Post 7: First Peoples Principles of Learning and My Teaching Practice

 

In 2006 and 2007, the First Nations Education Steering Committee of British Columbia produced the First Peoples Principles of Learning document in order to support and guide curriculum development in the province. It is understood that individual nations have their own principles and ways of knowing, but the knowledge keepers, elders, and scholars attempted to encompass common understandings that could be applied to province-wide curriculum.

Jo Chrona has worked extensively with Indigenous Education in B.C. and presents a series of modules on the First Peoples Principles of Learning (FPPL) and implementing Indigenous practices and incorporating Indigenous content into classroom learning. In the second module that focuses on the FPPL, Chrona speaks to "going beyond the poster on the wall", which refers authentically incorporating the FPPL in the classroom. She suggest reframing the question to "Considering my context (classroom, school, district, province), how do I use the FPPL to inform the choices/decisions I make each day?" (BC Government, 2019). 

I considered this question for my own teaching practices:

• Learning ultimately supports the well-being of the self, the family, the community, the land, the spirits, and the ancestors. I practice self-care, physically and mentally and take time to teach my students the a variety of ways they can take care of their mind and body (mindfulness, exercise, healthy food choices, time for reflection, self-regulation for example).
• Learning is holistic, reflexive, reflective, experiential, and relational (focused on connectedness, on reciprocal relationships, and a sense of place). I try to make cross-curricular connections and teach in a thematic way, rather than with isolated topics. I reflect on my teaching practice and overall personal growth continually. I'd like to explore establishing a sense of place and what that means in more depth.
• Learning involves recognizing the consequences of one's actions. I like to use social consequence mapping with younger learners to identify how they and others are affected by one action.
• Learning involves generational roles and responsibilities. We often identify teacher role and student role in the classroom. I would like to work with this principle further to establish the role of elder and their responsibilities and our responsibility to them.
• Learning recognizes the role of Indigenous knowledge. I've incorporated Indigenous knowledge into Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies. We as a class learn about Secwepmc language and culture with our school's Secwepemcstin teacher.
• Learning is embedded in memory, history, and story. I use local stories of the Secwepemc peoples in my classroom. Students engage in oral storytelling practices.
• Learning involves patience and time. This is incorporated when teaching about growth mindset. Students learn to celebrate progress and effort rather than accomplishment and results.
• Learning requires exploration of one‘s identity. I speak often to students on their individual strengths and my own and how we can use them to build community and help each other.
• Learning involves recognizing that some knowledge is sacred and only shared with permission and/or in certain situations. This is an area I do think about as an educator and an indidual when consdering resources and content. It will always be an area of development for me.

This was a helpful reframe for me and helped me to think critically about my personal practice and choices that I make.

BC Government. (2019). Continuing Our Learning Journey: Indigenous Education in British Columbia- Module 2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gs2zMQV8ApQ

First Nations Education Steering Committee. (2007). First Peoples Principles of Learning. https://www.fnesc.ca/first-peoples-principles-of-learning/