PME 811 (Post 4): People for Education

As I explore why Indigenous culture and language is important to be integrated into all Canadian school systems, I have had the chance to come across many passionate organizations, people and inspiring articles that advocate for Indigenous culture, traditions and language implementation.

On the website People for Education, Dr. Pamela Toulouse's paper What matters in Indigenous education: Implementing a Vision Committed to Holism, Diversity and Engagement "draws out the research, concepts and themes from Measuring What Matters that align

with Indigenous determinants of educational success. It expands on this work by offering perspectives and insights that are Indigenous and authentic in nature" (Toulouse, 2018).

In her paper, she discusses questions that directly coincide with my first blog post for PME 811, "So, what is inclusion? Who are Indigenous peoples? What are the issues that face Indigenous peoples? How can education be reconceptualized to include Indigenous ways of knowing? And, why should we care?" (Toulouse, 2018).

Well, Toulouse does a fantastic job providing the reasons why and I will provide some of them here:

1. "It is about fostering identity, facilitating well-being, connecting to land, honouring language, infusing with teachings and recognizing the inherent right to self-determination."

2. "Indigenous issues, Indigenous pedagogy, and educational interconnectionsTwitter Facebook MailSo, what are the facts? What is the current state of education for Indigenous peoples? Data from the 2011 National Household Survey (Statistics Canada) and the 2014 Auditor General Report of Ontario offers a measurable perspective to begin this section:1,400,685 Indigenous people live in Canada, representing 4.3% of the total Canadian population.851,560 identify as First Nations.451,795 identify as Metis.59,445 identify as Inuit.301,425 Indigenous peoples live in the province of Ontario.28% of the Indigenous population is from 0 to 14 years.18.2% of the Indigenous population is from 15 to 24 years.Only 62% of Indigenous adults graduated from high school, compared to 78% of the general population.Only 39% of First Nations peoples living on-reserve graduated from high school.There is a 20% gap on Grade 3 EQAO reading results (provincial standard achievement) between Indigenous students (47%) and the general population (67%).The numbers demonstrate that Indigenous peoples have a significantly younger population that is school age, and that the current measures of student achievement are not working. What is needed now is to clearly articulate the reasons for these gaps and find a more inclusive way to define student success.The issuesColonialism, racism, social exclusion, food insecurity, unemployment, poverty, limited access to housing, poor health and a myriad of other issues face Indigenous communities daily (People for Education, 2013; United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, n.d.) and confront Indigenous students to varying degrees. They are the result of policies, programs, people and politics that failed to honour the knowledge, values and skills of Indigenous Nations in Canada. Student achievement for communities of difference (like First Nations, Metis and Inuit ones) is a challenge for schools that do not have the capacity for change. Schools that are not supported with the tools and resources to address these inequities are placed at a critical disadvantage (Malott, 2007; Ontario Ministry of Education, 2009b). Thus the results for Indigenous students will continue to improve at a pace that is unfair and unacceptable."

3. "We recognize that infusing diversity in learning is critical to student achievement. Indigenous ways of learning are part of that diversity and cannot be integrated if teacher professional development is inconsistent and there is limited time for collaborative planning."

4. "The curriculum content and relevant cultural examples (i.e. specific Indigenous knowledge, values, skills) across subject areas in elementary/secondary need to begin with the local Indigenous Nations (Ledoux, 2006; Overmars, 2010). This is the starting place where respectful planning and inclusive education begins for the equity-based classroom. First, educators need to find out where their schools are located – Is it Anishinabe territory? Is it on the lands of Sagamok Anishnawbek? Is it in the Robinson-Huron Treaty area?" (As I pointed out in my second post in my blog. I didn't realize that Dr. Toulouse had also discussed this in her paper.)

5. "Indigenous issues, Indigenous pedagogy and respective educational interconnections complement the holistic aspects of student achievement described in Measuring What Matters. Communities of difference share a vision of success that is highly valuable for all students – a vision based on the recognition that identity, culture, language and worldview are equally critical to literacy, numeracy and standardized notions of assessment."

These are some extremely critical and deeply thought provoking reasons that Dr. Pamela Toulouse provides. We need to not only start within our own classrooms but we need to work together as a school community to make these necessary changes within each and every Canadian classroom.

What are your thoughts? Have you or your colleagues implemented Indigenous issues, Indigenous pedagogies and other relevant educational interconnections within your school?

If not, what would be your plan of action?

Reference:

Toulouse, D. (2018). What matters in Indigenous education: Implementing a Vision Committed to Holism, Diversity and Engagement. Retrieved October 13, 2018, from https://peopleforeducation.ca/report/what-matters-in-indigenous-education/#chapter2