02 : 793 (NET)
Dr. Burcu Yaman Ntelioglou
Spring 2023
Graduate Explorations in Education:
Indigenous Language Reclamation and Revitalization
Course Outline
Course Overview
02:793, Graduate Explorations in Education: Indigenous Language Reclamation and Revitalization, was an elective course that I completed in the spring of 2023. Like previous courses, it was delivered via weekly, 3-hour Zoom classes, but over a shorter period of only 5 weeks. The course focused specifically on how to support the revitalization of Indigenous languages through Indigenous writings and perspectives. Two textbooks were required for the course, exploring a wide range of topics about Indigenous language identity (Wyman et al.) and Indigenous experiences across Manitoba over the decades (Sinclair & Cariou). Assignments in the course included a seminar presentation, a reflection journal added to throughout the course, an action project, and a final storytelling photo essay that represented our growth throughout the course.
This course was one that immediately caught my eye when it was announced. Like many educators, I have spent considerable time ensuring that reconciliation becomes a focal point of my classroom teaching. Indigenous perspectives, the relationship between the Canadian government and Indigenous peoples, and the history of residential schools are addressed in my class throughout the year and embedded into all subject areas. However, I wanted to do a better job of integrating Indigenous ways of knowing, practices, and language into my class in a culturally sensitive way. Most importantly, I did not want my inclusion of these ideas to be seen as “tokenism,” but rather meaningful and thoughtful practices that expanded student knowledge and appreciation of Indigenous knowledge. Many of the essays studied in the course textbooks supported my growth in this sense. Not only have I included the use of more Indigenous terms in my everyday teaching, but the course also helped me develop a deeper understanding of what Indigenous languages mean to Indigenous people. As was described by many of the authors we investigated in the course, Indigenous languages describe concepts, ways of knowing, and connections to place and purpose that many western languages do not comprehend. Because of this, when Indigenous peoples lost their languages, they lost a sense of identity more deeply than can be truly understood. This deeper understanding of Indigenous language has helped reshape my exploration of this issue in my classroom and will undoubtedly influence my leadership choices as a school administrator in the future.
Artifact 1
JOINING THE REE-VOLUTION SEMINAR PRESENTATION
The first assignment I have included that is connected to this course was the seminar power point presentation I made to a small group based on one of the essays written in our textbook (Wyman et al.). The essay addressed the loss of language for the Arikara Nation in North Dakota and the challenges the community now faces in reclaiming the loss of language, including the lack of support in the local school system and the central belief that English is the language that will lead to economic opportunities for the community’s youth. Support for their traditional language is languishing, despite the fact that many elders continue to recognize its ability to connect the community to their shared history. Using this essay as the basis for our discussion, I challenged group members to consider how they can bring about local Indigenous language revitalization in their schools. This led to a lengthy 20-minute conversation about our role in this process.
I chose to include this particular assignment because of the questions posed at the end. While many of the essays we read would have worked equally as well for the discussion that our group had following my recap, it was the use of open-ended, coaching-style questions that is most meaningful to me. I realized that the best way to facilitate a discussion on this topic was to ask introspective questions that would support all members of our group in finding ways that they could personally contribute to the revitalization of Indigenous languages in their schools. In many ways, it connected the appreciative leadership style I connected with during Administrative Leadership in Educational Institutions and the learning-focused practices explored in Supervisory Policy and Practice with what I was learning about related to Indigenous languages and reconciliation. As I have continued this education journey, it has been rewarding to see how the knowledge I have accumulated throughout various courses has impacted my learning and contributions in other classes.
Artifact 2
JOURNEY TO UNDERSTANDING: A PHOTO ESSAY EXPLORATION OF INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE REVITALIZATION
This was one of the more creative assignments of my graduate program. In place of a final paper, we were asked to craft a photo essay that explored our growth on the topic of Indigenous language reclamation and revitalization as we moved through our readings and class discussions. My photo essay tells the story of my learning throughout this course, while using 7 photos I have taken over the years to symbolically represent an idea that sparked a change in my thinking as the course progressed. Some of the key ideas I included were the representation of a language stripped away, the reimagining of Indigenous language by youth today, how Indigenous language can support one’s sense of self, and the need for ongoing growth and understanding.
I am particularly proud of this photo essay because of the creative direction I was able to take with it. While I have always understood the merit of writing academic papers and exploring a topic through scholarly contributions, I appreciated the opportunity to be more introspective with this assignment. I am also someone who loves photography. The chance to attach some of my favourite photos to concrete moments of growth in a course that was quite different from others I have taken was refreshing. (On a side note, one of the photos was recycled for the “conclusion” page of this portfolio.) This assignment, and indeed this course, encouraged me to look at a very different side of education. I was able to focus on an elective topic that I feel passionately about in a meaningful way. Not only has the learning demonstrated in this photo essay influenced how I address issues of Indigenous ways of knowing and reconciliation in my classroom, but it will have a profound impact on my work as a school leader. As an example, it has already influenced one of our school goals related to reconciliation when I shared what I had learned in our school’s program leaders meeting.
