Module 7 Reflection- Continued Inquiry Research

Learning Artifacts

Artifact 1: ReconciliACTION Reflection

For this artifact, I reflected on the videos with Brad Baker and Roberta Jamieson. One of the main ideas I took away was that reconciliation needs to involve action and cannot just be something that we learn about or talk about. This made me think about my role as a teacher and how reconciliation can be part of everyday classroom practice. I want to make sure that I am not only teaching students about reconciliation but also helping them understand how they can contribute to positive change.

Artifact 2: Truth and Reconciliation Call to Action 62

For this artifact, I researched Call to Action 62, which focuses on education. I learned more about the importance of including Indigenous histories, perspectives, and knowledge in K–12 education and about the importance of preparing teachers to teach this content appropriately. This connected to my own experience as a teacher because I can see how my Indigenous education courses are helping me develop the knowledge I will need in my future classroom. It also reminded me that including Indigenous education in the curriculum is only one part of the work because teachers also need to continue learning and building respectful relationships.

Artifact 3: UNDRIP and DRIPA Reflection

My third artifact was my reflection on UNDRIP and DRIPA. These documents helped me better understand the rights of Indigenous peoples and the importance of self-determination, culture, language, education, and decision-making. I learned that Indigenous rights are connected to many parts of education and that these ideas should not be treated as an extra topic. This made me think more carefully about how I can respect Indigenous perspectives and rights in my future teaching practice.

Artifact 4: Two-Eyed Seeing Visual Metaphor

For my fourth artifact, I chose a bridge as a visual metaphor for Two-Eyed Seeing. I saw the two sides of the bridge as representing Indigenous and Western ways of knowing, while the bridge represented connecting these perspectives and learning from both. This activity helped me understand that Two-Eyed Seeing is not about replacing one way of knowing with another. Instead, it is about recognizing the strengths of different ways of knowing and considering how they can work alongside one another in education.

Connecting My Learning to My Inquiry Project

As I continue working on my inquiry project, the learning from Module 7 has helped me think more about how I can transfer Indigenous perspectives and pedagogy into my future teaching practice. The ideas of reconciliACTION and Two-Eyed Seeing especially connected to my inquiry because they made me think about what Indigenous education can actually look like in a classroom. I do not want Indigenous perspectives to only appear during one lesson or around specific dates. I want to continue learning how to include Indigenous perspectives in meaningful and respectful ways throughout my teaching.

This module also reinforced the importance of continuing to learn from Indigenous voices and communities. I know that I will not know everything when I become a teacher, and I think it is important to approach Indigenous education with humility and a willingness to keep learning. I can apply this by continuing to seek out Indigenous-authored resources, learning about the local Indigenous community and land where I teach, and reflecting on whether the resources and perspectives I use are respectful and appropriate.

Reflection on My Learning

Looking back at the work I have completed throughout the first seven modules, I feel that my understanding of Indigenous education has changed and grown. Earlier in the course, in Module 1 specifically, I had some knowledge of Indigenous history and experiences, but I did not fully understand how connected Indigenous education is to relationships, self-determination, rights, language, culture, and reconciliation. Throughout the modules, I have learned about the impacts of colonialism, residential schools, treaties, the Sixties Scoop, Indigenous rights, self-determination, language revitalization, Indigenous education, and reconciliation. These topics have helped me see that Indigenous education is much more than teaching students information about Indigenous peoples.

One of my biggest takeaways from the course is the importance of relationships. I have learned that teachers need to build respectful relationships with students, families, communities, and Indigenous Knowledge Keepers. I have also learned that teachers need to be willing to reflect on their own knowledge and assumptions. This has made me think about how I want to approach Indigenous education in my own classroom. I want to create a classroom where students feel a sense of belonging and where different perspectives and ways of knowing are respected.

Module 7 also helped bring together many of the ideas from the earlier modules. Learning about reconciliACTION, the Calls to Action, UNDRIP, DRIPPA, and Two-Eyed Seeing showed me that reconciliation requires more than simply learning about Indigenous history. It requires ongoing learning, reflection, relationships, and action. As I continue my journey toward becoming a teacher, I want to keep learning and find meaningful ways to transfer this knowledge into my practice. I know that my learning will continue beyond this course, and I see that as an important part of my responsibility as a future educator.