Visual Essay

David
Schnetkamp
 For this essay I have chosen two photographs of the same tree, one in late September with most of

the leaves gone and one after the snow storm in early October. I have chosen these two photographs to

link my positionality to our discussion of the Medicine Wheel view of education. Leroy Little Bear’s article

(2000) describes the “holistic and cyclical view of the world” (p. 78) created as a result of the Indigenous

philosophy of flux, all things being in constant motion. This cyclical view is related to education by the

medicine wheel which assigns compass directions to the seasons and the different elements of the

Indigenous view of education to each season, holism is then the combination of all four elements

“Wholism addresses spiritual, emotional, physical, and intellectual development in relation to oneself,

family, community, and environment” (Association of Canadian Deans of Education, 2010, p. 2).
 In the medicine wheel the fall and winter seasons are assigned to the directions West and North and

represent the mental and physical aspects of education. These are the aspects that are the primary focus

of eurocentric educational practices. The focus of the mental aspect of education is the gathering and

storing of knowledge, while the focus of the physical aspect is the execution of that knowledge in

assignments and tests. This is the system that my education was based on, and thus the system that I am

most familiar with. The focus on the mental and physical aspects can lead to the ‘Sage on a Stage’

approach to education, where the teacher is seen as the source of knowledge and the students are

treated as simple receptacles for that knowledge. While there is some overlap with this view in Indigenous

education “All of the knowledge is primarily transmitted from the older to the younger generation” (Little

Bear, 2000, p. 82) the difference between the systems arises in the relationships between the teachers

and the students.

 Teachers need to build relationships with their students in order to really help them succeed, “I had

always thought a successful teacher was someone who liked students” (Goulet & Goulet, 2014, p. 100)

the students need to know that you genuinely support them. The lack of focus on the emotional and

spiritual aspects of education can be harmful to the classroom community as these elements are how we

build empathy, respect and support within our classroom environments. These elements are vital to

building successful relationships with students. Linking back to the photographs, the absence of the

emotional and spiritual elements, the spring and summer, the tree remains dead and devoid of leaves and

the students are not able to succeed. As teachers we must avoid the trap of focusing too much on the

results and losing sight of the students. “Sometimes as educators, we overlook the human dimension that

is so central to our work.” (Anoee, 2015, p. 90).

 The recent shift towards implementing Indigenous educational practices in schools can only be a

good thing. It will allow us to put more emphasis on the emotional and spiritual aspects of education,

building more effective relationships with our students and helping them to become more rounded and

balanced members of the community.

References
● Anoee, N. (2015). Sivumut, Towards the future together: Inuit women educational
leaders in Nunavut and Nunavik. Toronto, ON: Women’s Press / Canadian Scholars’ Press.
● Association of Canadian Deans of Education. (2010). Accord on Indigenous Education. Retrieved from
https://d2l.ucalgary.ca/d2l/le/content/234327/viewContent/3134759/View
● Goulet, L. M., & Goulet, K. (2014). Teaching Each Other : Nehinuw Concepts and Indigenous Pedagogies.
Vancouver, BC: UBC Press.
● Little Bear, L. (2000). Jagged World Views Colliding. Retrieved from
https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy.lib.ucalgary.ca/lib/ucalgary-ebooks/reader.action?docID=3245709
&ppg=108&tm=1503510834180