The Principles are as follows:

Learning ultimately supports the well-being of the self, the family, the community, the land, the spirits, and the ancestors.

When addressing Principle 1 “Learning ultimately supports the well-being of the self, the family, the community, the land, the spirits, and the ancestors”, I recognize that we “owe our lives” (Chrona, 2022, p. 124) to our ancestors, and we belong to our land. It is an adaptive and valid perspective that holds true from the past to the present. This principle resonates with me as I grew up in a culture sharing similar values. I believe that my life, culture, and knowledge belong to my ancestors. I have parts of my ancestors in my body and soul. Their spirits have always been living with me and taking care of me. I need to learn and live to honor my ancestors, making them proud. Also, I need to create meanings and values for future generations to carry on. I found Chrona’s explanation of the principles of Indigenous pedagogy extremely comprehensive and powerful. These principles make me feel connected with Indigenous pedagogy. I know that I will receive the essential support and guidance from Indigenous cultures and pedagogy to continue my learning and teaching journey.

Learning is holistic, reflexive, reflective, experiential, and relational (focused on connectedness, on reciprocal relationships, and a sense of place).

The key idea that I absorbed from this principle is the sense of interconnectedness and reciprocity that underlie Indigenous cultures, knowledge, and pedagogy. Interconnectedness can be conveyed through the connection and relationship among all aspects of our life including self, others, land, and place. It can be viewed through the holistic and integrative nature of a person including physical, mental, social, emotional, and spiritual aspects. It can be demonstrated by the connection of our heart and mind and the relationship among us, our ancestors, and our succeeding generations. We can affect ourselves, others, and land intentionally or unintentionally in positive or negative ways. Jo Chrona considers “the inherent interconnectedness of everything” as “one of the foundations of Indigenous knowledge systems” (Chrona, 2022, p. 153).

Learning involves recognizing the consequences of one‘s actions.

This principle reminds us about the importance of understanding how our choices and behaviors affect ourselves, others, and our communities. In Indigenous worldview, interconnectedness and responsibility are fundamental as everyone is part of a community. Our actions can affect people around us, the environment, and the community. Acknowledging the consequences of actions helps us understand and be responsible for the outcomes of our actions. This also reminds us to take responsibility in building a strong community. In addition, this principle encourages us to learn from mistakes, being countable, and moving forward.

During my second practicum in a Kindergarten class at Suwilaawks Community School, we learned about community where everyone contributes to it as a community helper. The students showed a great understanding of their actions at school. They understood that they could create a friendly school community if they welcome everyone to their school no matter who they are. They recognized the importance of helping each other and being kind to build a strong community. I believe that this principle needs be cultivated at an early age to develop a sense of responsibility and interconnectedness in students or our future citizens.

Learning involves generational roles and responsibilities.

Community-based education is the fundamental responsibility and requirement to Indigenous peoples. This principle highlights that knowledge needs to be passed from one generation to the next, contributing to continuity of culture, traditions, and wisdom. In education, elders play a central role as they are knowledge keepers and teachers. They can bring stories, practices, and values to younger generations. Young individuals’ responsibilities are to learn, respect, and share knowledge with their future generations.

I believe that the job of creating an education system that honors and reflects Indigenous knowledge, cultures, and perspectives as well bringing equality to First Nations students are laid in our hands, the future teachers who could transform teaching practice. Learning and integration of Indigenous cultures, knowledge, and pedagogy in teaching and education will be our mission from generation to generation. We must act with responsibility. Given the generous support from Indigenous Elders and communities in combination with following First Peoples Principles of Learning, we can start and work collaboratively toward our common goals.

Learning recognizes the role of Indigenous knowledge.

Another important note that is highlighted in Chapter 5 is the idea of becoming lifelong learners for educators. When teachers are “willing to be learners first” (Chrona, 2022, p. 153), they could have a better understanding of Indigenous Peoples, cultures, histories, and communities. This eventually guarantees that teachers will not oversimplify or misrepresent Indigenous cultures and knowledge in their practice. In the book Knowing Home: Braiding Indigenous Science with Western Science, Snively and Williams emphasize “the responsibility to deal respectfully with the knowledge and wisdom of Indigenous peoples” placed on the school system and education teacher programs (p. 27). Similarly, Jo Chrona notes that Indigenous cultures, knowledge, and pedagogy are not commercial products to be consumed by non-Indigenous peoples. They must be reflected and honored in our education system and society. Teachers need to accept their ignorance of this aspect, start a learning journey along with their students. I suggest that sometimes learning can begin right from our Indigenous students. Recognizing our shortcomings is a wise start, indicating that there is room for improvement and changes.

Given the awareness of Indigenous perspectives and knowledges, teachers can infuse them into classrooms respectfully to benefit both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, creating a culturally responsive teaching and education system. This idea was represented as a “contract” that teachers need to sign and follow with their high commitment (Kotowich-Laval, Oct 19, 2023). As Principle 4 states that “Learning involves generational roles and responsibilities”, I think that learning and integration of Indigenous cultures, knowledge, and pedagogy in teaching and education will be our mission from generation to generation. We must act with responsibility. We also have our voice to make changes and to bring Indigenous pedagogical values to all students.

Learning is embedded in memory, history, and story.

Indigenous education highlights the significant involvement of memory, history, and story in teaching children. It is crucial to realize that narratives, and shared understandings and history of individuals and communities contain educational content. Learning is not just simply remembering and repeating collection of facts.

Teachers can bring history to help learners see the connections between past and present. This can enhance their understanding of societal and cultural systems. For instance, studying the history of an Indigenous community’s relationship with the land or the history of residential schools in Canada can provide insight into current matters like its ongoing impact on Indigenous communities.

Oral tradition, especially storytelling, is central to many First Nations cultures. Teachers can incorporate memory, history, and story into their teaching through historical narratives or primary sources that allow students to explore the origins of concepts. Students are also encouraged to share personal experiences/stories related to the topic. Additionally, educators can incorporate cultures as well as teaching First Nations languages by using stories. I, personally, will attempt to bring more knowledge keepers and Elders into my future classes to help students learn about Indigenous stories and history.

Learning involves patience and time.

Principle 7 emphasizes that teachers need to understand the significance of patience and time in students’ learning. Each learner has a unique perspective and different life experience, which can help or hinder his/her learning. Likewise, learners have preferred styles and methods for interactions that affect their motivation and learning. Different students might have different needs that will influence how teachers deliver their lessons. Differentiation means tailoring instruction to meet individual needs. Whether teachers differentiate content, process, products, or the learning environment, the use of ongoing assessment and flexible grouping makes this a successful approach to instruction to facilitate students’ needs.

Students will need different amounts of time and effort to achieve learning contents. I have worked with kindergarten students on how to write capital and lowercase letters. Some easily grabbed the writing techniques through my demonstration and could finish their worksheets by themselves. Some required me to show the writing steps again to be able to perform it. A couple of students needed me to support one-to-one and give extra scaffolding like writing by highlighters for them to trace it. This experience from my practicum helped me realize that students could have different development paths, requiring me to be patient and empathy to support them master their learning and skills.

Learning requires exploration of one‘s identity.

When students come to school, they not only acquire knowledge or skills but also develop their understanding about themselves. This principle points out that learning at school is not just about absorbing information. More importantly, learning can also help students understand who they are and how they relate to the world. The experiences and perspectives that students share at school can shape their understanding and influence how they grow as individuals.

I did a Writing/Art project with Grade 2 in my second practicum. They listed all the things that they wanted to be/have/see/go before they turned 100 years old, explained why they wanted them, and decorated with cotton balls. I told them that they could show it to their parents at the conference meeting. The students were excited to share about their wish lists. They felt motivated to showcase their ideas and decoration to their parents. As they answered the questions about their wishes before they turned 100 years old, they had a chance to explore who they wanted to be in the future. The activity also allowed them to develop their critical thinking skills by asking themselves where they wanted to go/have/see in their future life and explain why they wanted that. In this case, learning becomes meaningful since it connects to the learner’s personal experiences or aspirations. Also, the process of understanding and exploring their identity can help them find relevance and motivation in learning.

Learning involves recognizing that some knowledge is sacred and only shared with permission and/or in certain situations.

Learning can involve sacred knowledge meaning information, practices, or traditions that hold spiritual, cultural, or ceremonial significance for an indigenous community or group. This kind of knowledge needs to be protected and passed down from generation to generation through specific protocols.

This principle ensures that we, teachers and students, understand that we need to respect that knowledge. Also, we are aware that access to sacred knowledge requires permission from elders, knowledge keepers, or designated community members. Certain stories, ceremonies or traditions can only be shared when knowledge keepers and elders grant their permission. We, additionally, need to respect their knowledge and decision when it comes to asking to share.

During my course EDUC 346 Aboriginal and Indigenous Education, I had a chance to talk to a Haisla woman about her grandmother’s life as a survivor from residential school. Some details in her life story were shared with her permission. However, I felt honored to share her life story with my classmates to have a better understanding of the effects of residential schools that had impacted on Indigenous peoples through generations. Nonetheless, I also understand that there are some highly cultural and spiritual details that she told me, but I had to keep them to myself. I recognize the importance of being respectful to that story and Indigenous sacred knowledge in general.