Carleton students and faculty members can now access two new Collaborative Indigenous Learning Bundles that share Indigenous ways of knowing on the topics of Indigenous sciences and engaging with land and water.
Led by Associate Vice-President (Indigenous Teaching, Learning and Research) Kahente Horn-Miller, the Collaborative Indigenous Learning Bundles are produced and delivered by Indigenous experts. Constructed as Brightspace modules, the Bundles can be incorporated into any course as a way of fostering an understanding of Indigenous history and politics within a Canadian context and prompting students to consider how this knowledge might be applied to their area of study.
Designed as both a resource for instructors and learning tool for students to use in the classroom, the format of the Bundles provides access to Indigenous teachings while respecting the time and expertise of Indigenous experts without overburdening them. To date, the Collaborative Indigenous Learning Bundles have been used in more than 70 courses.
Most Bundles include a lesson from an Indigenous expert, followed by an audio or video interview with an Indigenous Knowledge Keeper. Each Bundle, produced and delivered by Indigenous experts, is formatted as a Brightspace lesson and addresses issues and topics relevant to Indigenous Peoples.
The two new Bundles were developed in a collaborative effort by the Office of the Associate Vice-President (Indigenous Teaching, Learning and Research), the Centre for Indigenous Support and Community Engagement, the Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies, the Office of Quality Initiatives, and Teaching and Learning Services.
The Indigenous Sciences - Shifting the Paradigm in Western Science Bundle emphasizes the significance of Indigenous science and traditional knowledge in shaping our understanding of the world. It encourages critical thinking, self-awareness and flexibility in scientific perspectives. The insights shared within are valuable for students aspiring to lead or contribute to the scientific community.
“Indigenous Peoples have been doing science for millennia. The relevance of our knowledge to the Western world and its conceptions of what constitutes science has been ignored,” said Horn-Miller.
“This Bundle brings together two ways of understanding science and puts them in dialogue with each other presenting students with an understanding that there is such a thing as Indigenous science and that western science doesn’t have all the answers.”
The Our Original Instructions: Engaging with Lands and Waters Bundle explores Indigenous Peoples' relationships with lands and waters, discussing terminology and protection efforts from Indigenous worldviews. It includes a historical case study and examines the impact of Indigenous economies.
“As we are faced with the impacts of climate change, Indigenous Peoples are increasingly asked to share in our understanding about the natural world. This Bundle provides the necessary foundation for understanding how important Our Mother, the Earth is to live in balance with all things,” explained Horn-Miller.
“This is one of the most important teachings we can share with our students so that they can benefit from learning about another way of seeing the world.”
Faculty have found the Bundles transformative enabling them to engage students in meaningful conversations.
“Having tools that allow me to learn alongside my students, be vulnerable with them, model and validate the importance of multiple knowledge systems and disrupt supposed "universal"/"objective" authority structures has been exciting,” said Prof. Rebecca Dolgoy (Interdisciplinary Studies).
“It also gives us a chance to discuss what it means to be here - to think a bit about situatedness in Algonquin territory and what this means for our work and our daily lives.”
For more information on integrating any of the 16 Collaborative Indigenous Learning Bundles into your classrooms, visit Teaching and Learning Services.