Embedded Files
Pedagogical Connections
Historically, storytelling has played an essential role in communicating ideas, emotions, and cultural knowledge between humans. As said by Poitras Pratt (2019), “stories and songs form the basis of meaning in our world, and…help us to express our shared beliefs” (p. 111). This is especially true for the Indigenous Peoples of Canada, whose oral histories comprise a central part of their culture and identity, and for whom “the narrative approach has been well in place for a millennia” (Poitras Pratt, 2019, p. 117). Accordingly, due to its emphasis on visual and auditory forms of communication, digital storytelling offers the opportunity to forge meaningful links between the medium and Indigenous Ways of Knowing.
First Peoples Principles of Learning
An examination of the First Peoples Principles of Learning (FNESC, n.d.) reveals that its tenets are consistent with digital storytelling. For one, the First Peoples Principles call for a holistic approach to education and emphasize the importance of meaningful reflection. This principle can be realized through digital storytelling, which provides a multimodal platform that supports the expression of a wider range of knowledge than allowed by traditional forms of assessment (e.g. essays and exams). While the latter requires formal literacy skills to communicate effectively, the former accepts multiple literacy models. For example, a digital story could take the form of a video documentary, an audio podcast, or an animation, none of which require a familiarity with essay structure or an advanced level of literary abilities. In addition, the Principles also acknowledge how “learning is embedded in memory, history, and story” (FNESC, 2007). This connects closely with the affordances that digital stories provide, which include the use of images (e.g. videos, photographs) and audio (e.g. music, interviews) to tell the historical narrative(s) of a person and/or place and prioritizes the role of stories in the learning process. For instance, a guide by Melinda Kolk (n.d.) describes the practical form these digital stories can take, namely providing suggestions for crafting interviews that can incorporate these principles.
BC Curriculum
Furthermore, British Columbia’s social studies curriculum guidelines also reflect this shift towards Indigenous ways of knowing and narrative techniques being used in the classroom, and the province’s curricular documents describe how “Indigenous knowledge and perspectives are integrated throughout all areas of learning and are evident in the curriculum’s rationale statements, goals, big ideas, mandated learning standards, and elaborations” (BC Ministry of Education, 2020). For example, one of the curricular competencies outlined in Social Studies 8 requires that “origins, core beliefs, narratives, practices, and influences of religions, including at least one indigenous to the Americas” be taught as part of the course (BC Ministry of Education, 2020). As well, an emphasis on “including local stories or oral traditions, and indigenous ways of knowing” is found throughout the curricular guidelines from K-12. As described above, these competencies could be effectively addressed through the use of multimodal digital stories. Such an approach stands in contrast to the ‘traditional’ methods of learning found in earlier iterations of the province’s curriculum, which were rooted in literary systems prioritizing text-based knowledge over other forms of communication. Notably, these curricular goals stem from efforts by Canada to better incorporate Indigenous pedagogy in the education system as part of the process of reconciliation.
Image Sources: BC Ministry of Education, Comox Valley Schools
References:
FNESC. (2007). First Peoples Principles of Learning. https://www.fnesc.ca/first-peoples-principles-of-learning/
BC Ministry of Education. (2020). Indigenous Knowledge and Perspectives: Social Studies K-12. https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/sites/curriculum.gov.bc.ca/files/curriculum/indigenous-knowledge-and-perspectives/social-studies-K-12-indigenous-knowledge-and-perspectives.pdf
Kolk, M. (n.d.). Digital storytelling through interviews. Creative Educator. https://creativeeducator.tech4learning.com/2020/articles/digital-storytelling-through-interviews
Poitras Pratt, Y. (2019). Digital Storytelling in Indigenous Education: A Decolonizing Journey for a Métis Community (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315265544
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse