The Aboriginal Teacher Education Program and Faculty of Education present Conceptualizing Indigenous Education Video Vignettes. University of Alberta Professors, Elders, and public educators explore various topics on Indigenous education, including Assessment, Circlework, Indigenous Education, Metis, non-Indigenous, Treaty Education, Residential Schools, and Unlearning Colonialism.

Assessment for Indigenous Education

Dr. Trudy Cardinal speaks to the value of honouring Indigenous students' assessment in a holistic approach. She highlights the value of multimodal assessment methods, including symbols and images of student learning, in facilitating robust learning in multiple educational contexts.

Dr. Marc Higgins describes how he honours orality in his final evaluative assessment methods, which enrich students’ learning of his post-secondary classes. These methods aim to honour students’ gifts of shared knowledge, lived experiences, and stories aligned with Indigenous worldviews.

Circlework

Elders Dr. Francis Whiskeyjack and Elsey Gauthier discuss the implications and process of the circlework in conflict and conflict resolution. Francis and Elsey discuss the impact of relationships and share how educators can prepare to facilitate circles. They offer effective methods of facilitating circlework, including affirmations, active listening, and grounding ceremonies such as smudging for participants; educators are encouraged to facilitate and engage in circles to address conflict positively.

Indigenous Education

Dr. Evelyn Steinhauer explores the concept of sakihitowin, or love, revealing that it encompasses much more than common understandings of the English word. She emphasizes the importance of loving the children educators serve, rooted in the nêhiyaw worldview that recognizes children as "little spiritual beings" entrusted to our care.

Dr. Trudy Cardinal shares insights on the significance of bundles, inner wisdom, and intuition, highlighting how we learn from one another's experiences and how these connections enrich our understanding of community.

Dr. Dwayne Donald reflects on his profound connection to the land and his journey to being recognized as a relative of it. He illustrates how the land serves as medicine, providing guidance and healing throughout his life.

Integrating Metis Ways of Knowing Being in the School Classroom

Educator Cindy Punko and Dr. Trudy Cardinal discuss the significance of enhancing classroom education with land-based learning experiences. They share insights into numerous projects and topics where Indigenous knowledge has been integrated, including bannock making, fur trading, trapping, and harvesting, and explore the positive impacts these experiences have had on students.

Non-Indigenous Teachers and Indigenous Education

Dr. Janice Huber reflects and draws on her own experience and understanding as a non-Indigenous educator and scholar, providing insights about how other non-Indigenous educators can engage in relationality and reciprocity. She speaks to the value and importance of the Indigenous language and its embodiment of the nehiyaw worldview. Dr. Huber highlights the importance of practicing humility as educators and reminds us to seek Elders' guidance continuously.

Considerations for Teaching about the Indian Residential School System

Elder Mary Cardinal Collins and Dr. Brooke Madden discuss strategies for teaching about Canada’s Indian Residential School system, focusing on how to approach the subject with diverse audiences and age groups. They emphasize key considerations for incorporating personal testimonials sensitively and effectively. The conversation explores how settler colonization aimed to exploit land, resources, and people and how residential schools were used as a tool to sever Indigenous peoples' connections to their land and culture. They also highlight various resources to help educators explore their own positionality and guide their students through similar journeys of understanding.

Treaty Education

Dr. Dwayne Donald speaks to the importance of understanding Treaty education in colonial Canada and the lack of knowledge that extends both in curriculum and across Canada. He speaks to the Treaty 6 Coin and identifies the handshake as both a reminder of what has occurred between two peoples and a powerful mechanism to understand the responsibility of Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples entering into educational practices that balance an understanding of these two worldviews.

Educator Carla Badger discusses the obligations of relationships beyond human-to-human, focusing on developing respectful relationships that establish an ethical awareness of our roles in an interconnected ecosystem and honour the relationships around us.

Unlearning Colonialism

Dr. Dwayne Donald delves into the concept of unlearning colonialism, highlighting how we often rush toward reconciliation without confronting colonialism's truths. He argues that colonialism should be viewed not merely as a historical period but as an ongoing ideology. Donald emphasizes the need to address and repair the denial of relationships, advocating for renewing these connections on new terms. He outlines three approaches to unlearning colonialism: reconnecting the mind with the holistic self, examining our interactions and relationships with those who differ from us in appearance or belief, and challenging the notion that human needs should be prioritized over those of other beings. Donald asserts that cultural change alone is insufficient; structural change is essential for meaningful progress.