MODULE 3 EPORTFOLIO

Bias

1. What is bias?

I think bias is a belief, assumption, or preference that can influence how we understand or respond to people and situations. Bias can come from our upbringing, experiences, culture, media, education, or the messages we have received from society. Bias is not always intentional, and we may not always recognize that we have it.

2. What is the difference between implicit and explicit bias?

• Explicit bias is conscious and intentional. We are aware of the beliefs or assumptions we hold.
• Implicit bias happens more automatically and may influence our thoughts or actions without us realizing it.

For example, a teacher might consciously believe that all students are capable, but unconsciously give more attention to students who participate frequently because they associate participation with engagement.

3. How might you consider and unpack the biases you carry?

• Reflecting on where your beliefs about Indigenous peoples came from.
• Questioning assumptions instead of accepting them as facts.
• Listening to Indigenous voices and learning from Indigenous authors, Elders, knowledge keepers, and communities.
• Examining the resources and examples you bring into your classroom.
• Asking yourself, “Why do I think this?” and “Where did I learn this?”
• Being willing to recognize when you are wrong or when your understanding needs to change.

4. Do you remember a time when you recognized that you were leaning into your biases in the classroom?

I grew up in Montreal, and my first language is French. I began working in the French immersion school in my community as I thought it would be a great way to reconnect with my mother tongue after moving to an area that there is not much French speaking. I often found myself favouring the students who spoke better French than others, paying more attention to them, giving them more praise. When I caught myself doing this, and became more aware of this, obviously I put an end to my behaviour, as all students are special and gifted in their own individual ways. I am now aware that this was something I struggled with, and I am very conscious of it.

5. What biases might you carry about Indigenous peoples?

Before taking a few Indigenous learning courses in university, including this course, most of my knowledge came from school, media, mainstream Canadian narratives, or limited exposure to Indigenous perspectives. Because of this, I believe I unknowingly carried simplified ideas about Indigenous peoples, cultures, or communities.

This course, along with others through the University of Victoria, has shown me that Indigenous peoples and communities are not one single group with one worldview or culture. There are many distinct Nations, languages, histories, traditions, and contemporary experiences.

6. What biases might you carry about Indigenous students?

I think a bias I may occasionally have would be that I assume an Indigenous student has the same cultural connection, knowledge, family experience, or relationship with Indigenous traditions, and some other Indigenous student that I know may have. Although I live in a very small community, it is so important to recognize that there are so many histories and stories to learn from. Working on the reservation at an old residential school has truly opened my eyes to the history of Indigenous Peoples, and the importance in listening and understanding knowledge from others.

Doctrine of Discovery

1. How might rescinding the Doctrine affect the government’s relationship with Indigenous peoples?

I think rescinding the Doctrine could help move the relationship between the Canadian government and Indigenous peoples away from one based on colonial authority and toward one based more on respect, sovereignty, treaties, and nation-to-nation relationships.

I think it would acknowledge that Indigenous peoples had their own governments, laws, relationships to land, and systems of knowledge long before Canada existed.

However, I also think rescinding it would need to be followed by meaningful changes in Canadian laws and government practices. Simply changing the language or making a statement would not be enough.

2. What old colonial ideas and racist stereotypes continue to influence us in Canada today?

I think some colonial ideas continue through stereotypes that Indigenous peoples are somehow less knowledgeable, less capable, or less connected to modern society.

Another idea is that Indigenous peoples’ rights to land are secondary to the interests of the Canadian government or settlers. The article helped me recognize that these ideas are connected to the much older belief that European ways of thinking, governing, and using land were superior. 

I also think these stereotypes can appear in more subtle ways, such as treating Indigenous cultures as something from the past rather than recognizing Indigenous peoples as contemporary Nations with their own governments, languages, cultures, and perspectives.

3. Where and how did you learn about the history of colonization in Canada?

I would say that much of my earlier understanding of Canadian history came through school and mainstream Canadian education.

I learned about topics such as residential schools and treaties, but I don’t think I fully understood how deeply colonization shaped Canada’s laws, relationships with land, and treatment of Indigenous peoples. Through this course, and others I have taken in the past, I have been learning to look at Canadian history from Indigenous perspectives rather than only through the perspective of the Canadian government or settlers.

This has made me realize that what we are taught and whose perspective is centred matters.

As a teacher, I think it is important that I do not simply teach Indigenous history as a separate topic, but help students understand how colonization continues to influence Canada today.

I think this question also connects to the idea of biases. My initial understanding of Indigenous history came primarily from mainstream schooling, however I have now recognized that perspective is crucial. Perspective helps to identify where assumptions come from. I believe this shows genuine reflection rather than simply saying, “I don’t have any bias.”

A question I have for my peers would be:

How can we, as teachers, challenge colonial ideas and stereotypes in our classrooms without unintentionally reinforcing them?