Shivani Kakde

Culturally Responsive Teaching

Culturally Responsive Teaching. (CRT)

Just saying Thank You is the greatest speech a person can make. – David Katzeek

I have been reflecting on these words since Friday. We had the privilege of hearing from a panel of Elders as well as participate in lessons created by educators mindful of place and culture. Something that astounds me about great teachers is that they make learning so fun, you don’t even realize you are learning. Although my general impression of schooling has always been a one way street of knowledge, that the teacher puts information into the students head, I believe CRT is about creating a two-way street. One where educators learn alongside the student and facilitate learning to include the students own experiences and build off their backgrounds. This means educators need to know their students so well that they can identify their strengths and use them to scaffold learning. CRT fosters a community of respect and inclusivity that incorporates all students backgrounds.

David Katzeek shared knowledge and wisdom with us multiple times this week. One of the many gems he shared was that no matter how old we are, we are still learning, and thus can be corrected and learn new things. He encouraged us not to take offense and even if we think we know something, to listen anyway, repetition only solidifies learning. I sat amazed as I heard these words. I come from a culture where when your Elders speak, there word is law, and unchangeable, passed down from centuries of ancestors. I felt that my culture was stagnant and rebelled against it and thought I knew better. As I have gotten older, each year I realize how little I truly know about the world, and pushes me to want to discover more. I have come to believe that we have two ears and one mouth, we should listen twice as much as we speak. I have yet to master this, and feel it will be a lifelong study. But David’s humbleness struck me and reminded me that I have much learning to do, and I will do it with a smile on my face.

Practicing CRT, I will no doubt be corrected a lot. I will not be the smartest person in the room at all times, I will always have more to learn whether it is from my administrators, peers, or students. Being humble is an important characteristic of CRT, as well as the desire to always learn more. Being creative in your lesson planning process is key so one can include a multitude of perspectives. Paula Savikko’s presentation on place-based learning was extraordinary. She has effectively managed to incorporate place and relevance into her curriculum through field trips and local projects. She fostered real skill development, for example; giving her students real tools they were responsible for and having them do a PSA on local stream health among other projects. Later in the day Angie Lunda had us comparing diapers vs sphagnum moss and how they stacked up against one another. She gave us a question and let us answer in any way we chose. This kind of open-ended project allows the students to answer in their own forms of communication and reinforced there is no one “right” way, which I think is a bigger message about culture, there is no one “right” culture.

It has been an incredible first week, emotional, disarming, and thought provoking. I know some of the questions posed on us here have begun a life-long dialogue. I’m curious to see where we all go with it.

Further Thoughts on CRT:

Our group did not have the privilege of meeting Alberta Jones, but Angie gave a good overview of her presentation to us. I appreciated the knowledge on how to engage Elders. While there were many points that I felt were common knowledge, it was great to see them laid out in this format. I learned there are gracious ways to let someone say no, not just an Elder.

Ernestine Hayes was an incredible insight to culturally relevant teaching. Her story of being a seagull vs. a bluebird really resonated with me. Making sure we as teachers don’t categorize students to feel excluded is critical, we could inadvertently set them on an “excluded path” for life. Hearing her story of the seagulls resonate within her years later as she stands among her peer professors at the University of Alaska – Southeast evoked a clear image of a young girl still feeling excluded. Understanding and reaching out to all of our students and making sure they are all included, that was my take away from last weeks discussions.

Spirit Lessons

Sugpiaq/Alutiiq spirituality centers around the concept that all things possess a human like being called a sua (it’s person). People followed rituals and spoke respectfully of the natural world and they, animals, to gain approval of the spirit of the things around them. The most important power was Llam Sua, the “person of the universe,” who was thought to be able to hear and see all things. Sugpiaq/Alutiiq people also believed in a host of supernatural beings such as mit’at (star people), imam sua (the spirit of the sea), and nunam sua(the spirit of the land). These spirits were said to take on an earthly form periodically, often to teach the humans a lesson about respecting the Earth and its creatures.

Taken from – Alaska State Museum – Juneau

While at the Alaska State Museum on Thursday, I read this from an interpretive sign and it inspired me for my region’s lesson. According to Sugpiaq/Alutiiq culture they believed spirits would sometimes come down and take an earthly form to teach humans lessons about respecting the earth. I would like to track down these stories and create a lesson that figures out a way to tie in indigenous ways of knowing with current climate issues facing Alaska.

My intended audience would be anywhere from 6th – 12th graders. The region covers the Southwest Maritime area of Alaska, and specifically social studies.

The lesson would be set up in three parts: first a lecture with background knowledge and primary sources of stories. The second would be a discussion facilitating the essential questions and making it reflective of indigenous ways of knowing specific to the environment and how humans interact with the earth. Then discuss the modern ways of life, the students own personal experiences. The third part would be the students creating their own stories reflecting on how humans treat the environment. I could have requirements of the story, still not completely sure of the form of the story, if I had lots of time we could do video storytelling, but that would be a longer lesson, etc.

The essential question? I haven’t nailed my essential questions down yet, I want the students to reflect on the indigenous ways of knowing specific to the environment and compare and contrast it to modern day tactics. *Need to figure this out!

For source material, I have a bit of research to do, finding stories to use as primary sources, or videos, and oral history.

The students will create their own stories…but part of me wants to spice this up, make it more relevant in their lives, maybe they could put together a play acting out all the stories as vignettes.

This is where I’m at, and I’m open to thoughts and ideas.

Kalla’alek & Masks

Our task while perusing the exhibits at the Alaska State Museum today, was to find an artifact that spoke to us. Something that would invoke a sense of curiosity within us and lead us down a path of discovery, or at least that is how I took the assignment. As I meandered the museum I zoned in on the Alutiiq interpretive signs and specifically the display about the Kalla’alek, also known as Shamans.

“According to Sugpiaq/Alutiiq beliefs, shamans (kalla’alek: one who has a helping spirit) had familiarity with the spirit world. They could foretell hunting success and weather, read minds and cure the ill. Both men and women would become shamans, typically after serving an apprenticeship or acquiring a helping spirit. Shamans used dolls, whistles, masks and other talismans to help them work.”

Artifact: Raven Who Married the Chief’s Daughter

Who made it: By Perry Eaton

When was it made: 2013.

Where is it from: (ALUTIIQ) Gift of the Rasmusson Foundation. 2014-21-1

What drew me to the object:

This mask was held in the same display as the Kalla’alek interpretive sign. As I continued reading I found that masks were worn for multiple purposes, shamans would use masks for healing, others for hunting success, others for giving thanks to spirits, or appeasing evil spirits. “Wearing a mask transformed one into a spiritual being and allowed transcending worlds.”

I found this fascinating and want to delve deeper and look for stories behind these mask celebrations and rituals. The mask in the exhibit was given as a gift from the Rasmusson Foundation in 2014, but the origins were from a gentleman named Perry Eaton with a creation date of 2013.

What I’d like to know further:

I’d be interested in finding masks from the time period where masks were used and find stories behind them.

Walking in one world

Today during our Elder panel discussion, David Katzeek shared a thought from his grandfather. Many folks who come from another culture/another world that is not Eurocentric will sometimes say they walk in two worlds. Growing up my mother would tell me that I must learn to walk in two worlds, the predominantly white world that I attended at school, and then the traditional Asian Indian world that I lived at home. David shared that his grandfather told him that we all live in one world, and that that was where we are right now. Living in the present is a sometimes challenging task for me. More often than not I find myself speculating about how future events might play out, goals I should work on to improve myself, or sometimes I ruminate on past actions that cannot be undone. Living in the present is a gift that requires us to be aware of what is happening in the moment we inhabit. As educators we are tasked with creating lessons that keep students in the moment and present in their own development. Everyone struggles to figure out their place in the world, as educators we can help guide student’s growth using empathy and understanding that we all share one world. This thought was one of many I took away from today’s panel.

Every day I’m blown away by the care shown in nurturing us as future educators, and wisdom imparted by the incredible individuals that surround me here, from my peers to my instructors.

Juneau : The Constant Tourist

I came to Juneau for the first time in June of 2012. From May – September I didn’t live in Juneau proper, I lived 12 miles in on the Mendenhall Glacier at Dog Camp. We were a glacier dog sledding tour with 300 dogs and 18 people living on the ice. It was one of the most beautiful and desolate places I’ve ever lived. Many liken the experience to living on the moon, and even though we were only 12 miles away from downtown Juneau, it felt another world away. I came down off the glacier once a week for 24 hours and would explore Juneau in my free time. While I got to know parts of Juneau intimately, I am still a stranger to others. I view Juneau through the lens of a constant tourist.

In reflection on using My Maps, I believe this was a good way to show places to fellow users geographically, but I feel like this is still a shallow method of storytelling. I feel limited by only using texts and videos in the public domain. If I were a teacher I think I would use this as an introductory brainstorming technique, but I would want my students to go even further by creating their own video of place. Of course that is easier said than done!