Colonization had a devastating impact on Indigenous peoples and the exclusion and or misrepresentation of their histories, worldviews, perspectives and ways of knowing, doing and being has severely devalued Indigenous peoples (Antoine, 2018). As educators one way that we can respect and value Indigenous peoples is through the incorporation of Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing into our education curriculum and school culture. This will benefit Indigenous students as by incorporating their knowledge and heritage into the education system teachers will be allowing these students to celebrate who they are (Battist, 2013). This will ultimately lead to greater engagement in education and educational success (Battist, 2013). Both Indigenous and non Indigenous students will benefit as it allows all students to “gain a richer understanding of the world and of [their] specific location in the world through awareness of Indigenous knowledge and perspectives (Antoine, 2018, pg. 10)” and “counters the impacts of colonization by upending a system of thinking that has typically discounted Indigenous knowledge and history (Antoine, 2018, pg. 10).” 

There is a lot of research around what are the best ways to incorporate Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing into the classroom. Throughout this website you will find various resources which will help guide you while you work to authentically incorporate Indigenous pedagogies and ways of knowing, doing and being into your classroom.