McGill.CA / Walking Alongside / Walking With Care

Caring Classrooms

Caring classroom practices mean creating an inclusive and safe learning environment for all students. Trauma informed, strength-based, and culturally safe pedagogies consider the unique experiences and gifts of every learner and acknowledge broader systemic issues which can create additional barriers and perpetuate inequities.

Caring practices also apply to the selection of curriculum. Authentic and appropriate Indigenous content is critical to honouring Indigenous knowledge, correcting untruths and guiding students in respectful practices.

  1. Welcoming Indigenous Students in the Classroom
  2. A Trauma-Informed Approach to Teaching Colonization
  3. Trauma-Informed “Wise” Practices, A School /Community-based Research Project by the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres
  4. Cultural Safety in the Classroom: Addressing Anti-Indigenous Racism in Education Settings

Cultural Appropriation vs Cultural Appreciation

  • In 2019 the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) developed this resource (PDF) that examines cultural appropriation versus appreciation. This resource includes information that encourages members to self-reflect and respectful approaches to demonstrate appreciation of Indigenous stories, cultures and arts.
  • This guide (PDF) was created by the Intellectual Property Issues in Cultural Heritage Project (2015), Simon Fraser University, with the goal to unpacks important questions to avoid misappropriating Indigenous culture. It provides advice to designers and marketers on why and how to avoid misappropriation, and underlines the mutual benefits of responsible collaborations with Indigenous artists and communities.
  • This article was written by the Indigenous Corporate Training Inc. (2020) as a guide to navigate questions such as: How to avoid being culturally disrespectful? How does cultural appropriation contribute to the endangerment of Indigenous women? Is imitation flattery? How to avoid perpetuating stereotypes?

Teaching Residential School Realities

speaker at orange shirt dayorange shirt day event

Important Guides

Back to top