Faculty of Education Education News Fall 2013 / Winter 2014 Page 9
We believe that traditional knowledge , no matter the place , is integral to building empathy for our planet and to better understanding our communities .
~ Carissa MacLennan , Project Manager for Protecting Our Sacred Water
Photo by Shuana Niessen
As the conversations developed around this resource , John MacDonald , a sessional instructor in science education at SUNTEP , suggested having JGI deliver some professional development with the SUNTEP students . He says , “ With water being one of the gifts of Mother Earth to all living things , concepts dealing with water occur multiple times throughout the provincial curriculum . The Protecting Our Sacred Water project facilitates incorporation of First Nations views on water into the curriculum .”
Thus , arrangements were made for Carissa to lead a workshop to 3 rd -year SUNTEP students in Regina on February 25 th and 26 th . Carissa says that JGI has two hopes : “ One hope for working with SUNTEP students is to get feedback on Protecting Our Sacred Water guide from a Métis perspective — to ensure that the guide is supporting teachers in understanding and incorporating Métis traditional knowledge in their classrooms . The other hope is to build the skills of the SUNTEP teachers in bringing action planning into their teaching practice .” Working toward these goals , during the workshop , Carissa asked students to evaluate the Protecting Our Sacred Waters resource , and as they engaged
SUNTEP students attending Protecting Our Sacred Water Workshop
with the exercises to consider , the question , “ Is there another framework that would work better for Métis communities ?”
This involvement adds to the students ’ identities . Janice says , “ as the students inform the project on curriculum matters , their identities as SUNTEP students and as Métis and First Nations curriculum makers are developing ,” and at the same time , they are being equipped to be advocates for experiential and inquiry-based approaches that lead to community-based action projects .
The workshop was a valuable addition to student learning . John MacDonald says , “ The 3 rd -year students at SUNTEP gained valuable knowledge and experience in creating activities for their classrooms through this workshop . The Sacred Water project provided Métis and First Nations perspectives on a critical sustainability issue . Students especially welcomed the opportunity to learn within their own culture and to learn that their culture had much to offer this globally important issue .”
At the time of the workshop , students were also in the middle of their pre-internship field experiences , so Janice was anticipating that the workshop may have influenced how they approached teaching when they returned . This partnership weaves into SUNTEP ’ s work with students , as Janice states , “ The project parallels what we do here . It enriches the students as they continue on to be practicing teachers . This partnership has invigorated us and empowered our students .”
Janice says , “ We are anticipating more and wondering where this relationship will go and how it will grow .” Carissa says , “ I hope that SUNTEP and JGI build a long-lasting partnership that helps support our future educators . I believe that there is great synergy between the educational values of SUNTEP and JGI Canada and I hope that we can continue to support new and practicing teachers to do action projects with their students .”
What makes Janice feel good about the partnership is that “ it gives us [ Métis ] a voice , and recognizes how important cultural and traditional knowledge is to us . It supports what we do with our students , and helps us to feel proud of who we are and where we come from .”