Research

On the topic of Indigenizing the curriculum, I aim to explore past studies that illuminate methodologies of integrating Indigenous knowledge into early childhood education. This implementation in early years will assist in promoting acceptance and inclusion while preventing stereotypes and discrimination in older adolescents. The articles below are sorted in to four predominant themes that I have noticed throughout my research: Storywork Literature, Indigenizing the Classroom, Sensitive Topics in Education, and Decolonizing the classroom. My aim is to inform both students and teachers on the importance of early integration of Indigenous education as a preventative measure prior to the formation of offensive stereotypes.

I have listed some articles, literature, and research on the topic of Indigenizing the curriculum.

Storywork Literature

Burke, A., Snow, J., & Egan-Kiigemagi, C. (2019). Children’s literature as a vehicle for Indigenous diversity awareness and inclusion in the classroom. Education in the North, 26(2), 66-81.

The authors conducted a case study observing educators in Eastern Canada on their methods of implementation on post-colonial Indigenous children’s literature in the classroom. Key findings suggest that settler educators are capable of honouring Indigenous knowledge by using traditional storywork teachings in the classroom as an approach to dismantle negative stereotypes and attitudes towards First Nations communities. A key implication arising from these observations was that educators who use authentic and local Indigenous resources promote an environment of inclusion that values multiple ways of learning.

Corntassel, J., Chaw-win-is, & T’lakwadzi. (2009). Indigenous storytelling, truth-telling, and community approaches to reconciliation. English Studies in Canada, 35(1), 137-159. https://doi.org/10.1353/esc.0.0163

The authors interview seven residential school survivors to understand the impact Indigenous stories have on the Peoples to be and how critical they are to the resurgence of their communities. Key findings suggest that to begin the process of decolonization, we must first understand the interconnectedness of homeland, family, restitution, and restorying. The implications of this study highlight the great influence Indigenous voices can have when they are truly heard, and the importance of respecting multiple systems of knowledge.

Indigenizing the Classroom

Archibald, J. A. (2008). Indigenous storywork: Educating the heart, mind, body, and spirit. UBC press.

By investigating past Indigenous theoretical, methodological, and pedagogical frameworks, the author focuses on how stories can be intertwined into pedagogy and used as educational tools for learning. Key findings from this study argue that western epistemologies have a predominant influence in education and the strategies suggested to unlearn these patterns of colonialism allow for a more equitable learning environment. The impacts of this study provide educators with evidence on the benefits of using Indigenous storywork in the classroom as a method of reconciliation in education.

Bougie, É., Wright, S. C., & Taylor, D. M. (2003). Early heritage-language education and the abrupt shift to a dominant-language classroom: Impact on the personal and collective esteem of Inuit children in arctic Québec. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 6(5), 349-373. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050308667791

By interviewing 81 primary Indigenous students, the authors focus on how the use of Indigenous language in early education can benefit a student’s self-esteem. Key findings from this study demonstrate that it is essential for children to have a relationship with their cultural identity to increase their self-worth within public educational institutions. The impacts of this research provide statistics that show Indigenous students who shift at a young age into dominant second-language classrooms succumb to a much lower level of self-worth.

Castagno, A. E., & Brayboy, B. M. J. (2008). Culturally responsive schooling for Indigenous youth: A review of the literature. Review of Educational Research, 78(4), 941-993. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654308323036

The authors review literature on strategies that incorporate culturally responsive pedagogies into the classroom to improve education for Indigenous students in westernized schools. Key findings of this study demonstrate that culturally responsive schooling has positively affected the academic engagement of Indigenous students. The impacts of this literature review strive to influence educators to incorporate these pedagogies into the classroom to create systemic change in westernized schooling institutions.

Harrison, N., & Greenfield, M. (2011). Relationship to place: Positioning aboriginal knowledge and perspectives in classroom pedagogies. Critical Studies in Education, 52(1), 65-76. https://doi.org/10.1080/17508487.2011.536513

In this study, the authors interviewed teachers at 12 primary schools in Australia to understand how Indigenous perspectives were being integrated into the classrooms. Key findings from this study identified the need for schools to form strong relationships with the Indigenous communities to better inform educators on their integration of Indigenous knowledge. The implications of this study suggest that reconciliation can only transpire in education when respectful relationships are made with local Indigenous elders, community members, and families.

Kitson, R., & Bowes, J. (2010). Incorporating Indigenous ways of knowing in early education for Indigenous children. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 35(4), 81-89. https://doi.org/10.3316/ielapa.947375771800280

By using past archives on the levels of engagement Indigenous students demonstrate in Australian schools, the authors promote the benefits of integration of Indigenous knowledge into early childhood education. Key findings from this study highlight that if students are in an inclusive and diverse positive environment, they are more likely to feel confident, valued, and secure. The impacts of this study demonstrate the lack of Indigenous representation in early childhood education and the need to expose all learners to local knowledge and diversity at a young age.

Sensitive Topics in Education

Bautista, N., Misco, T., & Quaye, S. J. (2018). Early childhood open-mindedness: An investigation into preservice teachers’ capacity to address controversial issues. Journal of Teacher Education, 69(2), 154-168. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487117702575

By surveying 86 participants and interviewing 5 participants, the authors examine self-identified closed-minded pre-service teachers and their willingness to address controversial issues in the classroom. Key findings from this study suggest that an educator’s religious beliefs can negatively affect their willingness to address sensitive issues as part of their professional duties. The impacts of this study called for pre-service teaching programs to provide opportunities for teacher candidates to identify, explore, and challenge their biases.

Kello, K. (2016). Sensitive and controversial issues in the classroom: Teaching history in a divided society. Teachers and Teaching, Theory and Practice, 22(1), 35-53. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2015.1023027

By interviewing 53 educators as well as researching previous archives, the author focuses on teachers and their strategies for discussing sensitive issues in the classroom. Key findings from this study reported that Caucasian teachers and their lessons on sensitive topics were often less in-depth than those of minority ethnicity. The impacts of this study suggest that educators might benefit from a reflection process to challenge biases and decompress after having taught sensitive or controversial issues in the classroom. This post-lesson strategy will support educators in normalizing passing on this important information to students.

Decolonizing the classroom

De Schaepmeester, L., van Braak, J., & Aesaert, K. (2022). Social citizenship competences of primary school students: Does socio-ethnic diversity in the classroom matter? Globalization, Societies and Education, 20(3), 365-387. https://doi.org/10.1080/14767724.2021.1889360

The authors surveyed 791 elementary school students to learn which methods young learners use to socialize in a diverse environment. Key findings from this study suggest that parental figures play a large role in a child’s social competence when placed in a diverse environment. The impact of this study showed that students in a socio-ethnic diverse environment were better equipped when handling differences with one another.

Farmer, T. W., Hamm, J. V., Dawes, M., Barko-Alva, K., & Cross, J. R. (2019). Promoting inclusive communities in diverse classrooms: Teacher attunement and social dynamics management. Educational Psychologist, 54(4), 286-305. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2019.1635020

By reviewing past literatures, this study focuses on promoting the importance of community for diverse learners by incorporating pedagogical strategies to help students thrive when exposed to a multitude of social situations with peers. Key findings in this study suggest that student relationships and fostering classroom community must be taken into consideration before meaningful instruction can occur. The impacts of this study found that infusing social dynamic management into a diverse classroom is fundamental when including learners with diverse needs.

Gahman, L., & Legault, G. (2019). Disrupting the settler colonial university: Decolonial praxis and place-based education in the Okanagan valley (British Columbia). Capitalism, Nature, Socialism, 30(1), 50-69. https://doi.org/10.1080/10455752.2017.1368680

By using a place-based approach to teaching, the authors investigate how educators can disrupt the colonial influence that is present in university classrooms. Key findings of this research highlight the capabilities a place-based approach has when organizing a culturally friendly classroom in a white settler institution. The impacts of this study suggest that when using a decolonial place-based approach in the classroom, students feel more connected to their environment and care more for the communities within it.

Keyes, D. J., & Aguiar, L. L. (Eds.). (2021). Emerging from the whiteout: colonization, assimilation, historical erasure, and Syilx Okanagan resistance and transforming praxis in the Okanagan Valley. White space: Race, privilege, and cultural economies of the Okanagan valley. (pp. 35-55). UBC Press.

Using historical Canadian events and reports, the authors examine the present-day impacts of colonialism that continue to produce oppression towards the Indigenous Peoples in the Okanagan. Key findings include tracing the history of violence against Indigenous Peoples in Canada through the use of genocide, residential schools, forced assimilation, and displacement. To break this cycle, the authors suggest incorporation of local Indigenous knowledge into the school curricula to ensure that Syilx Okanagan histories, cultures, and languages may flourish.

Korteweg, L., & Fiddler, T. (2018). Unlearning colonial identities while engaging in relationality: Settler teachers’ education-as-reconciliation. McGill Journal of Education, 53(2), 254-275. https://doi.org/10.7202/1058397ar

By designing courses for teacher candidates in the education program, the authors focus on how best to address reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples as future educators. Key findings of this research suggest that teacher candidates who did not engage in meaningful experiences with Indigenous communities, students, or families when given the opportunity, continued the cycle of colonialism when they became educators. The impacts of this study call on all settler educators to confront their own colonial influences and transform their practice by creating an equitable learning environment for Indigenous students.

Moodie, N., Maxwell, J., & Rudolph, S. (2019). The impact of racism on the schooling experiences of aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students: A systematic review. Australian Educational Researcher, 46(2), 273-295. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-019-00312-8

Using the systemic review method, the authors focus on racism in Australian education institutions towards Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander students. Key findings from this study suggest that majority of schools fail to be proactive with anti-racism strategies and therefore risk the chance of having to be reactive. The impacts of this study found that racism in education can cause a massive disruption in a student’s physical and mental wellbeing, academic engagement, and self-concept.

White, K., Budai, J., Mathew, D., Deighan, M. R., & Gill, H. (2012). Educators' perspectives about a public-school district's Aboriginal education enhancement agreement in British Columbia. Canadian Journal of Native Education, 35(1), 42.

By surveying and interviewing 11 members of the Aboriginal education support team, the researchers focus on how Indigenous their students view personal success in relation to the implementation of British Columbia’s new curriculum. Key findings of this study demonstrate that British Columbia’s new curriculum has positive effects on Indigenous students' pride in their culture. The impacts of this study called for more professional development on the integration of Indigenous knowledge into the classroom to continue the process of decolonization.

References