First Nations Learning Perspectives

Updated/Revised: 2021

https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ontario-school-board-regrets-burning-books-in-the-name-of-reconciliation-as-part-of-educational-program-1.5580647 

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https://sites.google.com/teltgafe.com/indigenouslearnersinmath/home

https://thelearningexchange.ca/videos/lisa-lunney-borden-integration-of-culture-in-the-classroom/?pcat=&psess=&ptit=Leaders%20in%20Mathematical%20Thinking&ps=leaders-in-mathematical-thinking

In the New BC curriculum, the classrooms were told to incorporate more aspects of First Nations Student Learning. I think personally, we have had that all along, it really comes down to the teaching styles I talked about in a previous post. I was mentioning that there were four types of teaching styles. There is the expert, the "Cool" teacher, etc. Well, while reading through the "Integrating Aboriginal Teaching and Values in the Classroom", I noticed that the fourth value/teaching principle is "Wisdom" and originally I was going to scan over that until I had my attention caught by the ideas of group talk and "humour" in the classroom. If a person has ever lived on a reserve or lived with anyone of a first nations background, you learn quickly that they have one of the most rough, yet loving sense of humors out there. Rough in regards to the material (sometimes a bit racy or unconventional), but always friendly and loving in the delivery of a good joke or tease. It is very much similar to how my Dad had brought me up, "helps ya develop a bit of a thick skin," cause ya, the world is a tough place at times and you need to know that sometimes we need to have humility (teaching number 5). With that understanding, people can become wiser, stronger, etc.

The group talk is the area in which I would like to specifically add into simple and regular textbook work. Creating small groups I would like to see something like that of the lesson plan I will have added into the end of the post.

Essentially, the class will be split up into groups and given exercises 1-2; 4-7; etc. at which point, they will need to work together with chart papers and each other to solve. Each group will be formed into a larger circle in which each group needs to solve their questions and when finished, move to another group to help them; OR have another group come help them first. the idea is that the students are given questions of increasing difficulty based on skill level, grit, etc. (as the teacher designates as fit). Students with the beginning level questions will most likely have visitors coming by to see how the base of the concepts were solved and then move around the circle until it gets to their set of questions. As a community (in a perfect learning environment), the students would have completed the conceptualisation of a new mathematical feat as a learning community-growing from one to other; scaffolding from one to the other.