Ball\u2019s (2004) article focuses on the marginalization of \u201cIndigenous knowledge and ways of knowing,\u201d critiquing Western education as a primary \u201cavenue for subjugating Indigenous peoples.\u201d Instead, she puts forth the \u201cGenerative Curriculum Model\u201d as a \u201cbicultural bridge.\u201d Central to this model is the \u201cwisdom of the Elders\u201d and a \u201cgenerative approach,\u201d which she argues creates understanding through reflection and dialogue. Education, therefore, is a means of cultural affirmation.<\/p>\n
Toulouse (2008) complements this argument by centring Aboriginal student self-esteem as foundational to academic success. She contends that \u201cAboriginal students require a learning environment that honours who they are and where they have come from,\u201d highlighting the importance of the Seven Living Principles to the valuing of the Aboriginal learner. She asserts that traditional teacher education programs need to ensure that \u201cclassrooms [are] inclusive of Aboriginal culture, language and world-view.\u201d<\/p>\n
Together, these texts argue that traditional Western education systems require transformative change that honours Indigenous culture and identity. In this way, Indigenous ways of knowing and Aboriginal self-esteem are fundamental to the curriculum and can act as cultural bridges. With this in mind, a question that could be posed to the authors is: how can mainstream institutions authentically integrate Indigenous knowledge without appropriating it or being perceived as performative? Additionally, how might educators who are not members of Indigenous communities responsibly enact these changes?<\/p>\n
These arguments can help reshape my understanding of innovation in teaching and learning. Innovation here is not the adoption of new strategies but a repositioning of whose knowledge is recognized as legitimate within the curriculum. Teaching should be relational and community-based, while learning should affirm one\u2019s culture and sense of self. For my professional practice, while my department regularly conducts course audits to ensure diverse representation in texts, we have not yet considered formal collaboration with local Elders or Indigenous community members. Ball (2004) and Toulouse (2008) challenge educators to bridge these relationships in the honouring of Indigenous pedagogy and self-worth.<\/p>\n
References<\/strong><\/p>\n Ball, J. (2004).\u00a0As if Indigenous knowledge and communities mattered: Transformative education in First Nations communities in Canada.\u00a0<\/em>The American Indian Quarterly, 28, 454-479.<\/p>\n Toulouse, P. R. (2008).\u00a0Integrating Aboriginal teaching and values into the classroom.\u00a0<\/em>What Works? Research into Practice (Research monograph #11).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Ball\u2019s (2004) article focuses on the marginalization of \u201cIndigenous knowledge and ways of knowing,\u201d critiquing Western education as a primary \u201cavenue for subjugating Indigenous peoples.\u201d Instead, she puts forth the \u201cGenerative Curriculum Model\u201d as a \u201cbicultural bridge.\u201d Central to this model is the \u201cwisdom of the Elders\u201d and a \u201cgenerative approach,\u201d which she argues creates … Continue reading “PME 811 Blog Post 5 – Indigenous Perspectives”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":305,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-285","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-face-2-face-sessions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/brandonblack\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/brandonblack\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/brandonblack\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/brandonblack\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/305"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/brandonblack\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=285"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/brandonblack\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":288,"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/brandonblack\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285\/revisions\/288"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/brandonblack\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=285"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/brandonblack\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=285"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/brandonblack\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}