Visual Essay

Learning Task #2

EDUC 530

October 7th, 2022

Michaela Kelly

30154847

University of Calgary
 I was born and raised on Treaty 7 land. It is the only home I have ever known. I have

strong connections to the land and the places on it. I have had the privilege to play, work, love,

laugh, and be free on this land. Over the course of my education degree I have come to know that

not all got to have this same experience on this land. I have grown up in Airdrie, Alberta where

my education was carried out by the Rocky View School board. Looking back at my years of

education I believe what I was taught in regard to Indigenous education was very surface level.

Instead of learning about residential schools, the medicine wheel or sharing circles we built

longhouses and made tipi’s. Due to this I feel like my knowledge of the land I walk everyday

was limited. Through my education degree I have been made aware of its history and am able to

move forward both in my own journey and towards reconciliation.

This course has made me uncomfortable. The conversations, questions and readings have

pushed a wall over that I did not know I had up. I think due to my lack of knowledge in this area

I had accepted my ignorance. I felt that because I did not have a direct relationship with it nor did

it directly impact me, therefore I had no reason to educate myself on it. I realize now that I was

mistaken. I believe that my learning throughout this course has been a rollercoaster. At some

moments I believe I have a good understanding of Indigneous education and how I will present it

in my class, then the next I am lost again. Before entering this course I had very limited

understanding of what Indigenous education was and how to attack the topic. However, through

the course I have been navigating my way to understanding what it is and how I will implement

it in my everyday life, as well as in my classroom. Over the course I have expanded my

understanding through the readings, videos, and group discussions. These things have helped me

find answers to my questions and explore my curiosity.

I chose this photo to represent the feeling of going up and understanding then coming back down
to being exactly where I was. It is a constant cycle of learning.

I believe the witnessing learning task and the reading by Pratt (2014) have impacted me a

lot because it has required me to learn to listen to understand, instead of listening to respond.

They made me aware of how essential storytelling is and the sharing of thoughts and ideas. I

believe that this will be a crucial practice for me when I become a teacher. So often I am hearing

what people are saying and preparing what I will say when they are done. Pratt (2014) shared the

concept of deep listening as a strategy, which is something I have been trying to work on in order

to fully understand the other person and what they are saying before preparing my response. The

implementation of the sharing circles has created space for vulnerability and sharing of stories

that I have never experienced in my life before. Being able to share this experience with others

has brought us closer and given a safe space to expand on this topic.
 I chose this photo to represent a circle. This bowl serves to indicate the sharing circles which
have opened up my eyes to Indigenous ways of knowing, sharing, and storytelling. My group
does our witnessing around our dining room table which is where this bowl sits. It is a reminder
to listen to understand, not to respond.

My view of land has changed over this course as well. I am reminded that the land I am

on is not just mine and my memories alone, but the people who came before me. I find that when

I look at places now I am seeing it through a new lens with ample opportunity for what it was

and what it could be. I am also realizing that everyone’s experiences are different. From

watching the film We Were Children, I was reminded that two people can experience the same

thing and have two different experiences, perspectives and feelings towards it. I think this is

something to remind myself of when presenting Indigenous knowledge and experience in my

classroom. As a teacher I need to remember it affects everyone not just those who are Indigenous

and to give everyone space to have feelings, emotions, and questions. I think it will also be

important for me to connect to Indigneous communities and individuals who know more on the

subject so that I am able to relate the information authentically and accurately.

I chose this photo to represent land that I felt connected to. I need to remember it is not only me
who feels connected to this piece of land. It is able to tell many stories and share many
memories.

I feel like a drop in the ocean. As a teacher and as an individual I am feeling

overwhelmed with the grandiosity of the task to heal and make right. When reflecting on the day

of truth and reconciliation it feels as though it is not enough, which leaves me wondering what

will be enough? Every step I make feels insignificant, even though it is doing some good.

Remembering that the ocean needs thousands of drops to be whole, therefore what I do is

important because the ocean is nothing without me.

I chose this photo to represent the feeling of being a single drop in the ocean. That every step we
take towards reconciliation helps the big picture even if it feels small.

I think my responsibility as an educator is to focus on one thing, so that I don’t get

overwhelmed by all that I could eventually do. This course has influenced how I will bring

indigenous education into my practice. From reading the Simpson (2014) article I would like to

bring in land-based learning into my classroom and transform the land into pedagogy. We can

learn both with the land and from the land as Simpson (2014) states. It is important for students

to connect to the land they are on and the land they came from to understand who they are. I

would like to focus first on bringing in land-based learning into my class authentically before

overwhelming myself with other ways of sharing indigneous knowledge and teachings. I have

realized that building slowly towards something will allow me to do one thing great and then add

on instead of doing it all at once.

I chose this photo to focus on the perspective that I will have as an educator. Instead of seeing
the whole mountain I am able to focus on just one part. This is what I would like to do in my
classrooms as well.
References

Poitras Pratt, Y. & Daniels, L. (2014). M.tis Remembrances of Education: Bridging History with

Memory. In P. Preciado Babb (Ed.). Proceedings of the IDEAS: Rising to Challenge Conference

(pp. 179-187). http://hdl.handle.net/1880/50603

Simpson, L. (2014). Land as pedagogy: Nishnaabeg intelligence and rebellious transformation.

Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society, 3(3), 1-25.

https://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/des/article/view/22170

Wolochatiuk, T. (Director). (2012). We Were Children [Film]. Eagle Vision. https://www-

nfbca.ezproxy.lib.ucalgary.ca/film/we_were_children/