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Enhancing Treaty Education Through Digital Storytelling
In 2011 , a group of Faculty of Education researchers , Drs . Alec Couros , Jennifer Tupper , Ken Montgomery , and Patrick Lewis , received a 2-year Insight Development Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council ( SSHRC ) for their project entitled “ Storying Treaties and the Treaty Relationship : Enhancing Treaty Education Through Digital Storytelling ,” in which they set out to enhance the understanding of treaties and the treaty relationship in the context of Saskatchewan for Grades K - 6 students , teachers , and community . The group expanded to include doctoral student and Research Assistant , Katia Hildebrandt , and Nehiyo ( Cree ) Knowledge Keeper and Interdisciplinary Artist / Storyteller , Joseph Naytowhow .
The project was in part a response to a study done by Tupper ( 2011 ), which indicated that though treaty education is mandatory in Saskatchewan , preservice teacher knowledge and understanding of treaties and the treaty relationship was “ distressingly limited ” ( p . 40 ). 1 Further , once employed , many teachers felt that only schools with significant numbers of Aboriginal students should offer Native studies programming ( Tupper & Cappello , 2008 , p . 562 ). 2
1
Tupper , J . ( 2011 ). Disrupting ignorance and settler identities : The challenges of preparing beginning teachers for treaty education . in education , 17 ( 3 ), 38-55 .
2
Tupper , J ., & Cappello , M . ( 2008 ). Teaching
The project used digital media through an inquiry process to enhance awareness and understanding of Aboriginal people ’ s experiences , past and present , through retelling of histories and current experiences , and by developing an understanding of the significance of all of us being treaty people .
Four classrooms , one in each of four different schools in three different communities , all within Treaty 4 territory , participated in the study . The team purchased 2nd generation iPads , seven for each classroom , to allow maximum exploration and narrative creativity within the constraints of the budget .
As evidence of success , the researchers have “ witnessed some students using digital storytelling tools to tell meaningful stories evolving from the treaty education curricula resources . For example ... Grade 6 students extended the inquiry to explore topics and create digital stories pertaining to residential schools , the Sixties Scoop , housing conditions for Aboriginal people , and Aboriginal activism through hip hop expression ” ( Couros et al ., 2013 , p . 552 ). 3 One of the greatest sources of
treaties as ( un ) usual narratives : Disrupting the curricular commonsense . Curriculum Inquiry , 38 ( 5 ), 559-578 .
3
Couros , A . et al . ( 2013 ). Storying treaties and the treaty relationship . International Review of Qualitative Research , 6 ( 4 ), 548-558 . engagement was through the stories and teachings of Joseph Naytowhow . “ This was particularly emphasized in the Grade 3 classroom ... when ... a young self-identified Aboriginal student inquired whether Joseph went to powwows . When he responded in the affirmative and began to drum and sing , her face lit up , and we watched her unconsciously hug herself .” 4
A Grade 3 French Immersion Teacher , Claire Krueuger , who was involved with the project from the beginning says of her experience , “ Like the preservice teachers previously mentioned , my knowledge of treaties was also ‘ distressingly limited .’ Luckily , I was hired to teach in a school that was participating in a research project through the University of Regina . The first year was a steep learning curve as I struggled to be the expert on the content , technology , and process . Going into the second year of the project , I decided to join my students as a fellow learner instead . By positioning myself as a learner alongside my students , I was able to overcome my own ignorance as a limiting factor . Teachers do not need to be experts on treaties and the treaty relationship in order to provide a successful treaty education program . By inviting experts into the classroom either in person or virtually , and by learning together , both the teacher and the students can
4 ibid .
By Shuana Niessen
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