Indigenous students come from a variety of backgrounds, and may hold a wide-ranging set of values, cultural norms and beliefs. Educators should familiarize themselves with this history and legacy of residential schools in Canada, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action, specifically those related to education, as well as initiatives on their campus aimed at reducing inequity and supporting the success of all students with Indiginous ancestry.
BCcampus’ Indigenization Guides guidebooks were written in partnership with Indigenous scholars to explore and explain topics related to decolonization, Indigenization and reconciliation. The guides explain and explore topics related to academic administration, curriculum development, student services, and leadership. They are recommended reading for anyone developing a course in order to deepen understanding of the myriad issues facing Indigenous communities and in order to support Indigenous learners in postsecondary environments. The Curriculum Development guide provides examples of a syllabus that has been Indigenized, as well as learning activities and readings to help broaden teachers’ understandings of the meaning of the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
Check out some other resources to broaden opportunities to support Indigenous student success:
Battiste, M. (2013). Decolonizing education: Nourishing the learning spirit. UBC Press.
British Columbia. (2022, January 27). Indigenous education in British Columbia. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/administration/program-management/indigenous-education
First Nations Education Steering Committee, and First Nations Schools Association. (n.d.). Indian residential schools and reconciliation resources. First Nations Education Steering Committee. http://www.fnesc.ca/irsr/ [series of teacher resource guides]
National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. (n.d.). Reconciliation through education. https://nctr.ca/education/
National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. (n.d.). Reports. https://nctr.ca/records/reports/ [Links to various TRC related reports]
Pete, S. (n.d.). 100 ways to Indigenize and decolonize academic programs and courses. University of Regina. https://www.uregina.ca/president/assets/docs/president-docs/indigenization/indigenize-decolonize-university-courses.pdf
Pulling together: A guide for Indigenization of post-secondary institutions; A professional learning series. (2018). BCcampus. https://bccampus.ca/projects/indigenization/indigenization-guides/ (CC BY-NC 4.0). [series of guides with various authors]