on the connection we all have with water, regardless of where in Canada we call home. Canada has the longest coastline of any country in the world and approximately 20 per cent of the planet’s freshwater resources. This resource inspires us to better understand and take action to protect local waterways and the global ocean. Highlighted on this map are Canada’s watersheds, which include flow arrows to show the direction water travels to the ocean, as well as Arctic sea ice extent. In addition to the water layers on the map, the human element (the “us”) is also prominently featured through conservation layers and the different types of marine and freshwater protected areas. Villages, towns, and cities (heavily weighted towards the southern parts of the country) are also included, as well as particular illumination of Indigenous communities, treaties, and Indigenous languages spoken across the entirety of what we now call Canada.

Multimédias

L’océan, l’eau douce, et nous

https://cangeoeducation.ca/fr/maps/locean-leau-douce-et-nous/

Source: Canadian Geographic

À l’intention des étudiants au secondaire

Résumé: Cette ressource a été co-conçue par une équipe nationale de partenaires pour éduquer les élèves, les enseignants et le grand public sur le lien que nous avons tous avec l’eau, peu importe où nous habitons au Canada. Le Canada possède le plus long littoral de tous les pays du monde et environ 20 % des ressources en eau douce de la planète. Cette ressource nous incite à mieux comprendre et à agir pour protéger les voies navigables locales et de l’océan mondial. Sur cette carte sont mis en évidence les bassins hydrographiques du Canada, qui comprennent des flèches de débit pour indiquer la direction dans laquelle l’eau se déplace vers l’océan, ainsi que l’étendue de la glace de mer arctique. En plus des couches d’eau sur la carte, l’élément humain (le « nous ») est également mis en évidence à travers les couches de conservation et les différents types d’aires protégées marines et d’eau douce. Les villages, villes et cités (fortement orientés vers le sud du pays) sont également inclus, ainsi qu’un éclairage particulier sur les communautés autochtones, les traités et les langues autochtones parlées dans l’ensemble de ce que nous appelons maintenant le Canada.

Professional Development

COVID-19 and its impact on Indigenous language revitalization

https://www.uvic.ca/education/research/covid-19-research/covid-19-and-its-impact-on-indigenous-language-revitalization.php

Source: University of Victoria

Summary: Indigenous communities across Canada and the world are working hard to keep their languages alive and bring them back into everyday use. Most language work takes place in person, where face-to-face interaction is an important aspect of learning, teaching, and sharing between students, speakers, Elders, and knowledge keepers.

In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic immediately interrupted our ability to gather in person, greatly impacting the majority of language work that previously took place at home, at school, and in the community. This overnight shift created both challenges and opportunities and sparked innovative responses from Indigenous language learners.

Relevant Research

Education in the Post-Pandemic Era: Indigenous Children

https://www.erudit.org/en/journals/iipj/2020-v11-n3-iipj05493/1071428ar/

Source: The International Indigenous Policy Journal Volume 11, Number 3, 2020, p. 1–11
Special Section: The COVID-19 Pandemic and Indigenous Peoples

Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic crisis resulted in more than 100 countries legislating school closures in March 2020. In response, provincial ministries and their respective publicly-funded school boards have implemented online learning platforms to avoid disruptions to student learning. For students already ostracized in public education, on-line learning may serve to further embed them in the proverbial margins. This editorial speaks to the urgency for educators at all levels to prepare for the potentially devastating outcomes on Indigenous student learning and progress in post-pandemic public schools and classrooms. The preparation for these realities has to be both immediate and retrospective given the complexities of these unique circumstances that have created interwoven layers of marginalization for Indigenous students.

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