Learning activities

General principles for Indigenizing learning activities

As you design learning activities that advance Indigenization efforts in the classroom, you can consider the following overarching ideas:

• Diversity of voices: As you select reading and visual materials, include a diversity of non-Western perspectives from different Indigenous and ethnic communities, genders generations, etc.
• Power of stories: Guest presentations by community representatives, industry leaders, and the students themselves can be a powerful tool for learning and connection.
• Community-centered: Educators as facilitators of learning can provide students the opportunity to share their knowledge and experiences with each other, making learning a community experience.
• Holistic: Addressing the four quadrants of the Medicine Wheel (physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual) to bring empathy and connection to the learning process.
• Learning by doing: Using an applied learning framework by providing students with actual experiences to apply their learning. This contributes to practicing their knowledge and skills.

Adapted from the online resource, 5 ways to indigenize your teaching.

For McGregor, “using decolonizing pedagogies also means disrupting taken-for-granted assumptions about where and how ‘legitimate’ learning takes place, and who facilitates it.” Some of the actions that can be part of the educators’ disruption are:

• Engaging with content that illustrates the rights of Indigenous Peoples and allows Indigenous learners to be empowered.
• Using learning resources or materials that do not perpetuate colonial myths and stereotypical representations.
• Asking Indigenous community members for suggestions of appropriate resources or materials that are culturally and locally relevant.
• Inclusion of Elders in instruction, for storytelling, Indigenous language instruction, ceremonies and other pedagogies for learning consistent with Aboriginal pedagogy.
• Facilitating opportunities to learn from place (or the local land and community) and students onto the land/sea.
• An understanding of local customary protocols and community expectations.

Strategies

The Centre for Learning & Program Excellence (CLPE) at Red River College Polytechnic has compiled the following list of specific classroom strategies to advance decolonization and Indigenization:

• Acknowledge the land: Bring in Indigenous Elders and guests and cite Indigenous authors.
• Student Empowerment: Give students choices in learning, projects, and assessment.
• Eliminate high-stakes expectations: Try avoiding high-stakes tests, and encourage critical thinking and ways to assess student thought.
• Learning by doing: Using a learning framework by providing students with actual experiences to apply to their learning contributes to their knowledge and skills.
• Reciprocal learning: Be open to the idea that students can learn from other students and teachers can learn from students.
• Many correct answers exist: Be open to exploring alternative ways to get things done.
• Non-competition: Prioritize collaboration and eliminate competition.
• Deprioritize lectures: Add hand-on experiential learning, projects, student collaboration, assign readings and articles from diverse voices.
• Create experiential learning: Learn by participating and actively doing things with less instruction.
• Provide collaborative opportunities to build community.

Even though there is no simple formula for educators to follow for decolonizing pedagogies, Yatta Kanu provides some ideas for instructional strategies that combine Indigenous pedagogies, including:

• Stories as a teaching method
• Sharing/talking circles
• Values-based approach
  • Use the following links to explore the foundational teachings and values from Indigenous communities across Canada:
    • First Nations 7 Sacred Teachings
    • 12 Métis Values
    • 8 Inuit Values
• Guest speakers (including Elders and Knowledge Keepers
• Field (land) trips

Art and music are also very important to Indigenous peoples. Artistic works usually communicate Indigenous stories and traditions. Learn about an original artwork about education commissioned from Leah Dorion, a Métis artist based in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. Leah’s understanding of the importance of symbols and images in telling cultural knowledge, along with community input, guided her in developing the piece.