McGill Master’s Students Present Their Projects to Community

Our McGill Master of Arts, Education and Society cohort have presented their final projects to a committee comprised of education stakeholders, the Listuguj Council of Mi’gmaq Educators, and the Listuguj Education Directorate. They’re excited to bring their projects to life. Here’s a look at what they’ve envisioned!

More on the McGill MA Education & Society Program (Project Option)

A few years ago, when considering our next program offering, we explored different ways to build capacity in our community. We identified curriculum development as an area to work on in Education. We need to build a curriculum that supports our learning environment rooted in Mi’gmaw worldviews and values. To help with this goal, we selected the McGill MA Education & Society Program for its focus on teaching, learning and curriculum. This program will equip our educators with the knowledge to design and implement our curriculum, focusing on second language acquisition (Mi’gmaq).

They are tasked with critically investigating and responding to a problem, challenge, issue, opportunity, or need in our community’s schooling. Their projects should make a genuine contribution to our educational practices.

Student Project Abstracts:

Naomi Marchand

My project developed Land-Based Curriculum Objectives and Implementation Guide for Grade 1. My inspiration for this project is the Forest Kindergarten Program in Listuguj; it has been proven to be successful. My intention was to expand existing Forest Kindergarten objectives, specifically land-based learning for Grade 1. Extending the Forest Kindergarten program to Alaqsite’w Gitpu School (AGS) for the Grade 1’s will allow students to continue to develop and grow.

Carley Collin Wysote

The Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and Community Resurgence Toolkit for Listuguj N’nu students and families, fosters healthy relationships, identity, and academic success through engaging lessons in SEL, mindfulness, and community service. This toolkit will contribute to a thriving community and encourage growth within ourselves and as a whole. This resource is not only accessible to educators and families online but also a hard copy can be accessed by request. The toolkit inspires educators to

practice the activities provided as well as contribute to the toolkit by suggesting additional resources and lessons; conducive to the journey of reciprocal education.

Sarah Lauretta Arsenault

For my project, I will be creating an Early Years Cultural Resource. Starting with Fall, this resource follows the seasons throughout the academic year and the cultural teachings within that season. This resource serves as an introduction to culture-rich activities for both students and educators. Each season has three lesson plans with various on-the-land learning opportunities and teachings that are geared toward emergent learners (6 years and younger). This resource will be a valuable tool for enhancing the quality and relevance of education for Mi’gmaw learners.

Jarrett Francis

My project titled Journeying the 7 Mi’gmaq Worlds Through Waltes is a Teachers’ Guide that is designed for grade 3 to 5 students which will allow educators and students to explore and learn about the seven (7) Mi’gmaq worlds. This project will provide teachers a guide included with lessons and activities that utilizes a holistic, interdisciplinary approach which will foster an understanding and appreciation of Mi’gmaq knowledges and worldviews with meaningful cross-curricular and experiential learning of the seven (7) Mi’gmaq worlds represented through the traditional Waltes bowl and dice.

Tanya Wysote

My project is to design a school improvement plan that focuses on integrating an in-house traditional Elder as part of the Alaqsite’w Gitpu School curriculum to educate students and staff about First Nation ceremonies. An improvement plan helps schools navigate academics and behavioural issues both with students and staff, and it helps improve teaching quality to achieve better grades.

The primary objective of having an in-house traditional Elder in the school is to foster a sense of belonging among students and staff within the school and the community. Since not all Mi’gmaq teachers or students are familiar with these ceremonies, the in-house traditional Elder will guide them throughout the year on which ceremonies to perform and their significance.

Shelby Caplin

I want to Indigenize material that is currently being used in the classroom that is outdated and not diverse enough for our First Nation students. I will include different forms of literacy written by Indigenous authors. Our students will develop a strong sense of identity and take pride in themselves, their community and their schoolwork.

Karen Martin

Language revitalization efforts and immersion programming have become increasingly significant in Listuguj, and educators require resource tools and support to carry out the goals and objectives of educating in Mi’gmaw. The Mi’gmaw language is a verb-based language, and the shortage of verb conjugation resources presents a challenge for Mi’gmaw language teachers in the immersion classroom. Creating foundational material for learners and teachers is a key aspect of supporting educators in Mi’gmaw immersion. The development of a verb conjugation resource will support teachers and learners of all levels in their language acquisition development. The resource focuses on an intransitive verb, 2 transitive verbs and a reflexive verb. The process

started with one intransitive verb, as these are commonly used in novice level language learning and do not require a subject to be conjugated. Establishing the process, resources, and ethical considerations was the aim of this current project. To develop the verb resource and establish an ethically-sound vetting process, I worked with Taie’n Mise’l (Diane Mitchell) as my mentor and a group of first language speakers. We reviewed past, present, and future indicative tenses of different verbs during multiple two-hour gatherings to ensure verb. The initial focus was the identification of commonly used verbs amongst learners of the language, specifically through adult immersion program students, to establish the verbs that would be conjugated. Through this community engagement, we followed an ethically-sound vetting process that 3 validated verb accuracy. This intransitive verb conjugation development process serves as a foundation for further expansion.

Jennifer Wilmot

My Traditional Mi’gmaq Dance Project aims to introduce a curriculum that would

support our grade one teachers in the implementation of a culturally sound dance resource. Our Grade One students need to have daily dance teachings at an early age and to continue throughout their formative grade one year at AGS. By showcasing how our grade one class can learn their Mi’gmaq Dance, this curriculum will be the framework for other lessons that will secure in them their identity and their agency as ‘Nnu.

Claudia Gray

Gisigu’oguom will not only restore a sense of purpose, but it will instill that inner call to the ways of the past, just like our ancestors intended; much of what I intend to do. That said, this longhouse is the first step to creating a bigger Mi’gmaq purpose that will give all our children and adults a sense of spiritual connection and belonging. Belonging is key, as this lodge will hold more worth to the students at AGS than just a place to go to, as it will be a place to be part of and understand wholeheartedly the powerful connection to the community and all the resources it has to offer, filled with community members and Elders. I am creating a comprehensive visitor’s guide for Gisigu’guom, detailing its conceptualization and design.

Jean M. Isaac

My project is a Treaty Education Unit for grades 5 and 6. I will be using the Nova Scotia Curriculum as the base curriculum and it will focus on themes and issues that are important to our culture (identity, family, connection to the land). My goal is to allow our teachers at Alaqsite’w Gitpu School to use it in their classroom as part of their teaching of Mi’gmaq Treaty Rights.

The project that I created is “an extension of [my] personal, inward journey” (Kovach, 2021, p.137) of curating resources that reflect the two-eyed seeing approach. I gathered information through research that reflects the Mi’gmaq worldview, and it has led me to explore the Nova Scotia curriculum. Through my participation in the Professional Learning Committee and the Treaty Education Committee, I have gained a deeper understanding of Mi’gmaq history and culture. I have learned to question and rethink how we use the curriculum we use in our class and to consider what we want our students to learn and achieve. In this project, I have created a Treaty Education Guide for grades 5 and 6. The Treaty Education Guide is a cross-curricular initiative intended to weave treaty understanding across disciplines and subject areas. When teaching treaty education, it is essential to adopt an approach that incorporates Indigenous perspectives, encourages critical reflection, and fosters meaningful dialogue. These elements will contribute to a holistic and meaningful treaty education experiences. The goal of this project is for our students to have a greater understanding of who they are as a Mi’gmaq person.

Conclusion

We’d like to congratulate our students on completing their projects and the McGill Master of Arts, Education and Society program. Their in-community convocation is set to take place on May 25th.

We have so much to look forward to from our fellow community members. Their projects are sure to have a positive impact on our students’ learning. We are lucky to have these talented and hardworking people in our community.

By Listuguj Education Directorate