In 2015, the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada was published and released, summarizing the national tragedy and the continuing legacy of Canada’s residential school system on our country’s Indigenous peoples. The report specifically calls upon provincial governments to, “Provide the necessary funding to post-secondary institutions to educate teachers on how to integrate Indigenous knowledge and teaching methods into classrooms” (Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, 2015, p.7). This is no small task as post-secondary institutions have long been considered bastions of Eurocentric knowledge, denying or limiting Indigenous knowledges’ entrance into academia’s curricula and research (Smith, 1999) In addition, various reports outline obstacles to post-secondary success by Indigenous students, contributing to lower post-secondary attainment by this specific demographic (Malatest, 2010). Previous studies of K-12 educators have related their concerns when asked to engage in the inclusion of Indigenous perspectives and knowledge into their teaching and classrooms (Kanu, 2011), however, the understandings of post-secondary educators in implementing Indigenous knowledge has not been fully explored.
As educators in academia, we endeavour to understand our society and recount this knowledge for our students to learn, analyze and internalize. If post-secondary institutions are to address the Calls to Action as outlined by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, then post-secondary educators will need to become familiar and comfortable with introducing and including Indigenous perspectives in their curriculum.
This presentation will provide post-secondary educators the opportunity to explore the Calls to Action, reflecting on current and future practice in relation to Indigenous cultural inclusion. This presentation will create a safe environment for participants to share their questions, stories, and inquiries into the processes and avenues of Indigenous cultural curricular inclusion. Participants will be introduced to different processes and approaches for future exploration and engagement.
Chris Hachkowski is an Assistant Professor and Principal, Aboriginal Programs with the Schulich School of Education at Nipissing University and doctoral candidate at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. He works with First Nation schools in Ontario, delivering Aboriginal... Read More →