The First People Principle of learning that resonates with me the most is “Learning involves generational roles and responsibilities.” I choose this one after looking at the www.fnesc.ca website. This principle resonated with me for many reasons my family being one. The other reason is that I think the generational role in the classroom can be so important. In a classroom, you can get so many different students with different backgrounds. Before coming into a classroom to learn those students were learning things from the adults in their life young and old. As a teacher in my classroom, I want to put this principle into action by bringing in students’ important adults, parents, and/or grandparents into the classroom to help out or teach other students about their cultures. This is also a way to help make all students feel welcome in safe to be whoever they want to be in my future classroom.
I think this principle is important because I think different generations can teach and incorporate a variety of lessons from a range of experiences that one could have. No two people see the world the same so having generations take a role in a child’s life will help with a diverse mindset. As a teacher incorporate this principle yourself and have the mindset that you are part of the growth in a child. As the teacher embodying this in your classroom as sharing and teaching the skills you know. Also connecting to the responsibility aspect of the principal. I would follow it as modeling good classroom behavior, how to treat others with respect, and teaching the needed lessons at right time. I would know how my classroom operates and see the needs of what the students should learn.
How I would put this principle into my classroom to create a community involvement with different generations. Would be to have a sign-up for the grown-ups of my students. This could then bring in different backgrounds of parents/guardians, grandparents, aunties/uncles, siblings, etc. Where they could come every month and teach the class a lesson, tell a story (share an experience), or create something. I think this principle could be beneficial in any topic area in the curriculum. To put more of an Indigenous lens on this topic for a class, I would also get elders in to teach indigenous perspectives of generational roles and responsibilities. The lesson could be focused on parts of how those roles are important in communities and families. The benefits of storytelling, and how and when stories are passed down to the younger generations.