Indigenizing Pedagogy
Indigenizing pedagogy begins with collaborative efforts to define what culture means within the local Indigenous context. This process must involve open dialogue between faculty and community members to ensure that cultural teachings are understood through lived experience and not imposed from outside perspectives.
Defining culture and achieving effective cultural integration requires close collaboration between educators and Indigenous faculty/communities. Together, faculty and community members co-create meaningful metrics and rubrics that guide the design of learning experiences, ensuring that Indigenous knowledge is respectfully and authentically honored in both curriculum content and teaching practices.
Examples of Indigenized Pedagogy Practices
Land-Based Learning
Teaching through the land as both a classroom and a source of knowledge, integrating local ecological understandings and sensory-based learning. Lessons are often tied to land acknowledgments and rooted in place-based experiences that honor Indigenous relationships with the environment.Elder and Knowledge Keeper Involvement
Including Elders and community Knowledge Keepers in the learning process by sharing oral histories, traditional teachings, and cultural practices. This can take place through in-person visits, virtual meetings, or high-quality recordings that prioritize Indigenous voices and perspectives.Storytelling as Instructional Design
Utilizing Indigenous storytelling as a foundational teaching strategy to convey cultural values, history, and worldviews. Stories become a model for instructional design, anchoring content in lived experience and traditional ways of knowing.Eroding Hierarchy and Subordination
Creating equitable, student-centered spaces where the teacher acts as a facilitator rather than an authority figure. Circle dialogue, peer learning, and honoring each student's unique gifts help foster a culture of mutual respect and shared learning.Seasonal Learning Cycles
Aligning curriculum with natural seasonal cycles and local cultural rhythms. Lessons incorporate teachings of the four directions and reflect the interdependence between environment, time, and knowledge systems.Use of Indigenous Languages
Actively integrating Indigenous languages into the classroom through signage, greetings, songs, and instructional content. This supports language revitalization and deepens cultural understanding.Cultural Protocols in the Classroom
Embedding traditional cultural practices in classroom management and instructional approaches. Educators model values of local tribe, and relational accountability, moving away from deficit-based models and instead focusing on meeting students’ strengths and needs.Holistic Assessment
Employing diverse forms of assessment that value observation, oral sharing, creativity, and relationship-building alongside academic performance. Indigenous models of assessment honor multiple ways of knowing and emphasize community-centered growth.Nation-Building as Educational Practice
Designing instruction that aligns with Indigenous nations' goals for sovereignty, citizenship, language preservation, and community development. Education is seen as a tool for strengthening Indigenous identity, governance, and collective well-being.