Reflecting on My Journey to Indigenize My Classroom
Almost a decade ago, I decided to become a high school history teacher. I am of resettler* descent, but the majority of my teaching career has been in remote northern communities in Canada. I have had the privilege of living, learning, and working with some amazing individuals in Eeyou Istchee (the James Bay region of Quebec) and in Whatì (in the Northwest Territories). Now, with several years of experience (and no time spent teaching history), I am here to share what I have learned on my journey to Indigenize my classroom and how that journey helped shape my teaching practice.
Teaching in the North and the South
When I taught in northern communities, all of my students were Indigenous. My first few years as a new teacher were spent learning about new cultures and trying to bring cultural connections into the curriculum. These early experiences immersed me in Indigenous communities. They helped me learn how to incorporate Indigenous perspectives and content into the curriculum in meaningful ways.
Life’s circumstances have brought me back to the community I was raised in. While I would never have considered it ‘South’ before, I can’t help but call it that now that I have lived in the North. I live in a rural farming community that hasn’t changed much since I left. Instead of feeling immersed in Indigenous culture, I feel disconnected from it here.
My desire to connect with my students started me on a journey. I wanted to learn more about decolonizing education and Indigenizing the curriculum. Superficial inclusions, like a quiet space teepee tent, just don’t cut it, regardless of where you teach. My goal of fostering an appreciation and understanding of Indigenous ways of knowing is the same wherever I am.
Lessons Learned While Indigenizing My Classroom
The biggest takeaway from this blog post is that Indigenizing the curriculum is necessary work, no matter who your learners are or where you teach. Indigenizing the curriculum is part of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action and a crucial step toward building a better future for everyone. Two-Eyed Seeing encourages us to understand the world through both Indigenous and non-Indigenous lenses. It is a great place to start. Let’s take a look at a few more steps you can take to Indigenize your classroom.
Start Small
If you’re intimidated by the idea of Indigenizing your classroom, consider it a good sign that you want to do it well! When I first started, I worried that I would not do enough. I also worried that I would get something wrong, but I learned that a small step goes a long way. The easiest way to start is by learning more about the Indigenous community(ies) in your area. Here are a few ways you can start:
- Visit a Friendship Centre or Band Office
- Attend local Indigenous events
- Follow local Indigenous groups on social media
- Explore resources about Indigenizing the curriculum
The First Nations Education Steering Committee has created amazing resources for ELA, social studies, science, and math teachers. Even if you aren’t in British Columbia, these resources are a great place to find ideas and get inspiration.
I took small steps at the start, like including culturally relevant examples in word problems and literature. As I gained more experience and knowledge, I expanded my approach. I included activities around traditional harvesting practices, organized visits from Elders and Knowledge Keepers, and facilitated discussions about local languages and ecological stewardship. The most important thing is to start somewhere.
Looking for more information on where to start? Read our previous blog post, Engaging with Indigenous Communities in the Classroom: 5 Tips for Educators!
Integrate Indigenous Pedagogies
I teach math and science primarily. These two subjects, while seemingly neutral and objective, are still infused with Western perspectives. All cultures, including Indigenous cultures, have mathematical and scientific thinking. However, these approaches do not always fit within Western models. How can you Indigenize a curriculum that doesn’t lend itself to Indigenous culture? Indigenize your pedagogical approach. We can still teach the standard curriculum while shifting our pedagogical methods.
There are several features of Indigenous pedagogies that you can bring into your classroom. Here are three key components that have been identified by researchers at Indspire:
- Relationality: teaching students about the importance of balance between our relationships with each other, the land, animals, our ancestors and future generations.
- Intergenerational learning: learning from our Elders and Knowledge Keepers.
- Experiential learning: learning through a process of observation, action, reflection and further action.
You’ll find more practical strategies for decolonizing your math classroom in our previous blog post.
Put it into Practice
Using methods like talking circles, land-based learning, community engagement projects, sharing experiences and listening to stories can bring Indigenous pedagogies into your classroom. For example, we’d cover animal body systems in class, and then attend the community trapper’s festival to learn about harvesting those organs. These are some of my favourite memories. Some of my least engaged students really came alive for this project, creating booklets, posters and even slide decks about the experience. We also learned about tendons using ptarmigan legs that year.
Growing, harvesting and preparing food to enjoy with your community is another great way to teach students numerous skills while keeping relationality, intergenerational and experiential learning at the forefront of your pedagogy. Culture days brought the entire community together. We spent time learning language, making traditional crafts, and preparing traditional food. It’s also an opportunity to see your students in a new light—I gave some of the rowdier crew a lesson in how to cut caribou meat (after being taught by an Elder myself), and it felt so good to trust them to take it seriously and behave safely.
Moosehide gloves I made for my daughter while living in Ouje-Bougoumou, Quebec.
Stories and storytelling are my favourite ways to engage students in any subject. I often use case studies to cover various topics in my science classroom. One year, the Nation published an article about global warming and the environmental changes being observed in the James Bay region. I still have the paper copy today. I photocopied it and distributed it to my Grade 10 class the year it was published. They were totally engrossed in it because the voices of their community members were included in the writing. You can also invite local Elders, Knowledge Keepers or local experts to talk to your students about something you’re covering in class.
Be Transparent with Your Students
Share your goals about including Indigenous perspectives, content, and pedagogies with your students. Tell them why this is important to you and what you want them to learn from these experiences. This is also a space where you can be vulnerable. Use this opportunity to model how to foster relationships with Indigenous communities, learn about Two-Eyed Seeing, and be a lifelong learner committed to reconciliation.
Conclusion
When I started teaching, Indigenizing my classroom felt like an enormous task. However, my first few teaching contexts lightened the load because I saw no other option but to adapt my teaching practice rapidly. I will always be grateful for these experiences and the lessons they taught me. I am equally excited about what I still have to learn. Looking back, taking steps to Indigenize my classroom has been one of the most meaningful parts of my teaching journey.
No matter where you are on your journey to Indigenize your classroom, even if you are just taking your first few steps, your commitment to this act of reconciliation is valuable and benefits all your students, Indigenous and non-Indigenous alike.
*I use the term resettler because settler implies that Turtle Island wasn’t occupied before the arrival of Europeans. The term settler reinforces the concept of terra nullius when, in reality, Indigenous Peoples have occupied what we now call Canada since time immemorial.
