when you are looking for resources look for these five things:
- Human Resources: The best resources are human resources. Indigenous people have time-tested knowledge systems, education, governance, and ways of raising children that are sophisticated and beautiful; you won’t regret taking the time to have conversations with Indigenous people in your community and learning about them. Some places where you can find experts on these matters include friendship centres, Indigenous Studies departments and Indigenous student services at universities, and most importantly, the Indigenous education experts that many school boards employ.
- Content and Accuracy: Make sure that the content makes sense and portrays Indigenous people in a whole-person, fair way.
- Authorship: Try to privilege Indigenous authors. There are also many non-Indigenous people with expertise in Indigenous studies, but it is important to make sure that they do have authentic expertise. Do Internet searches to check authors’ biographies and credentials.
- Approachability: Choose resources that reflect where you are and who your students are. You can also connect students’ interests to Indigenous content. Choose a subject of interest and go from there.
- Diversity: Indigenous people have knowledge of content that touches on all subject areas, so teachers can integrate Indigenous content into any classroom. Including Indigenous content in every subject underlines the sophistication of Indigenous knowledge. You can also use Indigenous content to share diverse perspectives and compare mainstream and Indigenous views on historical and current events.
-Dr. Kate Freeman, Shawn McDonald, & Dr. Lindsay Morcom. 2018. Truth and Reconciliation in Your Classroom: How to Get Started and Who Can Help.
PROFESSIONAL LITERATURE |
digital |
university databases |
classroom resources |