Indigenous-Accepted STEM Instructor Resources for Indigenization

Grant Recipients

John Johnston, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Mary Robinson, First Year Engineering

Michael Seymour, Faculty of Mathematics

Elaine Lillie, School of Pharmacy

George Freeman, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Nickolas Rollick, Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing

(Project Timeline: May 2021 - April 2022)

Description

There is urgency to incorporate Indigenous content and ways of knowing into teaching and learning practices at UW. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls for Action and UW’s 2020-2025 Strategic Plan direct us to support Indigenous initiatives and strengthen relationships with diverse communities. Several faculty members seeking help with Indigenization have approached coordinators of a newly formed Community of Practice exploring STEM Indigenization (CoP) at UW.  To facilitate the broader strategy of introducing Indigenous content and decolonizing teaching and learning practices within STEM, there exists a need to identify and develop authentic resources acceptable to Indigenous Communities. Guided by the “nothing about us without us” imperative, our process is centred on collaborative relationships with Indigenous knowledge keepers, allies who have already developed successful programs and STEM faculty seeking support.  Once developed, the relationships can expand to produce authentic resources across the UW community.

References

Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada or TRC (2015), Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action, http://nctr.ca/assets/reports/Calls_to_Action_English2.pdf

University of Waterloo or UW (2020), University of Waterloo Strategic Plan 2020-2025, Connecting imagination with impact, https://uwaterloo.ca/strategic-plan/sites/ca.strategic-plan/files/uploads/files/c017209-stratplan2019-simple-oct316_accessible-ua_59906.pdf