On Tuesday my principal ducked into my class to ask if I would be interested in taking on another class next semester. Because I believe paying your bills is a hallmark component of being an adult, I said yes immediately. I expected the class to be Social Studies, Planning or a junior English class, but I was pleasantly surprised to hear that I would be teaching a 10, 11, 12 First People's English class. This extra class prompted me to change my question for our inquiry project, moving away from self-regulation into questions about oral tradition and how it can impact student learning. Specifically, I want to know can increased oral storytelling in First Nations Oral Tradition increase student engagement (attendance, participation) and understanding (understanding material and skills.)
While my original question was interesting to me, this new inquiry has sparked something in my mind that has been dormant for some time. When I first began my teaching practice I worked hard to include a variety of First Nations aspects into my history classroom. As I moved away from the Social Studies department and fell victim to the grind of teaching, I stopped reaching out to our First Nations resources for these enhancing activities. This question challenges me to come back to this part of myself, and to my deeply held belief that storytelling, through the oral tradition, is the root of how we share our experience, regardless of our cultural background and heritage. It leaves no one behind, no matter what level their literacy skills are at.
Literacy is a challenge at the secondary level, especially for many of our Indigenous learners.
Many of these learners are moved through grade after grade despite missing key literacy skills. This issue is compounded by a pattern of switching schools and absences due to cultural reasons. Many of my students are functionally illiterate, which needs to be dealt with. Yet, what we need to be careful of is making literacy and analysis synonymous. Oral storytelling may allow students who are at a disadvantage because of low literacy skills to engage with stories and analysis again, because it is presented through a modality in which they are adapt at reframing.
Understanding and utilizing different modalities, to me, is a key in making sure that students are being engaged and assessed accurately. I have said it before, but can’t say it enough, that teachers must be sure that we provide students with vehicles that best represent what they are trying to show. The New London Group posited that is very difficult for students to manipulate and redesign in a mode that they have not mastered. But, that doesn’t mean that they do not have something to tell us, just that the mode has become a barrier to expression. In English, in particular, the goal is to teach students to express themselves in a full and eloquent way. This doesn’t mean that we will not continue to work on print literacy, but must embrace other modes of communication. Teaching from a tradition that honours oral sharing through storytelling may help those students who have felt disenfranchised in our current system feel honoured, that their stories and insights are valued too.
Here are some great supports to help students understand the Oral Tradition:
Sharing the stories of Our People
Understanding First Nations Oral Tradition
