GNS: Professional Learning Helps Inform Path Forward

GYPSD Trustees, Superintendent Lewis, and members of the senior administration team recently attended a presentation by Indigenous educators Clarice Anderson and Sheila Williams from EPSB: Things You Didn't Know of the Indian Act.

Attendees of the Public School Board Association of Alberta's council professional learning session had the opportunity to hear firsthand how long-standing laws and practices applied to First Nation, Métis, and Inuit peoples affected generations of Indigenous families and continue to impact their communities today. Trustees were invited to ask questions to deepen their understanding of the trauma caused by the policies on families and their children and how that intersects with education and educational institutions today. 

Alberta's professional practice standards for teachers, leaders, and superintendents establish foundational knowledge of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit histories and cultures as key competencies for educators and system leaders.  GYPSD's Indigenous Pathways Team - which includes the Indigenous Lead (IL) Teacher from each school and members of the Learning Services department  - has been learning from Canada Research Chair and University of Alberta Secondary Department Chair and Curriculum Scholar, Dr. Dwayne Donald. This year's four-session course helps educators explore and deepen their learning and application of curriculum through an Indigenous lens.  Additionally, Learning Services distributes an Indigenous Pathways Newsletter each month to connect all of the IL teachers around resources, professional development opportunities, and links to enrich their practice for all of GYPSD's learners.  Annually, GYPSD hosts an Indigenous Education Camp with attendees from across the province.

GYPSD's Trustees have also taken the Indigenous Canada course, available for free through the University of Alberta MOOC for anyone committed to learning about Indigenous histories and contemporary issues in Canada.