Features

Bruce Beardy, OCT, calls his freehand drawing Connections. The primary-colour illustration includes people to represent life’s stages, a wigwam to represent community, plus a tree, moose, fish and eagle to represent the environment and animals (pictured above). “Everything is holistic within a community,” says Beardy, co-ordinator of the Native Language Instructors’ Program at Lakehead University. “I created the drawing to represent the holistic approach of education.”

Beardy, the lead writer for the Teaching Ojibwe and Teaching Oji-Cree Additional Qualification course guidelines, created several drawings while developing the guidelines. He shared the new course content — artwork and text — at the Native Language Symposium at the Ontario College of Teachers on January 28, 2013.

The inspiration for Connections came from thoughts shared at a series of conversation circles the College co-facilitated around the province to discuss First Nations AQ courses guidelines. First Nations communities, elders, language teachers and speakers helped develop the draft guidelines.

“It’s a language that makes a culture,” Beardy says. “Wherever there is a language, there is a community involved. That’s why it’s important to have different languages maintained and strengthened.”

At the symposium, lead writers shared information with College staff about new course content for five AQ guidelines: Teaching Cayuga, Teaching Mohawk, Teaching Oneida, Teaching Ojibwe and Teaching Oji-Cree. The writers presented their work to the Standards of Practice and Education Committee two days later.

First Nations people believe helping to shape their children’s education improves their future and protects aboriginal culture.

“The First Nation, Inuit and Métis have historically been left out of public educational decisions and so they take their involvement in AQ development very seriously,” says Gale Dores, OCT, Chair of the Standards of Practice and Education Committee. “High levels of community involvement and respect for the ideas and needs of all have been common to all Native Language AQ development processes.

“First Nations people believe that having a role in shaping the education of their children is a way to improve future opportunities while protecting Aboriginal culture. Community representation plus the involvement of elders underpins all Native Language AQ development.”

AQs tend to be text-heavy and Dores finds the use of graphics, traditional artwork and symbols a refreshing and welcome change. She’d like to see this type of graphic representation become an integral part of most future AQ guidelines.

Déirdre Smith, OCT, Manager of the College’s Standards of Practice and Education Unit, says the courses will help further support Aboriginal teacher education and language revitalization.

Six Nations Polytechnic, in Ohsweken, near Brantford, which worked with the College during the writing phase of developing Teaching Cayuga and Teaching Mohawk course guidelines, is interested in becoming a provider of these two courses.

The draft AQ guidelines will be posted on the College website. Feedback is welcome.