Order Description
Introduction

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and the people of British Columbia held a Reconciliation Week in Vancouver during September (18-21) of 2013. Actually, this Reconciliation Week was occurring at the time of writing this section of the EDUC 100W course. This is such an important part of Canadian history—to pay respect and honour those who suffered in residential schools at the hand of the Canadian government, its churches and people.

Learning Objectives/Outcomes

This section further explores the concepts of curriculum and curriculum studies in Education by:

Developing an awareness of how European colonialism invoked the educational system as a means of “integration” in European society.
Developing an understanding of how aboriginal people around the globe have been broken by the residential school system, imposed through colonial governments and the churches.
Thinking deeply about the healing that needs to take place.

Learning Activities

There are three required readings and three films for this week:

Textbook

Chapter 5: “Using Illustrations in Professional Settings,” in Northey, M., & Bradley, J.G. (2012). Making sense in education: A student’s guide to research and writing. Oxford: Oxford University Press Canada.

Chapter 7: “Writing with Style,” in Northey, M., & Bradley, J.G. (2012). Making sense in education: A student’s guide to research and writing.Oxford: Oxford University Press Canada.

Reading

Black, C. (Ed.). (2010). Schooling the world: The white man’s last burden—A discussion guide and companion to the film (Links to an external site.). Malibu, CA: Lost People Films.

Films/Videos

Schooling the world: The white man’s last burden [Video file]. (2012). Schooling the world: The white man’s last burden.

Please note: This link may take few minutes to load.

Simon Fraser University. (2013, September 17). SFU day for reconciliation (Links to an external site.) [Video file]. Burnaby, BC: Simon Fraser University, Office for Aboriginal Peoples. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8Sy8tJIZgc

Wolochatiuk, T. (Director)., & Irving, K. & Christensen, D. (Producers). (2012). We were children [Video]. Montreal, QC: National Film Board of Canada; Winnipeg, MB: Eagle Vision; Toronto ON: Entertainment One. Retrieved from http://www.nfb.ca/film/we_were_children (Links to an external site.)

Schooling the world: The white man’s last burden

Schooling the World.png

SFU day for reconciliation (Links to an external site.)

We were children

We were children.png

After reading the articles and watching the films, take a break and let these stories and portrayals of the residential school experience in Canada swirl around in your mind.

Assignments
Reflect on the group dynamics in your online discussion group. What have you noticed about the input of the group members and your own developing ideas regarding the discussion topics? Do you find this approach in the class engaging and motivating? Do you feel that the group collaboration results in a more expansive understanding of the topic than what the individual members might achieve independently? How will this online learning experience benefit you personally and professionally? Write a paragraph responding to these questions (500 words max) and submit this to your portfolio.

Commentary

The film, We Were Children premiered during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Week of Reconciliation in Vancouver in September, 2013. A sample press release can be seen at http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/we-were-children-a-healing-journey-for-residential-school-survivors-1.1216765 (Links to an external site.).

“The film We Were Children is a feature-length docudrama that tells the story of residential school survivors Lyna Hart and Glen Anaquod. Their sorrowful stories unfold with deep emotion and impact for the audience: there are times of humour as well as heartbreak, but most of all their tales showcase strength and resilience. The film underlines the vast suffering of the Aboriginal children forcibly removed from their homes and put in the care of those who tried to strip them of their identities and culture.” (CBC News Posted: Oct 19, 2012 11:59 AM ET)

The film Schooling the World: The White Man’s Last Burden made its world debut at the Vancouver Film Festival in May, 2011. A sample press release can be seen at http://schoolingtheworld.org/film/presskit/press-release/ (Links to an external site.).

“Beautifully shot on location in the Buddhist culture of Ladakh in the northern Indian Himalayas, the film weaves the voices of Ladakhi people through a conversation between four carefully chosen original thinkers; anthropologist and ethnobotanist Wade Davis, a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence; Helena Norberg-Hodge and Vandana Shiva, both recipients of the Right Livelihood Award for their work with traditional peoples in India; and Manish Jain, a former architect of education programs with UNESCO, USAID, and the World Bank.” (Excerpt from Discussion Guide)

You’ll see in the Discussion Guide and Companion to the film a reference to another video featuring the ideas of Sir Ken Robinson, making a nice circle to conclude this first third of the course.