Strong and Smart is a program that is conducted by principal Chris Sarra at Cherboug Primary. The purpose of this program is to make indigenous students enjoy and want to attend school. Chris describes the Strong and Smart program as wanting the students to get hungry to learn. Strong meaning that they are proud to be aboriginal and proud of their identities and culture. Smart meaning they are smart enough to interact and mix with anyone. After watching the Strong and Smart documentary I have learnt that there are many strategies in place to help enforce the Strong and Smart program and through connecting with this units weekly topics, I have found many Cherbourg schooling experiences that can be linked to weekly topics and readings found within the unit.
Part A
Topic two identity, culture and stereotypes relates to the Cherbourg school in a big way. Identity is shaped, reaffirmed and nurtured by relational interaction of family and land. Most aboriginal students are stereotyped as disruptive and not willing to participate or attended school. However, Chris explains that children tend to stay
…show more content…
Over many years the commonwealth and the state education departments have put enormous time and effort into producing a wealth of Aboriginal education resources. When developing school-based resources or selecting texts or materials, teachers should carefully evaluate their educational value for embedding Indigenous perspectives. Chris informs us that you can never have too many resources when teaching, especially within the Aboriginal community. He explains that so many resources can be found outside in the Indigenous community. The curriculum is an essential resource for educators to enforce in the classroom to ensure the students are achieving the outcomes for the year. There are also many online resources for educators to use to assist with teaching Aboriginal
Or perhaps learning about native plants and animals and how they were once consumed. Perhaps also we could learn certain words in the local aboriginal dialect
In the article by Tasha Riley “Self-fulfilling Prophecy: How Teachers’ Attributions, Expectations, and Stereotypes Influence the Learning Opportunities Afforded Aboriginal Students” it discusses how teacher’s discrimination in the classroom towards Aboriginal students can affect their employment and financial well-being throughout their life. Tasha Riley conducts a study which looks at how an Aboriginal student’s race, class and gender can influence the teacher’s actions towards them. The study found that teachers do place certain negative factors on Aboriginal students which ultimately, influences their life. Studies such as this should not have these results; a child should not be treated differently due to their race, class and gender. Teachers
Residential schools were first being established in the 1940s and the last one was finally closed in 1996. In these residential schools, First Nations people were very badly treated and one who went to those schools would not get a proper education. The students who went to those schools would still be affected by it and effects from them are showing still to this day. Why did the Canadian government create residential schools in the first place?
Wouldn't having knowledge in these areas be more beneficial than detrimental to our society? Although I acknowledge that there is an abundance of diversity and richness within the Indigenous community that cannot be covered entirely, I still feel that the educational curriculum falls short in this regard. When Weenie says “…we cannot assume that all our students have foundational knowledge of our culture. Due to colonization cultural transmission has been disrupted and much of our work is about restoring and revitalizing.” (Weenie, 2019) This quote stood out to me.
Competency 5 Applying Foundational Knowledge about First Nations, Métis and Inuit A teacher develops and applies foundational knowledge about First Nations, Métis and Inuit for the benefit of all students. a) understanding the historical, social, economic, and political implications of: a. treaties and agreements with First Nations; b. legislation and agreements negotiated with Métis; and c. residential schools and their legacy; b) supporting student achievement by engaging in collaborative, whole school approaches to capacity building in First Nations, Métis and Inuit education; c) using the programs of study to provide opportunities for all students to develop a knowledge and understanding of, and respect for, the histories, cultures,
Residential schools are significant to the people of Canada; it was an awful occurrence that happened for over 150 years. Settler Canadians recognize the pain they caused and are trying to resolve the complication, one way Settler Canadians are working towards reconciliation is by participating in events such as orange shirt day and by participating in campaigns like the Moose Hide Campaign, where you are supporting your commitment to honour, respect and protection for the women and children in your life by wearing a little square of moose hide on your shirt. Another way that non-Aboriginal Canadians reconciliate is by listening to the stories of children who survived or didn’t survive their experience. Two stories of children and their stories during this time are, Sugar Falls and Secret Path, the reader gets a better understanding of what happened during these times, and how these people felt and why they felt it. The themes of these stories is not only the hard times and experiences they had, but the strength they gained through it.
They learn about their culture, their aboriginal rights, and about who they are. This differs from the schooling that
We Were Children, the documentary on residential schools, is a re-enactment of two aboriginal children and their first hand experiences in the residential school system. The kinds of problems this documentary presented include mistreatment faced by the children who attended these schools, corruption and scandal inside the administration of the schools, and the false perception about these schools that resonated amongst Canadian society. These two children talk about the bullying they had to endure from the nuns which show that the children were not seen as equal to a child of non-Aboriginal decent. Furthermore, the types of abuse administration would put these kids through was immensely disturbing considering this was a state run institution.
Educational techniques may differ from westernised curriculums, however both styles aim to promote the same key attributes via alternative methods. Alternative methods need to be recognised as educational in their own right. Jimmy exemplifies the intelligent, highly adaptive nature of Indigenous Australians who is forced to conform to cross-cultural demands. Jimmy is more adminant to stick to the ways of his culture as seen by the stage directions [he sharpens an axe, bush
Imagine being ripped apart from family members, culture, tradition, and labelled a savage that needs to be educated. Imagine constantly facing punishment at school for being one’s self. Unfortunately, these events were faced head on for many First Nations people living in Canada in the late 20th century. These First Nations people were the victims of an extensive school system set up by the government to eradicate Aboriginal culture across Canada and to assimilate them into what was considered a mainstream society.
argues how identity for Aboriginal Australians has been portrayed through education
The TRC’s “The History” author appeals to logos through the use quantitative findings. The use of logical evidence from the collection of testimonials made by former residential school students is an effective way to aid the persuasion of a reader. Throughout “The History”, the author describes the memories of known First Nations peoples Frederic Ernest Koe, Marlene Kayseas, Lily Bruce and many others. In addition, the author quotes Vitaline Elsie Jenner’s use of ‘kaya nakasin’ (TRC, 2015, p.38) in describing her experience with residential school. The author’s example that contains the use native language reaffirms his credibility and detailed knowledge of the
Alix Spiegel’s article, “Struggle For Smarts? How Eastern And Western Cultures Tackle Learning” tells a story of the contrasts between western and eastern education. (Spiegel, 2012) As I read the article, I thought about my experiences in education growing up in the small country of Jamaica. Similar to the Japanese class Jim Stigler found himself in, I remember Jamaican classes being crowded and underdeveloped.
Critical Summary #3: First Nations Perspectives In Chapter eight of Byron Williston’s Environmental Ethics for Canadians First Nation’s perspectives are explored. The case study titled “Language, Land and the Residential Schools” begins by speaking of a public apology from former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He apologizes for the treatment of “Indians” in “Indian Residential Schools”. He highlights the initial agenda of these schools as he says that the “school system [was] to remove and isolate [Aboriginal] children from the influence of their homes, families, traditions and cultures, and to assimilate them[…]” (Williston 244).
I particularly agreed with the authors’ argument about blending cultural and academic knowledge (McKinley & Brayboy, 2005, p. 435). I think it is institution’s responsibility to respect their cultural knowledge but also provide appropriate academic knowledge, relative to Indigenous students to be able to actively engage in reciprocal learning with their cultural knowledge, which, then, adds value to their survivance practice. I find that this piece opened up a new way of looking at the challenges which Indigenous students encounter and the ways to move forward with the situation through changing the perception of education not only from Indigenous students, but also from the perspectives of non-Aboriginal members in institutions by providing a way to