Indigenous Education: Land as Text

Overview & Synopsis

We are uniquely shaped by the ontology, axiology, methodology and epistemology to which we are exposed in life. The outdoor classroom provides many opportunities to use the land as text to observe surroundings informally, to learn experientially through various STEAM activities, and to create scenarios for project-based learning. In history, Residential Schools and the mistreatment of Indigenous students in the Western educational system created a stigma toward education for numerous Indigenous people. Teachers needs to invite Indigenous Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and Indigenous resources into the classroom in order to support the paradigm shift to an Indigenized curriculum.