The CTL is proud to announce that nine proposals for the Nanadagikenim - Seek to Know Grant have been approved for funding. The grant was established based on the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC). The TRC identify responsibilities for those at all levels of government, along with those allies who can effect change in specific sectors. In keeping with these responsibilities leaders of Canadian universities committed to a set of principles developed in close consultation with Indigenous communities. Click on "abstract" to read more about the proposals:
Sense of place & exploring perspectives: The role of art in growing the traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and the environment field course experience
Catherine Febria, Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research; Jennifer Willet, School of Creative Arts; and Clint Jacobs, TEK Course Instructor.
Abstract
The land has so much to teach us, if we are open to listening and weaving our knowledges. Our team for the Nanadagikenim grant proposal consists of the co-instructors and co-creators of the 2019 June Special topics course ‘Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and the Environment’ field course. Initially designed with faculty from science backgrounds, upon reflection we are seeking to grow the course to incorporate art perspectives with the addition of Dr. Jennifer Willet from the School of Creative Arts. The course presented varied ways of knowing Place, Nature, the Land, and the Water in the Great Lakes basin of Bkejwanong including Indigenous pedagogies, science field methods and real research. Currently the course is presented by Integrative Biology, School of the Environment and the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research (GLIER) but it became clear that our main forms of expression and evaluation were expressed though varied art forms. We wish to use this grant to further develop the course into a full credit 2-week offering, that includes Art as an explicit module within the course and inclusion of teaching by the School of Creative Arts. The addition of the artist’s perspective - questioning how we see our world and space - will bring our course into balance, and strengthen the weaving of knowledge systems that the course is intended to foster.
Increasing awareness of Indigenous approaches to psychological research
Catherine Kwantes and Onawa Labelle, Department of Psychology
Abstract
The focus of this grant would be to develop a teaching module that provides some initial exposure to Indigenous research methodologies for both graduate and undergraduate students in Psychology. The module would introduce students to ideas and resources that they can use to make a connection between Indigenous ways of knowing and current Psychological research methods, as well as providing resources for learning more about Indigenous methodologies.
Indigenizing curricula and services in the Faculty of Human Kinetics
Victoria Paraschak, Patricia Millar, and Krista Loughead, Department of Kinesiology; and Sandra Ondracka, Athletics and Recreational Services
Abstract
In this project, we continue to work toward TRC calls to action that direct Canadians to know more about the history of Indigenous sportspeople (#87), to broaden physical activity opportunities to better suit Indigenous interests (#89) and to train coaches and administrators to better service the needs of Indigenous participants (#90). Following the successful hosting of two ACM workshops in the fall of 2019, we aspire to incorporate this Indigenous-generated and instructed material, which is related to our field of study, into our curriculum in a manner that ensures all HK students are aware of this information and become certified in the ACM coaching module while in our undergraduate program. We also are committed to holding an education week on Indigenous sport yearly, tied to the September 30th Orange Shirt Day, which includes bringing in an Indigenous speaker and with their permission, taping the talk for future use in classes/class assignments. Our Department of Athletics and Recreation Services is also committed to further educating their members about the effective servicing of Indigenous intercollegiate athletes and recreation participants, by providing training opportunities in the ACM workshop materials and in holding annual meetings with the Native Student Alliance to receive their feedback on campus recreation services. Finally, we invited Board of Education members to our fall ACM workshops and plan to work with them to further enhance knowledge about Indigenous sport in the grade and high school systems in Windsor Essex, in keeping with Calls to Action #62 and #63.
Indigenization of cancer education
Lisa Porter and Dora Cavallo-Medved, Department of Health & Biomedical Sciences; Heather Krohn, Faculty of Nursing; and Audrey Logan, Windsor Regional Hospital
Abstract
Statistics show that cancer mortality rates are higher in Indigenous people than any other ethnic group in Ontario. This is in part due to barriers preventing proper cancer screening that would detect disease earlier and also due to access and participation in cutting edge medical treatments. We need to do a better job as a community to understand these barriers and to provide solutions to overcome this. Future progress in this area requires the next generation of health care professionals to understand the issues surrounding these statistics. At the University of Windsor we have a Cancer Undergraduate Research and Education course focused on understanding cancer, where cancer research is at and the gaps and barriers in knowledge. This course also trains students to communicate with the lay public and provides this experiential learning experience. Currently the course lacks substantial discussion about the role that ethnicity plays in cancer outcomes. Including units to understand the unique barriers that Indigenous people face would be such a valuable addition to this course and the students learning outcomes.
Navigating images in Indigenous art, visual culture and media studies
Lee Rodney, Karen Engle, Michael Darroch, Nick Hector, and Catherine Heard, School of Creative Arts
Abstract
A conversation across programs in Visual Arts, Film and Media to help faculty and students respond to the calls of the TRC by providing comparative research of leading programs in arts and media at other Universities that have prioritized conversations around Indigenous history, perspectives and ongoing issues of Indigenous visual representation (OCADU, Carleton University). We hope to establish ongoing and formal connections with two alumni of the University of Windsor’s Master of Fine Arts program, Julie Tucker (Lunaapeewi from the Munsee Delaware First Nation) and Director Arts Council Windsor Region and Susan Blight (Anishinaabe from Couchiching First Nation), Assistant Professor of the Indigenous Visual Cultures Program at OCAD University in Toronto. Their participation and collaboration within the research project will be essential to provide guidance to faculty and mentorship to our current Indigenous students and to help establish a better presence of professional practice in Indigenous art and visual culture within the School of Creative Arts. Additionally, we hope to connect courses in the School of Creative Arts with ongoing discussions of First Nations, Métis, and Indigenous culture in the Faculty of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences more broadly.
Pathways for Indigenous students from secondary to Odette's BComm programs - Consultation and transformation
Maureen Sterling, Russell Evans, Mohammed Baki, and Kerry-Ann Gray, Odette School Of Business; and Kathryn Pasquach, Aboriginal Education Centre - Turtle Island
Abstract
The immediate goal is to engage respectfully with local Elders, Indigenous students, their guardians and educators to establish appropriate structures and processes that will eliminate all barriers to Indigenous students' access to and success in the Odette School of Business (OSB) courses and programs. People working in fully autonomous Indigenous education systems in Ontario, including Windsor-Essex, may be willing to work with OSB to identify and implement the changes which will best benefit Indigenous students by providing academic and non-academic pathways to successfully pursue post-secondary credentials at OSB. Regionally in Ontario, post secondary institutions accredited by Indigenous Advanced Education and Skills Council (IAESC) based on the 24 standards of the World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium (WINHEC) are potential collaborators. The proposal includes collaboration with non-Indigenous post-secondary school boards through the Martin Family Initiative (MFI) to accommodate and serve Indigenous students. There is no MFI in Windsor-Essex, Initial contact with the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada (CPAC) to establish programs which integrate OSB in an innovative educational alliance will provide resources and performance measures to sustain the alliance. The longer term structures provided by WINHEC and MFI enable ongoing accountability through formal assessment and are scaleable to other AAU at UWindsor provided they meet the criteria of the IAESC and MFI. The body of the proposal provides detail on the level of institutional as well as AAU to mobilize changes in educational content, teaching and outcomes, as a means of reconciliation.
Nanadagikenim: Incorporating Indigenous ways of knowing (IWK) and pedagogy into the postsecondary learning environment
Cynthia Stirbys, School of Social Work; and Lindsey Jaber, Faculty of Education
Abstract
The proposed study is a pilot project that will be delivered and evaluated within the SWRK 3390: Theory and Practice of Social Work with Communities and Organizations course. The study is a quasi-experimental design based on a two-eyed seeing approach: Students will complete a pre- and post-evaluation survey measuring student satisfaction; Students will additionally complete a post-evaluation qualitative self-reflection based on the traditional medicine wheel. The delivery of the course content and physical space of the classroom will be set up to reflect Indigenous values of interpersonal connection, collaboration and interdependence. In support of fostering Indigenous Ways of Knowing, an Elder/Knowledge Holder will provide consultation and collaboration regarding the overall design of the curriculum, as well as providing opening and closing ceremonies.
Gikinoo'amaadiwag (They teach each other) - Cross-Cultural Instructional Skills Workshop (GCCISW)
Lorna (Lorie) Stolarchuk, Centre for Teaching and Learning; Jennifer Soutter, Leddy Library, Jacqueline Stagner, Faculty of Engineering; and Jen Ward, University of Alberta
Abstract
By incorporating traditional conversations and perspectives from Aboriginal Elders and Traditional Knowledge Keepers, or community members, with ways of knowing and place-based learning, workshop organizers will harvest the best parts of a multi-day workshop called the Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW) and combine it with local Indigenous contributions to form a new sustainable model based on local communities and needs. The intention is to host these workshops within local communities such as Bkejwanong/Walpole Island First Nation, Caldwell First Nation, Chippewa of the Thames First Nation, Delaware Nation at Moraviantown, Oneida Nation of The Thames, or Muncey Delaware Nation. The workshop incorporates traditional approaches such as storytelling, holistic learning, cultural learning (e.g. worldviews), modelling, interdisciplinary approaches and talking circles (LearnAlberta.ca, 2011; Tanaka et al, 2007, 101) woven throughout ISW traditional practices. The ISW uses an intensive experiential learning approach built on trust and relationships that form throughout the training. This new blended workshop provides opportunities to facilitate fostering intercultural engagement among Indigenous and non-Indigenous community members with goals of improving and developing informed teaching practices. Further, this proposal is directly responding to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) Calls to Action #62-ii on integrating “Indigenous knowledge and teaching methods into classrooms”. The new model contains learning about the truth and history of the local community and seeks to find ways to help share and celebrate their cultures and Indigenous Knowledge systems while giving university instructors micro-teaching development opportunities for their teaching practice.
The Indigenous Legal Orders Institute Indigenous Summer Pre-law Program
Valarie Waboose, Beverly Jacobs, Sylvia McAdams, and Anneke Smit, Faculty of Law; and Elder Myrna Kicknosway
Abstract
The Indigenous Legal Orders Institute (“ILOI”) Indigenous Summer Pre-law Program is a summer course to be offered to incoming Indigenous law students that provides an in-depth understanding of the distinct realms of Canadian property law and Indigenous legal orders. The Indigenous Summer Pre-law Program will become available to any Indigenous student that has been accepted into law school across Canada, not just those students accepted at Windsor Law. The program will take place in the summer prior to student's first year of study where course participants will have the opportunity to learn about the distinctiveness and critical impact of Indigenous Legal Orders and first year property law. Upon completion, this course will replace the mandatory first year property law requirement, thus alleviating the Indigenous students first-year workload, minimizing the cultural shock that can occur and setting them up for a successful first year having developed foundational skills for studying law.
