Reflection

Setting the Scene

Contrasting Colonial Education and Indigenous Ways of Understanding

Indigenous Ways of Understanding have evolved through many generations and there are different types of Indigenous Knowledge Systems in existence. Brayboy and Maughan describe how Indigenous ways of knowing and understanding come to be, "Indigenous peoples come to know things by living their lives and adding to a set of cumulative experiences that serve as guideposts for both individuals and communities over time" (2009, p3). These guideposts helped communities to survive. Knowledge was not shared for knowledge sake, or to make a teacher look smart, it was shared so that they could thrive in their current lives and also from generation to generation (Brayboy & Maughan, 2009, p12). Colonial education often focuses on the goal of achieving a high grade point average in a course or program, then progressing further in education or starting a career. This is a very self-centred view of education as it only focuses on the success of the individual and not what the individual's success means to the community or future generations, whereas, "in an Indigenous worldview, we focus more on what we can give back because of all that we have received" (Waters, 2021, p. 145).

Nicole Bell describes Anishinaabe education as "holistic" (2016, p. 13). Holistic education is a lifelong process of the development of the whole body, mind emotion, and spirit, and is supported not only by teachers at school, but also teachers at home and in the community (Bell, 2016, p. 13). Students are guided in the tradition of the "seven sacred values of honesty, wisdom, love, respect, bravery, humility, and truth" and this growth begins within the individual but then extends "to the family, community, nation, and his/her multi-verse, which includes the world/place that cannot be physically seen" (Bell, 2016, p. 14). Contrast this to colonial education which often focuses on their idea of "facts" and assessable skills, and uses standardized testing to place students in a category of achievement. A colonial education is considered done when a student has received their diploma or degree, often when the student is in their early twenties. In an Indigenous worldview, students are only halfway through their education by that age (Bell, 2016, p. 10-11).

In many Indigenous cultures a circle is often formed for meetings so that each attendee sits as an equal, "No one is more or less than any other person" (Merculieff & Roderick, 2013, p. 3). Contrast this to colonial education where the teacher is often at the front of the room standing over seated students, or in a lecture theatre with students all focused on the professor. Teachers and professors are supposed to be an expert in their field and to bestow their knowledge on students. In an Indigenous worldview, "Group knowledge is considered superior to individual knowledge" and Elders, who are recognized for their wisdom and knowledge, will focus on community cohesion and passing along the knowledge and experience they have gained in order to ensure the survival of future generations (Merculieff & Roderick, 2013, p. 20). Elders will never bestow that name on themselves, it is earned and given to them by the community (Merculieff & Roderick, 2013, p. 20), whereas Teachers/Professors receive that title when they are hired for a job.

Colonial approaches to testing and assessment often focus on achievement on standardized tools used to measure baseline comprehension or knowledge (Trumball & Nelson-Barber, 2019).  Teaching will often become about, "instruction thought to prepare students to do well on the tests" instead of an holistic approach that focuses on diverse aspects of the student (Trumball & Nelson-Barber, 2019). Indigenous ways of knowing suggest a more flexible, reflective, and customized approach to assessment and includes, asking the class to work together to answer questions and solve problems, allowing questions to surface through discussions instead of asking direct questions to a student, reflection and journalling, a focus more on formative than summative assessment, resulting in "a personal and reflective process of self-exploration, starting with the individual and progressing to entail relationships with family, community, and beyond" (Trumball & Nelson-Barber, 2019).

There are many differences from colonial education to Indigenous Ways of Understanding. In traditional colonial education the student is often seen as subordinate, grouped with all other students and measured with the same scale. The student's brain is filled with facts, some skills and hopefully critical thinking, they finish school, get their certificate, and are considered grown and ready to begin life as an adult. In Indigenous Ways of Understanding a student is seen as part of the community with their teacher and the other students. Their emotional, mental, physical, spiritual growth is supported and students see how their actions can affect the entire world. Assessment is done often throughout the course and is a result of coming together, having discussions, doing some hands-on work, and solving problems. Students are encouraged to know themselves but also to know their role and responsibilities within the community to ensure it thrives for many generations. Students know graduation does not mean they are done learning, they will learn throughout their lives and eventually they will be expected to share their knowledge and experience too. 

How Can I Honour Indigenous Ways of Understanding in My Teaching Practice?

Tuck and Yang  state "decolonization specifically requires the repatriation of Indigenous land and life" (2012, p. 21). So how can this be accomplished in a college classroom? How can this be specifically accomplished in educational technology or digital media classes? Based on the comparison above, and taking into account the recommendations and guidance from specific Indigenous Knowledge Systems, I have collected some ways that I believe I can honour Indigenous Ways of Understanding in my specific educational technology tools teaching practice.

One idea from Liboiron is to learn about colonial roots and ongoing structures of colonialism in your discipline (2019). For technology there are major threats across many aspects of the discipline. Inherent racism in algorithms and programming, inequality of access to devices and broadband internet especially in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities, and a corporate push for further monetizing access to the internet (Raji, 2020; Weeden & Kelly, 2021; Geist, 2021). The control, discrimination and commodification in technology is itself a form of imperialism. These issues are not widely known among consumers of technology so highlighting these issues in the technology classes I teach could work towards informing my students, and their communities. I could also share advocacy materials and ways for students to have a voice in the fight for equity in the issues.

Time is a construct that may have very different meanings culture to culture. In my household, clock time ruled and my father's favourite saying was "tardiness is a lack of respect for another person's time." Yet in Indigenous communities, clock time may not be as strong a priority as something like the sun (Waters et al., 2021, p. 144). Elder Blu worries that "In colonial society, we focus so much on time that we place time ahead of everything—to the point where our physical and emotional wellbeing is at risk" (Waters et al., 2021, p. 144). As colonial classrooms are ruled by clock time and often have a tight schedule of only five minutes between classes, it can be difficult to ensure all students are heard and supported. I am privileged in my teaching as I often make my own schedule, so I could ensure to make extra time before and after class, as well as have an open door policy to make sure all students are heard and if they require extra support I will be available for them. Another area of support may be students who need extra time to complete assignments. Some students may have responsibilities that pull them away from school work here and there throughout the semester, and this is okay. Learning does not necessarily adhere to a clock, and sometimes learning needs to happen at its own pace. 

In the Anishinaabe Life Stages, the stage of "young adult" is when people are "standing on their own, making decisions, determining their own truth in life" and the stage of "adult" is when people are "Creating life, and busy serving the people" (Bell, 2016, p. 9-10). Both of these stages are about comprehension and application, and considering all of my students are in either of these stages when I meet them I would be best served to focus on these components. Do I need to spend time disciplining them for things that you would normally discipline a younger student for (coming late to class, handing in work late)? Or should I respect that at this stage there are able to make their own determination in those regards? Perhaps I should focus more on fostering their comprehension and application of the skills I cover in my classes and less time trying to force them to adhere to my schedule. Perhaps we should work together to develop the schedule at the beginning of term.

Silence is valued by Indigenous cultures and a speaker may take their time and pause to allow ideas to be absorbed, and allow for silence between speakers, "Silence creates the space for deepening that understanding and connection" (Merculieff & Roderick, 2013, p. 22). I teach skills based workshops that are often one long demonstration of an educational technology tool. It's important that I deliver the demonstration but I also need to stop talking at numerous points in the session, allow time for people to breathe if they are drowning in the thousands of steps and processes. Perhaps in the silence students can connect more with the ideas and also think of questions or areas that need clarification. I can also provide silence in the class to just allow students a moment to relax before the class gets started. I have been offered these moments of silence on some courses or talks I've attended and I am never disappointed by five minutes to just sit with my thoughts.

Storytelling is often a leisure or peripheral activity in colonial education, something that is done as a treat for young students or something that is done as lectures to keep students engaged (Davis, 2014, p. 84). In Indigenous cultures, storytelling is a major conduit of knowledge. In The Truth About Stories Thomas King writes, “The truth about stories is that that’s all we are” (2003, p. 2). Whether the story is a lived experience, a creation story, or a cautionary tale, this methodology has been used for centuries by Indigenous peoples (Louie et al., 2017, p. 27). Even though colonial education may not have always valued storytelling as a teaching method, neuroscience and psychology has found that a story can impact our brain in ways that mere facts cannot (Widrich, 2012). Evidence shows that stories not only activate the language processing parts in the brain, they also activate our sensory cortex and motor cortex (Widrich, 2012). Neuroeconomics pioneer, Paul Zak, says that stories have a potential to change our brain chemistry, "even the simplest narrative can elicit powerful empathic response by triggering the release of neurochemicals like cortisol and oxytocin, provided it is highly engaging..." (Popova, 2012). Recognizing that storytelling is a powerful tool of expression and of learning, it would benefit my class to find ways to integrate stories into course content but also into assessment. Perhaps ask students to share their lived experiences by creating a digital story, or create an assignment where students reflect on their teaching practice with technology expressed in story format. Students could explore their past educational experiences and tell their own stories of successes or failures as a student.

These are just a few examples of how I can honour Indigenous Ways of Understanding in my teaching practice but I also should regularly reflect upon how I can make my teaching more supportive, compassionate, respectful, and meaningful. I think the most important thing I can do is respect each student as an individual at a life stage where they are empowered yet still growing, and build a community in the classroom where everyone can support each other and learn together.