During my practicum, I tried to take one principal and embody it for the entire 10 weeks.  The principal I chose was

“Learning is embedded in memory, history and story.”

I chose this principal because I felt it spoke to me at this point in my career and that I could explore history, memory and story with my students to better understand First People’s perspectives.

I feel I successfully integrated First Peoples ways of knowing into my practice.  In science, we explored the story How the Raven Stole the Sun and Thirteen Moons on Turtles Back to help us understand the solar system.  Students were able to make a connection between the stories of all the moons and how we use the full moons to keep track of time and the seasons.

 

 

In social studies, we talked a lot about activism and advocating for an issue or a cause.  This led us into many thoughtful conversations about the environment and the balance between industrialism and preserving nature.  One key figure that stayed with us throughout the conversations was Autumn Peltier, an Anishnabe water activist from Ontario.  Through watching videos and reading transcripts of Autumns words, we were able gain a sense of her perspective on water conservation and the environment.  She is an example of a strong woman who has learned from the memories of her elders to make history in these challenging times of climate crisis.

These are just a few examples of the stories and history makers that we explored during my time in practicum.  My understanding of the First Peoples Principals of Learning is far from complete but I was able to get a better understanding of how they are all interconnected and the impact that these ways of knowing can have on all of our students.