As we approach September 30, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the Learning Design & Support Team wants to acknowledge and give thanks for the valuable role that Indigenous faculty, staff, and students play at Fleming and in the wider community. Although this is the first official date, we recognize that this date is precipitated by centuries of systemic legal and social inequality. At the heart of this is a national tragedy and shame that was inflicted upon Indigenous communities at the hands of the Canadian state and society–forced assimilation and the Residential school system.
Fleming is committed to Truth and Reconciliation through reflecting on our past, owning our truth, and inclusion of Indigenous intellectual and cultural traditions in our curriculum and learning approaches. Fleming College has many events and initiatives leading up to the day to commemorate the occasion. You can learn more about Fleming’s commitment to the inclusion of Indigenous perspectives here: Fleming College marks National Day of Truth and Reconciliation
Truth and Reconciliation Events and Programming
Fleming College, Virtual talk by Dr. John Milloy– Monday, Sept. 27 at 3 p.m.
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- An acknowledged expert on Canada’s residential school system, Dr. Milloy will share his experience as the director of research and special adviser for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (2008-2015). As a member of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (1991-1996), Dr. Milloy researched and produced a detailed report, which was later published as a book A National Crime: The Canadian Government and the Residential School System, 1879 to 1986. In collaboration with Student Experience and Indigenous Services, Dr. Milloy will address the Fleming community and be introduced by Fleming President Maureen Adamson, and the event will be hosted by Fleming’s Academic Chair for Indigenous Perspectives Liz Stone. This event is co-presented by Student Experience and Indigenous Student Services. Click here to join this public event on Zoom. Meeting ID: 884 4823 2152 / Passcode: Fleming
Indigenous Student Services at Fleming College – A Time for Reflection, Sept. 30
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- A social media campaign is planned to engage the students and community with various resources and events. The College community is invited to share pictures wearing orange shirts with the tag #MiigwechFleming.
Indigenous Student Services at Fleming – Video Launch, Sept. 30
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- Members of the Fleming community, Indigenous and settlers, come together for a conversation about what the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation means to them. The video will be released on September 30.
National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, Sept. 27 – Oct. 1
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This is a virtual event open to all Canadian schools for youth grades 5 – 12. To celebrate the success of last year’s online event, Every Child Matters, National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation at the University of Manitoba is proud to present a full week of Truth and Reconciliation programming. This is a 5-day national event that will continue the conversations from Every Child Matters. Important conversations including the truths of the Indigenous treaties, First Nation, Métis and Inuit land claims, and the residential schools system. This online event will provide historical workshops, exclusive video content, and activities for students — all supported by artistic and cultural performances by First Nations, Métis, and Inuit artists.
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Indigenous Perspectives: Teaching Supports
Indigenous perspectives share with learners’ aspects of Indigenous people’s knowledge, perspectives, and experiences and our shared history and experience as individuals living in Canada, through their inclusion into the learning content, design, and delivery of a course or program of study.
Indigenous perspectives use Indigenous peoples’ ways of knowing and ways of living in the world that include, among other things, ecological ways of knowing, histories, identities, cultural practices and traditions, languages, community engagement, governance, and community dynamics.
Fleming College’s Indigenous Perspectives and Program Teams are committed to providing high quality and vocationally specific education that draws upon the CiCan Indigenous Education Protocol, the Truth & Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People.
Learning Design and Support
Incorporating Indigenous perspectives into your curriculum begins with critically examining the frame of reference through which traditional curriculum and learning activities have been designed.
Educators must then decide when, where, and how to encourage learners to explore the histories, cultures, languages, contributions, perspectives, experiences and contemporary contexts of First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples while engendering knowledge, understanding and respect.
The Learning Design and Support Website has a variety of resources to support the integration of Indigenous Perspectives into your teaching and learning practice. You can access some of them below.
- The Learning Portal – Welcome to Indigenous Inclusion
- CiCan Indigenous Education Protocol
- Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action
- United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People
- Marie Battiste – Nourishing the Learning Spirit: Living Our Way to New Thinking
- Marie Battiste – Presentation on Perspectives and Pedagogies for Aboriginal Education
- Weaving Ways: Indigenous Ways of Knowing in Classrooms
- First Nations Map
- Native Lands Searchable Map
Another important and new educational tool for faculty and subject-matter-experts that we want to draw attention is the Curriculum Development Handbook and the Curriculum Development Tipsheet. The handbook is a living document designed by Charlene Kloos, Curriculum Development Consultant in the LDS Team. The handbook and tip sheet each provide guidelines on best practices on competency based learning and curriculum alignment mapping. These documents support the integration of and inclusive curriculum development and design, which fits with Fleming College’s approach to accessible education.
Academic Integrity
In expanding supports for Academic Integrity at Fleming, efforts are underway to develop materials to broaden the understanding of academic integrity from a variety of ethical perspectives. Last year, thanks to the work of B.J. Maracle, an Indigenous Learning Strategist at the University of Toronto, library staff modified and shared the “Seven Grandfathers In Academic Integrity<https://fleming.libguides.com/ld.php?content_id=35419200>” to connect academic integrity concepts to the Seven Grandfather teachings.
We are excited to share that Academic Integrity and Copyright Officer, Marcia Steeves, and Faculty, Ann Hines will be working together this year to bring together past experience with restorative practices and existing research in the application of restorative practices within academic integrity to bring forward restorative options for students and faculty. Restorative practices, rooted in Indigenous knowledge and practices, can provide students with the opportunity to openly accept responsibility for their actions and work to repair relationships with those that are harmed by their actions. These practices can also provide participants with experiential learning that will benefit them beyond the classroom. We look forward to sharing more as this project develops over the coming months.
Library Services
Fleming Library provides live chat help, reference appointments, workshops, and self-directed live chat help, reference appointments, workshops, and self-directed online help-guides. Contact us to book a library technologist for an in-class workshop on research skills & strategies using library resources, citations, academic integrity and more.
For Truth and Reconciliation Week, we would also like to highlight the following Library resources:
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- Indigenous Studies Subject Guide to relevant Library resources and important links
- CBC Curio streaming video database
- Faculty Toolkit Indigenous Inclusion hub from The Learning Portal
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Please note that Fleming Library is participating in an Ontario College Libraries working group to address the structural biases and inappropriate language found in the Library of Congress Subject Headings. This initiative addresses The CFLA Truth and Reconciliation Committee Report and Recommendations 5th recommendation for libraries to decolonize access and classification. As this work continues, we have posted a notice in the catalogue of our commitment to update records with appropriate language.
Additional Resources
- Indigenous Perspectives Education Guide
- Kawartha Truth & Reconciliation Support Group, Link
Professional Development Opportunities
Facilitated Ontario Extend Sessions: September 20 – December 11
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- This Fall we are continuing to offer all six Extend modules as FREE English language facilitated courses with optional synchronous and asynchronous check-ins delivered in the Brightspace Learning Management System. Our flexible delivery schedule offers multiple opportunities to engage with the Extend program with no sign-up required to attend any of these facilitated sessions – you can mix and match as you please! You have the option of attending any of the following module focused sessions: View the full schedule and register today
We’d like to hear from you!
The Teaching Hub is a weekly collection of things educators at Fleming College might like to know about, doled out in small chunks, curated by the Learning Design & Support Team.
In the remaining issues of 2021, The Teaching Hub will focus on pedagogical approaches to equity, diversity, and inclusion. We welcome ideas, feedback, and teaching & learning content suggestions here: LDSTeam@flemingcollege.ca
