Course Syllabus
Course Description
This course considers pedagogical, planning, and assessment choices in relation to place and Indigenous contexts, the specific knowledges and situations of learners, subject learning and relational curriculum-making, social and ecological justice, and Indigenous education priorities. Holistic, experiential, and Indigenous inquiry-based pedagogical methodologies will be examined and experienced. This course addresses integrated methods content in language arts, science, social sciences, and mathematics, and appropriate adaptation, assessment, and evaluation.
Prerequisite(s) or Corequisite(s): Students pursuing the B.Ed. Direct Entry Program must complete EFDT 101.3; ECUR 163.3 or ECUR 164.3 or ECUR 165.3; EFDT 265.3 or ECUR 265.3; EPSE 202.3.
Note: Students with credit for EDUC 313, EDUC 315, or EFDT 315 will not receive credit for this course.
Land Acknowledgement
As we gather here today, we acknowledge that the Saskatoon campus of the University of Saskatchewan is on Treaty Six Territory and the Homeland of the Métis. We pay our respect to the First Nation and Métis ancestors of this place and reaffirm our relationship with one another. We recognize that in the course of your studies you will spend time learning in other traditional territories and Métis homelands. We wish you safe, productive and respectful encounters in these places.
Instructor Information
Contact Information
Ashley Shaw (she/her)
Room 11, McLean Hall
106 Wiggins Road
(306) 934-2203
Ashley.shaw@usask.ca
Office Hours
Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM
Instructor Profile
Taanishi Kiiyawow? My name is Ashley Shaw. My family is from Batoche, Duck Lake, and Prince Albert. Our ancestors are from the traditional Metis homeland of Red River. I live in Saskatoon with my spouse and two very active boys. We enjoy spending time at the lake, travelling, and doing winter activities in the mountains.
I have a Bachelor of Education degree (Usask) from the Gabriel Dumont Institute (SUNTEP), from which I taught grades 1-5 at St. Michaels Community School in Saskatoon. I am currently working with the Gabriel Dumont Institute as a student advisor and faculty. I completed a Master of Educational Administration in the Spring of 2021. My research focuses on recruiting and retaining first-generation Indigenous students in higher education.
Kishchi Maarsii!
Learning Outcomes
By the completion of this course, students will be expected to:
- Articulate why and how place matters in education;
- Investigate local land and community issues with a focus on Reconciliation;
- Demonstrate understanding of how to use holistic, experiential, inquiry-based teaching and learning / assessment strategies related to place;
- Incorporate community- and land-based and virtual resources in designing learning
activities within the context of Saskatchewan Ministry of Education curriculum: Indigenous (FNMI) perspectives; Broad Areas of Learning; Cross-Curricular Competencies; Subject Area Aims, Goals, and Outcomes; Understanding the Conceptual Foundations; Identifying the Big Ideas; Assessment and Evaluation.
Place-based education is the process of using the local community and environment as a starting point to teach concepts in language arts, mathematics, social studies, science, and other subjects across the curriculum. Emphasizing hands-on, real-world learning experiences, this approach to education increases academic achievement, helps students develop stronger ties to their community, enhances students’ appreciation for the natural world, and creates a heightened commitment to serving as active, contributing citizens. Community vitality and environmental quality are improved through the active engagement of local citizens, community organizations, and environmental resources in the life of the school.
Sobel, David. (2004). Place-based Education: connecting classrooms and communities. The Orion Society. Great Barrington, MA.
Information on literal descriptors for grading at the University of Saskatchewan can be found at: http://students.usask.ca/academics/grading/grading-system.php
Please note: There are different literal descriptors for undergraduate and graduate students.
More information on the Academic Courses Policy on course delivery, examinations and assessment of student learning can be found at:
http://policies.usask.ca/policies/academic-affairs/academic-courses.php
The University of Saskatchewan Learning Charter is intended to define aspirations about the learning experience that the University aims to provide, and the roles to be played in realizing these aspirations by students, instructors and the institution. A copy of the Learning Charter can be found at: https://teaching.usask.ca/about/policies/learning-charter.php
Course Overview
Each class will close with a Community Meeting, facilitating dialogue and reflecting on course readings. The Community Meeting will be a safe and supportive environment for students to express their thoughts and ideas. The course content and resources will be posted to the Canvas page for your reference. Due to the nature of a place-based class, you need to be prepared for transportation and outdoor elements. You must coordinate carpooling with your peers and plan to arrive on time for all excursions. Arrive to class prepared with the required materials, field journal, outdoor clothing, and footwear for our ever-changing learning environments. A $20 student fee to cover admissions and activity expenses is payable to the SUNTEP Office.
Class Schedule
See the course schedule (separate document posted on Canvas). The nature of the course requires that we be flexible, which is excellent preparation for your careers as teachers. Updates to the course schedule will be posted through Canvas, and notifications by e-mail will be sent.
Required Resources
*Not required to purchase. The readings will be available on Canvas.
Readings/Textbooks
Adams, H. (1975). Prison of grass: Canada from the Native point of view. Toronto, ON: General Publishing.
Anderson, Sarah. (2017). Bringing School to Life: Place-Based Education Across the Curriculum.
Judson, Gillian. A walking Curriculum: Evoking Wonder and Developing Sense of Place (K-12).
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teaching of Plants (2015). Robin Wall Kimmerer.
Charlton, J., & Hansen, J. G. (2016). Visualizing Indigenous perspectives of how the Saskatoon Community Youth Arts Program (SCYAP) addresses social exclusion. The Annual Review of Interdisciplinary Justice Research, 5, 394-421.
Last Child in the Woods. Richard Louv
Land-Based Education: Embracing the Rhythms of the Earth from an Indigenous Perspective. Herman Michell
Plants growing along the river = Lii plante kaa shaakikihki oborr la rivyayr: a learning guide for reconciliation through land, plants and Metis culture. Gabriel Dumont Institute, 2019. Saskatoon, SK.
Project Based Teaching: How to create rigorous and engaging learning experiences. Suzie Boss.
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. (2015). Honouring the truth, reconciling for the future: Summary of the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
Textbooks are available from the University of Saskatchewan Bookstore: http://www.usask.ca/bookstore/
Electronic Resources
https://promiseofplace.org/what-is-pbe/obstacles-and-solutions
Grading Scheme
|
Place-Based Field Experience |
30% |
|
Participation |
20% |
|
Field Journal |
30% |
|
Capstone Project |
20% |
|
Total |
100% |
Place-Based Field Experience or UbD Lesson Plan
Value: 30% of final grade Due Date: Monday, Dec. 11th, 2023
Type: Students can participate in the field experience with a place-based classroom or complete a lesson plan
Description: The Place-based field experience will entail your participation in facilitating a field experience with the Upper Year Montessori class. Their classroom is planning a few place-based experiences within Saskatoon, with the dates to be determined. The field experiences include an “overnight” component, which will include supervision of students and submitting a reflection in your field journal.
Or
Students will develop a Cross-Curricular lesson Plan focused on Place-Based learning utilizing local locations, and Indigenous worldviews, and align the outcomes with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education Curriculum. Since the Lesson Plan is Cross-Curricular, the outcomes can be from various subjects, but the grade level MUST remain consistent. You can choose any grade level from K-9.The lesson should include a Place-Based aspect and any other references you used. The Lesson Plan MUST utilize the Lesson Plan Template from the College of Education.
Participation
Value: 20% of final grade Due Date: Monday, Dec. 11th, 2023
Type: Students will participate in Professional Development through completion of teacher training in Project WILD and facilitating a lesson from the activity guide. Students will submit their certificates of completion to the assignments file on Canvas. Students will lead a community meeting in groups at the end of class. Students will be assigned articles for discussion, and it is their discretion on how to facilitate the community meeting. Students will self-assess their community lead meeting.
Field Journal
Value: 30% of final grade Due Date: Every Thursday at 4:00 PM, Room 11, MCLN
Type: Your field journal will document your experiences in this course and your learning.
Description: You should include pictures (either photographs or drawings), maps, reflections, poems, and perhaps some small 2-D items that can fit into your journal. The field journal will include your reflections and observations from in-class experiences but may also be used to collect ideas, community resources, references, inspiring quotes, etc.
Call to Action: Capstone Project
Value: 20% of final grade Due Date: Tuesday, Dec.5th, 2023 Type: Students will analyze, research, and develop a Capstone project based on a Call to Action as outlined in the Truth and Reconciliation report.
Description: Individually, students will develop an inquiry-based presentation to share with their peers. The Capstone Project is motivated by your own interests within our community and must address a TCR Call to Action. You will identify an issue within our greater community, develop a plan to solve a problem, and raise awareness. You will have to consider the current policies that affect your topic, organizations to form partnerships, public awareness, research and resources to support.
You can choose how to present your project (documentary, essay, exhibit, interview, scrapbook, blog, podcast, etc.)
Submitting Assignments
Assignments will be submitted in the ‘assignments’ tab on the Canvas course page. Assignments submitted electronically (Word, page, or PDF documents) must be saved using the following format:
LastName_FirstName_ECUR313_AssignmentTitle
Late Assignments
All assignments are required for course completion and will not be accepted more than 3 days after the due date. There will be 10% taken off for each day the assignment is late, up to a maximum of 30%. After 3 days, assignments are still required to be handed in but will receive a mark of zero.
Attendance Expectations
Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each scheduled class. You are responsible for contacting me as soon as possible should you be absent. Students who are absent without providing a valid reason will receive a written reminder. Unexcused absences that amount to 4 hours (over 10%) of course time will result in the possibility of the student being required to discontinue and take the course over. You may be asked to provide appropriate evidence if necessary.
**Please send me a message prior to class flagging an absence and the reason for the absence. If you need to leave class early, please discuss this with me at the beginning of class.
Experiential Learning
Since we will be with students, we will be looking for opportunities to engage with the community when permitted. These opportunities will be outdoors; therefore, it is essential that you have the proper clothing and footwear for winter conditions.
Copyright
Course materials are provided to you based on your registration in a class, and anything created by your professors and instructors is their intellectual property and cannot be shared without written permission. If materials are designated as open education resources (with a creative commons license) you can share and/or use in alignment with the CC license. This includes exams, PowerPoint/PDF slides and other course notes. Additionally, other copyright-protected materials created by textbook publishers and authors may be provided to you based on license terms and educational exceptions in the Canadian Copyright Act (see http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-42/index.html).
Before you copy or distribute others’ copyright-protected materials, please ensure that your use of the materials is covered under the University’s Fair Dealing Copyright Guidelines available at https://library.usask.ca/copyright/general-information/fair-dealing-guidelines.php. For example, posting others’ copyright-protected materials on the open web is not covered under the University’s Fair Dealing Copyright Guidelines, and doing so requires permission from the copyright holder.
For more information about copyright, please visit https://library.usask.ca/copyright/index.phpwhere there is information for students available at https://library.usask.ca/copyright/students/rights.php, or contact the University’s Copyright Coordinator at mailto:copyright.coordinator@usask.ca or 306-966-8817.
Integrity Defined (from the Office of the University Secretary)
The University of Saskatchewan is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity (https://academic-integrity.usask.ca/). Academic misconduct is a serious matter and can result in grade penalties, suspension, and expulsion.
Prepare for Integrity
Students are expected to act with academic integrity.
- Students are encouraged to complete the Academic Integrity Tutorial to understand the fundamental values of academic integrity and how to be a responsible scholar and member of the USask community (tutorial link: https://libguides.usask.ca/AcademicIntegrityTutorial) .
- Students can access campus resources that support development of study skills, time and stress management, and ethical writing practices important for maintaining academic integrity and avoiding academic misconduct.
Responses to Misconduct
Students are expected to be familiar with the academic misconduct regulations (https://governance.usask.ca/student-conduct-appeals/academic-misconduct.php#About).
- Definitions appear in Section II of the academic misconduct regulations.
- The academic misconduct regulations apply regardless of type of assessment or presence of supervision during assessment completion.
- Students are advised to ask for clarification as to the specific expectations and rules for assessments in all of their courses.
- Students are urged to avoid any behaviour that could result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts. Students should note that posting copyrighted course materials (e.g., notes, questions, assignments or exams) to third party websites or services or other forum or media without permission is an academic or non-academic misconduct offense.
Non-academic offenses are dealt with under the Standard of Student Conduct in NonAcademic Matters and Regulations and Procedures for Resolution of Complaints and Appeals.
Examinations with Access and Equity Services (AES)
Students who have disabilities (learning, medical, physical, or mental health) are strongly encouraged to register with Access and Equity Services (AES) if they have not already done so. Students who suspect they may have disabilities should contact AES for advice and referrals at any time. Those students who are registered with AES with mental health disabilities and who anticipate that they may have responses to certain course materials or topics, should discuss course content with their instructors prior to course add / drop dates. In order to access AES programs and supports, students must follow AES policy and procedures. For more information or advice, visit https://students.usask.ca/health/centres/access-equity-services.php, or contact AES at 306-966-7273 or aes@usask.ca.
Students registered with AES may request alternative arrangements for mid-term and final examinations. Students must arrange such accommodations through AES by the stated deadlines. Instructors shall provide the examinations for students who are being accommodated by the deadlines established by AES.
For information on AES services for Fall 2021 please visit:
https://students.usask.ca/health/centres/access-equity-services.php#Fall2021Information
Student Supports
Academic Help for Students
The University Library offers a range of learning and academic support to assist USask undergrad and graduate students. For information on specific services, please see the Learning page on the Library web site https://library.usask.ca/support/learning.php.
Remote learning support information https://students.usask.ca/remote-learning/index.php
Class and study tips https://students.usask.ca/remote-learning/class-and-study-tips.php
Remote learning tutorial https://libguides.usask.ca/remote_learning
Study skills materials for online learning https://libguides.usask.ca/studyskills
A guide on netiquette, principles to guide respectful online learning interactions https://teaching.usask.ca/remote-teaching/netiquette.php
Teaching, Learning and Student Experience
Teaching, Learning and Student Experience (TLSE) provides developmental and support services and programs to students and the university community. For more information, see the students’ web site http://students.usask.ca.
Financial Support
Any student who faces challenges securing their food or housing and believes this may affect their performance in the course is urged to contact Student Central (https://students.usask.ca/student-central.php).
Aboriginal Students’ Centre
The Aboriginal Students’ Centre (ASC) is dedicated to supporting Aboriginal student academic and personal success. The centre offers personal, social, cultural and some academic supports to Métis, First Nations, and Inuit students. The centre is also dedicated to intercultural education, brining Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students together to learn from, with and about one another in a respectful, inclusive and safe environment. Students are encouraged to visit the ASC’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/aboriginalstudentscentre/) to learn more.
International Student and Study Abroad Centre
The International Student and Study Abroad Centre (ISSAC) supports student success and facilitates international education experiences at USask and abroad. ISSAC is here to assist all international undergraduate, graduate, exchange and English as a Second Language students in their transition to the University of Saskatchewan and to life in Canada. ISSAC offers advising and support on matters that affect international students and their families and on matters related to studying abroad as University of Saskatchewan students. Please visit students.usask.ca for more information.
“The land knows you, even when you are lost.”
- Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass
Course Summary:
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