STUDENT-CENTRED LEADERSHIP TO IMPROVE

ENGAGEMENT, WELL-BEING AND ACHIEVEMENT OF ALL

INCLUSIVE OF INDIGENOUS LEARNERS

A CBE Professional Learning Series

WORKING DOCUMENTS – SESSION 2 - 2016

Review Notes:

Truth and Reconciliation Commission – Calls to Action

Excerpts:
Renew or establish Treaty relationships based on principles of mutual recognition, mutual respect, and shared responsibility for maintaining those relationships into the future.

Make age-appropriate curriculum on residential schools, Treaties, and Aboriginal peoples’ historical and contemporary contributions to Canada a mandatory education requirement for Kindergarten to Grade Twelve students.

Develop and implement Kindergarten to Grade Twelve curriculum and learning resources on Aboriginal peoples in Canadian history, and the history and legacy of residential schools.
Including:

ii. Sharing information and best practices on teaching curriculum related to residential schools and Aboriginal history.

iii. Building student capacity for intercultural understanding, empathy, and mutual respect.

iv. Identifying teacher-training needs relating to the above.

Dr. Dwayne Donald – Understanding Ethical Relationality

“Ethical relationality is an ecological understanding of human relationality that does not deny difference, but rather seeks to more deeply understand how our different histories and experiences position us in relation to each other. This form of relationality is ethical because it does not overlook or render invisible the particular historical, cultural, and social contexts from which a standpoint arises. Rather, it puts these considerations at the forefront of engagements across frontiers of difference. “ ~ Donald, D. (2009). Forts, Curriculum, and Indigenous Métissage: Imagining Decolonization of Aboriginal-Canadian Relations in Education Contexts: Imagining Decolonization of Aboriginal-Canadian Relations.

Video – Big Thinking – On What Terms Can We Speak?

Notes:

The Wampum Belt

Consider:

  • What does this image convey about initial Indigenous-non-Indigenous relationships?
  • What might symbolize the changes in those relationshipssince that time?
  • What might be an appropriate metaphor for reconciliation and renewed Indigenous-Canadian relationships going forward?
  • How might you engage students and colleagues in ways that deepen their understanding of the history of Indigenous-Canadian relationships?
  • How might you engage others in these ideas or use them as springboards towards a renewal of Aboriginal-Canadian relationships?

Gus-Wen-Tah, or the two-row wampum belt. The bed of white wampum symbolizes the purity of the agreement and the ideals of peace, friendship, and respect.

The two purple rows symbolize two paths or two vessels, travelling down the same river together. One, a birch bark canoe, will be for the Indigenous people, their laws, their customs and their ways. The other, a ship, will be for the white people and their laws, their customs and their ways.

We shall each travel the river together, side by side, but in our own boat. Neither of us will try to steer the other’s vessel. (Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, 1996, p. 116)

Notes:

Prepare to Share Your Personal Reflection

  • Identify one aspect of your personal response that you would like your colleagues to respond to.What questions do you have? What are you wondering about?

Personal Response Sharing

Name & Focus Area / Notes
Presenter 1
Presenter 2
Presenter 3

Discuss

  • What are the implications for you as a CBE leader in nurturing ethical relationality?
  • What might leaders do to begin to foster a renewal and repairing of Indigenous-Canadian relationships?

Designing Worthwhile Work

Topic: Understanding the history of Indigenous and non-Indigenous relationships

Learning Intentions: (What specifically do you want students to understand and/or be able to do as a result of the learning task/activity you designed?Describe your learning intention in one or two sentences.)
I want students to understand….
I want students to be able to…
Task – clearly defined(What specifically will students be asked to do? What will be their work?What evidence/proof of understanding or misunderstanding might you gather to help inform your next steps?) / Hook (pick one):
  1. Authentic Stories -
  2. Chanie Wenjack Heritage Minute-
  3. Gord Downie The Secret Path film trailer -
  4. Song Residential Wreck -
  5. Wab Kinew –Rebuilding Relationships
  6. Phyllis Webstad’s Orange Shirt Campaign (news article) -

1

Galileo Educational Network, Werklund School of Education, 2016

In what ways does this task help to foster ethical relationality?

-Reflects authentic indigenous perspective, voice, and/or knowledge

-Honours foundational Indigenous philosophies

-References and uses Indigenous artifacts, symbols and/or knowledge in respectful and appropriate ways

Review 2 or 3 of the tasks that others have posted. Use a yellow and green post-it to provide feedback about each of the tasks you review.

-Yellow post-it for caution – Alert authors to the potential for some aspect of the task/activity to be inauthentic or perhaps disrespectful of Indigenous ways

-Green post-it for go – Identify potential forsome element of this task/activity to foster reconciliation and/or a renewal of ethical relationships.

Critical Reflections and Feedforward Survey

SCL-I October 5, 2016

Name of your School or Work Context

______

Your Name: ______

  1. What have you come to understand about ethical relationality and its implications for your context?
  1. How might you influence the learning of others and begin to lead this work in your context?
  1. Other questions, suggestions, comments

1

Galileo Educational Network, Werklund School of Education, 2016