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Thursday, March 7, 2013

Reflecting on @starleigh_grass's Bitterroot Presentation

I've been busy so haven't had a lot of time to reflect on the recent workshop that Starleigh Grass presented in my school district back on the 15th of February: Bitterroot as a Metaphor for Decolonizing Education.  I live-tweeted the workshop and shared comments from the online PLN. 
Here is my Storify summary of the live-tweet: http://storify.com/rvgenaille1/bitterroot-as-a-metaphor-for-decolonizing-educatio

Starleigh's presentation and the subsequent discussions in the group and online had me rethinking how I was defining "Indigenizing education" in relation to decolonization.  I had been wondering about that issue in regard to whether "Indigenizing" was merely a paint-over of the education system with the addition of "culture" as an add-on into the classroom instead of the true transformation that decolonization would represent.  I have started to change my thinking with regard to that through the presentation.  #SD78 Conference Powerpoints and Handouts has her powerpoint presentation on the subject, it is worth checking out.

On the subject of working with Starleigh, I have to say that I didn't really do anything beyond tweet out what she was speaking about and what the group was discussing, as much as I would like to claim more ownership of the presentation.  It was a privilege to be a part of the presentation and discussion that ensued and to act as a conduit to the online community for.  It is an excellent opportunity to make a workshop interactive and more accessible beyond just the confines of the room we were in.  It was an excellent way to bring in opinions and ideas beyond just those in the room and to engage with people actively involved in the process of decolonization and in the desire to know more about how to do it.  I am grateful that she invited me the opportunity to participate in this way.  I look forward to the chance to collaborate in the future.

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