Starting Your Journey
Many educators or community members are unfamiliar with Indigenous Ways of Knowing, and can make them apprehensive of beginning their journey or incorporating into their teaching practice. This absence of Indigenous knowledge is likely based on unknowing, and fear (Steinhauer, 1997). Furthermore, many educators are afraid to make historical mistakes of the past. However, the following recommendations can help teachers begin their journey:
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1. Begin by learning and recognizing the Indigenous groups in Canada (Empowering the Spirit, 2020), they are:
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First Nations
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Inuit
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Metis
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2. Start with little steps
Begin incorporating Indigenous Knowledge into your classroom with what you are comfortable with.
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3. Recognize important Indigenous dates.
Please see Additional Resources for more information about them.
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​4. Research on your own. As you begin your path, please be mindful of the sources of your information and ensure they are Indigenous authors, writers and scholars. These can easily be confirmed by simply looking up their names on various internet research sites.
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5. Incorporate previously published Indigenous lesson plans. To help, there are helpful lesson plans in the Indigenous Perspectives tab listed by grade. Currently, lessons are from grades K - 9.
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6. Speak with Indigenous liaisons at your school, or in the school district.
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7. Seek out a Indigenous mentor.
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8. Attend or request professional development workshops available through your school district or province:
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Alberta Teachers Association
Edmonton Regional Learning Consortium
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9. Suggest and request Indigenous speakers, guests and workshops at your school or organization:
If you unsure who to invite, you can do the following:
Ask well respected Indigenous community members.
Ask parents of Indigenous children in your school.
If possible, reach out to Post-Secondary Institutions:
Yellowhead Tribal College
Faculty of Native Studies, University of Alberta​
10. Participate in the Blanket Exercise. The blanket exercise is a hands on exercise that teaches participants about the relationship prior to colonial contact and the relationship that occurred afterwards, along with historical
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In Alberta, educators and community members can book a blanket series exercise with the following organizations:
Kairo’s
https://www.kairosblanketexercise.org/become-a-host/#schools
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Alberta Teachers Association
https://www.kairosblanketexercise.org/become-a-host/#schools
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