Addressing Truth and Then Reconciliation Education as Professional Learning

• In Event: Decolonizing Professional Learning

Abstract

Purpose
Today, several government institutions and citizens in different parts of the world continue to deny or distance themselves from the violent history and legacy of settler colonial harms (Carleton, 2021). Such active distancing from historical “truths” affords the intergenerational beneficiaries of settler colonialism, including some educators, to superficially recognize the lived experiences of Indigenous Peoples (Coulthard, 2014). Consequently, there is much work to be done within different educational systems to reimagine our future relations both inside and outside the context of public education beyond settler colonial moves to innocence (Madden, 2019; Wark, 2021).

Perspectives
Within teacher education research and professional learning, we have witnessed the emergence of truth and then reconciliation education as a field of study (authors, 2023). Several educational leaders and scholars have, and continue to create curricular and pedagogical opportunities for living a new social contract toward repairing historical and contemporary injustices (Dion, 2016; Mitchell & Tupper, 2017; Regan & Craft, 2020). In collaboration with the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society, our study explored the possibilities and limitations of truth, and then reconciliation pedagogies and professional learning communities in response to what others have called a neoliberal Age of Apology here in Canada (Henderson & Wakeham, 2013).


Methods
Our project depends on a team approach to engage a framework respectful of First Nations ontology and ethics while employing qualitative methodologies that emphasize collaboration and collective inquiry into a shared problem. To this end, we collaborate as an interdisciplinary team of First Nations, Métis, and non-Indigenous members, contributing to the project based on our previous research and professional experiences. Our study draws on participatory action research (PAR), which supports participants’ self-determination through robust collaboration between researchers and the communities affected by the research. It is “more than a particular research design. It represents a philosophical approach that is rooted in social justice” (emphasis added, Rutman, et. al., 2005, p. 155).

Data Sources
Our research project has spanned many years and phases, including conversational interviews, the creation of professional learning communities, sharing circles, webinars, and curriculum development with Indigenous and non-Indigenous educators across Canada.

Results
Our findings have revealed significant insights including the need for decolonizing professional learning communities, opportunities for mentorship and ongoing support as well as the need for more resources to support learning about settler-colonialism and its ongoing impacts for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities (Author, 2022). Many non-Indigenous participants spoke about how the Caring Society campaigns and educational resources gave them and their students opportunities to respond to the TRC Calls to Action and learn about ongoing colonial harms.

Scholarly Significance
Our study contributes to the emerging field of truth and reconciliation research in the context of the age of apology in Canada. Our findings suggest that when educators engage in sustained and collaborative professional learning communities, opportunities emerge for profound (un)learning, and commitments to social justice actions to end structural inequities and systemic racism.

Authors

• Lisa Howell, University of Ottawa

• Nicholas Ng-A-Fook, University of Ottawa