2012-07-31 Sharing our experience

Post date: Jul 31, 2012 3:40:28 PM

One of the reasons we (students, faculty and staff) find the gardens so amazing is because they keep inviting us to ask questions and have conversations about teaching, learning and research that we might not otherwise get the chance to consider. Recently, some visitors to the web site suggested that it would be helpful to share these experiences, and so, we are going to try and do that a little more often.

To get the ball rolling, we share (pretty much verbatim) a conversation that occurred earlier last week. It started out as feedback on a lesson plan in development (which will eventually make it onto the site) and shifted to questions of what is in a lesson that invites us to engage with Aboriginal perspectives and how we can support educators as they try to take up these ideas in their own classrooms.

Like all our posts and resources, the following is a living document, a conversation in process. We invite feedback that will open up the conversation in terms of coming to understand, or thoughts on what kind of supports are required by classroom teachers.

Hey Steph:

First off, this is an awesome lesson. And I want to say that upfront because I'm going to ask some questions which may make you think it isn't awesome, when it is.

And maybe the best way I can explain my questions is through a bit of an example ... the Faculty has an Aboriginal Teacher Education Program (ATEP). Most of the students in the program do not attend classes on campus, but in or closer to their home communities in (mostly) northern Alberta. They have to meet all the same requirements for degree as everyone else, but the program is labeled ATEP. In my first year at UofA (4 years ago) I was asked to speak with Indigenous faculty members, not specifically about ATEP, but about the uptake and place of Indigenous understandings and the place / role of Indigenous people in the Faculty. One of the things that nearly every one of them wondered about was ATEP. Basically they were wondering what was ‘Aboriginal’ about the program, other than the majority of the students. And while it is true that these students bring their own perspectives to the classes they take, there was some sense among the faculty members that perhaps there should be something a bit different about the courses in this context as well.

So, I guess what I am wondering is how are we bringing Aboriginal perspectives into the lessons we are developing other than through the use of the garden? Sometimes it is difficult to do, and perhaps in certain cases what we need are a few lessons that work together as a unit, in other cases, sometimes just adding some questions or thinking points can help.

In this lesson, I note the focus on eliciting a mood or feeling through the photography. So I am wondering if there is a way to have the students reference works by Aboriginal photographers who might be using time lapse as an example. One of the other things I thought was perhaps given the time lapse focus (which is so cool), perhaps there is an opening in the lesson for explorations of time (as opposed to mood) in photography ... how individual images sort of capture and fix time whereas time lapse allows for demonstration of change and movement where it often isn't easy to see (like with plants). You could then ask the students to examine how Aboriginal artists / photographers play with the idea of time and fixedness / movement in their work (because many of them do in very complex and interesting ways).

Anyway, those are my thoughts. As I said, it is a very good lesson as it stands.

Let me know if you have any questions,

Dawn

---

Hello to you both,

I think this is an interesting lesson plan to go through as I think it will highlight for Steph in particular some of the discussions that go into lesson planning, but then also how teachers go about (or try to go about) bringing in Aboriginal perspectives.

Logistically, the only thing I would add is at the beginning to indicate somewhere the pre-requisites (if any) and/or something which mentions that the students have been previously exposed to editing software, etc.

I think my thoughts on the content come from experiencing what Comm Tech teachers I know do in their own classes. The classes, even when lock and step, tend to be fast and chaotic, for lack of better terminology. When I read the lesson plan, I gravitated towards the aspects that I thought I were not typical for many CTS classes. Specifically, telling a story though a focused means which pays close attention to the object - the telling of this type of story brings the plants to life and I am not sure that most people think of plants as living, breathing things. I certainly agree with Dawn and think her points more explicitly address bringing in Aboriginal perspectives, however.

My question that I would like to open to the group, because I am still learning, struggling, working through this, etc., is do we need to be explicit when bringing in Aboriginal perspectives all of the time? Are there places where if we focus on more natural, peaceful and focused ideas, that although not explicit, implicitly weave Aboriginal perspectives through work towards what 'we' are trying to accomplish? I could be completely out to lunch but I had these thoughts. I also like the idea of Steph seeing some of the struggle that I in particular am working through in making Aboriginal perspectives meaningful - I think these are the types of things most teachers who are non-Aboriginal such as myself are working through. Okay, enough from me. Thank you for this wonderful discussion that I hope ensues.

Tracy

---

Hey there Tracy and Steph:

First off, the idea of story maybe a place to pick it up. I like that a lot and perhaps that is a better fit within the program of study as it stands.

And Tracy, I understand your point about the explicit / implicit thing. It is actually something I considered coming in to the PhD program --- how explicit do I need to be with my own position and the assumptions I bring to teaching science. I have little doubt that at points my life would be easier if I just shut up about it and do what I do anyway (but as we all know I am not really good at shutting up). In many ways you are right, if we move into ideas of pedagogy that challenge "lock and step", "fast and chaotic" we are shifting to what I understand to be a more Indigenous (or at least non / less Western) approach. And I love the slowing down of this lesson for precisely that reason.

The thing I wonder is how do we support teachers who have little or no experience with Indigenous knowledge / perspectives / people without being somewhat explicit about it? Again, maybe it isn't in the lesson itself but in a note to teachers related to the lesson. When I was working at my previous job that's sort of what we did, we had lessons, and then we had teachers' guides that included additional information about where teachers might find additional information etc. Or maybe, we aren't explicit and let them ask us questions.

One of the things I'm finding as I review the conversations that I've had for my dissertation, and actually one of the things that came up all the time in my work at my previous job, is that given the various constraints (both real and perceived) that teachers work under, change - whether in content or practice - is not easy. So, when change is required, teachers seem more likely to take up something which is more, rather than less explicit only because - I suspect - that is easier, it gives them a concrete place from which to start. For sure, they are going to change it and make it their own (which is really what you want anyway), but that first step of trying seems to be more likely when there is something explicit to support it.

I'm not sure how much sense I've just made there ... but feel free to have at.

---

Dawn and Steph:

I really like the idea of a teachers guide type of thing - I think it opens this up to allow people to take this up either more or less explicitly, whatever their comfort or discomfort level is.

I do think what you are saying Dawn makes sense - when I think about it and as we have discussed many times, I have become more comfortable being uncomfortable. However, I certainly did not start there and most people do not have the opportunity to step away and really consider things as I have had the opportunity to do. I like the idea of providing different levels where people can enter the lesson plan, either as is or with the assistance of a guide.

What do others think?

---

Hey Dawn and Tracy:

This is all interesting to think about.... I think a teacher's guide within the lesson plan would work really well. That way they are able to understand it themselves, and if they so choose they are able to share it with the students?

If this is the way we will go with this, does anyone have examples of Indigenous perspectives that obvisouly work with the project? I'm not sure exactly what to discuss in the teacher's guide.

Steph

---

Hey Steph -

I will think on this but you might want to start with looking at something like

A people's ecology: Explorations in sustainable living (1999) by Greg Cajete.

It may be in the library. Another good resource - although generally aimed at younger grades - that maybe helpful is a series called Keepers of the (insert option) by Bruchac and Caduto. I'm thinking the one on stars and planets might have something on time .. they all talk about story.

---

Hi,

Alberta Education produced Our Words, Our Ways (2005) as well which may give you some ideas. It is directed towards learners but might have something.

---

Hey –

There’s also the new resource Walking together.

Enjoy