Integrating Indigenous Education: Recommendations for Graduate Students and Educators

Territory Acknowledgement & Positionality

I want to acknowledge that the lands on which I work, study, and live—within the St. John’s area—are situated in the traditional territories of diverse Indigenous groups, including the Beothuk [bee-oth-uck] and Mi’kmaq [mee-gum-maq] on the island of Newfoundland. Further, I acknowledge with respect the diverse histories and cultures in the province, including the Beothuk and Mi’kmaq in Newfoundland and the Innu [in-new] and Inuit [in-new-eet] in Labrador. 

I am a settler from Mount Pearl, Newfoundland and Labrador (NL), with family ties to Conception Bay North and Central Newfoundland—home of the Beothuk and Mi’kmaq since time immemorial. I am an anthropological archaeologist in training and cannot speak on behalf of Indigenous Peoples. However, in my work, I strive to help correct colonial misconceptions about Indigenous history, motivated by my experience growing up in urban Newfoundland and not learning about Indigenous Peoples in NL (or Canada)—including the past and ongoing colonial injustices that Indigenous Peoples have and continue to face.

Introduction

Some of the best opportunities I’ve had through my Master’s degree and my current studies at Memorial are the various teaching opportunities—as a Teaching Assistant (TA) and Per Course Instructor (PCI). As such, for my second blog post, I want to share some recommendations for other graduate students (and other post-secondary educators) on integrating Indigenous Education into post-secondary teaching based on my experience as a TA/PCI and conversations with Indigenous educators. As mentioned in my previous blog post, nothing can replace the recommendations and knowledge given by Indigenous folks. However, as settlers and educators, we have a role in reconciliation through education—hence the topic for this blog post. Before discussing any recommendations based on my experiences, it is essential to briefly describe the guiding framework for educators aiming to help move us towards Truth and Reconciliation in Canada: the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada and its 94 Calls to Action.

Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action 

The TRC was established as part of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, active from 2008 to 2015. The purpose of the TRC was to document the lasting impacts of Indian Residential Schools on Indigenous students and their families. For those unfamiliar, Historica Canada has an excellent timeline summary of residential schools in Canada—though it neglects to include residential schools in Labrador and Newfoundland. For information on residential schools in Labrador and Newfoundland, I recommend reading A Long Journey: Residential Schools in Labrador and Newfoundland (2020) by Andrea Procter. Regardless of the province or territory, Indian Residential Schools were established to assimilate Indigenous children into white, Eurocanadian society—effectively summarized by Canada’s first Prime Minister, John A. Macdonald, residential schools were to “remove the Indian from the child.” By removing Indigenous Peoples from their families and cultures, the government hoped to reduce the number of Indigenous Peoples in Canada—in other words, commit cultural genocide against Indigenous Peoples. 

The TRC’s final report in 2015 gave 94 Calls to Action aimed at addressing the legacy of these residential schools, with Calls 1-42 focusing on the legacy of the schools and Calls 43-94 focusing on reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Canada. In the section on reconciliation, Calls 62-65 cover Education for Reconciliation—the section most applicable to educators (though the entire document is important to review). These Calls to Action emphasize integrating Indigenous histories, perspectives, and knowledge systems into Western education, from kindergarten to post-secondary. They aim to promote intercultural understanding, empathy, and mutual respect, contributing to the broader goals of reconciliation—including teachings regarding Treaties, Residential Schools, Indigenous history, and Indigenous contributions to Canada. 

Incorporating Indigenous Education in Post-Secondary

Based on the TRC’s Calls to Action, reading work by Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars (i.e., Teaching Where You Are by Shannon Leddy and Lorrie Miller and Visioning a Mi’kmaw Humanities: Indigenizing the Academy by Marie Battiste), and my experience as a TA/PCI, I recommend three ways for incorporating Indigenous Education (or Indigenous ways of teaching and learning) into the classroom, including: 1) adding Indigenous history in course content; 2) being flexible in learning, such as with evaluations and deadlines; and 3) using experiential and place-based learning. It is important to note that I don’t say how to decolonize the classroom—this is intentional to recognize that education as we see it (four-walled classrooms at the university, etc.) is innately colonial. We must recognize the colonial origin of our education systems before we can start incorporating Indigenous education into post-secondary spaces. 

Indigenous History in Course Content

This recommendation stems from my experience as someone who didn’t learn a lot about Indigenous Peoples in public schooling nor the early days of my undergraduate degree, particularly in the Faculty of Science. Regardless of your discipline or specialty for teaching, you’re still living on Indigenous land, so it is crucial to show the history of this place—the Indigenous history—a history that is often neglected. I’ve successfully included Indigenous history in Newfoundland and Labrador in all my courses by giving an “Indigenous History” or “Indigenous Studies” quiz—ranging from 15 to 50 multiple choice, true or false, matching, and fill-in-the-blank questions based on various Indigenous-authored or Indigenous-themed readings, videos, and websites focused on Indigenous Peoples in Newfoundland and Labrador. Students have unlimited attempts to complete the quiz and can use any provided resources along with the internet, as the purpose here is to have students engage in the content and learn from their feedback. When developing this quiz, I tried to highlight topics noted in the TRC’s Calls to Action, including questions on Treaties, Residential Schools, Indigenous languages, Indigenous history, and contemporary Indigenous matters. I’ve given this quiz as a bonus quiz in some courses and as a required quiz in others (I prefer to make it required so students engage), and I’ve had many students react the same way I did—that this is their first time learning about Indigenous Peoples. 

Flexibility in Learning

Though advocating for flexibility in education isn’t unique to Indigenous Education, it is incredibly beneficial to Indigenous and non-Indigenous students alike. Flexibility can mean various things in course evaluation, including providing students with choices in their assignments (e.g., choosing between a written essay or an artistic work) and extensions for missed work, ranging from a few days to the next semester, where appropriate and possible. Being flexible like this aligns with Indigenous ways of teaching and learning that focus on progress instead of outcomes. In my experience, being adaptable and willing to work with students helps develop working relationships with students—another vital aspect of Indigenous culture, where reciprocal relationships are valued. 

Experiential Learning & Place-Based Learning

Experimental and place-based learning is something I’ve only recently started working on within my teaching. However, it is commonly found in many Indigenous education systems, where students are encouraged to apply theoretical knowledge through hands-on activities and to solve real-world problems. Place-based learning connects education to the local environment and community, fostering a deeper connection to the subject matter by situating learning in the community of students. Though I’ve only recently incorporated experiential learning into my teaching practices, it has successfully enhanced student engagement and understanding of course concepts. For example, in one of my classes this semester, students have been tasked with creating toolkits for teaching towards reconciliation in their classrooms, where they are building lesson plans, collecting resources, and putting those resources into practice to use in their own teaching. Another example I’ve found successful is asking students to craft their own territory acknowledgements and positionality statements (called “Working in a Good Way” statements) as opposed to just seeing mine at the start of class. 

These recommendations are based on my own experiences teaching and learning or those adapted from the above mentioned sources. A big thank you to all the Indigenous community members, fellow graduate students, undergraduate students, and mentors who have helped educate me and space my perspectives written here.