Production 1

In the reading presented by Brayboy and Maughan (2009) we are able to gain the perspective of indigenous knowledge and how it is a process intertwined with relationships and experiences. Indigenous Knowledge is able to take experiences and discovery as a form of knowledge in comparison to the traditional firm concept of “knowledge” that is rigid and unvarying. Indigenous Knowledge grows from the lived experiences of people and values involvement and practice. This is constantly over looked in the traditional form of teaching. Having physical involvements in knowledge allows knowledge to spark from values and experiences. This allows for students to come to their own conclusions and to develop their own ways of learning. When this is done the student has a connection to what they have learned and how they feel. Developing relationships with concepts is difficult when there is only one way shown or one set of information that is not open to interpretation. In the Bachelor of Education program the students are encouraged to experience different forms of solving problems or coming to solutions instead of relying on a basic formula provided by the teacher. In doing this it encourages future teachers to do the same for their students so they can make connections and have a relationship with their work. Emphasis is greatly placed on knowledge being something that should be experienced and absorbed not something you possess because of an institution. This realization is what allows the deep connections to form and the “gaps” to be filled. It oddly brings reminder to the phrase give a man a fish and he will not be hungry for the day but teach a man to fish and he will never be hungry again. This form of learning truly encourages more than just giving formulas or information instead it is about learning why and how the formula will get you the answer. However, the reading also emphasizes that the knowledge is not opposite western knowledge, “Indigenous Knowledge fills the ethical and knowledge gaps in Eurocentric education, research and scholarship.” In understanding this they realize that including the experiences and lives of indigenous people is a way to find a meeting point between western education and Indigenous Knowledge. In the Mitchell et al reading the theme is similar. “Dagu is a space where difference creates spaces of possibility through conversation and reflection. It is the engagement with diverse perspectives/knowledge that unsettles, complicates, perturbs and calls for further conversation” This acknowledge that there is no right or wrong form of opinion but that differences can work together to fill the gaps and creates conversation. As educators it is important to acknowledge that different views and forms of learning should be part of the classroom. Remaining on the stance that education can only be received in certain ways is only hindering the students from meaningful connections and learning and without this acknowledgement educators are not giving their students the tools they need to succeed in a diverse learning environment.