Policy and Models in Canadian Indigenous Education
- Online and asynchronous
- This course will require between 7-10 hours of work per week
- Workload Rating: Standard
Course Description
This course examines the history of Indigenous education policy and models for Indigenous education in Canada. It begins with an examination of Indigenous approaches to education prior to and at contact, then goes on to discuss colonial approaches, including the Residential school system. Following this, it will examine post-colonial policy and education across provinces and Indigenous peoples.
Learning Outcomes
The primary learning outcomes for GDE/PME 821 are to:
- Critically reflect upon the current state of Indigenous education in Canada today and determine at least two reasons why it is an important topic of study for educators
- Compare and contrast Indigenous pedagogies and ways of learning to those experienced in colonial systems of Indigenous education
- Describe how colonial systems of education disrupted Indigenous cultures and ways of life
- Discuss how the legacy of the schools has continued to have an impact on many Indigenous peoples, families, and communities into the present day
- Begin to consider and answer the questions: What do we do about it today? Where does education fit into reconciliation?
- Identify major trends and patterns that developed in policy during this time and make connections to how they impacted/led to current practices
- Define culture-based education and identify what kinds of policies it supports
- Identify ongoing unequal power dynamics that create tension in Indigenous education policy development and begin to apply this knowledge to your local/professional/research context
- Develop personal definitions of self-determination, self-government, and decolonization
- List at least three steps you can take to decolonize yourself as an individual and professional
Assessments
Discussion Participation: Reading Response Posts #1-5
(8% each x 5) Respond to course readings using prompts.
Modules 1-5 (40%)
Assignment 1 – Part 1: Canadian Indigenous Education Timeline
Create a Canadian Indigenous Education Timeline that highlights 10 significant dates related to key events, policies, or legislation in Indigenous education.
Module 5 (10%)
Assignment 1 – Part 2: Expanded Canadian Indigenous Education Timeline
Building on the 10 key dates from your Canadian Indigenous Education Timeline (Assignment 1 - Part 1), expand your work into an essay or narrated presentation that can serve as an educational tool for others.
Modules 5 (20%)
Assignment 2: Your Learning Bundle
Create a reflective "bundle" that demonstrates your growth, learning, and engagement throughout this course. Your bundle should capture how this learning has transformed you during the course, reflecting the "new you" that is leaving with expanded knowledge and understanding. Your bundle can be a written reflection (1000-1500 words), video presentation (7-10 minutes), audio recording (7-10 minutes), or artistic expression with explanatory notes.
Closing Module (30%)
How does this course support learners outside K-12 teaching contexts?
This course examines the formation and implementation of policy. Course learning activities and assignments are relevant and applicable across diverse professional contexts.
Each student’s professional practice and goals are unique. We highly encourage students to reach out to their course instructors at the start of the term to discuss the relevance and application of course learning and assignments to their own learning goals and context of practice.