Faculty of Education Education News Fall 2012 / Winter 2013 Page 13
Dr . Xia Ji and family
practicing culturally respectful and responsive teaching . Third , Indigenizing education is about , as the University of Regina Executive Lead on Indigenization , Maureen Johns said , “ making the pond clear so that everyone coming here ( the University of Regina ) can see her or his reflection in it .”
With preservice teachers in our Faculty of Education in mind , I wonder why and how people change their worldviews , values , and practices . For some , such as one of the leaders of the Idle No More Movement , Sylvia McAdam , change is required because the current situation cannot be tolerated any more — She is referring to the historical and ongoing systemic marginalization of and injustice done to Aboriginal peoples in Canada . For others , it is for the pursuit of a more just and more harmonious world , a powerful and irresistible ideal . Perhaps we strive for or strive to be the change for both of these reasons : the intolerable unjust reality and the pull of an irresistible ideal . On the other hand , if people are content with the status quo and are not pulled by any specific ideal , change is hard to come by and take hold . The question is , can we afford to maintain our apathy in light of ecological crisis and social upheavals on a global scale ? At this point in my journey , I feel that Indigenizing education is not just a challenge
with which we are morally and ethically compelled to engage , but it is also an opportunity for us to live more balanced , more holistic , happier , and more fulfilling lives . To end this article , I quote Dustin Brass , a Native Studies teacher at Balfour Collegiate , who left this invitation with the students in my ESCI 401 class : “ Give me a call when you decide to learn more . I don ’ t expect you to become an expert on Aboriginal views and practices overnight . I am still on this journey after 25 years .”
References and Further Reading :
Aikenhead , G . & Michell , H . ( 2011 ). Bridging cultures — Indigenous and scientific ways of knowing nature . Pearson Canada , Inc . Cajete , Gregory A . ( 1999 ). Igniting the sparkle — An Indigenous science education model . Kivaki Press . Four directions teachings . Retrieved from http :// www . fourdirectionsteachings . com / Jickling , B ., Lotz-Sisitka , H ., O ’ Donoghue , R ., Ogbuigwe . A . ( 2006 ). Environmental education , ethics , and action : A workbook to get started . Nairobi : UNEP . Also Published as : Educación ambiental , ética y acción ( Spanish ), Éducation écologique , éthique et agir ( French ), Educazione ambientale , etica e azione ( Italian ). The Institute for Integrative Science & Health ( IISH ). Retrieved from http :// www . integrativescience . ca /.
Tuan , Y . ( 2012 ). Humanist geography – An individual ’ s search for meaning . George F . Thompson Publishing .
There were 1,978 registrants along with an estimated 1,000 drop-ins , representing 75 counties , who participated in a Massive Open Online Course ( MOOC ) in the area of educational technology and media , headed by Dr . Alec Couros , Faculty of Education , U of R , with a number of other collaborators . ETMOOC began on January 14 , and ran 11 weeks . The course was open to anyone worldwide , including students of our program , and provided the experience of independent , globally connected , online learning . The MOOC brought participants together using an assortment of tools : an aggregated blog hub , Google + community , weekly Blackboard sessions with side chat , and synchronous twitter chats . The careful selection of tools , engaging topics , and synchronous sessions allowed the community to grow , ideas to be exchanged , and significant learning to occur among participants . Topics include : Connected Learning ; Tools , Processes & Pedagogy ; Digital Storytelling ; Multimedia , Remixes & Mashups ; Digital Literacy ; Information , Memes & Attention ; The Open Movement ; Open Access , OERs & the Future of Education ; Digital Citizenship ; and Identity , Footprint & Social Activism . Though ETMOOC is finished , participants continue to tweet using the hashtags # etmooc and # etmchat and there are several spin-off Personal Learning Networks developing in the form of Google + communities . Sessions are archived as open education resources at www . etmooc . org . Truly a successful educational experiment !