Concepts and Definitions (What)

In June 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada presented a multi-volume final report of its findings regarding the history and legacy of residential schools. The report included 94 Calls to Action (CTAs), which are “actionable policy recommendations meant to aid the healing process in two ways: acknowledging the full, horrifying history of the residential schools system, and creating systems to prevent these abuses from ever happening again in the future.”

• What is your personal experience with Indigenous peoples and cultures, in Canada or other countries?

• What is your understanding of Indigenous ways of knowing?

Rationale and Context (Why)

As Seneca professor Camille Glass notes, we are all treaty people, and responding to the TRC’s calls to action is a shared responsibility. Specifically Calls to Action 62 ii) calls for all levels of government to “Provide the necessary funding to post-secondary institutions to educate teachers on how to integrate Indigenous knowledge and teaching methods into classrooms.”

• Why would integrating truth and reconciliation in your classroom be meaningful for your students?
• Why is it important for students to deepen their understanding of Indigenous ways of knowing?

Integration Approaches for Curriculum & Classroom (How)

Call to Action 63, iii) calls for “Building student capacity for intercultural understanding, empathy, and mutual respect.” In this respect, we can start to build faculty and student capacity through decolonizing curriculum and classrooms.

• How might valuing Indigenous and other knowledge areas promote cultural appreciation and advance reconciliation?
• How can I connect my curriculum/course content to the lived experiences of urban Indigenous peoples?

Resources, References and Community of Practice (Where)

As our commitment to furthering truth and reconciliation, we have gathered some helpful resources to help support your integration journey. One consideration, as your review these resources, is the strong interconnection between Indigenous worldviews, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging principles and Sustainability.

• How can I give away what I have learned to my fellow faculty and students to move towards reconciliation in a good way?