Willow Road PS students learn from Indigenous community members
November 23, 2020
GUELPH, Ontario – This year, Willow Road Public School was lucky enough to receive funding from two sources to help students engage in work with the local Indigenous community.
One source of the funding was OTF Coding Connections. This grant money was to build on the work of Dr. Ruth Beatty, Brenda Sherry and Peter Skillen to further understand the mathematics inherent in Indigenous technology, design and artistry.
The school also received a grant from the Department of Canadian Heritage through the Celebration and Commemoration Program – History and Legacy of Residential Schools. This money was used to invite local Métis artist, Leslie-Anne Muma, Senator of the Grand River Métis and residential school survivor (Grandin College, Fort Smith, NT and Grollier Hall, Inuvik, NT), to become a “Knowledge Keeper in Residence” at Willow Road PS for the 2020/21 school year.
One of the ways students will learn from Muma is to learn alongside her and Jennifer Parkinson and privilege their voices in the classroom. In teacher Bonnie Sears’ class, as part of this learning they are using the LYNX coding program to help students analyze the structure of Mėtis finger weaving, communicate this structure through code and then use the code to create new and unique weaving designs.
With the funding from these projects, Sears said the primary goal is to honour Muma and to allow students to learn from her knowledge.
Muma said, “I am a Senator with the Grand River Métis Council, so to be able to partner with Bonnie Sears and Willow Road Public School to be able to teach the students and teachers about Loom beading is something I am very proud to be a part of.”
According to Sears, “At Willow Road PS we know that when students see themselves (culture and identity) represented in the classroom space, it makes a difference in their self-esteem and academic trajectory,” which is why it was so important to Sears to continue this Indigenous education even though this year it is through a virtual setting.
This year, with the help of Muma, Willow Road PS has several Indigenous Education projects planned for students, including the Métis finger weaving and coding, a beading club, and a loom beading and math collaboration. There is also the hope of sessions for staff at the school to learn to loom bead.
According to Sears, “When partnering with an Indigenous community member it is essential to respect their time, knowledge and work. I have spent a lot of time with Leslie outside of the school day in conversations about her vision for this project and she is essential in the planning…. We had our first virtual session [earlier this month] and it went very well.”
When reflecting on the work she is doing with Sears’ class, Muma said, “I try to bring fun to the learning table, a chatter of conversation, questions and answers not only from myself but the students and teachers alike….I always like to teach respect for your supplies and others, help those that need assistance and [teach that] you are responsible for your mess…. The first bracelet I share is my design and I talk about the Métis beading and how we are known as the Flower Beadwork People.”
Willow Road PS is really excited about these learning opportunities and we cannot wait to see the outcomes of this learning.
Categories: News Tags: Indigenous Education