felt strongly that they wanted to deepen their knowledge of Indigenous ways of knowing and being. They learned about the spindle whorl from Musqueum elder Shane Pointe and studied the work of artist Susan Pointe. They collected alder branches from local woods and sliced them into rounds in the woodshop. They drilled holes in them so they would resemble spindle whorls; then they created a presentation for students in the school. The girls visited various classrooms — I invited them to speak to my Grade 8 Art class — and gave a visual presentation to teach students about the cul- tural significance of the spindle whorl. Students were then invited to take a spindle whorl, decorate it with some visuals that were significant to their culture, and then return them.
Some spindle whorls decorated by Lord Byng students, Spring 2021 The students came back, collected the spindle whorls,
and then attached them to the woven dress form. They gave a final presentation to Dr. Robinson, Dave Robinson, and a panel of educators to explain their learning journey over the course of the project. Ad:dress is now a permanent installa- tion at our school awaiting future generations who may wish to add to it. The students involved in the Ad:dress project became
involved with the student who curated and installed the Nur- ture show. After both projects had been documented and assessed, we met with the students. Here is what the student curator shared about her experi- ence of working within the LEAF framework:
• By utilizing the LEAF model, my learning was interdisci- plinary and ever-changing. I had the opportunity to work with so many artists, teachers, teacher candidates, and artists in residence that I might never have been able to collaborate with. Additionally, LEAF provided me with time and space to consider my project in a multitude of ways. This has impacted me in many ways, such as my own personal art practice.
• I discovered a lot about myself as a thinker and artist by working within the LEAF framework. My process-ori- ented curatorial work taught me so much about my own relationship with the natural world and the role of the artist in fighting for it.
• LEAF allows students to explore their own interests in an individualistic way. This method of learning facili- tates personal responsibility and growth distinctly from academic growth in a classroom.
Students can articulate the distinction between learning
in a traditional class and learning out in the world within a guiding framework.
Onward In secondary schools, we have a model of separate subjects
A student attaches parts of the Ad:dress sculpture with the guidance of Dr. Jocelyn Robinson.
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and a rigid timetable structure. The real world — the natural world — is not structured this way. It is an inherently over- lapping and intertwined web of knowledges and relation- ships. We need to create spaces in our secondary schools that allow for self-directed, interdisciplinary explorations of our world. Doing so fosters tremendous growth for both teachers and students. New possibilities emerge for bringing
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