Education Commons^™

Head, Heart, And Hands: A Relationships First Approach To Indigenizing And Decolonizing Education, Sherra Lee C. Robinson

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Student engagement within District X is at an all-time low. As District X strives for more equitable learning opportunities, they also work to serve the unique and varying needs of students despite the rising physical and mental health concerns, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic that shook students and adults alike, resulting in a global collective trauma and led to the shutdown of schools worldwide in March 2020. These issues are especially prevalent within our most underfunded and underserved populations, such as Indigenous populations. As Canadians, Indigenous relations and calls to adopt Indigenous ways of knowing and being …

We Have Arabic At This School?: The Impact Of Neoliberalism And Orientalism On Arabic Education In The United States, Ella V. Pastore

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This research examines Arabic education in the United States at the undergraduate level, highlighting the question: How do forces such as Orientalism, globalization, and neoliberalism affect the way that the Arabic language is taught and recognized in the United States? The Arabic programs of three highly accredited American universities are presented, in relation to their Japanese programs. While Japanese is a language that faces its own Orientalisms and imperial history with the West, Japan is currently not a country that is prioritized through national security interests, with Arabic being designated as a “Critical Language”. Through examination of the advertisement of …

Building A Culture Of Relevancy And Decolonization In A Community School, Minou Morley

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan is based on a problem of practice at an inner-city school in a medium-sized Ontario city. There is an achievement/opportunity gap between minoritized students and those in the majority, that run along the Regular English/Specialized Program and Early French Immersion Program lines. Minoritized students are overrepresented in the former two programs. When viewed through a decolonizing lens, built on a framework of culturally relevant and responsive leadership, and informed by Indigenous theoretical frameworks it is a problem of social justice and equity. Using Shields conception of transformative leadership, the problem is examined through an asset-based approach …

The Amplification Of “At-Promise” Middle School Student Voice To Foster School Success, Nathan J. Ngieng

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Transformative actions towards the collective vision of the educated citizen have been central to the change efforts of educational leaders in British Columbia. Through a challenge to the status quo, utilizing a critical and post-structuralist lens, this paper charts a path towards revisioning middle school student success nested in listening stances and reflective practices. At the heart of this Problem of Practice is the disengagement and lack of voice that middle school students are experiencing, viewed through the context of a large and diverse suburban school district in the lower mainland of British Columbia. Theories of social learning, adult learning, …

The Ripple Effect: How One Rural School Can Embrace Indigenous Learning On A Journey Towards Truth And Reconciliation, Catherine A. Usher

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

In a K–9 rural school in Alberta, the lack of opportunities for land-based learning and understanding of Indigenous truths, histories, and ways of knowing creates a significant gap in knowledge that is an ethical obligation to address. For the school to engage in social justice and transformation to address this problem of practice, it is crucial to address this gap and work towards decolonization and indigenization. The goal of this Organizational Improvement Plan is to ensure that staff gain a deep awareness and understanding of the historical oppression and marginalization of Indigenous peoples in Canada due to colonization, both historically …

Cultivating Compassion: School Discipline Through A Lens Of Equity, Wellbeing, And Decolonization, Kristi L. Blakeway

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Punitive and exclusionary discipline practices cause harm to elementary aged students weakening their connection to school. Such practices are reactive in nature and fail to understand the needs of students who demonstrate challenging behaviour. This organizational improvement plan provides a framework to reimagine school discipline through a lens of equity, wellbeing, and decolonization. It is an invitation to look under the surface to better understand students who struggle with behaviour in elementary classrooms. The school discussed is a large, suburban public school in British Columbia serving students in kindergarten through to grade seven. A conceptual change model, the transformative wheel, …

Centring Indigenous Worldviews And Perspectives: Deepening The Implementation Of The Curriculum, Perry N. Smith ~ Kꙻ Anilqꙻ A?

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

School districts throughout British Columbia are grappling with indigenizing and decolonizing classroom instructional practices. The redesign of British Columbia’s curriculum has allowed educators to support indigenization and decolonization by including Indigenous curricular learning standards in each subject and every grade. Each district is responsible for ensuring that teachers at all levels implement the Indigenous curricular Learning standards in their classrooms. Implementing curricular learning standards that embed Indigenous knowledge, worldviews, and perspectives is challenging for many teachers. As many teachers do not have the background knowledge or skills to weave Indigenous worldviews and perspectives into the classroom effectively, implementing these new …

The Integration Of Indigenous Knowledge In Education, Andrew Paquin

M.Ed. Literature Reviews

Abstract

This project consisted of a rational, literature review, action plan, and discussion on the topic of Indigenous knowledge integration in education. The literature review consisted of three main sections, decolonization through education, best teaching practices for integration, and how ontological differences shape the integration process. Going into this project I predicted that before proper integration can happen, Western and Indigenous communities have to build authentic relationships that go beyond just recognizing another viewpoint. My literature review consisted of 30 sources involving Indigenous communities from all over the world. The most common recommendation found across all studies was the importance …

No One To Save, And Everything To Learn: Decolonial Possibilities For Global Ngos Facilitating Education In Emergencies, Megan N. Patterson

Master's Theses

The field of Education in Emergencies is an emerging field which aims to offer solutions for the continuation of learning in humanitarian settings, but also navigates dynamics of global development in the pursuit of delivering quality learning and universal learning access. In this study, qualitative content analysis is used to examine the beliefs, values, and motivations of three Education in Emergencies (EiE) programs implemented by NGOs. These were selected to offer insight into programming designed for global, regional, and local implementation, as well as nuanced dynamics of power, agency, and saviorism through seven criteria: (1) Purpose of learning, (2) Instructional …

“Nope. Don’T Like That.” In Search Of Justice And Commitment To Nonmaleficence In Dance/Movement Therapy, Johnee Border

Dance/Movement Therapy Theses

The American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA) and Dance/Movement Therapy Certification Board (DMTCB) have ensured those dance/movement therapists who have been educated, registered, and board-certified share a commitment to equity, justice, and nonmaleficence according to the ADTA and DMTCB’s Code of Ethics and Standards (The Code) (ADTA, 2015). “Nope. Don’t like that,” has been the actual, verbal, expression of the embodied experience of intersectional harm from a lack of assessed, decolonized dance/movement therapy practice and pedagogy. The ADTA, students, educators, and credentialed dance/movement therapists hold an established, ethical responsibility to justice and nonmaleficence, and as such, must demonstrate a commitment to …

Professional Development In Indigenous Education: By Teachers, For Teachers, Devin Green

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Many school boards have been developing Indigenous frameworks and funding Indigenous programming as a response to the 94 “Calls to Action” published by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (2015). The actions of these school boards are a form of reconciliation. Within the Southern Alberta School Board (SASB, a pseudonym), there are strong policies in place that support Indigenous students; these policies ensure the students never have to experience the unfair treatment that past generations did through the residential school system. Teachers in this school board are also supported through professional development programs to improve their practice. However, these …

Critical Latino Studies: Combatting The (Mis)Education Of Latino Students In U.S. Public Schools, Heidi Kern

West Chester University Master’s Theses

In this thesis, I will explore the historical undervaluing and miseducation of Latino youth in U.S. public schools using a lens of decolonial theory to combat the systems of oppression that continue to affect our Latino youth today. First, I explain what experiences brought me to this concern and provide a clear theoretical framework to explain my philosophy of education. I also articulate key concepts from decolonial scholars and educational activists that inform my own work on the educational experiences of Latino students. In Chapter Three, I provide a historical review of how a public school system rooted in colonialism …