Reader Request: Exploring the First Peoples Principles of Learning

Both Orange Shirt Day and the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation were last month. Now that those are done, we can all stop teaching indigenous content, right? Nope! Not even close. This should be the start of a year long exploration where you infuse indigenous learning and ways of knowing into your teaching. This is the role schools play in the path to reconciliation. Is it easy? Not always. Will you make mistakes? Absolutely! Will you keep trying? I hope so.

Even our Prime Minister makes mistakes-like when he chooses to go on a holiday instead of attending any of the ceremonies he was invited to participate in on the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. It is mistakes like this that are the proof we need to continue to teach these concepts/lessons throughout the year.

In this blog post, I will share how I unpacked the First Peoples Principles of Learning with my class and how we used them as a lens to view literature/the representation of First Nations, Metis, and Inuit people in literature.

Materials

• 10-15 copies of the First Peoples Principles of Learning (One between 2-3 students)

• 1 set of the principles cut out and glued onto/written on 11 X 17 paper

• Tape/magnets to secure paper to the wall

• 2 picture books (one written by an indigenous author/one written by a non-indigenous author trying to ‘mimic’ the style) (e.g., The Loon’s Necklace is a good/terrible book for this lesson that highlights the #OwnVoice issues…talk to your librarian for examples you might use as a teaching tool.)

• Paper/writing book for written reflection

Part 1: Model Explode the Sentence

When the students entered the room, we read through the First Peoples Principles of Learning. We did a quick scale of 1-5 to show how much we understood the principles or if we remembered learning about them…..lots of 1-2s.

I had already written what I determined to be the most complex principle on the board to unpack as a class with a strategy called Explode the Sentence. I pulled the kids to the board and we took turns sharing what we thought the different words meant/making connections. It took about fifteen minutes to unpack the principle and the kids were totally engaged.

At the end, I asked for a second scale of 1-5 at how much they felt they understood this principle. Suddenly 4 was the average and the kids felt better.

I let the kids know that we would be moving into random groups of 2-3 and circulating around the room to learn more about the principles.

Part 2: Unpacking the Principles with Random Group Rotation

Before the class started, I had taped up around the room sheets of paper with a single principle written in the centre and a number. After modeling exploding the sentence, I had kids line up outside and randomly numbered them off. The kids rotated through several stations. I gave the kids about five-minutes per station depending on engagement.  

Part 3: Using the First Peoples Principles of Learning as a Lens for Literature

Next, I gave each table a T-chart with the titles ‘Good’ and ‘Bad’ at the top. I then read the two picture books and ask the kids to listen and look for examples of the First Peoples Principles being broken or supported. Ask them to also pay attention for examples of racism.

I chose to read two books that were sold and promoted as ‘indigenous legends’, even though neither was written by a First Nations, Metis, or Inuit person. Neither book when it was published was trying to be ‘bad’.  In fact, one of them won awards for Canadian literature. Unfortunately, both stories perpetuated stereotypes and demonstrated why stories should only be shared with permission.

Needless to say, my students were horrified. They could not believe the books had been sold/shared/upheld as ‘good’ indigenous content when they were first published. Even the book that was not problematic in the story, was still problematic because the author was not indigenous, and the story was clearly modelled after legends.

This was a powerful lesson for my students.

Part 4: Written Reflection

After unpacking the principles and reading the books, my kids completed a written reflection based on two questions:

1. Talk about one of the books. What made it good or bad? How did it demonstrate racism? What surprised you the most?

2. Which First Peoples Principle of Learning is the most important in your life right now? Why is it important?

The reflections were thoughtful and careful. They were passionate and full of evidence. They showed how much my kids connected with this activity.

Part 5: Follow-Up Activities

We continue to talk about the principles and how they are embedded into our learning, but we have done a few direct follow-ups:

1. In the planner message, each student wrote down one principle they wanted to teach to their family.

2. I do picture attendance and for a few days, the students could choose between different principles they thought were important in their lives and then discuss with their choice with their table group.

What did my students notice?

• The First Peoples Principles of Learning make total sense when we take the time to understand them.

• People who are not indigenous should not try to tell Metis, Inuit, or First Nations stories.

• Racism can be accidental, but it doesn’t make it okay.

• Many things we did in our class in September linked to two major principles:

o   Learning is embedded in memory, history, and story.

o   Learning requires exploration of one’s identity.

• Learning takes patience and time…and we will take all the time we need this year to keep building towards truth and reconciliation

A Note About Resources

For the book you choose to use as ‘bad’, please don’t buy it. Buying it continues to let publishers know that you think the book is okay. It also financially supports non-indigenous people who have shared stories without permission or understanding.

I was introduced to The Loon’s Necklace about 7 years ago when I was part of a year-long learning group in Burnaby which brought together K-12 teachers from across the district, aboriginal support teachers, district vice principals, and a district elder. It was presented then as problematic and the non-indigenous adults were shocked as we unpacked it. This year was the first year that I figured out how to use the book properly with my class.

Since my first introduction, I have found The Loon’s Necklace on the shelves of many libraries. When I find it, I walk it to the librarian and provide the many reasons why it should be discarded. If it is discarded…ask if you can have it as a teaching tool…or if you are in a school, suggest the librarian keep it with specific notes as a teaching tool.

If you cannot find a hard copy, look online for a video of the story being read. I have inserted a youtube video recorded LAST YEAR promoting The Loon’s Necklace as a good/beautiful story. The video is embedded below…

My Teacher Reflection/ Feedback

I found this lesson powerful. I really felt like it helped me understand the First Peoples Principles of Learning more along with my students. I watched them grow to demonstrate deeper understanding and respect for the principles. It was hands-on, involved critical thinking, and was cross-curricular as it wove concepts of social justice, social studies, and language arts together.

I made a mistake though. I chose to read two picture books by non-indigenous people. I did it to try to create a fair comparison so that my kids could explore how outsiders get things wrong, even when they are trying to get them right. I am an outsider, and I got this wrong. I amplified the wrong voice and missed an opportunity. I wish one of my books had been written by a First Nations, Metis, or Inuit author. This would have allowed me to make strong comparisons and talk about the #OwnVoice movement.

It was a powerful lesson for me as an educator.

edit: It was suggested this morning that I should be exploring the Sk’a’da principles as well. These principles apparently lend themselves very well to education. Sara Florence Davidson has published several picture books through the lens of these principles over the last year. I will be asking my librarian to order these so I can see how I can expand my practice. You might want to as well!