Indigenous schools - past, present, future
Ross Parker
Architect and Accredited Learning Environment Planner.
Ally of Indigenous peoples
contributors:
Faye Strong
Accredited Learning Environment Planner from Calgary, Alberta.
Ally of Indigenous peoples
Dr. Terri-Lynn Fox
Educator, sociologist, and member of the Kainaiwa/Blood Tribe
Cliffton Cross
Member and education portfolio holder of the Frog Lake First Nation
This article was created from an educational presentation and session held at several international, regional, and local chapter conferences of the Association for Learning Environments (A4LE.org) starting in October, 2021.
The story of Indigenous schools and Indigenous learning in North America - on Turtle Island - is about relationships. This article uses that lens to explore this topic in three areas:
The first two are largely comprised of material readily available online.
Only the analysis pertaining to the designs and educational programming are original.
The third section (Future) is comprised of largely original material from the author and contributors.
introduction
Indigenous Schools offer significant lessons and inspiration for the pedagogical and physical design of learning environments. The legacy of the residential boarding school systems in Canada and the USA – and in other colonizing societies – are powerful examples of nearly everything that should not be done. In recent years there have been some transformative developments in attitudes, funding, and design processes and outcomes as Indigenous communities take charge of their educational systems and begin to re-connect to their traditional ways and shape their students’ learning experiences and school systems. These very promising developments also provide excellent examples of what contemporary non-Indigenous learning models and design has been moving towards – a focus on the whole child, on learning skills, a more holistic and interdisciplinary approach, and on exploring, understanding, and enhancing our interconnection with the natural world.
I believe there are great opportunities for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous societies in undertaking a closer examination and analysis of traditional learning perspectives; how those can help us transform mainstream society’s schools and learning practices in ways that are vital to our children and our planet; and how this has great potential for what could become a growth industry for Indigenous people – consulting, designing, instructing, and perhaps even operating educational systems and learning environments for all.
Some of the following is very difficult and may be traumatizing. Facing these truths is not easy. Most of us are still learning. We will stumble. As a non-Indigenous person, I cannot speak for Indigenous people or their cultures, but in partnership with my fellow contributors, I hope this will elevate their voices and honor them and the cultures they represent with respectful interpretation and representation. Some of what follows may impact the comfortable; I hope that, above all, it will inform, challenge, and inspire the much-needed change.
orange
The color orange is used here very intentionally to honor the Indigenous victims and survivors of the residential boarding school systems of Canada, the United States, and elsewhere. They are officially recognized each year on September 30th as National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, commonly known as Orange Shirt Day. It originated with Phyllis Webstad, a First Nations person who tells her story in this brief video (link).
every child matters
The central logo used in the headers in this work is a derivation of an original work by First Nations artist Andy Everson. Its story and description of rights to use are described here (link).