Module 3 & 4 Reflection
Learning Artifacts
1. The Danger of a Single Story and examining bias
One of the most meaningful artifacts from my learning was my reflection on Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s The Danger of a Single Story and the other resources about how Canadian history is represented. This helped me recognize that bias is not always obvious. It can exist in what is included, what is left out, who is telling the story, and whose voices are given authority. I began to think more critically about resources such as Canada: The Story of Us and how a predominantly European perspective can influence students’ understanding of Canadian history. This learning connects directly to my inquiry question because meaningfully incorporating Indigenous perspectives requires more than adding Indigenous content to an existing curriculum. I need to consider whose knowledge is being centred and intentionally seek out Indigenous-created resources and perspectives.
2. The Sixties Scoop resource/infographic
Creating a resource about the Sixties Scoop was another important artifact of my learning. I learned how Indigenous children were removed from their families and communities through colonial child-welfare systems and how these removals had lasting effects on family relationships, culture, language, identity, and belonging. Learning about the settlement also helped me understand that financial compensation cannot undo the harm experienced by Survivors. Creating the infographic required me to take information I had learned and transform it into a resource that could be shared with students or colleagues. This helped me think about how I can communicate difficult parts of Canadian history in an age-appropriate and respectful way while also recognizing Indigenous resilience and the importance of Survivor voices.
3. Learning about MMIWG2S+ and Indigenous voices
The resources about Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit people also challenged me to think about how Indigenous people are represented in education. I learned that MMIWG2S+ is connected to larger historical and systemic issues, including colonialism, racism, sexism, and inequities. At the same time, I learned that Indigenous women and girls should not be represented only through stories of violence. Their leadership, strength, culture, families, communities, and contributions also need to be recognized. This reinforced for me that when I bring Indigenous perspectives into my classroom, I should avoid deficit-based narratives and create opportunities for students to see Indigenous peoples as living, diverse, and thriving communities.
4. Inuit custom adoption and Indigenous child welfare
Learning about Inuit custom adoption was another artifact that challenged my previous understanding. Before exploring these resources, I had very little knowledge of custom adoption or how it differs from Western adoption systems. I learned that respecting Indigenous traditions and ensuring the safety of children do not necessarily have to be competing priorities. Instead, educators and governments need to listen to Indigenous communities and support culturally grounded approaches while ensuring children are safe. This connected strongly to what I learned about the Sixties Scoop because both topics demonstrate the importance of keeping Indigenous children connected to their families, cultures, languages, and communities. It also reminded me that Western systems should not automatically be assumed to be the best or only solution.
Connecting My Learning to My Inquiry Project
My inquiry question asks: How can I meaningfully and authentically incorporate Indigenous perspectives and the First Peoples Principles of Learning into my everyday classroom practice?
Through these modules, I am beginning to understand that authentic integration is not about adding one Indigenous lesson, activity, or book to my classroom. It requires a change in how I approach teaching and learning. I need to think critically about the resources I use, whose voices are represented, and whether I am presenting Indigenous peoples only through historical events or difficult topics.
The First Peoples Principles of Learning have become increasingly meaningful to me because they emphasize that learning is holistic, reflexive, reflective, experiential, and relational. The learning I have done around kinship, witnessing, treaties, bias, child welfare, and MMIWG2S+ has shown me that Indigenous perspectives can influence not only what I teach, but how I teach it. I can create opportunities for students to build relationships, listen to different perspectives, connect learning to place, reflect on their responsibilities, and understand that learning is connected to community.
I also want to transfer this learning into my practice by choosing resources more carefully. Instead of simply asking whether a resource contains Indigenous content, I can ask: Who created it? Whose voice is represented? Whose voice is missing? Is the resource respectful? Does it present Indigenous peoples as living communities today? These questions can help me avoid unintentionally reproducing the single stories and colonial perspectives that I have been learning to recognize.
Reflection on My Learning
Looking back at the work and resources I have explored throughout the first four modules, I can see that my understanding has moved beyond simply learning about Indigenous history and terminology. My prior knowledge was largely shaped by what I had learned through school and mainstream Canadian education. While I had some awareness of colonization and residential schools, I did not always question whose perspective I was learning from or how much of the story was missing.
These modules have encouraged me to become more critical and reflective about my own learning. I have learned that reconciliation requires more than acknowledging the past. It requires changing relationships, challenging assumptions, listening to Indigenous voices, and considering how colonial systems continue to affect Indigenous peoples today.
The biggest learning I will carry into my teaching is that Indigenous perspectives should not be treated as an “add-on” to the curriculum. They should be meaningfully and respectfully woven into everyday classroom practice. I want my future students to learn about Indigenous peoples not only in relation to colonization, but also through their languages, cultures, knowledge, leadership, relationships with the land, stories, contributions, and contemporary experiences.
Ultimately, these modules have helped me see that becoming an educator committed to reconciliation is an ongoing process. I will need to continue learning, listening, reflecting, and being willing to recognize my own biases. My goal is to create a classroom where Indigenous perspectives are respected and meaningfully included, while helping students develop the same curiosity, critical thinking, and respect for multiple perspectives that I am developing through this course.