The Specialization in Indigenous Education is an optional program for pre-service teachers in their second and final year of the post-degree Bachelor of Education program at the University of Prince Edward Island. It is designed to deepen awareness and understanding of the complex issues involved in curriculum and teaching related to First Nations, Inuit and Metis education in Canada. Participants learn about 1) the strengths, needs and challenges of Indigenous students and their communities, 2) the importance of honouring traditional Indigenous ways of knowing, being and acting, and 3) ways of acknowledging more faithfully the history, contributions and prospects of Indigenous Peoples. In the second term emerging opportunities to integrate Indigenous themes respectfully across the curriculum K-12 are explored and an innovative theme unit is developed. Throughout the program key themes include the need for developing more inclusive curricula, more culturally responsive pedagogies and assessment practices, and more respectful approaches to action research with Indigenous communities.
Deeply personal, transformational learning is achieved through community site visits in partnership with Aboriginal communities across the region. These include Elsipogtog (New Brunwsick), Membertou (Nova Scotia), and Lennox Island (Prince Edward Island) First Nations. These intensive cultural immersion experiences, combined with presentations by invited speakers from First Nations communities, dialogue on seminal readings, and guided and sustained review and reflection throughout the program, enable participants to learn firsthand about the processes of recovery for Indigenous communities and the essential supports for their students to experience success at all levels from pre-school through post-secondary education.
For the Indigenous Specialization certificate, there are four required courses:
The Specialization concludes with a six-week supervised practicum placement in a Canadian First Nations, Inuit or Metis community, a public school serving Aboriginal students, or an international Indigenous setting such as a Maori community in New Zealand or a Sami community in Northern Sweden or Finland. This takes place typically in the fourth and final practicum block of the BEd. program. Alternatively, an extended supervised Fall practicum with Aboriginal students may be negotiated.
The vast majority of graduates in this Specialization are now teaching in all provinces and territories across Canada or internationally. They have described the program as life-changing.
