Summary Of Early Childhood Education And Indigenous Ways Of Knowing By Angelina Weenie

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After reading Chapter 1 Awa ̄sisı ̄wiwin: Early Childhood Education and Indigenous Ways of Knowing by Angelina Weenie, it confirmed my belief that knowing about Indigenous culture or any culture for that matter, can significantly enhance the education experienced of our children and foster a more inclusive and culturally responsive learning environment. What I found very interesting in the chapter is how Angelina Weenie linked indigenous child development practices with Western philosophers and psychologist theories. For instance, Weenie identified Indigenous cultures as having a rich oral tradition of transmitting knowledge and history through oral storytelling, which is in accordance with Vygotsky's theory that language, culture, and social …show more content…

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. It brought back memories of my own childhood as the child of immigrants. Specifically, when I relocated from the multicultural community of Cote-Des-Neiges to the mostly white suburb of Dollard des Ormeaux. When I was growing up, I struggled to balance my desire to embrace Filipino culture with my need to fit in with my peers. Despite my efforts, I always felt like an outsider. I believe I felt that way because I did not have a foundational knowledge of my parent’s culture and my parents were trying hard to just fit in their new life in Canada. I felt like I was being pulled in multiple directions. It is hard to fathom the experience of Indigenous children, who not only have to grapple with the everyday struggles that come with growing up, but also face the reality of a colonial system that