Abstract
This chapter explores the principles necessary to implement an Indigenous early childhood pedagogy and the importance of the land, language, culture, and identity in learning for Indigenous children. This approach sees children in relation; sees them holistically, including the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual; helps nurture the gift each child has for the community; focuses on the language, traditional teaching, ceremony, and storytelling; and finally decolonizes the curricula and the classroom. To effectively teach indigenous culture we need to teach the language and to teach the language we need to be on the land.
TopIntroduction
As educators, we make pedagogical decisions with and for the children we work with, either consciously or unconsciously, throughout the day. Our pedagogical beliefs determine everything in our teaching practice and classrooms (Turner & Wilson, 2010) with real consequences and implications for the children we work with. This is even more important to consider when we are working with Indigenous children, given the history of residential schools and a provincial school system based on white middle class cisgender norms. This chapter attempts to articulate the principles we need to consider when developing an Indigenous early childhood pedagogy to guide our work with the youngest children in our schools, and in preschools and daycares. This pedagogy focuses on young children because it is the beginning of their schooling and as such is the foundation of the school years that follow. In focusing on introducing an Indigenous pedagogy in the early years, it is hoped that a spark of curiosity into the language and culture will be ignited that will carry the children throughout their years of schooling.
This work is an attempt to consolidate the learning I have gained from working with Indigenous communities throughout Ontario and from the teachings I have received from Elders and Knowledge Keepers. What follows are principles that can be applied across different communities and should be considered when thinking about implementing restorative Indigenous culture and language teaching (Simard & Blight, 2011). However, as Indigenous language and communities are necessarily local, the way this pedagogy looks and is taken up will be different depending on the community it is used in – and this work is in no way an attempt to suggest a singular approach. It is to be expected that the work you do in your home community, or where you work, will be different than the programs, classrooms and schools I am drawing on for my inspiration.
Situating Myself and This Work
I am from Métis and settler ancestry and live on the traditional lands of the Atikameksheng Anishinaabek under the Robinson-Huron Treaty. I am father, husband, and uncle. I am a professor in the School of Education and the School of Indigenous Relations at Laurentian University and the Early Learning Lead for the Moosonee and Moose Factory District School Area Boards. I am the former Regional Coordinator for the Ontario Provincial Centre of Excellence Early Years and Child Care and a former kindergarten teacher, and I have been researching and working with young children for the past 25+ years. Throughout this time, I have been working to understand how to support the language and cultural learning of young children in Ontario. Through my work with different communities, I have learned from Elders and Knowledge Keepers as well as from teachers and students. Each community is different and had different lessons for me to learn – and I am still learning. As much as I believe that language and culture are local and tied to the land, and that as such the educational pedagogy will necessarily look different in each community, I think that there are principles that can be used to guide educators in the development of their local pedagogies.
Elements To Consider For An Indigenous Early Childhood Pedagogy
There are seven overarching principles that should guide the development of an Indigenous early childhood pedagogy; the way these principles are enacted will be different in each community and even slightly different in each school and classroom. They are presented here in no particular order; all are important considerations when developing and implementing an Indigenous early childhood pedagogical approach.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Decolonization: We need to acknowledge the colonial past and present and actively eliminate colonial practices from our schools, curricula and pedagogies.
Holistic: All aspects of life are interconnected, including the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. Therefore, learning should address all of these aspects of a person; knowledge cannot be compartmentalized and separated from other aspects of life.
Indigenous People: This chapter uses Indigenous to refer to Ontario’s first peoples generally but it is always used with the understanding that all Indigenous people and groups are unique and specific.
All my relations: We are always in relation to each other, our human and non-human kin, the earth, water (snow & ice) and sky, our ancestors, the spirit world, etc. We are always learning from each other and with each other.
Pedagogy: Pedagogy is the beliefs we have about teaching and learning and governs our actions and practice in the classroom.
Traditional Teachings: Each Indigenous community has its own version of the sacred circle teachings and teachings for living a good way. It is essential that these beliefs and teachings are integrated into an Indigenous early childhood pedagogy.
Early Childhood: The age groups covered being discussed are from birth to Grade 2 or eight years old.
Land-Based Learning: The land and the environment are essential in shaping Indigenous knowledge and culture. The language comes from the land and defines what is important for each indigenous group.