This semester of ESST 310 has provided me with a wealth of new knowledge about teaching social studies. Starting off the semester, I was not sure with what it would be like to teach social studies. I really enjoyed that this class was focused on the different areas of social studies. I found that it was particularly important that we talked about Power & Authority as I did not truly understand what this topic was about besides discussing government. We explored multiple resources throughout the semester that helped me develop a better understanding of power and authority as well as other social studies topics. This blog post will dive into a two of the resources that we explored in class and explain their importance for myself as a future teacher.
- Worldview Reading This is a resource from the Treaty Essential Learning Booklet created by the Office of the Treaty Commissionaire. This reading is important as it helps develop an understanding of First Nations
Worldview. I appreciated this resource as it recognizes the different First Nations and it ensures that any discrepancies between the different groups are displayed. This shows readers that not all First Nations groups are the same. I think that this resource is extremely important as it provides teachers with an understanding of some of the beliefs and systems of First Nations people. One strong section that stood out to me in this reading revolves around the Tipi Teachings (Office of the Treaty Commissionaire, 2008, pg. 37). I appreciated this because I knew that each of the 15 poles in a tipi had a meaning, but I did not know what those meaning were. In a future classroom, I would love to chat with my students about the different meanings of the poles and then bring in an elder or professional to fully explain the placements of the poles as well as show my students how a tipi is assembled. I think that this would be a very worth wild and knowledge building opportunity for my students.
Office of the Treaty Commissionaire. (2008). Treaty Essential Learnings: We Are All Treaty People. Library and Archives Canada Cataloging: Montreal.
- Story of the Bean This article is focused on incorporating indigenous knowledge into your everyday teaching. I appreciated this story because it focused on thinking beyond the textbook when you are teaching. I think that as a future teaching, it is extremely important to think about the messages, biases and purpose behind what we are teaching instead of just teaching knowledge from a textbook. I appreciate this new wave of teaching because it forces teachers to be more reflective as well as inclusive to all. In the end, this new wave of teaching will help redefine education and fostering the future citizens of tomorrow. I encourage all teachers to read this story as it will open your eye to thinking about what you do in the classroom through more lenses than just your own. In my future classroom, I want to use this story as a reminder that I should look at each piece of information that I teach to my students in a very multifaceted way by ensuring that any other worldview representation are connected.
Brayboy, B. & Maughan, E. (2009). Indigenous Knowledges and the Story of the Bean. Harvard Education Publishing Group: Cambridge, MA.
These two resources have helped me gain an understanding into the importance of incorporating indigenous ways of knowing in my everyday teaching. I feel that it is important not only to incorporate indigenous ways of knowing, but also to think about the other demographics that represent my students and insure that each child in my classroom feels represented in the classroom culture as well as in the classroom activities and literature. I know that creating a multicultural classroom will be difficult, but it is worth wild and meaningful for my students development.
Until next time, thank you for reading my blog!
Jenna deBoth - Blog 