The Impact of Treaty4Project on Students and T eachers: Learning from our experience Naomi Fortier-Fréçon, Leia Laing and Life Speaker Noel Starblanket @treaty4project #treaty4project
We would like to begin by acknowledging that the land on which our research study was conducted is Treaty 4 territory and the traditional territory of the Cree and Saulteaux, Assiniboine and Me ́ tis.
OVERVIEW Starting point Understanding Treaty Education in a second language context Thank you to: SaskArts Board / Génie traités First Nations University of Canada
Treaty4Project is committed to answer Call to Action 62 i and 63 iii 62 i. Make age-appropriate curriculum on residential schools, Treaties, and Aboriginal peoples’ historical and contemporary contributions to Canada a mandatory education requirement for Kindergarten to Grade Twelve students 63 iii. Building student capacity for intercultural understanding, empathy, and mutual respect.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS (TEACHER PRACTICE) How can we help students explore the idea of Treaty citizenship in order to understand the role of their generation in Treaty 4 in Saskatchewan? How can partnering with Ray Keighley, a Cree-metis artist help students understand the complexity of Treaty 4?
INQUIRY QUESTIONS (STUDENT LEARNING) What does it mean to be a citizen of Treaty 4 in Saskatchewan? How does understanding Treaty 4 have an impact on my life today? How can a piece of visual art communicate what I understand to be ideal treaty citizenship?
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS The effectiveness of treaty-making in addressing the circumstances of Indigenous peoples (Curriculum outcome PT94) Analyzing how treaty- making recognizes peoples’ rights and responsibilities and be able to understand the world in which they live (Curriculum outcome CH92) Examine how treaties within the contemporary society impact on individuals’ lives (Curriculum outcome HC123) Represent personal understanding of the concept, We Are All Treaty People . (Curriculum outcome TPP124) Saskatchewan Curriculum, accessed October 25, 2014, https://www.edonline.sk.ca/bbcswebdav/library/materials/francais/docs/%C3%89tude%20des%20trait%C3%A9s%20- %20RA%20et%20Indicateurs%20-%2021%20f%C3%A9vrier%202013.pdf
TREATY4PROJECT 2015 YOUTH CONFERENCE
STUDENTS DISCUSS HOW TO BEST REPRESENT IDEAL TREATY CITIZENSHIP WITH ARTIST RAY KEIGHLEY
STUDENTS DEMONSTRATING THEIR INDIVIDUAL UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THEY’VE LEARNED THROUGH ART.
Video : Treaty 4: At a glance
HYPOTHESIS How students’ perceptions changed as a result of their participation in Treaty4Project ? The project sought to give students a better understanding of their generation’s relationship with Treaty 4 in Saskatchewan. We believe that it achieved this goal.
METHODOLOGY Action Research How students’ perceptions of their relationship with Treaty 4 changed after participating in the project ? Students and teachers’ stories Focus group and individual interviews Students work (Al bum illustré) Anonymous post-conference evaluations Teacher journal entries.
THE SCOPE OF OUR FINDINGS, LIKE THE SCOPE OF OUR RESEARCH PROJECT, IS VAST. WE HAVE ORGANIZED THEM INTO SIX SECTIONS: New Learning from the Conference Changes in Perspective a Year Later Applying Knowledge Outside of School The Younger Generation’s Relationship with Treaty 4 First Nations University: The Importance of Learning Outside the Classroom Unexpected findings
New Learning from the Conference Seeing her point of view on how she was affected by white privilege factors and to see the difference in how I am treated and how someone with another skin tone is treated was a really touching experience and a huge eye opener. (Unpacking the Invisible knapsack) It was a very heavy topic, but I think it was the one that left the most impact on me. (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women)
Changes in Perspective a Year Later I know, especially the Invisible Knapsack, the one thing that stuck with me, and I don’t know why, it’s that they mentioned like representation in the media … not just of Aboriginal people but of all people of colour and it’s something that I’ve really started noticing a lot more recently like in TV shows and movies and it’s just … it’s really a shame because you don’t really see … it’s a lot of white people on TV. (Ada, interview)
CHANGES IN PERSPECTIVE A YEAR LATER Well like in Grade 8, we talked a lot about residential schools… But because we were in elementary, they kind of sugar- coated it because we’re still children in their eyes. So when we got into Grade 9, it felt more like we were discussing it more, and not as like … as children, we were discussing it more like adults who were discussing the real problems, and what was actually happening and how it affected so many people. So it felt more highlighted in a way rather than kind of that sugar-coated version. (Chelsea, focus group)
Applying Knowledge Outside of School […] when we brought the attention to the white privilege, I then realized how it also affected my family. […] I noticed how because [my dad] wasn’t white, how we were now affected negatively and I had not recognized it before until I heard the definition of white privilege. And again after hearing that, I saw how it affected other people who didn’t have white privilege. (Chelsea, focus group)
The Younger Generation’s Relationship with Treaty 4 Well I think a big thing is education… Learning about these things and learning about the problems and the solutions, and the positives and the negatives and all that really helps. And just be really informed about what’s going on… And building relationships , talking about this kind of thing, because it’s uncomfortable and often there are some very negative things that have gone wrong because of this. So people tend not to talk about it, because they are ashamed of what has happened, and we should be, but that does not give us a right to just ignore it. It means we need to talk about it more than ever, to find some real change… (Ada, interview)
First Nations University: The Importance of Learning Outside the Classroom I really liked the artwork we did. I took the art session and I remember we all had tiles, and the tiles then made an even bigger art project and that was my favourite. I took a lot like I thought our project meant something more so it was more enjoyable for me as an artistic person. That not only interested me and then knowing the back like the idea behind the huge artwork. That was also interesting for me. So that was my favourite part. (Chelsea, focus group)
Unexpected findings…One year later When I first proposed the idea to my class, I was excited, but they were not. As soon as they saw my first handout, their reactions, generally speaking, were “Not again…” and “Oh no, are we going to do more Treaty 4 stuff?” My heart sank. My mind raced back to when I read their final projects, the album illustré where they explained an issue facing Indigenous people, told a personal story, and proposed solutions. I thought of how I had seen such change in their way of thinking. I remember them admitting that they were suddenly aware of apparent and more subtle racism that they saw in their everyday lives and how unjust they found it to be. I remember rereading so many of their projects because I could pinpoint the exact moment when they explained that these issues shouldn’t be allowed to continue, and one year later, their first reaction is that they are yet again forced to talk about treaties. (Leia journal entry, 2016)
TEACHERS’ REFLECTIONS Student struggled to portray the idea of ideal citizenship. So what did they learn? Students were introduced to the concept of white privilege and were most troubled by the presence of Systemic Racism around them. Students learned to be open with one another and to new ideas. Using art allowed them to think more freely about what they had been learning. Through their collaboration with students from other schools, they began to truly understand the expression “We are all Treaty people”.
MOVING FORWARD Blog: http://treaty4thenextgeneration.blogspot.ca/ T witter: @treaty4project #treaty4project Questions? How can you create your own Treaty4Project ? Contact us Naomi Fortier-Fréçon : naomi.frecon@rbe.sk.ca Leia Laing : llaing@cefsk.ca
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