would become the framework for our program design. These are empowerment and leadership capacity building, con- nection to the natural environment, action projects based on student-led inquiry, and Indigenous philosophy. We kept returning to the First People’s Principles of Learning1 because Indigenous pedagogical frameworks are holistic in nature, taking all aspects of personhood into account and referencing an innate value of the land. We could see a clear connection between the First People’s Principles and our own values as outdoor educators. We started to explore these four pillars and managed to articulate a pedagogical framework we call LEAF. There are four pillars on which the LEAF program is based: • Leadership and personal growth/development • Environmental education • Action projects based in the local community • First People’s Principles of Learning
LEAF Goals:
1. Leadership and personal growth/development • Support the development of leadership skills through self-discovery as well as action projects;
• Empower students to become active participants through inquiry-based learning;
• Enhance the school experience to focus on personal growth and development in order to facilitate curiosity, life-long learning, higher education, and valuable work experience.
2. Environmental education • Increase student and teacher wellness by spending time outdoors;
• Deepen student connection to self, others, the local com- munity, and the natural world;
• Enhance the value that students place on natural environments;
• Connect classroom concepts to the natural world.
3. Action projects based in the local community • Empower students to take action in their homes, their schools, and their communities to address issues of concern;
• Create Capstone projects that deepen learning through the inquiry process and community connection; create authentic change in the world.
4. First People’s Principles of Learning, Indigenous knowledge, and varied perspectives The First People’s Principles of Learning invite us to
reassess how we teach at a philosophical level. Public educa- tion is a social institution through which we weave cultural norms and values. By exploring Indigenous knowledge and reframing teaching and learning, we can broaden our paradigms. There are many ways of teaching, learning, and acquiring skills or knowledge. There are many ways of expressing and sharing knowledge. Historical models no longer fit our changing social landscape. There are many voices and perspectives missing. It will take us a long time to retell these stories from the points of view that have been historically minimized, marginalized, or missed altogether.
We still had to face the barriers to environmental edu-
cation and to implementation of this programming. We decided that we would create a LEAF Certificate that stu- dents could select to work toward through an interdisciplin- ary project that meets criteria related to each of the four pil- lars of the LEAF framework. The Capstone project was just being discussed but had not been implemented at our school yet. This is a British Columbia Ministry of Education course that is required for graduation in our province. It requires the completion of a self-directed Capstone project that links student interest with post-graduation plans and career goals. We created a LEAF Project option for Capstone 12. Stu-
dents select to complete their project work according to pre- set criteria. The teachers who have been assigned Capstone blocks have knowledge of the LEAF framework and are very familiar with the First People’s Principles of Learning. Students are expected to know these principles and be able to articulate how their project links back to that Indigenous framework. They work with a Capstone teacher and a men- tor to complete their project. The certificate program is simple in structure. It creates
a space within our school community where LEAF work can occur without the need to create new electives, cohorts, or restrictions to the timetable. This model also encourages students to pursue project work on ecological and social justice topics, while providing them with multiple lenses through which to view their learning. Teachers do not have to plan and develop whole new courses — only to be ready to assist students with questions about the LEAF criteria or their project work. Students select to work within the LEAF framework, and staff select to learn about the LEAF frame- work. This has led to rich emergent learning experiences for both teachers and students within our school.
LEAF for teachers Many teachers at Lord Byng Secondary did not have any
training in outdoor and environmental education. Many more felt deeply unsettled by the discussions around incor- porating Indigenous voices and perspectives into their class- room work. Again, they were unfamiliar and felt they did not have the background knowledge or training to approach Indigenous issues and history effectively. At workshops about incorporating Indigenous ways of knowing and being, there were teachers who were uncomfortable and resistant, while questioning the relevance of this shift. I was surprised by these responses at first but came to understand that the root of the discomfort and unwillingness was unfamiliarity. When the First People’s Principles of Learning were
written by the First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC) and gifted to educators in British Columbia, they reflected much of my personal philosophy about education back to me. I felt that I could strongly relate to the values expressed within these principles — finally, a set of guid- ing principles that invited me to consider the land, my com- munity, even spirit, as part of my teaching. I was interested in the way these principles might be applied directly by traditionally trained teachers of settler, or non-Indigenous, origins. How would they interpret these? Would they reso- nate broadly with teachers from a variety of cultural back- grounds? How might we implement them, or apply them in our pedagogy, our classrooms, ourselves? They certainly
Green Teacher 131 Page 39
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
