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On May 13, a research collaboration – supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) – will wrap its study by sharing insights with Indigenous Elders and community members before presenting a hybrid lecture with the wider educational community.

The research study is a collaboration between researchers from OISE, the University of Manitoba, Lakehead University, and Simon Fraser University. The study, entitled “Indigenous Student Experiences Post TRC: Indigenous Requirement Courses (IRC) in Teacher Education,” is supported by an Insight Development Grant from SSHRC and is grounded in Indigenous pedagogies and methodologies.

Jennifer Brant, Assistant Professor in OISE’s department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning, is a principal investigator for the SSHRC study. Dr. Frank Deer, Associate Dean Indigenous Education at University of Manitoba, serves as co-lead and they worked with Dr. Jeannie Kerr from Simon Fraser University and Dr. Leisa Desmoulins from Lakehead University.

The Hybrid Public Lecture, hosted by the University of Manitoba, will follow the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Education annual Indigenous Student Awards ceremony. The event will bring thoughtful discussion about the pedagogical possibilities of Indigenous requirement courses in Teacher Education.  

As part of Dr. Brant’s commitment to ethical relationality in research with Indigenous participants, the event includes a closed circle with Elders and invited community members the afternoon of May 13 and then a hybrid lecture to share their work with Indigenous and academic community members. The event will end with comments shared by Grandmother Shirley before moving into a moderated panel and Q&A facilitated by Dr. Melanie Janzen, Associate Dean, Graduate Programs and Research.

A collaboration with community, in community

The project investigated the pedagogical implications and possibilities of IRCs as an effective response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s (TRC) Calls to Action and commitments to Indigenization.

Dr. Brant was inspired to create this project by her own in-classroom teaching experiences. “It goes back to my first-year teaching Indigenous literature courses as a doc student,” she says, taking into account her experiences at OISE but also her time as faculty at the University of Manitoba and a doctoral student at Brock University. While some of those experiences include facing anti-Indigenous racism, her work focuses on Indigenous resurgence and community narratives of strength. Dr. Brant is also interested in inviting teacher candidates to engage on powerful reconciliatory journeys.

A central question about the project was “How do we articulate a vision of Indigenous cultural safety and ethical space?” says Brant. Data was collected through sharing circles that included traditional openings with an Elder, offering a safe space for students to share their experiences.

The study also invited community members and numerous faculties of education for input. In these circles, they first talked about the history of the IRCs – those created following the recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s report. The circles documented a vision of ethical space and cultural safety for Indigenous students and instructors. And then they articulated a vision for promising practices – including insights for curricular mapping – which could be applied to other courses and practicums and have implications for K-12 educators and even higher education.

“I think one of the strongest pieces was that the lessons settler teacher candidates learned in the Indigenous focused courses need to be threaded throughout all courses in teacher education programs,” said Dr. Brant. “By threading Indigenous content throughout teacher education courses, teacher candidates will feel better prepared to teach content in courses.” .

This coming event will explore the topic of IRCs generally and the findings of the study specifically. Overall, the research team calls upon faculties of education to foster Indigenous cultural safety and align with the ethical imperatives of reconciliatory education.

It is work that will translate, and to have community together for this step in the study is crucial to its efficacy and success. “It's so important to bring the Elders who participated back together and have them part of that knowledge sharing process,” said Dr. Brant. “That's an important piece of Indigenous research methodology – that it's reciprocal, that we're, ethically, engaging in relational ways with Indigenous community.”

Dr. Brant has previously lectured at UManitoba. Please see below for her 2022 talk, entitled “Indigenous Maternal Methodologies Ethical and Relational Responsibilities.”