This semester has helped me to discover more of my philosophical beliefs as an educator. Through this inquiry project I have begun to develop a sense of what it means to create a differentiated classroom environment. I have used research, as well as observation and practice in the field, to discover the impacts that the physical environment and classroom organization can have on student learning. I found that the key learnings I took away from this project related to safety, creating an engaging learning environment, and some of the limitations for differentiated classrooms related to cost. Throughout this blog post I will look deeper into each of these points so that I can reflect on my process of learning.

Safety in Physical Education

I have always understood that safety was important. However, there were many aspects of safety procedures that I was not incorporating into my lessons prior to this inquiry project. I now understand that many of the school boards, school districts, as well as the province as a whole have safety guidelines that they ask all of their teachers to follow. Having a good understanding of these safety protocols will not only help to make my classroom or gym safer, but also ensure that I am following my responsibilities as a teacher.

Through my placement experience, I have also become more aware of safety hazards that could arise during the course of a lesson. Many of these hazards were simple things such as backpacks or crates that I had pulled out of the equipment room that might not seem like hazards at the time, but they could easily become an issue. Therefore, it was important for me to understand the protocols that my placement school had laid out to prevent these hazards from arising. After I knew these protocols I had to take responsibility to enforce them and keep my students safe. This meant that planning for safety within my lessons had to become a matter of the utmost importance.

Another practice that I have taken from my learning and implemented into my teaching is having my students point out safety hazards within the gym. This not only helps me as a teacher to ensure that the learning environment is hazard free, but it also gives the students a sense of responsibility for themselves, as well as their peers.

How Can I create an Engaging Physical Education Learning Environment?

Coming into this project I wanted to discover how I could make my physical education, health or wellness environments more engaging for my students. Throughout my readings I quickly discovered just how valuable something as simple as a whiteboard could be in a physical education setting. Traditionally, Physical Education is largely taught using demonstration and verbal cues. The whiteboard helps the students who might be more visual or linguistic learners to be able to understand the information I am trying to get across to them. Therefore, I began to utilize the whiteboard that was within my classroom during my pre-internship. I found that this not only helped me to stay on track throughout my lesson by helping me to remember questions I wanted to ask the students, but also to give the students another form of instruction to help them learn. I was getting a lot more responses to the material that I was covering from a number of different students by incorporating this into my lessons.

The second way that I was creating an engaging learning environment was by using visuals and posters throughout the space. These posters could be paired with demonstrations or explanations and later used as quick references for the students to again assist the different learning preferences within the room. During the fitness circuit I created, I ensured that these posters included other information such as labeled muscle groups that the exercises they were doing were working on. I found that this helped the students to begin using anatomically correct language.

Something that I found interesting while observing other classes during my placement is that many of the teachers were filling up the empty space around their classrooms with students work. I believe that these not only make the learning environment more appealing, but it also gives students guides for their own work. For example the students in one of the classes I observed were creating and labelling maps of Canada. The teacher had maps already posted around the room that students from prior years had created. Something that they might have been looking at all year would then become relevant to their learning.

Do the Benefits Outweigh the Cost of Creating a Differentiated Classroom?

            Prior to doing more research into this topic I always found it frustrating that school were not implementing more objects into their classroom to aid learning. I now understand that many of these items do not come cheap, since the budgets in schools are already tight bringing these objects into their classrooms might not always be an option. Being a Physical Education teacher I love the idea of having students active even when they are in the classroom. Therefore, bringing in items such as standing desks, motion stools or yoga ball chairs into my classroom continues to be a dream of mine. Not only are these seating options proven to improve student’s attentiveness and engagement, but they also help to reduce the amount of time that students are sitting in regular chairs. With our society becoming more and more sedentary I strongly believe that bringing these items into our classrooms can help to make a difference in every students learning expereince.

Although there was not a lot of information pertaining to creating a differentiated Physical Education learning environment online; I learned a lot about this topic throughout my pre-internship experience. I have always been one who likes to learn things first hand. My cooperating teacher and partner helped me to develop a sense of how I can use my gym space effectively to assist student learning. I cannot wait to take what I have learned and continue to hone my teaching practices in internship.

Environment Design

During my three week block I had a lot of opportunities to enter many different classroom environments across multiple subject areas. Some of the main observations that stuck with me, and I would like to implement in my future classrooms are:

-Posters that were on the walls benefitted student learning. These could be used as quick references for students, such as formulas. These posters gave life to the classroom and took away from the bare walls, making the learning space more inviting and visually appealing. I used similar posters with my Wellness 10 class when we were working through fitness circuits. These posters not only saved me time from having to answer multiple students questions related to the exercises, but also helped the students to ensure they were doing the exercises properly. 

-Student work was hung or displayed around the room so that they could see each others work and take pride in things that they have created. I loved to take the time to read through and look at the projects that these students had put together. The level of detail and pride that they put into their work was very evident.

– Many of the classrooms had at least two active sitting in motion stools. I actually sat on one of these stools for a whole class. I was expecting my back to hurt after sitting on the stool for an entire hour. However, these stools took me by complete surprise. My core and back actually felt better after that hour, compared to sitting on a regular chair. Being a physical education teacher I love the fact that these stools help students to engage their core while they are sitting on them, rather than just sitting in their regular chairs. It would be awesome for every student to have the opportunity to sit in these chairs. However, the price of these chairs is defiantly a barrier.

-I have also discovered a new found love for whiteboards in the Physical Education setting.The whiteboard not only provided me with a common meeting place for giving instructions, but also helped me to keep my lessons on track. I would place the outline for each of my lessons onto the whiteboard. This helped me to remember the questions that I wanted to ask the students, as well as the next part of the development that we were moving into. The writing on the whiteboard also acted as a visual aid for the students. I really began to notice how this was impacting my lessons when I was asking the students questions. Since the questions were written on the board behind me the students were able to also read the questions if they did not understand what I asked them the first time.

Environment Organization

When it came to daily routines in the physical education department they had practices that were common between all classes and teachers. These routines included:

-Changeout was mandatory for all students. The teachers did not want their students taking part in strenuous activity in the clothes or shoes that they had to wear for the rest of the day. This was very understandable for hygiene reasons. The Phys. Ed. department also had clothes that the students could borrow and return after the class, given that they forgot to bring their own clothes or shoes. Having extra clothes and shoes for my students is absolutely something that I would like to implement in my classroom.

-Bags had to be left in the change room. This was mostly for safety reasons, if the students brought their bags out of the change room and placed them onto the floor this would only create more safety hazards. Although, this left the students personal belonging vulnerable in the change rooms. This meant that who went in and out of the change rooms during the class had to be monitored.

-When the students were in the classroom they were asked to place their phone in the “phone hotel”. Each of the pockets were numbered, each of the numbers correlated with a students name to keep them organized. This helped to keep the students off their phones during class time. However, if they needed to used them for educational purposes there was a lot of time wasted when the students had to walk to the front of the room to grab them and then return to their seats. This made it important to stay organized as a teacher to tell the students to keep their phones at the beginning of class if they were going to use them that day.

During this portion of my inquiry project I wanted to take a deeper look into some of the costs that are associated with creating a differentiated classroom. I decided to look into six types of objects that I would consider bringing into my classroom to help create a differentiated learning environment. These objects include standing desks, fidgets, whiteboards, motion stools, rocking chairs, and yoga ball chairs.

Standing Desks

I believe that these help students who like to be moving and/or standing to remain engaged while learning. I would love to have at least two of these in my classrooms to act as options for students to use at their discretion. However, when it comes to the cost of these desks they can range from $300-$700 (Staples, 2018). Although these are a long term investment, it can be a lot of money for a school to spend at one time for multiple classrooms.

Fidgets

Fidget toys have been proven to help students with learning disabilities such as ADHD (OTFC, 2018). They can also help any student to improve concentration and attention by allowing the brain to filter out other sensory information (OTFC, 2018). They essentially provide students with a sensory object to hold in their hands and manipulate while they are engaging in a lesson. Bringing these into the classroom comes at a more reasonable price of $10-$50 each (Staples, 2018).

Whiteboard

I have recently found a great value in the use of whiteboards within the Physical Education setting. I like write the outline of my lessons as well as the questions that I am going to ask the student onto them. This helps me to stay on track throughout my lesson, and gives the students a visual aid to use during the questioning process. If the gym at my school does not have a whiteboard I would without a doubt look into bringing one in. This would come at a cost of around $100-$500 depending on the size and the functionality of the board (Staples, 2018).

Active Sitting in Motion Stools

These stools were one of the first things that I noticed within the classrooms during my pre-internship placement. I immediately wanted to try one so that I could develop a better understanding of their purpose, as well as how I might be able to use them in my future classroom. I found that these stools helped to engage my core while I was sitting; they also helped to improve my posture. Being a Physical Educator, I like the idea of including these types of seating options within the classroom setting. When I took a look into the cost of these stools I discovered that they are priced around $130 (Staples, 2018). This means that the amount of these stools that could be brought in would be limited.

Rocking Chairs

These chairs are designed for students who struggle at sitting still or like to rock back into their chair while they are learning. I had the opportunity to use these chairs while I was still in high school. Being a kinaesthetic learner, I always thought that these chairs were the best thing since sliced bread. They also can help to reduce the amount of accidents that could occur when students are leaning back or rocking in their normal chairs. Although, for how simple these chairs may seem, they come at a big price. To bring these into your classroom you will be looking at about $155 per chair (School Outfitters, 2018).

Yoga Ball Chair

These chairs help to engage the core muscles, improve posture and decrease discomfort (Ergonomics, 2018). Helping again with those students that like to move, or even those who just want to have other seating options. There are two different options when it comes to these chairs. You can simply buy a base that holds on to an ordinary yoga ball. This set up will set the school back anywhere from $50-$100. However, stationary ball chairs are also an option, and these are priced anywhere from $200-$400 depending on the size and functionality (Staples, 2018).

Discovering some of the costs that are associated with developing a differentiated classroom has been really eye opening for me. I never understood why there could not be more of these objects implemented into classrooms throughout every school. To me, many of these items are overpriced and in my opinion they likely raise the prices of these items knowing that they will be selling the majority of their stock to schools. I find this frustrating as an educator, since I believe that every student should be given an equal opportunity to succeed, and many of these items help to take a step in the right direction.

Resources:

Ergonomics. (2018). Truth vs. Myth: Is Using an Exercise Ball to Replace your Office Chair a Good Idea? Retrieved from http://ergo-plus.com/using-exercise-ball-to-replace-office-chair/

Occupational Therapy For Children. (2018). Stop Touching Things! The Role of Fidget Toys. Retrieved from http://occupationaltherapychildren.com.au/stop-touching-things-the-role-of-fidget-toys/

School Outfitters. (2018). Zuma Rocker Chair. Retrieved from https:// www. school outfitters.com/catalog/product_family_info/cPath/CAT2_CAT26/pfam_id/PFAM1847

Staples. (2018). Ball Chair. Retrieved from https://www.staples.ca/Ball+Chair/ directory_ Ball%2520Chair_20051_1_20001?

Staples. (2018). Fidget. Retrieved from https://www.staples.ca/fidget/directory _fidget_20051_1_20001?

Staples. (2018). Motion Chair. Retrieved from https://www.staples.ca/motion+stool /directory_motion%2520stool_20051_1_20001?

Staples. (2018). Standing Desk. Retrieved from https://www.staples.ca/Standing+desk/ directory_Standing%2520desk_20051_1_20001?

Staples. (2018). Whiteboard. Retrieved from https://www.staples.ca/white+board/ directory_white%2520board_20051_1_20001?

When it comes to classroom and environment design in a Physical Education setting there are two key attributes that continually come up in my research and classes in university. These key ideas to keep in mind are environment safety and educational resources.

Environment Safety:

Designing your classroom with safety in mind should be at the upmost importance. Physical education takes a lot of criticism when it comes to the risk of injury associated with the class. Many superintendents and administrators check to see that good safety practices are being followed, if and when they visit a class. In the event that a superintendent or administrator were to check in on a physical education class, their main concern would be that safety protocols are being followed. With that being said, you will need to evaluate the safety risks that are going to be in your gymnasium. Incorporate these safety measures into your lesson plans, as well as teach your students to be mindful of the safety hazards if they cannot be removed from the space.

Steps to achieve physical environment safety:

1. Follow school board/district/provincial protocols.
2. Recognize safety hazards within the gym. Have your students help you to point them out so they can realize them as well. Determining safety hazards and exhibiting safety practices is also an outcome in many elementary curriculums.
3. Remove any hazards if possible.
4. Ensure any sharp edges or possible collision areas (areas behind basketball nets) are covered by mats or rounded off.
5. Plan for hazards that may arise during the course of a lesson (students backpacks, chairs left from assembly).
6. Prepare well organized lesson activities.
7. Remind your students to feel free to share with you any worries they have pertaining to the physical environment of the gymnasium.

Educational Resources Around the Gymnasium

• Use of whiteboards in the gymnasium: Can be used for “Entrance work” or to write out instructions for the students to visually see what you are asking them to do. This puts more responsibility on the students and gives you more time to prepare yourself for the upcoming class. These whiteboards can also be used as a form of formative assessment having students self-assess their days using magnets or initials. If you do not have a whiteboard that is on one of the walls of you gymnasium, it would be a good idea to find or bring in a moveable whiteboard (on wheels).
• Having resource sheets throughout the gymnasium that students can reference as they are learning throughout the course of a lesson. Many outcomes within the Physical Education curriculum focus on human anatomy, as well as the physiological changes that take place in the body during participation (heart rate). These resources around the gym can also act as inquiry sheets for the students who want to learn more about the topics that are incorporated within them.
• Use bulletin boards in your classroom when possible for posting information about class information, handouts (use folders). Some ideas that you could use for these folders could include: Time out, inappropriate shoes/dress or injury form. These are tasks that the students will have to complete, bring home and get signed by their parents. This not only lets the parents know if their kids are choosing not to participate but it gives the students something to do so they don’t just sit there while the rest are participating. Bulletin boards can also be used to advertise events or activities going on in the school that relate to the Physical Education subject area.

Having these resources around the gymnasium helps to take up some of the space of the bare walls and assist student learning. Traditionally physical education instruction includes a lot of direct instruction and experiential learning. However, using these resources opens up new opportunities to differentiate instruction within your class by including visuals, writing, or station work.

Resources:

OPHEA. (2018). Safety and Health in Physical Activity. Retrieved from:  https://teachingtools.ophea.net/activities/opheas-early-learning-resource/safety-health-and-physical-activity

Ministry of Education. (2009). Saskatchewan Curriculum: Physical Education 9. Retrieved from: https://www.curriculum.gov.sk.ca/bbcswebdav/library/curricula/English/Physical_Education/Physical_Education_9_2009.pdf

Ministry of Education. (1998). Saskatchewan Physical Education Safety Guidelines for Policy Development. Retrieved from: http://publications.gov.sk.ca/documents/11/40284-Physical-Education-Safety-Guidelines.pdf

Pinterest. (2018). PE Bulletin Board ideas. Retrieved from: https://www.pinterest.ca/explore/pe-bulletin-boards/?lp=true

Blog Introduction: Listen before you read

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-MY3luzHCE

Throughout this semester I have begun to develop a stronger understanding of what it means to provide my students with a well-rounded, safe and inclusive education setting. Within ECS 210 I was able to take a deeper look into my teaching philosophy, the different aspects of curriculum, and the affects that we as teachers have on our students. I was able to reflect on my understandings of the content of this course throughout the weekly blog post, class assignments, lectures, seminars and readings. The purpose of this blog is to outline my learnings over the course of this semester and highlight how this class has changed me as an educator. To do so I will take a deeper look into the following questions:

• How did the course content challenge, support or change my ways of thinking?
• What are my personal views on curriculum?
• How has ECS 210 shaped me as an educator?
• What are areas of growth I need to continue to work as an educator?

How did the course content challenge, support or change my ways of thinking?

The way that this class was set up encourage us as educators to be constantly reflecting on our beliefs, viewpoints and our ability to back up our reasonings. The majority of this reflecting was done through our blogs. These blogs helped me to develop a standpoint on the issues that we were reading about. They also allowed me to think back to the experiences that I had throughout my education experience. This type of reflecting is important for us to recognize they was that we have been taught in the past do not have to be the ways that we teach our students in the future. I found that the blogs also helped me to become more well versed with educational readings and the blog prompts required me to think deeper about the content within those readings in order to reflect on my thinking within those readings. Educational readings do not only help you to get a better understanding of issues within you profession but they are great resources to continue to reference as we move through our education careers.

The theorist assignment that were were asked to complete at the start of the year helped me to reflect on the understandings and beliefs that I have towards education. It helped me to give meaning as to why I believe the things that I do and back them up with expert opinions. Developing a deeper understanding as to what a proper education should entail, while developing new additions to my philosophy at the same time. However, within this assignment I was also able to identify some of the beliefs of theorist that I did not agree with, specifically some of the theorist beliefs that were created many years ago and had strong ties to the church.

The curriculum critique assignment helped me to develop a deeper understanding of curriculum. For this assignment I chose to compare the current physical education 20/30 with was developed in 1994 curriculum to the elementary physical education curriculums that were developed in 2009. By completing this assignment I was able to analyze both of the documents and pick out the strengths and weaknesses of each of them. Then creating my own opinions and beliefs about the curriculum that I was critiquing. I found that the old 20/30 physical education curriculum was long overdue for an update and included many areas within it. One of the areas that I strongly disagreed with was the suggested teaching method that were listed within it. Many of these methods were focused around drills and skill development (sport model of education). Whereas many of the physical education classes that I have taken in university are advising to move into more movement development methods, such as the teaching games for understanding model of physical education. This assignment not only helped to support some of my beliefs as a teacher but also helped me to understand the importance of curriculum development.

Finally, the curriculum as Written, Planned and Taught assignment gave me to opportunity to explore the endless possibilities of incorporating First Nation ways of knowing and treaty education into my lessons. This experience also allowed me to step out of my comfort zone a have the opportunity to try my hand in other subject areas. Planning for this assignment really opened my eyes to just how many opportunities are available to make connections to First Nations and Aboriginal content within my major/ minor subject areas.

What are my personal views on curriculum?

Upon developing an understanding of how I viewed curriculum I came across a metaphor for curriculum that I strongly agreed with. It states:

The Metaphor of Travel:

The curriculum is a route over which students will travel under the leadership of an experienced guide and companion.  Each traveller will be affected differently by the journey since its effect is at least as much a function of the intelligence, interests, and intent of the traveller as it is of the contours of the route.  This variability is not only inevitable, but wondrous and desirable.  Therefore, no effort is made to anticipate the exact nature of the effect on the traveller; but a great effort is made to plot the route so that the journey will be as rich, as fascinating, and as memorable as possible (Miller, 1996). 

I strongly agree with this quote as every student has different experiences in school, but it is our job as teachers to provide them with the knowledge, experience, and content that caters to their needs as students. I also strongly agree with this statement because I am a strong believer in the value of inquiry learning, individual exploration and the endless possibilities that a proper education can provide for each individual once they discover their personal interests.

Throughout ECS 210 I have also developed a stronger understanding of the importance of treaty education and unpacked the meaning of the statement that we are all treaty people. I look back to my earlier blog post titled: We Are All Treaty People. Within this post I talked about the importance of blending First Nations and Aboriginal ways of knowing into curriculum. I also tied this idea into the book “The Secret Path” by Gord Downie, which is the story of Chanie Wenjack a First Nations boy who died trying to run home from a residential school during the winter months. These dark times are part of our Canadian history, like it or not they have their place in education and their teachings need to be shared across all subject areas.

To conclude, I have come to view curriculum as my “travel guide” to education, my support to fall back on if I ever need to support myself or the content that I am sharing with my students, as well as a vehicle of learning. Combining these ideas together you get a very powerful document, as well as an understanding of deeper ideas tied to curriculum such as hidden curriculum.

How has ECS 210 Shaped Me As An Educator?

If feel as though I have come a long way as an educator since the beginning of the semester. An idea that was introduced at the beginning of the semester was the idea of “common sense” and how that produces the norms in education. Being an educator requires you to be open to different ideas and ways of knowing such as culture, race, gender, and sexual orientation. We have to ensure that we are striving to step away from the traditional beliefs that have produced the stereotypes we see all around us.

The idea of White Privilege seemed to be very prevalent in this class. At times some of these topics made me feel uncomfortable but I understand that it is a very important topic to understand. Being a straight white male I am the definition of privilege. This class helped me to understand some of the biases that I could be bringing with me into the classroom because of my privilege. However, my upbringing has taught me to be very humble and I feel as though the people who know me and just met me could speak to that. This class helped me to further understand just how important understanding white privilege is, as well as being able to identify how it shapes my beliefs, and the negative effects it could be having on my teaching philosophy.

The last learning that I will speak upon is the idea of learning from place. Having an outdoor education background I immediately related this idea to nature. I could see the connections between learning from place and the possibilities of implementing First Nations and Aboriginal ways of knowing. In my blog titled: Learning From Place, I went into deeper detail about how the land can be used for education and that everyone needs to take a step away from reality to develop the spiritual, physical, psychological and emotional aspects of well-being.

What Are Areas Of Growth I Need To Continue To Work On?

The first area of growth that I will address is continuing to develop my understanding of the influences of white privilege. I plan to do this through academic readings and professional development opportunities. I currently have a copy of Unsettling the Settler Within that is on order and I hope to read over the holidays. My hopes is that by developing a stronger understanding of where I stand in society I will be able to realize the impacts that I could be having or passing on to my students.

The second area of growth that I plan to work towards is lesson planning. Becoming more fluent in incorporating First Nations and Aboriginal content into my lessons, as well as minimizing the amount of bias that I am bringing to the classroom. This semester I also learned about a new planning strategy called backwards by design in one of my other classes that will help me to develop my lessons around the outcomes that I am striving to work towards. This design will also help me in the future to be able to better implement differentiation into my classroom in order to meet the diverse needs of my students. For this reason I think that creating a learning environment that encompasses student’s learning preferences, the multiples intelligences, and helping students discover their strengths and weaknesses needs to be at the utmost importance.

Conclusion

Becoming an educator is a journey there are many moving parts to the operation. Recognizing my short comings and celebrating my successes will help me to become the educator that I visualize myself being. The knowledge and experiences that I am taking away from this class will help to guide me to accomplishing my goals as an educator.

Reference:

Miller, J. P. (1996). The Holistic Curriculum. Toronto: OISE Press. Retrieved        from https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/uploads/production/document/path/5/5410/Curriculm_Metaphors_Handout.doc

Within my experience learning mathematics in school I never experienced any situations where I would have viewed mathematics as being discriminative or oppressive. Then again, the education system has long been in my favour being a straight white male. The teaching of mathematics has never been a subject area that I have view as being oppressive or discriminative until now. The fact that math is often only taught in English, the content is not very controversial, and many of the ways that teachers traditionally teach it does not include cultural ways of knowing, has caused me to rethink the way that I have been viewing math up until this point.

The three ways I have chosen to expand on that Inuit teaching challenges Eurocentric ideas include: teaching methods, culture and language. A common Eurocentric teaching strategy that is used by teachers is questioning. In the Inuit culture teachers do not ask questions to students that do not know that answer. This makes sense, many students learn with and through other students. If a student does not know the answer to a question, they should not be put on the spot and embarrassed infront of the rest of the class. However, I believe the Eurocentric strategy of asking numerous students questions is used to keep students engaged in the content that they are learning and attempt to explain their understandings of the material. But as educators we have to keep in mind and respect the cultures and traditions of our students.

Mathematics can also clash with the traditional ways of knowing in some cultures because mathematics is based of of Eurocentric ideas. For example in Inuit culture uses a base ten number system because it relates to their everyday culture. When their everyday world does not relate to the mathematic world that they study in school the two understandings of mathematics begin to clash.

The third difference I have chosen to mention is the idea of mathematics and language. For many Inuit students they are only taught mathematics in their native language until grade three. After that they then had to learn mathematics in English or French only. Tying back into the idea of culture in mathematics, not learning math in their native language makes it harder to connect the dots between their everyday life and the mathematics that they are taught in school. Which also relates into the ideas of acculturation and assimilation; traditional ways of teaching that many education systems are trying to step away from.

After reading this email I could not help but cringe. The thought that there are teachers out there who do not see the importance of treaty education, especially in a school without first nations students is disturbing to say the least. Throughout my experience in school First Nations and metis culture were always a part of our school atmosphere. Although, this was in a school where 30-40% of the students were aboriginal. Even with all of this experience with the First Nations culture, I wish that I could have learned more than the elders were sharing with us at school.  

When it comes to schools that do not have aboriginal students, treaty education should revolve around the fact that we are all treaty people. We all share this land, and students have to understand that treaties are deeper than just a signed piece of paper. If we do not educate our youth on the treaties, we are leaving out a vital element in the creation of Canada. The negative effects that treaties have had on First Nations people continue to shape their cultural identity. Only now are we starting to realize the intergenerational effects that these experiences have had on the First Nations people. For this reason, treaty education is a vital component needed to work towards reconciliation; mending a relationship that has long been broken. 

The statement “We are all treaty people” is something that I related to a statement made by Murray Sinclair (Ottawa Resident) in 2015. He stated:

“ This is not an aboriginal problem. This is a Canadian problem. Because at the same time that aboriginal people were being demeaned in the schools and their culture and language were being taken away from them and they were being told that they were inferior, they were pagans, that they were heathens and savages and that they were unworthy of being respected — that very same message was being given to the non-aboriginal children in the public schools as well…They need to know that history includes them.”

This is why treaty education should be incorporated into all areas of education. The history that is behind these learnings is not one sided. Furthermore, It is often said that history repeats itself, if we neglect to realize our countries dark past, can we truly call ourselves Canadian?

I leave all who read this post with a quote by Joseph Boyden, supported by Gord Downie in his book The Secret Path: “ Do we want to live in a haunted house for the rest of our lives?”

Resource:

http://secretpath.ca/#About

Regardless of your skin colour and cultural background, the land is the basis of survival for human kind. The First Nations people have long understood the importance of taking care of the environment. Their education system was based off of the teachings that the land has to offer. Furthermore the land is a common link that brings all of us together, living in the same areas. For the First Nations people, the land remains to be an important part of their culture. In this narrative the First Nations people of  Fort Albany are using the land to bring back the traditions of their culture and show their youth the importance of understanding place. They are using the land to bring back the language and traditional ways of knowing for their people. For the people of Fort Albany First Nation, the Kistachowan River is a way of life and has significant meaning to them physically, spiritually and emotionally. Without these ways of knowing the deeper understanding of place and it’s importance to their culture could be lost. Having these youth understand their roots and traditions within their culture is were I notice re-inhabitation and decolonization happening.

Physical education and Outdoor Education are great vehicles for helping students to understand the idea of place. Wether it relates to culture or simply a place that you can truly begin to find yourself as a person. I relate this idea of place to alternate environment activities such as hiking, snowshoeing, and canoeing. These activities can allow you to look beyond yourself and soak in all that our surroundings have to teach us. People today live busy lifestyles and often forget to slow down and take in what is going on around them. I feel as though my job as a physical education teacher is to give students the experience and tools needed to be able to step away from that style of life and rather enjoy activities that make them less like the robots that society has created them to be, and become more human. Being outdoors also provides educators with great opportunities to dig deeper into ideas that are greater than ourselves, training the mind to ponder deeper understandings of the world and life. Many of these teachings would also create great opportunities to incorporate aboriginal ways of knowing and treaty education.

I leave all who read this post with a quote by Linda Hogan:“There is a way that nature speaks, that land speaks. Most of the time we are simply not patient enough, quiet enough, to pay attention to the story.””

The way that we view our students should constantly be on our mind as educators. Privilege is a word that continually comes into play when we talk about what makes a “good” student. Traditionally christian, white males have been viewed as “good” students regardless of their learning and intellectual abilities.  Unfortunately, some of these privileges continue to be seen in present day schools. Furthermore, “good” students are often seen as those who do not challenge the status quo and conform to what people believe to be common sense. Ideas such as race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and social class continue to set students apart. In order to close this gap we have to get students to challenge their beliefs. This process can be frustrating, confusing and disorienting for some students who have created “common sense” beliefs on these issues. For this reason it is vital that teachers properly structure these crisis situations to help their students successfully work through these experiences and open their mind to the many different view points that exist in society.

For this reason some might argue that the “good” students are those who step away from “common sense” and open their mind to acknowledge the different viewpoints on societal issues.  In my eyes discrimination does not have a place in todays society. We are a free nation and people should be able to express their identities freely without any judgement.

The changes that have been made to the physical education curriculum, as well as other subject areas with more recent curriculums, have been designed to accommodate a culturally diverse society of learners. Examples of this can be seen throughout the sections that include: the broad areas of learning, cross-curricular competencies, and the aim and goals of k-12 physical education. Therefore, I believe that this curriculum is best represented by the Ideological frame of literacy.

The current curriculum was designed to focus more on guiding students to develop a better understanding of their own identity as well as work towards becoming more socially respectful and responsible (culturally sensitive).  The new curriculum also stresses the importance of getting students to become more involved in their community and build relationships with people who they interact with on a regular basis. I truly believe that these are crucial steps that need to be taken in order to close the cultural gap that exists in todays society.

Physical education is often included in a list of subjects where advocates are constantly having to prove its importance in the education system. It is important for people to understand that physical education goes much deeper than just developing physical literacies. One could argue that physical education is one of the only classes where students work on developing their communication, conflict management/resolution and relationship skills. Furthermore, the cross-curricular competencies that are included in the new curriculums provide educators with the opportunity to really hit home the big ideas included in the broad areas of learning (building life long learners, building a sense of self and community, and building engaged citizens).