Reflections bring us to a place of humility, wisdom and growth as we honour our unique identities. This is designed for educators, team and/or community members in connection with the Indigenous Centre of Excellence to reflect upon their self-practice, and experiences engaging with Indigenous pedagogy. Reflections will be symbolic of Indigenous storytelling through: written, oral (via video) and photography methods.
The Indigenous Centre of Excellence encourages you to engage with these reflections, and participate in self-reflective practice through an Indigenous lens.
Niwasa EarlyON staff believe that play is the key to a
child’s understanding of the world. Play gives children the opportunity to
hypothesize, test, and repeat their theories, apply that knowledge to the world
around them, draw relationships between things, people and the larger world,
and experience community, delight, frustration and success.
Our roles as educators is to notice the moments when this happens. We construct our environment, opportunities, invitations and provocations all with this in mind – the ability to practice, repeat, move, build, create, destroy, uncover and discover the magic of the world. As educators we value the opportunities we have to witness, document, and celebrate these moments with children.
Initially, educators watch for moments that make us wonder; things we cannot explain, repetitive movements, obstacles to be negotiated or something that grabs our attention. We have begun to get into the habit of snapping a few pictures of that process and jotting down quick notes. Later we combine these things together and place it on our process wall for consideration. Any thoughts, questions, considerations or comments are invited from other educators, staff, families and children.
Each one is added with post it notes onto the board. We believe that learning does not happen in isolation, but as a collaboration between children, the environment, the community and the natural world. There are many ways of knowing, many kinds of knowledge, and many types of sharing. We invite the community to share those with us, to offer different perspectives, theories, ideas, and experiences to learning and growth.
Morgan asks Emma to drum for her. “Like this,” she says, tapping a medium rhythm on the drum. Emma begins drumming and Morgan moves around the carpet. “Faster!” Like that! Yes.” she yells, moving faster around around the carpet, swirling, her scarf in the air, laughing.
In the next step, we synthesize the ideas and theories into a narrative, and place it together with the photographs into one document. We place these in the areas where the learning occurred, or as close by as possible, at the level of the children. We delight when children notice them, and we have the opportunity to revisit the experience again. For children with expressive language, it is also an opportunity to be sure that we have captured what they’ve said, or meant – and this is reflected in the documentation. We then add this document to the process wall, again for consideration from the community.
Aubrielle approaches the projector now that it had been moved to the floor. There are some shapes already on the glass. Aubrielle adds to them, and spends considerable time adjusting and evaluating her design.
Post it notes are offered for those wanting to participate in the meaning-making process. This is often a time of negotiation of meaning – in some cases changing the narrative to reflect other perspectives, the order or grouping of photographs, or in some cases, the removal of text completely. In some cases, pictures can speak a thousand words. We needed to learn when NOT to tell the whole story.
Oliver sis with his mother and brother on the carpet. They are listening to Mother Goose poems. Gunnar begins to cry, and Oliver looks over with a concerned look. He reaches over, puts his arm around his little brother and gives him a hug and a kiss.
These documentations stay up for a period of time, in the chance that more learning in that area occurs. When it does, we document that and add it alongside the others. If, over time, nothing further occurs, we may plan a provocation to spark that interest again. As new documentations arise, older ones are placed in a binder for families and children to access.
When a documentation occurs and continues to occur – then we are managing a sustained interest. We document and make notes over a longer period of time, and in the end compile those documentations into one long narrative. Our Ukulele and Infants documentation spread ten feet long and spanned over six months! We display the narrative in the classroom, and children revisit those learning experiences again and again.
Documentations are always in flux, interpreted and re-interpreted by the children, educators and community that view them. We believe that knowledge is a collaboration, that the community possesses many knowledge gifts if given the opportunity to share them. We learn as a collective – and make meaning together to inspire children’s learning.
With thanks from Niwasa EarlyON Team: Amanda, Emma, Shooma and Heather
Gloria Oshkabewisens-McGregor, Nookomis/Ojibwe Elder speaks about incorporating Indigenous Knowledge into early years environments. This video is also available in the resource section of our website.
As an Indigenous Community Educator with the
Ontario Indigenous Centre of Excellence I have the privilege of being invited
to participate in land-based gatherings held across the province. These opportunities
allow for a chance to demonstrate one of the primary teachings held within Indigenous
ways of knowing – land is our first teacher.
By modelling and sharing the importance of
sustainability and stewardship to Mother Earth, I am taking part in planting
the seeds for our future generations’ substantive environmental activism. As Indigenous
people we inherited a connection to the land; connecting with the land and honouring
the land is part of our blood memory.
Beatriz Alvarez, Inuit Liaison Kortright Centre, Vaughan ON April, 2019
DAY ONE:
“Land is our first Teacher” began with windy weather and the threat of snow/rainfall which made it immediately obvious that nature takes it time regardless of all attendees’ eagerness to have spring-like weather greeting our day outdoor
Michelle Taylor-Leonhardi ~ Indigenous Centre of Excellence Ottawa Community Educator
Storytelling is a method of cultural production that brings Indigenous customs and values to the forefront. I would love to begin my new journey with educators, children and families by sharing stories together. Incredible stories of our images of the child, images of ourselves, images of our families, and images of our communities. Each child brings a unique gift, what is that gift? What gift as educators do we see each child has? (this will be different, and it’s OK to be different) What is the gift of our educators? How can we help make that gift grow? What can we feed it to thrive? We are more alike than we think. All with a story to tell. Each story will be different. Each story will be unique. Each story once told will build on our strengths. I would love to share my incredible journey I had with Oshkiigmong Early Learning Centre that brought me here to all of you. Sharing our success’s and our failures!! Failures are a learning story that need to be told.
