Integrating Aboriginal Perspectives and Knowledge Through ...Integrating Aboriginal Perspectives and...

IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling

RachelGoshulak

2017

IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 2

TableofContents

ItTakesTime..........................................................................................................................3

PurposeoftheResearchProject.............................................................................................4TheTask.........................................................................................................................................................................................4TheJourney..................................................................................................................................................................................4ThePlan.........................................................................................................................................................................................6ResearchQuestion.................................................................................................................7

ResearchContext...................................................................................................................8

LiteratureReview.................................................................................................................10ALackofKnowledge.............................................................................................................................................................10ThePowerofChildren’sStories.......................................................................................................................................12AboriginalPictureBooks.....................................................................................................................................................15ResearchMethods................................................................................................................16SelectingtheStories..............................................................................................................................................................17CollectingtheData.................................................................................................................................................................19ResearchEthics.....................................................................................................................22

Results.................................................................................................................................23Teacherinterviews................................................................................................................................................................23PredictionCharts....................................................................................................................................................................29Stories..........................................................................................................................................................................................32Story1:MwakwaTalkstotheLoon................................................................................................................................32Story2:OurFirstCaribouHunt........................................................................................................................................36Story3:NokumismyTeacher...........................................................................................................................................38Story4:HiawathaandthePeacemaker........................................................................................................................42DataCollectionChart:StoryReportingBooklets......................................................................................................45

PredictionChartsrevisited.................................................................................................................................................47FavouriteStoryWriting.......................................................................................................................................................48Conclusions..........................................................................................................................48

TimeandEffort.....................................................................................................................50

References...........................................................................................................................52

Appendixes..........................................................................................................................54AppendixA:InformedConsent.........................................................................................................................................54AppendixB:TeacherInterviewQuestions..................................................................................................................55AppendixC:StudentPredictionChart...........................................................................................................................56AppendixD:StoryRecordingBookletandClassChart..........................................................................................57


ItTakesTime

Evenafteralmosttenyears,somethingsjuststickwithyou.Inthiscase,itwasone

particularitemonalist.AsastudentinEnglandforsixmonths,Ihadspentmythree-week

ChristmasbreaktravelingtoEgypt,LondonandNorthernIreland.Thelistdemonstrated

mynewfoundknowledgeaboutthedifferencesbetweentheUnitedKingdomandEgypt.To

thisdayIcan’tshakethisonemajordifference:thepapertowelinEnglandwasblue,and

thepapertowelinEgyptwasgreen.Thiswasquiteinterestingtomeasatwenty-twoyear

olduniversitygraduatewhohadgrownupinCanadawithbrownpapertowelsin

bathrooms.Lookingback,IwonderedwhatelsehadbeenonthatlistthatIhadincludedin

amassemailouttofriendsandfamily.Aftersomestrategicsearchingthrougholdemails,I

foundit.Altogethertherewereabouttwenty-fiveitemsonmylistofotherthingsthatI’d

observedasatraveller,orthatIhadsimplyfoundinterestingbecausetheyweredifferent.I

highlydoubtthatifImetsomeonefromeitherofthoseplacesthattheywouldbequickto

tellmeaboutthecolouroftheirpapertowels.Frommyexperienceasatravellerandasa

foreignerlivinginadifferentculture,themoretimeIhavespentinaplace,thebettermy

understandingofthatculture.MyfirstthreeyearsasateacherwerespentworkingataBC

OffshoreSchoolinChina.Despiteknowingverylittleofthelanguage,Ilearnedtoget

aroundthecity,buygroceries,payrent,bargainforagoodprice,makepeoplelaugh,and

pushmywaythroughacrowd.Whileitisstillhighlydependentonmyownpersonal

experiences,myunderstandingofChineseculturebyfarsurpassesthatofEgyptianculture.

HadIlivedinNorthernIrelandorEgyptforthreeyears,Ihaveafeelingthelistofthings

thatstuckwithmewouldlookabitdifferentthanthecolourofpapertowels.


PurposeoftheResearchProject

TheTask

Inmygrade3classroomIamfacedwiththechallengeofauthenticallyteaching

aboutothercultures.WiththerecentcurriculumchangesinBritishColumbia,thegrade

threeSocialStudiescurriculumhaschangedtofocusentirelyonglobalindigenouspeoples.

Amajorpartofthistopicisthefocusonlocalaboriginalculture.Asanon-aboriginalsettler

teacherwhohasnothadtodirectlyteachthiscontentbefore,Ifeltalittleoverwhelmedat

mylackofknowledgeandexperience.Inaddition,akeyfeatureofthenewcurriculumis

theintegrationofaboriginalperspectivesacrossthecurriculum.Inthepast,effortsto

educateaboutaboriginalknowledgehavebeenfromdominantcultureratherthanthe

aboriginalvoice,creatingalackofrealawareness.Iunderstoodthattheinclusionof

aboriginalperspectiveswasmadetomoveawayfromstereotypesandnarrowvisionsof

FirstNations,butIdidn’tfeelqualifiedorpreparedtoteachtheirperspectives.Howwould

IbeabletoauthenticallyteachperspectivesandknowledgethatIknewverylittleabout

andpotentiallydidn’tcompletelyagreewith?

TheJourney

GrowingupinthepredominantlywhitemiddleclasscommunityoftheCentral

Okanaganinthe1990s,IrememberverylittleofwhatIlearnedaboutaboriginalpeoples.I

vaguelyremembercarvingananimaloutofabarofsoapandgettingtositinadarkdome-

shapedshelteratalocalmuseum.MyonlyaboriginalfriendwasagirlIwenttochurch

withwhohadbeenadoptedintoaCaucasianfamily.Theremusthavebeenmoreaboriginal

IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 5studentsatthelargermiddleschoolIattended,becausetherewasaspecialroomwithan

aboriginalteacherwheretheygottogodofunthings.

Inhighschoolanduniversityinthe2000’sIbegantoseeandhearalittlemore

aboutaboriginalpeoplearoundme.ThestoriesIheardinthecommunityweren’talways

positive,butforthemostpart,theconversationatuniversitytriedtomoveawayfrom

stereotypes.FirstNationelderswereinvitedtowelcomegueststotheirlandwithmusic,

speeches,andprayersatlocalconferencesandspecialeventssuchastheopeningofUBC

Okanagan.ThefewCanadianhistoryandanthropologycoursesItookaspartofmyHistory

andEducationdegreesmusthavetalkedaboutaboriginalpeoples,buttheydidn’tprovide

mewithadeepknowledgebasetodrawontoday.Throughoutuniversity,however,Idid

becomeincreasinglymoreawareoftheimportanceofusingpoliticallycorrectnameswhen

talkingaboutaboriginalpeoples,eventhoughIwasn’talwayssurewhatthosewere.

SinceIbeganteachingin2010,Ihavetaughtinculturallydiverseindependent

schoolsinChinaandMetroVancouver,buthavenothadanyaboriginalstudentsinmy

classroom.Asaresult,whenIheardaboutthenewcurriculum,Iwonderedwhytherewas

suchabigfocusonincludingaboriginalperspectivesbutnotthoseofothergrowing

multiculturalperspectivesinCanadasuchasChinese,KoreanorSouthAsian.Iexplored

thisquestioninmoredepthinthefirstassignmentofmyMastersprogramatSimonFraser

Universityin2015.Thisinvestigationhelpedmetobetterunderstandthehistorical

injusticesinvolvingCanadianaboriginalpeoplesandtheimportanceofteachingtoday’s

studentsaboriginalcontent.Iwanttodomybesttoauthenticallyteachmystudentsabout

Canada’sfirstpeoples,andIhavesincesoughtoutprofessionaldevelopmentopportunities

inthisarea.Despitethis,I’mstillworriedattimesthatImightpassonstereotypesor

IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 6incorrectperspectives.AsIbegantoengageinconversationswithotherteachersaboutthe

newaboriginalcontent,IfoundIwasn’taloneinmyquestionsandfeelings,whichIexplain

morelateroninmyliteraturereviewandresearchdata.

ThePlan

IneededawaythatIcouldfeelmoreconfidentthatIwasauthenticallyteaching

aboriginalperspectives.AsaMastersstudentintheImaginativeEducationcohort,I

naturallythoughtofusingstorytelling.Theuseofstories,toguideandemotionallyconnect

thelearnertothecurriculum,isattheheartofKieranEgan’sImaginativeEducationtheory.

Egan(2005)believesthat

Storyisoneofthemostpowerfulcognitivetoolsstudentshaveavailableforimaginativelyengagingwithknowledge.Storiesshapeouremotionalunderstandingoftheircontent.Storiescanshapereal-worldcontentaswellasfictionalmaterial(p.2).

Traditionally,aboriginalknowledgewaspassedonthroughoralstorytelling,whichaligns

reallywellwithIEpedagogy.Ilearnedthattodayaboriginalstoriesandexperiencescould

increasinglybefoundaschildren’spicturebooks.Iwaseagertoutilizethistoolasawayto

bringanauthenticaboriginalvoiceintomyclassroom.Soeager,infact,thatIcollected

authenticaboriginalpicturebookstosharewithmystudentsasItraveledacrossCanada

thispastsummerwithmybrother.IknewIwouldbeteachingaunitaboutCanada’smany

diverseaboriginalpeoplesforthefirsttime,soIwantedavarietyofstoriestosharewith

mystudents.Ihavesinceheardaboutmanymoretitleswithinthisgenre.Thisaction

researchreportisaboutmyexperienceusingaboriginalpicturebooksinmygrade3

classroomtohelpmeteachstudentsaboutthediversityofCanada’saboriginalpeoples.


ResearchQuestionThecentralresearchquestionthatguidedmydatacollection:

Ø HowcanIbestuseauthenticaboriginalpicturebookstohelpstudentsunderstand

thediversityofCanada’saboriginalpeoples?

Toanswerthisquestion,Ifeltmyresearchtookmedowntwodifferentpaths.First,I

wantedtoaskmygrade3colleaguesabouttheirthoughtsandexperiencesteaching

aboriginalcontentandusingpicturebooks.Second,Ilookedatwhatworkedbestwithmy

ownstudents.Ilookatbothoftheseareasinmyliteraturereviewandresearch.Theseare

subquestionsIaddressed:

Ø Howdomycolleaguesfeelaboutteachingaboriginalknowledgeandperspectives?

Ø Howaremygrade3colleaguesusingaboriginalpicturebooks?

Ø Whatshouldateacherconsiderwhenselectingaboriginalpicturebookstoread?

Ø Whatmakesanaboriginalpicturebook“authentic”?

Ø WhatdomystudentsalreadyknowaboutthediversityofCanada’saboriginal

peoples?

Ø Dostorieshelpstudentsunderstandthataboriginalwaysoflifeareconnectedtothe

landwheretheylived?

Ø WhatdomystudentsknowaboutCanada’saboriginalpeoples’homes,

transportation,clothing,andfood?

Ø Canmystudentsidentifywhichculturalareatheaboriginalstoryisfrombasedon

theillustrationsanddescriptions?

Ø Aremystudentsexcitedaboutlisteningtoandreadingaboriginalpicturebooks?


ResearchContext Thisactionresearchprojecttakesplaceinmygrade3classroomwithmystudents

actingasparticipants.Therearetwenty-sixstudentsinmyclassconsistingoffifteengirls

andelevenboys,tenofwhomareCaucasian,tenChinese,fourKorean,oneFilipinoandone

Jamaican.TherearenoaboriginalstudentsthatIamawareofinanyofthegrade3classes.

Myclassthisyearisveryactive,andIamoftenfeelingbehind“gettingthrough”curriculum

incomparisontotheothergrade3classes.Thereareanumberofstudentswhoneed

supportduringunstructuredtimes,butasaclasstheyareoverallquiteengagedwhen

listeningtostoriesorworkingtowardsaprize.

GradethreeispartoftheIntermediateSchoolbuilding,whichismadeupofgrades

three,fourandfivetotalingjustover300students.Thefourclassroomteachersofeach

gradelevelareexpectedtocollaborateintheplanningandtimingofunitsandaregiven

timetodosoeachweek.Asaresultofyearsofcollaboration,therearemanywell-known

projects,activitiesandthemedaysateachgradelevelthatstudents(especiallythosewith

oldersiblings)havecometoexpect.Duetorecentcurriculumchanges,theunitabout

Canadianaboriginalpeopleshasbeen“taken”fromgradefourandgiventogradethree.As

gradethreeteachersweusedpiecesoftheseresourcesfortheunitwetaughtaboutthe

Stó:lōpeople,alocalFirstNation,beforeChristmasbreak,butbeganfromscratchaswe

taughtaboutthediversityofCanada’saboriginalpeoples.UsingTheKidsBookofAboriginal

PeoplesinCanadabyDianeSilvey,weintroducedstudentstothesevendiverseaboriginal

culturalregions:NorthwestCoast,Plateau,Plains,Arctic,Subarctic,WoodlandIroquois,

andWoodlandAlgonquians.Todothisweusedoneteacher’sideaofvisitingeachcultural

IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 9regionviathe“AmazingRace:FirstPeoplesofCanadaEdition”tolearnabouteachpeople

andplace.Myactionresearchprojectwassetwithinthisunit.

OurschoolisalargeindependentChristianschoolinMetroVancouverthatconsists

offourdivisionalbuildingsenrollingmorethan1400studentsfrompre-kindergartento

grade12.Enrollmentisbyapplicationonlyandparentspaytuitionfeesfortheirstudents

tobeeducatedonafoundationofChristianprinciples.Whileourschoolstrivestoenroll

studentsfrommanydiverseeconomicandculturalbackgrounds,wehaveveryfew

aboriginalstudents.AtthemomentIamonlyawareoftwofamiliesatourschoolwith

aboriginalbackgrounds.Unlikepublicschools,wedonothaveaboriginalsupportworkers

atourschool,butwedohaveagrowinginterestamongsomestafftolearnmoreabout

aboriginalissuesandperspectives–especiallyinlightofthenewcurriculum.Webegan

thisschoolyearwithamorningofschool-wideprofessionaldevelopmentaboutaboriginal

historyinconversationwithsomevisitors.Wearebeginningtoinvestigatehowwecan

authenticallyteachaboriginalknowledgeandperspectivesthroughthelensofour

Christianworldview.Ibelievethatmyactionresearchprojectisonestepinthisdirection.


LiteratureReview

ALackofKnowledge AsIlookedforliteraturethatwouldhelpmebetterunderstandmytopic,Ifound

researchaboutteachers’experiencesintegratingaboriginalknowledgeandperspectivesin

otherCanadianprovincesandalsoAustralia.Similartomyownexperience,acommon

themethroughoutthisliteratureisthatnon-aboriginalteachers(whicharethemajorityof

teachers)donotfeelqualifiedtoteachthiscontentbecausetheylacktheknowledgeand

personalexperience(Kanu,2005;Dion,2007;Harrison&Greenfield,2011;Scott,2013;

Donald,2013).Ina2005studyoftenpublichighschoolteachersinManitoba,Kanu

describesthebiggestchallengefortheeightnon-aboriginalteacherswas“theirownlackof

Aboriginalculturalknowledgeandunderstandingrequiredforeffectiveintegration”(Kanu,

p.57).Whiletheseteacherswereopentointegratingaboriginalperspectives,andhadeven

takensomestepstobecomemorefamiliarwiththecontent,theylackedconfidencedueto

theirlimitedknowledge.Dion(2007),aprofessoratYorkUniversity,statesthatthepre-

serviceandin-serviceteacherssheworkswithoften

Respondwithcommentsthatgosomethinglikethis“OhIknownothing,IhavenofriendswhoareAboriginal,Ididn’tgrowupnearareserve,Ididn’tlearnanythinginschool,IknowverylittleorIknownothingatallaboutNativepeople.”(p.330)

Shehastermedthispositionthe“perfectstranger”–denyinganyknowledgeorexperience

becauseof“thefearofoffending,thefearofintroducingcontroversialsubjectmaterial,the

fearofintroducingcontentthatchallengesstudents’understandingofthedominantstories

ofCanadianhistory”(Dion,2007,p.331).AcrosstheoceaninanotherformerBritish

colony,Harrison&Greenfield(2011)writeabouthowAustralian“teachersoftenlament

IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 11thattheyknowlittleaboutAboriginalpeople,whilequestioninghowtheycanbeexpected

toincludeAboriginalperspectivesintheirprograms”(p.65).Theseresearchersevencite

Australianliteraturethatsuggeststhatnon-aboriginalteachersshouldnotteachAboriginal

contentbecausetheycontinuetoperpetuatestereotypes.Insomecases,thislackof

understandingwasportrayedasaresistancetoteachaboriginalperspectives.Scott(2013),

reportsontheresistanceoffivehighschoolSocialStudiesteachersinAlbertatoinclude

aboriginalperspectivesinallissuesoreventsbeingdiscussedbecausetheyfeltitwasn’t

alwaysrelevant.Theseteachersalsofeltthattherewasnotoneuniformaboriginal

perspective,butrathermanydiverseaboriginalcommunitieswiththeirownunique

perspectives.Hesuggeststhat“manyeducatorshavecometoseeAboriginalwaysof

knowingandbeingasexistingcompletelyoutsideEuro-Westerncivilizationandtherefore

unknowable”(Scott,p.35).Overall,whethernon-aboriginalteacherswelcomeorare

resistanttointegratingaboriginalknowledgeandperspectivesintheirteaching,thereisa

needforincreasedknowledgeandunderstandingamongteachers.

Teacherscanbecomemorefamiliarwithaboriginalcontentthroughteacher

trainingandprofessionaldevelopment.BothDonald(2013)andDion(2007)teach

educationcoursesaboutaboriginalperspectivesatCanadianuniversities.Dion’sgraduate

coursehelpsteacherstransformtheirownunderstandingsofaboriginalpeoplesbyhelping

themchallengeandchangetheirassumptions.Thisprocesshelpsteachersaddressany

biasesthatmayinfluencehowtheyteachaboriginalcontent.Harrison&Greenfieldagree

thatqualityteachingdependsontheteacher’sownunderstandingandrelationshipwith

aboriginalknowledge.Thisincludesunderstandingandusingtheappropriatelanguage

whentalkingaboutaboriginalpeoples.Kanu(2005)suggeststhatschoolsshouldprovide

IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 12teacherswithteachingtrainingandprofessionaldevelopmentopportunities,inadditionto

thefinancialsupportandreleasetimetogo.Harrison&Greenfieldnotethatsome

Australianteachersfromtheiractionresearchprojecthavereceivedextratraining,butin

general,teacherswantpracticalideasofhowtoincludeaboriginalperspectives.In

conclusion,greaterunderstandingandknowledgeofaboriginalissueperspectivesis

equallyasimportantasthepracticalideasandtoolsthatteacherscanuse.

ThePowerofChildren’sStories

Children’sliteratureandpicturebooksarecommonlyusedinelementary

classroomstoteachstudentsaboutdiversity.Studiesandarticlesinsupportofthisstrategy

beganinthe1990sandcontinueintothe21stcenturyasclassroomsinbothCanadaand

theUnitedStateshavebecomeincreasinglydiverse.Mostoftheliteraturebeginsby

describingtheimportanceofteachingmulticulturaleducationandthengoesontoexplain

whystoriesareaneffectivemethodandhowtousethem.Aresearchercommonlyreferred

tointheliteratureisJamesBanks,professorattheUniversityofWashingtonandoneofthe

forefathersofmulticulturaleducation.CitedbyBainbridge,Pantaleo,&Ellis(1999),

Morgan(2009),Suh&Samuel(2011),andMcGilp(2014),Banksdefinesmulticultural

educationas“anideastatingthatallstudents,regardlessofthegroupstowhichthey

belong…shouldexperienceeducationequalityintheschools”(ascitedinSuh&Samuel,

2011,p.2).Writingin1999,CanadianresearchersBainbridge,Pantaleo&Ellisfoundlittle

researchhadbeendoneabouttheimportanceofmulticulturalstoriesandrefertothe

followingtwostudies,

Abound(1988)suggestedthatchildren’sattitudestowarddiversitytendtostayconstantunlessalteredbylife-changingevents.Morerecentlyhowever,Wham,Barnhart,andCook(1996)havedemonstratedthat


childrenwhoareexposedtomulticulturalstorybookreading…developthemostpositiveattitudestowarddifference(p.184).Sevenyearlater,Wan(2006),aprofessorofEducationatOhioUniversity,alsocites

thesetwostudiesinadditiontomorerecentresearch,whichsuggestsagrowing

recognitionoftheimportanceofteachingdiversityusingstories.Onesuchpieceof

researchthatWanhasincludedishow“Perini(2002)stressesmulticulturalchildren’s

bookshavethepotentialtosupportdiversityinthecurriculumandraiseconsciousnesson

culturalissuesthatareignoredinschools”(Wan,2006,p.141).ThisisexactlywhatWan

andotherstudiesgoontodo,whichsupportsSuh&Samuel’sclaimthat“thehumanbrain

learnsfromstories”(Suh&Samuel,2011,p.4).Egan’s(2005)IEpedagogysuggeststhat

storiesaresoeffectiveinteachingbecauseoftheiremotionalengagement.

Wan(2006)explainsathematicstorybookapproachtoteachaboutdiversity.She

states“booksfromdifferentcultures,whichrepresentthesamethemes,canbeused

togethertoteachdiversitytochildren”(p.142).WanusesCinderellastoriesfromaround

theworldtoteach,“thatpeopleofdifferentculturesaremoresimilarthandifferentfrom

eachother”(Wan,2006,p.141).Notonlycanmulticulturalstoriestobeusedtopointout

similaritiesanddifferences,butalsotheycanhelpstudents“understandwhyandhoweach

culturebehaves,believesordoescertainthings”(Wan,2006,p.142).

Morgan(2009),professorofEducationatTheUniversityofSouthernMississippi,

discussestheuseofpicturebookbiographies“tohelpyoungchildrendevelopan

understandingofperspectivesdifferentthanone’sown”(p.219).Thisisreferredtoas

takingmultipleperspectives.Morgancontinuessuggestingthat“teacherscanbegin

developingthisunderstandinginchildrenatanearlyagewhenusingwell-writtenpicture

bookbiographiesforchildrenwhichrepresentpeoplefromdiversebackgrounds”(Morgan,

IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 142009,p.219).MorganexplainsthatstudentspreferthesebookstobesharedasRead-

aloudsbecause“teachersoftenusetheirvoiceinspecialwaystomakethecharactersina

bookcometolife”(Morgan,2009,p.221).Thisisparticularlynecessarywhenteaching

Primarystudentswhoarestilldevelopingtheirliteracyskills.

Frieman&Kirmani(1997)suggest“folktalesfromotherculturesgivechildrena

windowintoanewworld”(p.39).Friemantellsofhowa“diversegroupofchildrentreated

eachothermorekindly;talkedtoeachotherinrespectfultones;playedwithchildrenwho

weremembersofethnicgroupsotherthantheirown”(p.39)afterhearingandreenacting

thestoriesoftwoIndianfolktaleswhenteachinginKenya.Asaresult,theauthorspromote

diversefolktalesas“aninvaluabletoolinbringingtogetherandenrichingstudentsof

differentbackgrounds”(Frieman&Kirmani,1997,p.42).

Inadditiontodescribingtherationalandmethodforteachingaboutdiversity,the

literaturealsomakessuggestionsonhowtousemulticulturalstoriestoconnectwithother

curriculum.Wan(2006)states“itisnotliteraturealonebuttheexperiencescreatedin

responsetotheliteraturethatdeterminethepowerofthestories”(Wan,2006,p.148).Her

suggestedresponseexperiencesincludecomparingandcontrastingdifferentcultures,

discussions,writingareportaboutthespecificcultureandcreatingamapoftheworldto

showwhereeachCinderellastoryoriginated.Kim(2006)encouragesusingstorybooks

withthesefollow-upactivities:discussions,art,writing,androle-play.Frieman&Kirmani

(1997)encouragetheuseofdiversefolktalesaccompaniedbythelearningandsharing

student’sownfamilystoriesthroughgames,music,food,sharingspecialitemsfromhome

andthecreationofaclassbook.


Themajorityoftheliteratureexaminedalsostatescriteriaforselecting

multiculturalstoriesandlistsrecommendedbooks.Suh&Samuel(2011)warnsthat

usingmulticulturalliteraturemustbecarefullydonetoavoidpromulgatingoldstereotypes,andteachersmustbetaughttouseauthenticcriteriatoidentifyaccuracy,qualityandrealisticportrayalsofvariousethnicgroupsintheirlessonplans(p.6).

Suh&Samuelincludestwodetailedlistsofcriteriaforselectingmulticulturalliterature

(seeAppendixAofSuh&Samuel,2011,p.8-9).Reese(2007),aNativeAmericanteacher,

researcherandprofessorattheUniversityofIllinois,encouragesteacherstothoroughly

researchthebooksthattheyreadaloudandhaveavailableintheirclassroomlibrariesas

NativeAmericanshavebeenpoorlyrepresentedinbooksinthepast.Sheincludesdetailed

guidelinesthatcanhelpteacherschooseauthenticNativeAmericanliteraturetoread.

Morganalsomentionsassociationsthat“regularlypublishjournalsontheeducationof

youngchildrenwhichincludearticlesandbooklists”(Morgan,2009,p.221).Outsideof

NorthAmerica,You,MeandDiversity:PicturebooksforTeachingDevelopmentand

InterculturalEducationbyAnneM.DolanisanewresourcecreatedinIrelandtohelp

teachersusepicturebookstoteachaboutinterculturaleducationandglobalcitizenship

(McGilp,2014).Astheneedtoeducatestudentsaboutdiversityincreases,theresourcesto

usestoriesasthemethodarealsogrowing.

AboriginalPictureBooks

Retiredteacher-librarianMarilynneBlack’s(2008)article“Teachingabout

AboriginalCanadathroughPictureBooks”wasparticularlyhelpful.Shepointsoutthat

picturebooksareveryusefultoolstohelpchildrenlearnaboutaboriginalpeoplesbecause

“theybothtellstoriesandprovidevisualinformationatthesametime”(Black,2008,p.

IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 16314).Blackgivesexamplesofaboriginalpicturebookswithillustrationsthatshowwaysof

life(homes,clothing,art,transportation)andresourcesthataretiedtothelandandso

promoteasenseofplace.Herarticlementionsforty-threeaboriginalchildren’sbooksthat

wereavailablein2008anddescribesanumberofteachingactivitiesthatteachersmight

wanttouse.IncludedinthisbooklistweretwoofthebooksIhadpurchasedasItraveled

acrossCanada.Black’scommentsaboutthesebookshelpedinthedecision-makingprocess

asIselectedwhichbookstouseinmyactionresearchproject.

ResearchMethods WhenIbeganplanningmyactionresearchprojectIknewIwantedtoexplorehowI

coulduseaboriginalpicturebookswithinthecontextofmyCanadianaboriginalpeoples

unit.Initially,IthoughtIwouldusethesestoriestobroadlyteachaboutaboriginal

knowledgeandperspectivesinmyclassroom;however,thatseemedratherdifficultto

measure.AttherecommendationofmyprofessorMichaelDerbyandcriticalfriendgroup,I

narroweddownmyfocustolookspecificallyatusingstoriestomeetonebigideainthe

SocialStudiescurriculum.Whiletheuseofstoriesalsometmanyrequirementsinthe

EnglishLanguageArtscurriculum,IdecideditwaseasiesttosimplyfocusonSocialStudies

contentforthepurposeofthisproject.Sincemygrade3colleaguesandIhadalready

decidedtoteachaunitaboutCanada’sdiverseaboriginalpeoples,Ifeltitmadethemost

sensetofocusonthefollowingbigidea:

Peoplefromdiverseculturesandsocietiessharesomecommonexperiences

andaspectsoflife(BritishColumbiaMinistryofEducation,2016)

IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 17SelectingtheStories

ToteachthisbigideaIdecidedtoselectstoriesfromeachofthesevencultural

regions(NorthwestCoast,Plateau,Plains,Arctic,Subarctic,WoodlandIroquois,and

WoodlandAlgonquians)thatIcouldusetointroduceeachdiverseculture.IknewthatI

probablywouldn’tbeabletofind,orhavetimetoread,thismanybookssincewewouldbe

onaracetogetthrougheachregion.TheAmazingRaceunitplanthatourgrade3teamhad

createdonlyallowedustospendtwoorthreedaysoneachregion,whichalreadyseemed

short.However,Iknewthatplanningmorewasalwaysbetterthannotplanningenough,so

Iaimedhigh.FocusingstrictlyonSocialStudiescontent,Iwantedtochoosepicturebooks

withcleardescriptionsandillustrationssostudentscouldseehowaboriginalpeoplelived

inthepast–theirhomes,food,clothing,transportation,toolsandresources(Black,2008).

Thisalsoseemedlikeamanageablewaytomeasurewhatstudentswouldlearnfrom

listeningtostoriessincethebeliefsandvaluesdiscussedineachbookmaydifferandbe

moredifficulttocompare.Iwonderedifstudentscouldlearnfactsfromstoriesliketheydo

fromnonfictioninformationbooks.Ialsohopedthatalongthewaymystudentswouldbe

abletoseehowthepeoples’waysoflifeweredirectlyconnectedtotheland,orregion,they

livedin.Forexample,thenomadicPlainspeoplelivedinteepeesmadeofpolesandhides

becausetheyfollowedthemigrationofthebuffalo.IkeptallthesethingsinmindasIchose

thepicturebookstouse.

SelectingthebooksIwantedtousetooktimebecauseIwantedtomakesureIhad

donemyresearchlikeReese(2007)advised.Ilookedfortraditionalaboriginalstories

amongthebooksIhadpurchasedandonesthatwereavailableinourschoollibrary.Ifirst

madesurethestorywasauthentic–thatithadbeenwrittenbyanaboriginalauthor,orat

IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 18theveryleastinconsultationwithindigenouspeople.Next,IconsultedStrongNations,an

onlineindigenousbookstore,toseeifthebookwasincludedintheircollectionandtoread

abriefsummary.Idiscoveredanumberofresourcesthatreferindigenousbooks,butthe

StrongNationswebsitewasthemostusefulbecauseofthevolumeoftheirresources.

IntheendIdecidedonthefollowingbookstointroducethesefiveculturalregions:

Plains

Auger,D.(2006).MwakwaTalkstotheLoon.Vancouver:Heritage.

Subarctic

Bouchard,D.(2006).NokumisMyTeacher.Markham:RedDeerPress.

Arctic

Noah,J.&Giroux,C.(2015).OurFirstCaribouHunt.Iqaluit:InhabitMediaIncorporated.

WoodlandIroquoians

Robertson,R.,&Shannon,D.(2015).HiawathaandthePeacemaker.NewYork:AbramsBooksforYoungReaders.

WoodlandAlgonquians

Roy,R.,Sock,S.M.,&Mitcham,A.(2012).TheMightyGloosecapTransformsAnimalsandLandscapeMountain.Moncton:Boutond’orAcadie.

AuthenticAboriginalResources:

StrongNations-www.strongnations.comFirstNationsEducationSteeringCommittee-www.fnesc.caEaglecrestBooks-www.eaglecrestbooks.comTheytusBooks-www.theytus.comPemmicanPublications-www.pemmicanpublications.ca

IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 19CollectingtheData

Oncethebookswereselected,Idecidedtocollectdatausinginterviews,document

analysis,audiorecordingsandobservations.AspartoftheAmazingRace,studentswere

introducedtoamapofthesevenculturalregionsaboriginalpeopleslivedin.Thismap

stayedonthebulletinboardfortheremainderoftheunitforreference.Ihopedthatseeing

amap,andthencreatingtheirown,wouldhelpstudentsunderstandthevastness,and

possiblysomeofthefeatures,oftheland.Thiswastheactivitythatprecededmydata

collection.

IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 20 Iwantedtointerviewmygrade3colleaguestolearnhowtheyfeltaboutteaching

aboriginalcontentandiftheyplannedonusingstorytelling.Icreatedalistofsixquestions

(seeAppendixB)usingsomeofmyresearchsubquestions.Becauseofmypersonal

experience,andthelackofknowledgefeltbyteachersintheliteratureIreviewed,Iwas

curiousifmynon-aboriginalcolleaguesfeltthesame.Igaveeachteacheracopyofthe

interviewquestionsinadvancesotheywouldn’tfeelsurprised.ThenIinterviewedeach

teacherindividuallyafterschooloneday,audiorecordingeachonesothatIcouldrefer

backtoitlater.

BeforeIbeganreadingthepicturebooks,Iwantedtoknowwhatmystudents

alreadyknewaboutaboriginalwaysoflife.TodothisIcreatedapredictionchartthat

allowedstudentstopredictthehomes,food,clothing,transportationandtools,materials,

resourcesforeachofthesevenculturalregions(seeAppendixC).Thisseemedtobeagood

waytohinttostudentsthataboriginalwaysoflifeoftendiffereddependingontheregion

ratherthansimplyaskingthemwhataboriginalhouseswerelike.Thechartwasprintedon

11x17papersothatstudentswouldonlyhavetorecordononepaper.Sincewehad

alreadystudiedtheSto:lo,aNorthwestCoastpeople,Iexpectedthatstudentswouldfindit

easytofillinthatcolumnofpredictionboxes.Oncestudentshadcompletedtheir

predictioncharts,Isetthemasidetohavestudentsreflectbackonandthenanalyzemyself.

Nextcamereadingthestoriestointroduceeachculturalregion.Icreatedasmall

bookletforeachstudenttowriteordrawwhattheylearnedaboutthehomes,food,

clothing,transportationandtoolsorresourcesastheylistenedtothestory(seeAppendix

D).Beforewebeganreadingthefirststory,MwakwaTalkstotheLoon,Ispokewithmy

studentsabouthoweachpeoplehadtheirownuniqueanddiversewaysoflifethatwe

IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 21weregoingtotrytolearnaboutthroughthesestories.AsIread,Iwouldpausetoask

questionsorgivestudentsmoretimetorecordwhattheyhadheardorsaw.Afterreading

eachstoryIplannedtodiscussstudents’findingsaltogetherandrecordthemonaclass

chart(alsoinAppendixD).ItookanaudiorecordingofeachreadingsoIcouldgobackand

reviewinsightfulcommentsorquestionsthatstudentshadmadealongtheway.Iusedthe

recordingbookletsforthefirstthreestories,andthenhadstudentsonlylistentothefourth

story.Iquantitativelyanalyzedstudents’findingsfromtheirrecordingbookletsbyplacing

theminachartandcountinghowmanytimeseachwordwasmentioned.Ialso

qualitativelyanalyzedthedataasIidentifiedthemesintheaudiorecordingsandthe

observationstakeninmyresearchjournal.

Afterlisteningtofourstories,whichwasalltherewastimeforintheend,students

revisitedthepredictionsheetstheyhadfilledoutatthebeginning.Theyusedhighlighters

tooutlinethePlains,Subarctic,ArcticandWoodlandIroquoiansboxestohelpthemfocus

ontheareaswherethefourstoriescamefrom.Todistinguishbetweentheinitial

predictionandthefollow-up,studentswrotewithbluepensratherthanpencils.Students

independentlycompletedthisfollow-upactivitysomewhatlikeatestbecausetheywere

notallowedtousetheirrecordingbookletsoranyotherresourcestohelpthem.These

documentsgavemeinsightsonstudents’finalknowledgeabouthowaboriginalpeoples

lived.Itisimportanttonotehowever,thatthestoriesIselectedandreadwerenotthe

students’onlysourceoflearningaboutaboriginalpeoples.Thestoriesweresimplyan

introductiontoeachculturalgroupwithinthecontextoftheAmazingRaceunitthat

focusedonreadingforinformation.


Lastly,Iwascuriousaboutwhichaboriginalstoriesmystudentsenjoyedthemost.

Afterreadingallfourstories,Ihadthemidentifyandwriteabouttheirfavouriteaboriginal

story.Thiswasanothersourcefordocumentanalysis.AsIreadthestudents’thoughts

abouttheaboriginalstoriesIlookedforthemesamongtheirresponses.Unlikemyother

data-collectionmethods,thisonefocusedonthestudents’emotionalengagementrather

thantheinformationtheycouldgather.

ResearchEthics InordertoconductthisactionresearchprojectinmyclassroomIhadtoget

permissionfrombothmyschoolandmystudents’parents.EarlyinJanuaryIgained

consentfromtheheadofschoolandmyschoolprincipaltomoveforwardwithmyproject.

FollowingthatIsentaletterhometogetparentpermissionfortheirchildtoparticipatein

theresearchproject.Allinformedconsentletters(seeAppendixA)werereturnedsigned.

Inordertoprotecttheanonymityofparticipants,thenamesofteachersandstudents

IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 23involvedhavebeenchanged.WhentalkingaboutmystudentsIhavesimplychosento

identifythemasStudent1,Student2,etc.

Results

Teacherinterviews

TeacherInterviewwithGianaHowprepareddoyoufeeltoteachAboriginalknowledgeandperspectivesinyourclassroom?

• “Idon’tfeel100%prepared,noteven90,or80,becauseI’mstilltryingtolearnandunderstanditmyself.TherearealotofthingsIlearnedthatIhadnoideaabout.OfcourseIfeellikeIcouldhavesomebiasbecauseofwhatI’vebeentold,andwhatI’veseenandheard.”

• “I’mteachinginformationtomystudentsbecauseI’mtoldtoteachit,butIdon’tknowifit’salltrue.”

• “Ilearnedaboutaboriginalsingrade3,andit’ssurenothowI’mlearningitnow,orteachingitnow.”

• “Ithinkit’simportanttomakeitasauthenticaspossible,definitely.”• “Iwantmystudentstoknowthat[aboriginalpeople]wereherefirstandtheydidliveoff

thelandandtheywerewipedout.”

Whatwouldhelpyoufeelmoreprepared?• TakingacourseorProDtolearnmoreaboutthebigquestionsandtolearnmoreabout

theirculture• Wonderingwhowrotethat?(Canitbetrusted?)• Needtobemoreinformed• “Ineedtoknowwhatexactlytheperspectiveis.”

Whatresourcesareyouusingtoprepare?Orteachwith?• “TheKidsBookofAboriginalPeoples”• Children’sstories• Librarybooks• “FortheStó:lō,Ijustreliedontheteachersupstairsandtrustedtheyhadtherightinfo–

whichIthinkisopinionatedinitself.”

Howhaveyouusedaboriginalchildren’sbooks?• “Ihaven’tusedalotofchildren’sbooks.I’mfindingitasatimeconstraint.IfeellikeI


havetofacilitatemoreforthemeventounderstandwhoFirstNationswereratherthantellingthemstorybooks.Wheninessence,perhapsmaybeIshouldbeusingmorestoriesbecausemaybetheywouldlearnmorefromthosestorybooks,butIhaven’tusedalot.Ihaveusedmaybeoneortwo.”

• “I’veusedmorenonfiction/informationbooksbutI’mnotevensureifit’struebecauseitwaspasseddown.”

Howdoyougoaboutchoosingabooktouse?• “Ilookusuallyatthedate,forsure,becauseifitissomethingthatwaswrittenwhenI

wasgrowingup,thenit’sgoingtobeverybiasedinformationbecauseIknowwhatbookswerelikethen.”

• Lookatthedate(forbias)–pre2015• Publisher• Author• MeaningfultopicthatwillhelpstudentsunderstandFirstNationspeople

Whatmakesanaboriginalbook“authentic”?• Oraltraditionstory:legendsandstories• “Ifeellikethestoriesthattellastory,oralegendaremoreauthentic”• “Itfeelslikeitsmoreauthenticwhenit’sanoraltraditionstory–likehowtheCoyote

stolethemoon.”

Giana,whohastaughtgrade3atourschoolfor14yearsandwhoI’veworkedwith

thelongest,wasthefirstteacherIinterviewed.Sheistheoldestteacherinourgradeteam

andhaspreviouslysharedaboutgrowinguphearing,andstillhearingattimes,negative

stereotypesaboutaboriginalpeople.Inthisinterviewsheexpressednotfeelingcompletely

preparedtoteachaboriginalknowledgeandperspectivesbecauseshe’sstilllearningabout

itherself.Gianafeelsshe“needstoknowwhatexactlytheperspectiveis,”butthatisnot

alwayscleartoher.Sheacknowledgesthatshecouldhavesomebiasasanon-aboriginal

teacher,butbelievesitisimportanttotrytoteachthecontentauthentically.Gianaadmits

notusingmanystoriesinherteachingthusfarbecauseshefeelstheyareatimeconstraint.

Atthesametime,shealsofeels“likethestoriesthattellastory,oralegendaremore

authentic.”Whenchoosingabook,sheconsidersthedateitwaspublished,thepublisher,

IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 25authorandwhetherornotthecontentisusefultoteachherstudents.Iappreciatedher

ideaoflookingatthepublisher(forbias)becauseIhadnotthoughtofthatbefore.

TeacherInterviewwithFrankHowprepareddoyoufeeltoteachAboriginalknowledgeandperspectivesinyourclassroom?

• “Ifeelsomewhatprepared.I’mlearningalittlebitmoreandsolidifyingtheinformationIalreadyknowsoIcanmakeitmoreexcitingandengagingformystudents.So,comfortable.I’mnotfrightenedbyit.I’mjustlearningandthenpassingonthenewinformationtothestudents.”

• Doyoufeelpreparedtoteachperspectives?NO• VisitedMissionsFestandfocusedonlearningaboutFirstNations

Whatwouldhelpyoufeelmoreprepared?• “IwishI’dtaughtthisalready.I’mlearningthisparticularFirstpeoplegroupforthefirst

time.”

• “It’salotoftrialanderrorrightnow.”

Whatresourcesareyouusingtoprepare?Orteachwith?• Mostlythe“AboriginalPeoplesinCanada”book• Somelinks:FNSC,gov’tofCanada,PDFs• FoundsomeBiblicalresourcesfromMissionsFest• ReadingabiographyofaMetis-Creewoman

o anadultstory(notapicturebook)withverydescriptivewriting• Alsohaveadevotionbookwrittenbyelders• “I’mfindingouttheirview,andhowtheyviewedtheProtestantscomingin.”

Howhaveyouusedaboriginalchildren’sbooks?• Notyet–willuseittointroduceeachregion• Willusebooksdeliveredfromlibrary

Howdoyougoaboutchoosingabooktouse?• Asitrelatestotheregion• Givenbylibrary• Lookforcurrentpublicationdateswithbetterperspective

o Old–1970s,oreven1980sà“Iwilltendnottolookatthatbook.”

Whatmakesanaboriginalbook“authentic”?• Whoprovidedtheinfo–ifthepeoplegrouphadinput• Fromreliablesources


Frank,whohasbeenteachingforabouttenyearsandisnewtoourschoolthisyear,

wasthesecondcolleagueIinterviewed.Intheinterviewhedescribesfeelingsomewhat

prepared,butnotfrightenedbyteachingaboriginalknowledgeandperspectives.Asmany

teachersexperience,heexplainsthathe’s“justlearningandthenpassingonthenew

informationtothestudents.”Whenaskedspecificallywhetherhefeelspreparedtoteach

aboriginalperspectives,headmitsthathe’snot.Franksharedaboutfindingsome

aboriginalresourceswithaChristianperspective,andwhiletheyarenotchildren’sbooks,

hefeelssomepartsmightbeworthsharingwithhisstudents.Forthemostpart,hehas

usedtheseresourcestoeducatehimselfabouttheexperiencesofsomeaboriginalpeople.

Frankhasnotyetusedanyaboriginalchildren’sbooksinhisclassroom,butplannedtouse

themtointroducedifferentregions.Whenselectingonetouse,helooksatlibrarybooks

withcurrentpublicationdatesbecausetheyhavebetterperspectives,unlikeonesfromthe

1970sand1980s.Tohim,anauthenticbookisonefromareliablesourceinwhichthe

peoplebeingwrittenabouthadinputinhowthestorywastold.

TeacherInterviewwithHollyHowprepareddoyoufeeltoteachAboriginalknowledgeandperspectivesinyourclassroom?

• “Foragrade3levelIfeelfairlyprepared”

• Didreadabit• “Sinceit’sthefirstyearI’vetaughtthiscurriculum,Ihavehadtousereferencebooksand

stuff,andreadthroughthingsinordertomakesurethatI’mteachingatagrade3level.”

• Doyoufeelpreparedtoteachperspectives?NO• “WellIfeelthat’satrickyonebecausetheperspectivesyou’reteachingfromarebased

onsomeoneelse’steachingorknowledge.Idon’thaveanyfirst-handexperiencereally.Livingwherewedo,ourunderstandingisn’tasgreatasitwouldbeinAlbertaoranareathathasmoreaboriginals,andsoIthinkperspectiveisatrickythingtoteachifyou’renotpartofthatcultureorcommunityorverycloselyconnected.”

• Wentontoadmitthatasanewteacherandwithnewcurriculum,shefeelsless


prepared(newtopic,newcurriculumandnewschool)

Whatwouldhelpyoufeelmoreprepared?• “Preptimetofigureoutwhat’sthegrade3targetandteachingtowardsthat”

• ProDatthebeginningoftheyearwasn’thelpfulbecauseitdidn’thelpyouteach• “It’sprovidingknowledge,butnotonhowtoteachtheseconcepts.Itwasagreat

activity,butIwon’thaveusedanythingfromthatProDforthisunitotherthanmyownpersonalunderstanding.”

o ShefindsspecificimplementationideasbestinProD

Whatresourcesareyouusingtoprepare?Orteachwith?• “TheKids’AboriginalPeoplesofCanada”byDianeSilvey• Librarybooksforkids• “Highschoolanduniversitycoursesthathavetouchedonthis–butit’sveryvagueand

notmyprimarysource”

Howhaveyouusedaboriginalchildren’sbooks?• Stó:lōunit–“Ireadacouplestories–Idon’trememberwhichones”• Noneyetuntiltheendtotieuptheunit• Storiesaren’tgreat/besttodeliverfacts• “Iprobably,truthfullywon’tuseanytilltheendtowrapitupandbeanoverarchingtype

thing.”

• Isthereareasonforthat?• “Ithinkstoriesaregreatandthattheyhaveagreatpurposeforlearning,butasfaras

deliveringfacts,Idon’tknowifstoriesarethemost,orthebestway…storiesalsotakeawhiletogothroughandI’dratheruseitasa‘break’fromsomethingelse.”

• Storiestaketime

Howdoyougoaboutchoosingabooktouse?• Advicefromothers(eg.AdrienneGear)• ReferralsfromsomeoneIknowwho’staughtitbefore• Library

Whatmakesanaboriginalbook“authentic”?• Writtenbysomeonefromthatcommunitywithfirsthandknowledgefromtheauthor

(importanceofaccuracy)• “Ithinkstoriescanbemostlyaccuratewherethey’repasseddown,butIdon’tknowhow

accuratetheyare.”

• Christianperspective–howdoesthiswork?• “WehavetoteachtheChristianperspective,soIthinkthatcantakeawayfromthe

story.”


Hollyisalsoanewteachertoourschoolthisyearwithone-yearexperienceteaching

gradethreeatanotherindependentschool.Thoughshehasreadalittleandfeelsfairly

preparedtoteachthisunit,shegoesontosaythatshe’snotpreparedtoteachaboriginal

perspectives.Shethinks,“Perspectiveisatrickythingtoteachifyou’renotpartofthat

cultureorcommunityorverycloselyconnected.”ShethinksmoreProDandpreparation

timewouldhelpherfeelmoreprepared.ShespecificallyappreciatesProDthatgives

teacherspracticalideasandtools.Whenaskedaboutusingstoriesshedescribes,“Ithink

storiesaregreatandthattheyhaveagreatpurposeforlearning,butasfarasdelivering

facts,Idon’tknowifstoriesarethemost,orthebestway.Storiesalsotakeawhiletogo

throughandI’dratheruseitasa‘break’fromsomethingelse.”Hollyusedacouple

aboriginalstoriesinourpreviousStó:lōunitandthoughtshewouldusemoreas

concluding“extra”activitiestowrapuptheAmazingRaceunit.Asanewteacher,sherelies

ontheadviceofothermoreexperiencedteacherswhenchoosingaboriginalbookstouse.

Toher,anauthenticbookisonethatwaswrittenbysomeonefromthatcommunitywith

firsthandknowledge.

Insummary,noneofmygradethreecolleaguesfeltfullypreparedtoteach

aboriginalcontent.Inparticular,they(likemyselfandmanyintheliterature)felt

unpreparedtoteachaboriginalperspectivestostudentsbecausetheyweren’ttheirown.

Overall,theseteacherseitherhadn’tusedaboriginalpicturebooksintheirclassroom,or

hadusedverylittletothispoint.GianaandHollybothmentionedbeingunsureofthe

reliabilityofaboriginalstoriesbecausetheywerepasseddownorally,aswellasexpressing

concernthatstoriestaketimetouse.Despitethis,allthreeofmycolleaguesacknowledged

theimportanceofusingauthenticstorieswhenchoosinganaboriginalbooktoread.

IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 29PredictionCharts

StudentswereaskedtofillintheboxespredictingabouthowFirstPeoplesof

Canadalivedusingtheaboriginalculturalregionsmaptheyhadcreated.Iexplainedto

studentsatthecarpetwhattheywereabouttodoandaskedthemtowritewordsrather

thanpicturesintheboxes.Theirabilitytofocusseemedlowatthetimeandoncethey

returnedtotheirdeskstheyneededfurtherinstructionstohelpthemalongtheway.I

remindedstudentsthattheyweremakingpredictions–orguesses–basedonwhatthey

alreadyknewabouttheland,orfromourSto:lounit,andthatiftheyreallycouldn’tthinkof

anythingtheycouldleavetheboxblank.Itold

themtheSto:lowereaNorthwestCoastpeopleso

thoseboxesshouldbeeasyforthemtofillin,andI

evengavethemsomehintstoremindthemofthe

importanceofcedar.AsIwalkedaroundtheroom

Inoticedthatalotofstudentsseemsslowtowrite

muchdown.Ihadonlygiventhemaboutfifteen

minutestowritedowntheirpredictions,which

clearlydidn’tseemtobeenoughtime.Iwondered

iftheydidn’tyetknowanythingabouthowaboriginalpeoplelivedlikeI’dexpected,orif

theyweresimplyoverwhelmed.Idecidedtoaskthemtwoquestionsaftertheywere

finishedtogivemesomeinsights:Howdidthismakeyoufeelandwhy?andWhathelpedyou

makethesepredictions?StudentswrotetheiranswersonthepredictionsheetbeforeI

collectedthem.Theirveryinterestinganswers,withcorrectedspellingarewrittenhere:

IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 30Howdidthismakeyoufeelandwhy?

• IfeelannoyedbecauseIdon’tlikethis!!!!!!• IfeltstressedwithitbecauseIdon’tknowaboutfirstpeople• Thismademefeeldisgustedbecauseaboutthesaltedmeatandthefishscaleclothes• ItmakesmefeelverycuriousbecauseIwanttoknowmoreaboutthem• IfeelsadbecauseIdon’tgetthis• IfeelgooddoingthisbecauseIlikeresearchandIlikelearningnewthingsaboutfirst

nations• Ifeelsadbecausetheydon’thavephones• Itmakesmefeelverydifficultbecauseitisveryhardforme• IfeelexcitedbecauseIlovestudyingaboutfirstnationspeopleandtheSto:lopeoples• Funandhappybecauseitsfunsearchingthemapandwritingstuff.HappybecauseIcan

writesomuch• ThismakesmefeelcreativebecauseIimaginethatIaminthattimeperiod• ThisactivitymakesmefeelexcitedbecauseIlikelearningaboutfirstnationsandreading

books• IfeelhappydoingthisworkcauseitisfunknowingtheSto:lopeoples• Thismakesmefeelglad• Ifeellikemydreambeingaresearcher,andexcitedbecauseIcanstudytheworld• IfeelstressedbecauseIcan’tremember• IfeellikeIdidn’tgetalotofpredictions• IfeelconfidentbecauseIknowalotaboutbackthen• IfeelgoodbecauseIcanlearnmoreabouttheplacesofCanada• IfeelexcitedbecauseIlikewritingandreading.Ifeelgoodbecauseitsisaproject• Itisabittricky,butitmakesmefeelsmartandabitanxioustofinish.Ilikefinishing

thingsfastandgettingthemoutoftheway• IfeelbadandgoodbecauseIdonotliketotravelbutIloveallplaceswhenwegetthere• IfeelsadandboredcauseIdon’tknowalotaboutfirstpeople.Ialsofeelhappybecause

Ilearnmoreaboutfirstpeople• IfeeljusthappycausethisiscoolbytellingeverythingthattellsmeSto:lopeoples

Whathelpedyoumakethesepredictions?

• Ican’tpredictthehousesbecausethere’snotmuchlakesandnotmuchtreeseither• IthelpedmebecauseIknowaboutit• Themaphelpedmemakepredictions• Learningaboutdifferentlandscapeshelpedmemakemypredictions• ThisdidnothelpmebecauseIdon’tgetthis


• WhathelpedmemakepredictionsisthatIknowalotabouttheSto:lopeoplesoit’llbeeasytodotheotherareas

• Whathelpedmetopredictwasabook• WhathelpedmewasIknewwhattheydidcauseIlearneditandwhatdidn’thelpme

wasnothing• StudyingreallyhardaboutfirstnationsandSto:lopeopleshelpedmepredictaboutthe

fieldtripthatwewentonhelpedmetoo• WhathelpedmeisthatthemapshowsmethenameofitsoIknowtheterrainlike

Arcticitissnowy• Whathelpedmemakethesepredictionswasthemapthatwemade• ImadealotofpredictionsbecauselearningabouttheSto:lohelpedme• IthelpedbecauseSto:lodonothavethestuffwhatwehave• Becausewecanseetheanswersattheend• Myforgetfulbrainmadeemptyboxes• Ididn’tgetalotofpredictions• Ilookedatthebooksbecauseithadplaces• Becausewecanlearnmore• Itwasmybrainandmymapthathelpedme• Mymapthatwemadehelpedme.Thekeyandthemainparttoo.AlsoourSto:lo

researchhelped.Itwashardthoughbecauseitwasawhileago• Bytheweatherandhowbig• Theylivenearwater.Theyhavelotsofwood,etc• IdidhelpmebythinkingaboutSto:lonations• Itwasmymemoryhelpingme

Iwaseagertoreviewstudents’thoughtsandpredictions.AtfirstglanceIwasn’ttoo

surprisedwhohadwrittenalotandwhohadveryfewpredictions.Mostalloftheclasswas

abletowritesomeinformationintheNorthwestCoastboxes,andaboutathirdoftheclass

putdetailednotesinthatsection.Asexpected,moststudentsdidn’tseemtoknowmany

detailsofhowotheraboriginalpeopleinCanadalivedyet.However,manystudentsdid

predictthatpeoplelivingintheArcticwouldliveinigloos.Itprobablyhelpedthatwehad

missedthreedaysofschooltheweekbeforeforsnowdays.Despitetheoveralllackof

knowledge,Iwaspleasedtodiscoverthatmorethanhalfmystudentsfeltgood,happyor

evenexcitedmakingpredictions.Itwasinterestingtoseehowsomeofthemwereableto

IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 32drawonwhatthey’dlearnedearlierintheyearaboutlandscapestheSto:lopeople,and

whilecreatingtheirmap.

Stories

IdescribethefourstoriesIreadwithmyclassinthefollowingsections.The

transcriptforeachstoryisfromtheaudiorecordingsthatweretakenasIreadthestory

andfacilitateddiscussionafterwards.IhaveincludedmyvoiceandthequestionsthatI

askedstudentsalongtheway(inbold),studentresponses(initalics),andsomenarrative

ofwhatelsehappened(regularfont).Discussionoftheresultscomesafterwards.Students

weretakingnotesduringthefirstthreestories.

Story1:MwakwaTalkstotheLoon

MwakwaTalkstotheLoonisa

storybyartistandstorytellerDale

AugeraboutayoungCreemannamed

Kayaswholoseshisgifttohunt

becausehegetscaughtupinlistening

tothepraisesofotherpeople.The

storytellsofhisjourneylearningto

huntagainwiththehelpoftheElders

andtheBeingsthatliveinthewater.

ThebookisaboutKayaslearningthelessontogivethankstothelivingcreaturesthatgive

themselvestohimandhispeopletohavefood.ItisthewinneroftheAboriginalChildren’s

BookoftheYearAwardin2006.

IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 33Story1:MwakwaTalkstotheLoonWhatdoyounoticeabouttheland?It’sveryimportantthatwepayattentiontotheland.Keepitinmindbecauseitwillaffectyourotheranswers.It’sadifferentlanguage–that’swhyIhaveahardtimesayingit.IstoppedtryingtopronouncethewordsbecauseIhadn’tpracticedinadvanceLookatthepicture.Whichboxesdidyoufindsomethingfor?Lotsofchatteraboutwhattheyfind–studentsweregoodreportersIoftenreferredthemtolookatthepictures.Student16:(makingpredictionsandveryeager)Student2:“dotheyallhavelonghair?”Idon’tknow.Youcanlookatthepicturesandwecanfindout.YoumakeaguessbasedonwhatyouthinkandknowIemphasizedandrepeatedwordsattimes.eg.BirchbarkbasketsStudentseagerlycallingout“teepee”whentheysawitDiscussedthatthelandinthisstorycouldbeplainsorsubarcticIencouragedstudentstomakeconnectionstootherregionsifitlookedsimilarWhydoyouthinkKayaslosthisway?“Waterbeings”–whatdoesthismean?Student:FishIpointedouttheyarefreshwaterfishbecausethesepeoplenotneartheocean.ReferredtotheCanadamapandthemapstudentscreated.Thefishgivethemselvestothepeople.Whatdoyouthinkitmeansthatthey’vegiventhemselves?Student1:theyletthemselvesbecaught.Theysacrificedthemselves.Whatdoesthatmeantheymustdo?Student1:theydie.Doyouknowanyoneelsewho’sdonethis?Student1:MosessacrificedanimalsStudent23:JesusonthecrossWhat’sanothernamefortheoldones?Student:theeldersMakesureyourecordeverythingyousee.Whatdoesitmeanbybeings?Student:animals

IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 34Student10:noonegotthemostobviousthing–waterStudentsareinterestedintheCreewords.HoldupyourboardssoIcanseehowmuchyou’vedone.Whatinthestoryseemsdifferentandmakesyouthink?Student5:theytreattheanimalslikehumansbecausetheycallthembeingsStudent:talkingtoanimalsStudent1:therearedifferentspirits,butthereisonlyonespirit–theHolySpirit.Itseemsweirdthatthey’reworshippingtheanimalspirits.Theytreatedthemlikehumans.Icommentedonhowthisshowsushowimportantanimalsweretothem.Studentswerestartingtogetprettytiredofsittingatabout29minutes.Thelast5minutesofdiscussionweredifficulttomaintainfocus.Whatdowehaveincommonwiththem?Student:weworshipsomethingStudent:wehonoreldersWhat’sdifferentfromthePlateaupeople?Student:birchwood,notcedarWereviewedthisstoryaloudatalaterdatebeforewereadthenextstoryIemphasizedthatIonlywantedstudentstotellmewhatthey’dwrittendownintheirbooklet.Whatlessonsdidwelearninthisstory?Student1:theimportanceoffishStudent5:don’tbeproudStudent9:theimportanceoftheirvoicesbecauseMwakwaneedsittocalltotheloonWhat’smissingifthisisaPlainsstory?Student:Buffalo

ThisstorywasusedtointroduceaboriginalpeoplewholivedinthePlainscultural

region.AsthiswasthefirststoryIreadtomyclass,Imadesuretofrequentlyremind

studentsalongthewaytorecordthingstheysaworheardabouthowCreepeoplelived.

Thestoryhassomefantasticdetailedpicturesthatincludetheflatgreenland,teepees,

animalskinclothing,andsometoolstheyused.Studentswereeagertorecordwhatthey

foundandwantedtotalkandsharetheiranswerswitheachother.Theyquestionedwhy

IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 35therewerenobuffalointhepictures,whichtheyhadalreadylearnedwasanimportant

resourceinthePlainsregion.Throughoutthestorymystudentswereverycuriousabout

theCreewordsthatwereincluded.

Thestorystartedagoodconversationwithmyclassaboutaboriginalpeoples’

relationshipwith,andperspectiveof,animals.Whentheauthordescribesthefishgiving

themselvestothepeople,mystudentswerequicktounderstandthatthismeanttheywere

allowingthemselvestobecaughtorsacrificedforthepeopleandindoingsothatthey

woulddie.TheymadeconnectionstostoriestheyhadheardintheBiblewhereanimals,

andthenlaterJesus,weresacrificedforpeoples’sinssothatothersmightlive.Onestudent

pointedoutthatthesepeopleprayedtoandworshippedmanyanimalspirits,andhowthat

wasdifferentfromwhathehadbeentaughtandbelievedtherebeingjustoneHolySpirit.

WediscussedhowthisshowsushowimportantanimalsweretoCreepeople.

Withallthestopsalongthewaytorecordanddiscussthestory,thebooktook

almosthalfandhourtoread,causingmoststudentstobeprettytiredofsitting.Asaresult,

Idecidedtosavethegroupdiscussionaboutourresultsforanotherday.

IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 36Story2:OurFirstCaribouHunt

OurFirstCaribouHuntisamodern

storybyJenniferNoahandChrisGiroux

abouttwoInuitchildren,Nutaraqand

Simonie,whogoontheirfirsthuntingtrip

withtheirfather.Theytravelona

snowmobileandsleepinaniglooasthey

huntforcaribouandfishforarcticchar.

Throughoutthestorytheauthorsteachabout

traditionalInuitvaluesaboutthetreatment

ofanimals.

Story2:OurFirstCaribouHuntGuesswhichregionthisbookisfrom.MosteveryonethoughttheArcticregionbecauseofthesnow,ice,parkaandhillsonthefrontcover“Beforecontact”–IbrieflyexplainedthismeantbeforesettlerscametocreatewhatisnowCanadaandtheUnitedStatesIexplainedhowthisstoryismodernPayattention,likedetectives,forwhat’s“modern”andwhat’snotinthisstoryRemembertouseyourspecialglassesorlensesforwhat’smodernandwhat’snotWouldyouliketosleepinatentonthesnow?Student:whatareresources?ThingstheyusefromthelandStudent17:I’vegotsomuch!Listencarefullytothispart.IcontinuetoemphasizekeywordsAgain,itwashardtoreadthewordsintheotherlanguage

IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 37“Invitethecariboutogivethemselves.”Whatdoesthisremindyouof?Student:thefishsacrificefromthelastbookStudent:Jesus!Student1:theyhadguns?(Remember,thisisamodernstory.)Student1:likeGodStudent23:theyprayedtotheanimalsbeforetheygavetheirlifeStudent9:likewepraytoGodinthemorningorbeforeweeatWhoaretheythanking?Student9:they’rethankingtheanimalsYoucantakeyournotesasyoulisten.“Todaywearejiggingforigaluk”Student1:what’sigaluk?Student23:fish–becauseyoucanseethebagandit’sonlybigenoughforfishItsaystheyusedallpartsoftheanimal.Whoelsedidthat?Student23:theBuffalo!We’regoingtoreviewthestory.Let’sbeveryfast! Beforeevenreading,studentsshowedabasicunderstandingofthefarnorthby

easilypredictingthisstorywasfromtheArcticregion.Iexplainedtostudentsthatthiswas

amodernstory,sotheyneededtocarefullythinkabouthowInuitpeoplemayhavelivedin

thepast.AspartofthisintroductionIusedtheterm“beforecontact”withmyclassasI

triedtoexplainthatwewantedtolearnabouthowtheInuitlivedbeforeEuropeanscame.

Whiletheclothingandtransportation(snowmobile)aremodern,thecharactersmakeand

sleepinaniglooandhuntforanimalsliketheirancestorsdid(minustheriflesofcourse).

Likethepreviousstory,theauthorstalkabouthowanimalsgivethemselvestothepeople

andhowitisimportantforInuithuntertogivethanksbacktothem.Thistimestudents

wereabletomakeconnectionstotheCreepeopleinMwakwaTalkstotheLoonaswellas

totheBible.


Beforereadingthisstorywereviewedournotesandthelessonslearnedfromthe

previousstoryandIrecordedthemonagroupchart.Afterthat,studentssatforanother

fortyminutesaswereadOurFirstCaribouHunt.Ittookmuchlongerthananticipatedand

otherstudentsorthematerialstheywereusingweredistractingformanystudents.Itoo

wasgettingalittleanxioustofinishbecauseadulthelpershadcomeintoourclassroomand

werewaitingatthebackforustofinish.Asaresult,Idecidedtomakesurethenextstories

anddiscussionsdidnotlastthatlong.

Story3:NokumismyTeacher

Thisstory,byformerteacher,

principalandnowaward-winningauthor

DavidBouchard,isaboutanaboriginalboy

havingaconversationwithhisNokum,or

grandmother.Thestoryiswritteninboth

EnglishandCreeastheboyaskshisNokum

whyheneedstogotoschoolandlearnto

read.Hewouldratherlearnthetraditional

waysthroughstories,songs,drummingandsinging.Thoughtheboy’sNokumdidnotgoto

school,sheunderstandsitisimportanthergrandsontolearntoreadinthisnewworld.By

theendofthestorytheboyisconvincedanddeterminedtolearntoreadatschool.

Story3:NokumismyTeacherStudentlistenedtotheaudiorecordingthatcamealongwiththebook.Ipauseditatpointstoaskquestionsandgivestudentstimetolookatthepictures.

IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 39WhatdoyouthinkNokummeans?Student10:teacherStudent:grandmotherWhatdoyouthinkitmeansby‘thewhiteworldismeantforme’?Student:EuropeansWhoisthisboytalkingtohisgrandmother?Ishealsointhewhiteworld?Student:noStudent7:he’soneoftheFirstNationspeopleOnthebackofthebookitsaysit’sbytheNorthernCree–agroupthatlivesintheSubarcticarea.Sothisstoryisaboutaboytalkingtohisgrandmother.Student1:that’snottheirculturethough….butthat’sintheprairiesMaybeIgotthebooksmixedupStudent1:isitSubarcticthough?Writewhatyousee.Ithinkit’ssubarctic…IexplainedhowIputitinthesubarcticcategorybecausethebackofthebooksaysitsfromtheNorthernCree.TherewasalotoftalkamongstudentsaboutwhetherthisstoryisfromtheSubarcticregionorthePlainsregionbecausethereareBuffalointhepicturesStudent1:it’ssortofinthePlainsthoughbecauseofManitobaandSaskatchewanCreesingingheardontheCDStudent10:he’shorrible!You’rehorrible!(talkingaboutthesinging)IstoppedtheCDasthestudentswerediscussingamongstthemselves.InoticedIheardacommentmade.Student10,yourcommentsaying,“thesingingishorrible”–isthatthekindofthingthatwouldbekindtosaytoanyone?Student:noRemember,didtheyhavepianos?Didtheyhaveguitars?Students:noDidtheyhaveinstrumentsthatpeopleplaynow?Students:NoStudent9:theyhaddrumsTheyhaddrumsandtheirvoices.Discussedthattheyuseddifferentinstruments–mostlydrums.Timeranintolunchsowecamebacktodiscussthebooklaterintheafternoon.Wehavetoreviewwhatweheardinthestory.Whoarethecharacters?Student12:boyandgrandmotherWhatwastheboyaskinghisgrandmother?Student5:whyhehadtogotothewhitepeoples’school

IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 40Didthegrandmothergotothattypeofschool?Student1:noWhatwasthecluethatshedidn’tgotothatschool?Student13:shedoesn’tknowhowtoreadHowdidfirstpeoplepassontheirstories,andhistoryandinformation?Student10:bydrumsandmusicStudent7:storytellingStudent:youdidn’tneedtoreadYou’reright,theypassedthemonthroughstorytelling.So,doyouthinkyou’dneedtoknowhowtoread?Student9:noBut,doyouthinkit’snowimportantfortheboytoknowhowtoreadnow?Student21:yes,becauseifyoucan’treadyoudon’tknowanythingDoesanyoneelsethinkifyoucan’treadyoudon’tknowanything?Student16:No,it’snotlikethat.Youknowhowstoriesarelikepasseddowngenerationtogeneration?Well,whenitgetstohimhewon’tknowhowtoreadittothem.Butremember,whattypeofstoryisit?Inanoraltraditionyoudon’tneedtoknowhowtoread,sotheywereabletopassthemon.Butnow,islifethesame?DothesepicturelooklikelongagobeforeEuropeansarrived?Students:yesOk,butdoallthepictureslooklikelongago?Identifythedifferencesbetweenthepictures.Student23:noStudent7:housesStudent9:sometimesifyoudon’treadbooksyoudon’tknowhowtowriteReferredbacktoStudent1’scommentaboutthestorybeinginthePlainsregioninsteadoftheSubarcticregion.Whatmadeyouthinkit’sthePlainsregion?Student3:flatlandStudent23:teepeeandbuffaloStudent19:deer,Answerstakenbyaskingrandomstudents“bysurprise”TellmesomethingIdon’thavealready.Whichcategorydoesitfitin?Somepeoplewereveryeager.Continuedaskingrandomly–thisworkedbestsofar.Student:Iwasgoingtosaythat!LookedbackattheAboriginalPeoplesofCanadabooksections:PeoplesofthePlainsandPeoplesoftheSubarcticWhichstorydoyouthinkbestshowedthePlainspeople?NokumismyTeacherORMwakwaTalkstotheLoon?Discussionfollowed

IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 41 StudentsgottolistentoNokumismyTeacherbeingreadaloudbytheauthorfrom

anaudiorecordingthatincludedsinginganddrummingbytheNorthernCree.Thiswasa

uniqueexperiencethatallowedstudentstohearCreevoicesandmusic,andlatersomeof

theirlanguageaswell.Itprovidedtheopportunitytotalkaboutappropriateandrespectful

languagetousewhendescribingotherpeoples’culturalpracticesthatstudentsmayfind

surprisingordifferentatfirst.Studentswereencouragedtothinkabouttheresourcesthat

aboriginalpeopleusedtocreatemusicalinstruments,suchasdrums,thatwerefoundon

thelandtheylivedin.

Thedetailedpicturesinthisbookreallygotstudentsthinkingaboutthelandthe

Creelivedon.AsItoldstudentsthatthemusicisbytheNorthernCreewholiveinthe

subarcticarea,onestudentinparticularwasquicktospeakup.Basedontheteepees,

feathersandbuffalothathesawinthepictures,hethoughtthatthisstoryfitintotheplains

regioninstead.Thissparkedadiscussionamongsttheclassthatcontinuedevenafterthe

storywasfinished.WelaterusedTheKidsBookofAboriginalPeoplesinCanadatolearn

moreaboutwhereCreepeoplelive.ItturnsouttherearemanyCreepeopleswhocovera

vastareawhichincludesthesubarcticandplainsregions.Iwasencouragedtoseethat

studentswereabletomakeconnectionstowhichlandanaboriginalpeoplelivedonbased

ontheirwaysoflife(livinginateepee)ortheresources(buffalo)theyareusing.

IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 42Story4:HiawathaandthePeacemaker

HiawathaandthePeacemakerisa

bookbylegendarymusicianandsongwriter

RobbieRobertsonwhoheardthisoralstory

asayoungboyfromanelder.Itisabouta

Mohawkmanwhowantsrevengeafterhis

familyhasbeenkilledandvillagedestroyed

inabattle.Instead,hemeetsthe

Peacemakerwhoconvinceshimthatonly

forgivenesscanbringhealingandthat

fightingamongtheirpeoplemuststop.The

storyisaboutHiawathaandthe

Peacemaker’sjourneytospreadthemessageofpeace,powerandrighteousnesstoeachof

thesixnations,whichlaterbecameunitedastheSixNationIroquoisConfederacy.

Story4:HiawathaandthePeacemakerThisisaFirstNationsstory.Whatdidwelearnaboutfirstpeoplesfromtheotherbooks?Student1:theylearnedbystoriesStudent20:theytoldhowthingshappenedthroughanoraltraditionSotheydidn’tactuallypassaphysicalbookalong,theytoldthestoryoutloud.ThesestoriesIreadtoyouwereonesthatwereallstoriesthatwerepasseddown–otherthanmaybetheCaribouHuntone.Now,canmostfirstpeoplesreadnow?Theyalsoliveincities,towns,andhouseslikeusnow.Theydon’tliveinlonghousesandteepeesanymorebecausetheworldhaschanged.Theyknowhowtoreadandwriteandtheywrotethesestoriesnow.Explainedsomeexamplesofdifferentfirstpeoplegroups,anddiscussedsomespecificnames(Inuit,Cree,etc)Thistimewe’regoingtodosomethingabitdifferent.We’regoingtolistenandnotwrite.Students:yay!

IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 43Listentothestoryreallycarefully.Also,thinkaboutwhichpeoplegroupyouthinkthisgroupmightbefrom.Student:woodland!Youhavetrainedyoureyesandearslatelytogatherinformationfromthestory.Youdon’tneedtowriteanythingdown,butasyoulistenenjoythestoryandstillseewhatinformationyoucangather.Student23:stone?Thatwouldsink!HowcanastoneStudent10:Iknowonething.Thisisafalsestory.Thisisatransformstory.Student:Mohawk!Doeshelooklikeapeacemakertoyou?Students:No!Whatdoeshelooklike?Student:fighterStudent:warriorStudent1:aghostorsomethingStudent20:peoplewhocometokilleveryoneStudent7:someonewhowouldbetellingstoriesStudent15:hedoeslooklikesomeonewhowouldbetellingstoriesbecausehe’swearingacostumeorsomethingStudent19:hekindoflookslonelysometimeThinkaboutanythoughtsorconnectionsthatyoumighthavesofar.Studentssharedpredictionsandconnectionstootherstories.Cananyonethinkofanotherpeoplethatcarriedthismessageofpeaceratherthanwar,loveratherthanhate,orunityratherthanfear?Student7:Christians,becauseJesussaidweshouldloveourenemiesWhenIreadthisstorythefirsttimeitremindedmeofsomething.Student3:Oh!Oh!Oh!ZacheuswhenhegottoseeJesusStudent16:yousaidyousawkidsclimbingatreeandthisissomeoneclimbingatreeStudent15:itremindsmeofGodbecausehe’llliftyouupintoheavenStudent1:whenJesussavedthethreemeninthefire.IthoughtofthembecausetheytrustedGodandhesavedthem.Student19:itkindaremindsmeofGodbecauseGodisapeacemakerStudentsgaspingastheylistenStudent25:thethreewomenwhocamerepresentthewomenwhocametowashJesus’bodyStudent18:thecrossthatJesusdiedofwasmadeofatreeThisisafirstpeoplesstory.

IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 44Student9:thisisaChristianstorytooStudents:oooooo(atthepicture)Student:Medusa!Student:Satan!Student16:that’sSatan.That’sobviouslySatan.Whyisitsoobvious?Student16:becauseofthesnakesStudent23:heturnedintoasnakeforadisguiseStudent20:thatremindsmeofoneofmymemoryversesthatIreadinmyBible.Anyoneelsefindanythingthatmadethemgowow?!Student23:Ireadinabookaboutsomethinglikethis–thatSatanwasinadisguiseinsnakeform.That’swhylotsofusarethinkingit’sSatan.IhearlotsofcommentssayingthatthismustbeaChristianstory,butremember,thisisaFirstNationstory.Howwouldtheyhavehadthesestories?Justwonder.Student:thetreeoflife!

Eventhoughthisstoryislongerandhadtobereadovertwosittings(20minutes

beforelunchand30minutesafterwards),Ihadaverycaptiveaudience.Studentswereglad

totakeabreakfromwritingnotesandlookatthebrightlycolouredillustrationsinstead.

Together,thetextandillustrationsgaveapowerfulpictureofgoodandevil,peaceand

fighting.Throughoutthestorystudentsexpressedmanyconnectionstootherstories,most

ofwhichwerefromtheBibleonceagain.Theywereexcitedtosharetheircommentsand

predictwhatwouldhappennextwiththesixnations.Thenextdaystudentsalsoread

abouttheSixNationIroquoisConfederacyinTheKidsBookofAboriginalPeoplesinCanada

aspartoftheAmazingRace,butIdon’tthinktheywerenearlyasengagedastheywere

duringthisstory.

IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 45DataCollectionChart:StoryReportingBooklets

Afterreading,Ireviewedthereportingbookletsthatstudentswroteinwhile

listeningtothefirstthreestories.Student’sanswershavebeenwritteninthechartbelow

wherethenumberinbracketsindicateshowmanystudentsputthatasananswer.The

mostpopularanswers(inblue)accuratelyreflectthepicturesanddescriptionsinthe

storiesthatwereread.Thissuggeststomethatthemajorityofstudentswereabletoeasily

identifybasicwaysoflifeoftheaboriginalpeoplesinthestories.

MwakwaTalkstotheLoon(Plains/Subarctic?)

OurFirstCaribouHunt(Arctic)

NokumismyTeacher(Subarctic/Plains?)

Homes Teepee(23)Lodge(22)Tents(3)Fireinside(2)Longhouse(2)Birchtrees(1)Pithouse(1)

Igloo(24)Tent(20)-canvasSnowhouse(8)Modernhouse(3)Shack(1)Teepee(1)

Teepee(20)Woodenhouses(9)School(7)Tents(6)Church(4)Cabins(3)Tents(3)Igloos(3)Loghouse(1)Lodge(1)

Food Moose(22)Fish(20)Salmon(13)Geese(13)Loon(13)Deer(5)Birds/wingedones(4)Apple(1)Buffalo(1)Berries(1)

Caribou(24)Fish/ArcticChar(23)Fox(3)Snowice(1)Deer(1)Steak(1)

Deer(18)Buffalo(18)Fish(4)Wolf(4)Birds(3)Horse(2)Fox(2)Elk(2)Hay(1)Eagle(1)Bear(1)Wilddogs(1)Coyote(1)Caribou(1)Horses(1)Rabbit(1)

Clothing Animalskins(11) Animalskins(13) Birdfeathers(16)


Mooseskin(7)Birdfeather(7)Goatwool(7)Deerhide/skin(6)Antlers(5)Bark(5)Drewpicture(4)Sinew/animalstring(4)Fishscales/skin(3)Furs(2)Moccasins(1)

Jacket(11)Furs(8)Polarbearfur/skin(4)Pants(4)Mittens(3)Hat(3)Wool(3)Boots(2)Blanket(2)

Animalskin(16)Jacket(4)Fur(4)Hats(4)Jackets(3)Pants(3)Deerantlers(1)Grass(1)Shoes(1)

Transportation Canoe(25)Walking(14)Toboggan(10)Swimming(4)Horse(3)Snowshoe(2)

Sled/toboggan(18)Snowmobiles(12)Walking(5)Snowshoe(1)

Sled/Toboggan(12)Horsewagon(10)Horses(6)Dogsled(5)Sleigh(4)Dogs(3)Car(3)Walking(2)Canoe(1)

Tools/Resources Bow/Arrow(23)Birchbarkbaskets(18)Drums(9)Spears(8)Dryingracks(4)Mats(3)Animalskins(3)Bowls(2)Mooseantlers(2)Water(2)Cedar(2)Antlers/furforhats(1)Ropes(1)Nets(1)Grass(1)Northernlights(1)

Rifle/gun(15)Skins(14)Snowknife(12)Bones(11)Lanterns(8)Antlers/horns(6)Stove(3)Caribou(3)Arrow(3)Bags(3)Snow(2)Ice(2)Sinew(2)Wool(1)Bucket(1)Fire(1)Dogs(1)Rope(1)Sleepingbags(1)

Drums(15)Bowandarrow(9)Wood(7)Hockeysticks(6)Buckets(5)Fire(4)Hammock(4)Candle(3)Mats(2)Books(2)Horses(2)Horns/antlers(2)Trees(1)Hay(1)Sinew(1)Beds(1)Rope(1)Lamp(1)Dryingrack(1)Pot(1)Bowl(1)Buffalo(1)

IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 47PredictionChartsrevisited

Thistimestudentsseemedmuchmore

confidentandcomfortabletofillintheboxes

ofthecharttodemonstratewhatthey

learnedaboutdifferentaboriginalpeoples.I

thinkitprobablyhelpedthattheywere

excitedtowritewithapenandthattheyhad

lessboxestofillinthistime.Moststudents

wereabletocompletelyanswereachsection

eveniftheyguessedforsomeanswers.

Overall,sixteenoutoftwenty-sixstudents’

answersweremostlyaccuratebasedonthe

storiesweread.

IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 48FavouriteStoryWriting

OnthesamedayIfinishedreadingthefourthstory,Ihadstudentschooseandwrite

abouttheirfavouritestorywehadreadandwhy.InfirstplacebyalongshotwasHiawatha

andthePeacemakerwith18votes,andthencameMwakwaTalktotheLoonwith3votes

andlastOurFirstCaribouHuntwith2votes.IwonderedifHiawathaandthePeacemaker

wassuchapopularchoicebecauseitwasmostrecentintheirminds,orbecausetheydidn’t

havetotakenoteswhilelistening.Student1confirmedmyonesuspicionwhenhewrites

“theotherstorieswereboringbecauseitwasn’tfuntowriteandread.”Studentsmentioned

avarietyofthingsaboutthestorythattheyfoundinteresting,(thestonecanoe,Tadodaho’s

healingfromsnakesandscales,thepeacemaker’sappearance,theillustrations),butthe

mostpopularreasonswereconnectionsthatstudentsmadetotheBible.Infact,halfof

classwroteabouthowitseemedlikeaChristianstorybecauseofthevaluesthatwere

beingtaught,theChrist-likecharacterofthePeacemaker,oranotherBiblestoryor

characteritremindedthemof.

Conclusions

Asteachersbegintointegrateaboriginalknowledgeandperspectivesintotheir

teaching,Ithinkthatpicturesbooksarevaluabletoolstheycanuse.Myinterviewswithmy

gradethreecolleaguesandtheliteratureIreviewedbothshowalackofconfidencefor

manyteacherswhenitcomestoteachingaboriginalperspectives.Readingauthentic

aboriginalchildren’sbookscanintroducesomeoftheseperspectivestostudentsasthey

didinmyownclassroom.Anexampleofthisisthediscussionthataroseabouthow

aboriginalpeopletreatanimalswhilereadingMwakwaTalkstotheLoonandOurFirst

IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 49CaribouHunt.Whetherornotateacher’sbeliefsandvalues,orthoseoftheirschool,match

thosepresentedinthestories,theclassroomisalwaysagreatplacetotrytobetter

understandanother’sperspective.

InmyactionresearchprojectIpracticedusingstoriestohelpmystudentslearn.I

setouthopingmystudentswouldlearninformationabouthowdifferentaboriginal

peoplesinCanadalivedinordertomeetonebigideaintheSocialStudiescurriculum.A

coupleareasofmyresearchshowstudentsstartingtorecognizesomeofthesedifferences.

Mydatacollectionchartsuggeststhatthemajorityofstudentscouldidentifywhattypeof

home,orfood,eachaboriginalpeopleusedwhilelisteningtothestory.Thediscussion

aboutwhetherornotthestoryNokumismyTeacherfitsintothePlainsorSubarcticculture

areademonstratedthatstudentswerebeginningtounderstandhowcertainresources

(buffalo)fitintospecificareasofland.IntheendIfeellikethestoriesprovidedmore

insightsthanthefact-findingboxesIhadcreated.Thestoriesintroducedstudentstoa

varietyofthemessuchasthetreatmentofanimals,oraltradition,andrespectforother

cultures’differences.IndoingsoIalsoaddressedtheotherthreeSocialStudiesbigideas:

Ø Learningaboutindigenouspeoplesnurturesmulticulturalawarenessandrespect

fordiversity.

Ø Indigenousknowledgeispasseddownthroughoralhistory,traditions,and

collectivememory.

Ø Indigenoussocietiesthroughouttheworldvaluethewell-beingoftheself,theland,

spirits,andancestors(BCMOE,2016)

ItisencouragingtoseethatbyusingthesefourbooksinmyclassroomIcouldaddress

manyconcepts,butIthinkIwouldusethemdifferentlynexttime.Duetothedistractions

IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 50studentsencounteredwhilenotetaking,andtheincreasedengagementwhentheyonlyhad

tolisten,Iprobablywouldn’thavethemlistentoastoryjusttogatherfacts.NexttimeI

wouldmakeanefforttointegratemySocialStudiesandEnglishLanguageArtscontentto

usemytimebetter.IwouldreadaboriginalpicturesbooksduringLanguageArtstoteach

aboutbothstoryelementsandthemes.Ithinkthatwouldhelpmesavetime,whichis

somethingIoftenfoundIwaslosingduringthisactionresearchproject.BecauseIread

mostofthestoriesduringmySocialStudiesperiods,Ithengotfurtherbehindonthe

AmazingRaceactivities.LikeGianaandHollymentionedintheirinterviews,storiestake

time.Forme,IfeelthatthetimeIhadtospendwasworthit.ComparedtotheAmazing

Raceactivities,Ithinkthepicturebooksdidabetterjobofintroducingstudentsto

aboriginalperspectivesandaboriginalpeople.Ratherthanreading“aboriginalpeoplethink

________”theysawitpresentedthroughthecharactersinthestory,whichismore

memorable.Studentstodaycanalsolearnthroughstorytellinglikeaboriginalpeople

traditionallyhaveformany,manyyears.

TimeandEffort

Mybiggesttake-awayfromthisactionresearchprojectisthatwhetherI’mteaching

mystudentsaboutaboriginalknowledgeandperspectives,orlearningmoreaboutit

myself,ittakestimeandeffort.AtfirstIwasfrustratedthatmyclasswassomuchslower

gettingthroughtheAmazingRaceunit(itlastedaboutfiveweeksratherthantheintended

twoorthree),thatreadingthestoriesalwaystooklongerthananticipated,andthatasa

teacherIdidn’tfeelpreparedforallthenewcurriculumIhadtoteach.Iwasespecially

irritatedthatwewereracingthrougheachaboriginalculturalregionwhentherewereso

IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 51manythingstolearn,andseeanddo.Itwasthisemotionthatgotmethinkingabout

learningaboutothercultureslikebuildingarelationship.Itmayseemfastertorunaround

andcollectfacts(andoftenwedo),butit’sdifficulttoreallygettoknowsomeoneuntilyou

takethetimetolistentothemandspendtimewiththem.Ofcoursethiscanbetrickyina

classroomwhenthepeopleyouarelearningaboutarenotphysicallythere,butIwantto

suggestthatlisteningtotheirstoriesisagoodstart.Insteadofracingthroughevery

culturalregionintwotothreeweeks,Ithinkitwouldbuildgreaterdepthand

understandingifstudentsweretolingerandlearnaboutoneparticularculturalarea,

listeningtotheirstories,readinginformationandusingtheirhandstocreatelikethose

peoplewouldhave.AsateacherIcanalsocontinuemyownjourneyofunderstandingby

readingandlisteningtostoriesofaboriginalpeople.Likemyexperiencestravelingand

learningmoreaboutaplaceasIreallyspenttimethere,Ithinkthesamecanbesaidofmy

journeytobetterunderstandaboriginalcultureandpeople.Ittakesmytimeandeffortto

listenandlearn.


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Appendixes

AppendixA:InformedConsentFebruary6,2017

DearParents,

IamcurrentlyworkingonmyMasterofEducationinCurriculumandInstructionthroughSimonFraserUniversity.Thisprogramenablesmeasaneducatortoreflectuponmypracticeanditsimpactonmyteaching,aswellasonmystudents’learning,withtheintentionofdevelopingmyownbestpractices.AspartofmystudiesIhavedevelopedaninquiryprojecttoexaminehowauthenticaboriginalchildren’spicturebookshelpstudentstobetterunderstandthediversityofCanada’smanyFirstPeoples.Ianticipatethatmyinquirywillprovidemewithinsightsofhowtoeffectivelyteachaboriginalcontentinthenewgrade3SocialStudiescurriculum.Itwillalsohelpmetoreflectonmypracticeasaprofessionalandimprovemyteaching.

Myinquirywillbeprimarilyinformedbasedonmyownobservationsandreflectionsonmyworkasateacher.OverthecourseofthenexttwomonthsIwillalsocollectstudentworksamples,surveys,reflections,interviews,videos,andphotographstoinformmyunderstandingofmypractice.Allelementsofmyinquirywilltakeplacewithinthecontextofmynormalinstructionandpractice.

Thisletterofinformedconsentispartofmyethicalresponsibilitiesasateacher-inquirer.Iamaskingyourpermissiontouseyourchild’sworksamples,surveys,reflections,interviews,videos,andphotographstopresenttomembersofmygraduatecohortandmyinstructorstodemonstratemyownlearning.Aspartofmyresponsibilityasaneducator,professionalismaroundissuesofconfidentialitywillbeensured.Consistentwiththeethicalprotocolsofteacherinquiry,ifyourchildismentionedinthepresentationofmywork,analias(pseudonym)willbeusedatalltimestorespectandprotecthis/herprivacy.Iwouldliketoreassureyouthatregardlessofmyinquiry,myethicalbestpracticesasateacherwillremainthesame.

Thisinquiryprocessisnotintendedtoassess,place,orevaluateyourchildinanyway,butwillservetostrengthenmyteachingpractice.Regardlessofyourdecision,theintegrityoftherelationshipIhavewithyourchildwillnotbeaffected,andyoucanwithdrawyourconsentatanytime.

Ifyouhaveanyquestionsorconcernspleasedon’thesitatetocontactmeatrgoshulak@pacificacademy.netIfyouagreetogiveyourpermission,pleasesignbelow.Returnonesignedcopyandkeeptheotherforyourownrecords.

Thankyouforyourconsiderationinthismatter.Ilookforwardtohearingfromyou.

Sincerely,

RachelGoshulak

Child’sfullname:__________________________________

I,______________________givepermissionformychildtobeincludedinRachelGoshulak’sinquiryandforthecollectionofworksamples,surveys,reflections,interviews,videorecordings,andphotographsasdescribedabove.

Parent/guardianSignature:_________________________

PrintedName:___________________________________

Date:_________________________________

IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 55AppendixB:TeacherInterviewQuestions

IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 56AppendixC:StudentPredictionChart

IntegratingAboriginalPerspectivesandKnowledgeThroughStorytelling 57AppendixD:StoryRecordingBookletandClassChart

Peoples of the

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Title: _________________________________________

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What did you learn about people living in the

______________________________ region?

Homes

Food

Clothing

Transportation

Tools/Resources

Anything else?

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