This week in EDUC 394, I learned about Indigenous education through the Beaded Tweets activity and the reading by Noelle Elizabeth Pepin. I enjoyed making the beads, but I also started to think about the meaning of the activity. Making beads gave me a chance to slow down, talk with others, and build relationships. I realized that learning can happen through simple activities when we do them together.

One important idea I learned is that Indigenous culture should not be taught only as a new topic in one lesson or one unit. I think it should be connected to many different areas of learning. For example, students can learn through art, stories, land, relationships, history, and everyday classroom activities. Indigenous education should be something that is part of learning, rather than something that we only talk about at a certain time.

I also read BC Professional Standards for Educators, especially Standard 9. Standard 9 helped me understand that teachers need to learn about Indigenous history, culture, and ways of knowing and being. It also talks about the importance of relationships and connectedness. This connected with the Beaded Tweets activity because I could see that learning was not only about making something. It was also about being together and learning from the experience.

Before this activity, I mostly thought about Indigenous education as learning about Indigenous history and culture. Now I think it is also about how we build relationships and create learning experiences with students. As a future teacher, I want to think about how I can include Indigenous perspectives in different subjects and activities. I do not want students to see Indigenous culture as something separate from their other learning. I want it to be a natural and meaningful part of the classroom.