Scarfe Building, Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada
After reflecting at the end of last term, we decided we wanted to update our inquiry question to reflect how our learning and inquiry has evolved from “how are outdoor spaces inclusive, and in what ways are they exclusive?” to “what stories does the land have to tell?”
We made this switch because we wanted to move away from focusing on what we experience on the land to our relationship with the land and the stories that come with that. When we switched to classes online, each of us had the opportunity to integrate our local spaces into this inquiry question which broadened our perception of the question all together. We found this much more interesting because we could connect land-based education with this question to ensure that we placed a focus on Indigenous representation and stories. Our posts touch on themes of reconciliation, relationality, interconnectedness, reciprocity, storytelling, and building our relationship with place and land.
Through this process of post making online, we learned as a group that this inquiry question can be taken anywhere. Our question has been pondered in places such as Terra Nova, Jericho beach, Kits beach, The Vancouver Art Gallery, Norma Rose, and Saint Thomas Aquinas. This question has allowed us to move in a more holistic direction where we have focused on reflective, experiential, and relational aspects of places we have visited. This has led each of us to take action on these conversations into our practicum classes. For example, in Rianna’s practicum classroom she will be doing an inquiry on names and stories. Specifically, looking at local plant species and their western, indigenous, and scientific names to give voice and share indigenous worldviews through a two-eyed lens approach. We believe that both views are necessary and beneficial for teaching in this day and age.
Inquiry Group 1