Providing a response to this email requires addressing a number of points. I think that first off the student needs to not only understand why all students regardless of their race, need to be taught the Treaty Education curriculum. We cannot talk about Canadian History and not talk about our Indigenous People. Understanding treaties is part of our journey in learning more about our nation’s rich and deep history. The student who sent the initial email also needs to be confident in explaining this to the co-operating teacher with emphasis on why Treaty Education is necessary. I think the purpose of teaching Treaty Ed is recognize that there were people living on the land that is now Canada before White Settlers arrived and to learn more about how we came to live the life we have now and what sacrifices the Indigenous people were forced to make. And more importantly to learn about the group that was here before us, and there culture, their history, their stories, and their lifestyle both past and present Students should also be able to recognize how the environment and place we live in influences their identity.
Treaties and agreements that have been made or are being made with the original inhabitants are living and real documents. As Canadians, we have an obligation to these treaties this includes making a promise to dutifully observe the laws of Canada, including treaties with Indigenous peoples. The phrase we are all treaty people, to me means that everyone in Canada whether they were born here or not are in some way affected by treaties either positively or negatively. As a future educator it is very important that I incorporate Treaty Education into my classroom on a daily basis so that my students will go on to become people who respect everyone for who they are and not what they are and who they represent. Also, so that they will understand all aspects of Canada’s history with its Indigenous people both positive and negative aspects.
0 Comments
Through colonization, indigenous cultures have lost and greatly diminished as a result of assimilation conducted by European settlers and even the Canadian government/people. By reintegrating indigenous ways of knowing, such as that of the Mushkegowuk Cree peoples, those with a background that they cannot fully identify with are given an opportunity to do so and learn about their past. It is so different from the way that western ideology has expressed how and what to value in life. They have been able to show forms of rehabilitation by involving the youth and all generations in different activities and community excursions as a way to develop awareness and understanding. This also helps in terms of cultural development and understanding. By incorporating indigenous ways of knowing and talking about how such resources are consumed allows for a shift in their minds from dominant ideas to ideas that are individual and are based on what one deems moral and culturally appropriate rather than what society does. Preserving and redeveloping a culture will give a group of people their identity back that was previously taken from them
As teachers in Canada we need to realize that we will most likely have a multicultural classroom and therefore we have to create lesson plans that will help everyone understand what is being taught. As immigration rises in many developed countries around the world these immigrants will need to feel like they belong in their new home and feel like they are being treated equally. To me, a school is the last place where a person should be judged because of their race. Race will only continue to be an issue if kids grow up thinking that some races are better than others. This starts with the parents at home that should be teaching their kids to respect everyone, and it continues in the classrooms at school where no student should feel left out because they are different from the rest of their class. In my opinion the students should always be actively involved in the learning process no matter what subject is being taught. Since they are the ones learning the more they are involved the more they can learn and take from the lesson. As a future teacher I want my students to be able to teach their classmates about what they have learned both in the school and at home/extra-curricular activities. This can be very beneficial as it gives the other students a different perspective or idea about how to do something. I think that the educational curriculum for schools is developed by a team of people that are a part of or closely related to the education system. The people who are creating it can be either practicing or retired teachers, although it may also be people who never have taught in a classroom and might not even have a degree in Education.
After.School Curriculum is developed and implement by provincial governments, teachers, principals, senior administrators, and elected local authorities are also all involved in curriculum reviews and decisions. Since there are so many people involved in creating the curriculum it is easy to see why changing and creating new curriculum is a very lengthy process. This is due to the fact that each of these people would have their own personal thoughts and opinions about what needs to be taught in classrooms and there is probably quite a few disagreements about importance of certain topics. Not only is it a lot of work but there is always a lot of backlash about the curriculum. Many people quite easily share their dislikes and concerns about the curriculum. To me at some point the curriculum creators just have to decide and admit that no matter what they put in the curriculum someone will not like it. It is created with two broad but main objectives, or goals that should help support certain teaching and learning practices. This reading clearly illustrates how the curriculum has been and will always be political. Even when teachers or educators strive to pretend that the curriculum has not been heavily influenced by the government their actions are still political. To me while the government wants to make their province look good by challenging them in schools so that they can succeed in schools but at the same time ensuring that their schools get good results on tests and exams so that they can have the top scores in the country. In my opinion student thoughts and opinions should have more influence on the curriculum then members of government do. |
Archives
April 2019
Categories |