Beyond Reconciliation in English Language Arts responds to the critical need for teacher preparedness to support ethical engagement with Indigenous literatures in secondary level English Language Arts (ELA) courses, comprised of outreach activities via speaker series and knowledge mobilization event in the form of workshops (Enlivening Indigenous Literatures). The project aligns with the desire of Indigenous authors to have their stories shared in mainstream classrooms and the need to support teachers with professional development related to Indigenous literatures. Educators hold an integral role when it comes to advancing reconciliation and Indigenous literatures can serve as valuable tools toward meaningful engagement with truth and reconciliation, but educators must work with and through these stories in ways that are reconciliatory by pairing them with lessons that attend to the truths of Indigenous-settler relations. Texts must be accompanied with lessons that foster transformative learning, so our speaker series offers an invaluable opportunity to reach a wide audience of educators to engage them in learning from Indigenous authors who want their texts read in schools. Teachers will learn firsthand from authors about the intentions of their writing, the meaning behind the stories, and the lessons that extend beyond classrooms and into communities.
Outcomes
The project has supported Reconciliation Education in the following way:
- Developing, curating, and sharing promising practices to support teachers in introducing Indigenous literatures across English Language Arts (ELA)
- Promoting Indigenous cultural integrity by equipping ELA teachers with key lessons about effectively engaging with Indigenous literature
- Advancing Indigenous frameworks by bringing together prominent Indigenous authors and academic moderators to engage in dialogue with ELA teacher
- Building an Indigenous Literature Lab that fosters relationships among the teaching profession, Indigenous authors, and Indigenous community members to support knowledge transfer and prepare teachers to effectively engage with Indigenous literatures in ways that support Indigenous cultural safety and student success