WHAT IF INDIGENOUS LEARNERS COULD FOLLOW A CONTEMPORARY LEARNING PROCESS SIMILAR TO INDIGENOUS WAYS OF KNOWING?

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LEARNING THROUGH THE ARTS

Learning Through the Arts began in 1994 with a simple, inspiring idea: that if the arts were woven into all learning, students would be more engaged, and instruction more vivid and memorable.

In our first 20 years, working with over 200,000 students across Canada, we proved that this approach leads to better attendance, greater attachment to school, higher retention of learning, and, ultimately, increased academic achievement.

As we worked in schools in Regina, Fort McMurray, and Thunder Bay, we saw that the contemporary learning process we had developed resonated especially strongly with indigenous learners.

Through a unique Elder in Residence project in Fort McMurray, we learned about the similarities between our process and traditional indigenous approaches. For example, when indigenous youth learned a particular hands-on skill, an Elder would tell stories that helped students understand all the ways the skill is important to the community, placing the learning in context.

MERGING ART AND CULTURE WITH EDUCATION

DESIGN | MEDIA ARTS

Design | Media Arts is a media-based program for all students where hands-on learning experiences collide with ideas and the creative process

SUPPORTING INDIGENOUS LEARNERS

Supporting Indigenous learners from all ages including adult education programs is an important part of our Indigenous community collaborations and program development. We combine media arts strategies, technology, and design thinking with culture and tradition following protocols guided by the communities we are working in so that learning is engaging for everyone.

TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Supporting educators in exploring new ways to creatively engage their students in learning. Ongoing mentorship expands teacher capacity in the use of technology and the arts as tools for making learning visible.

BRING CULTURE INTO THE CLASSROOM

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