Current Research

Reconciliatory Education: Examining the New "First Voices" Course

Dr. Jennifer Brant, Meagan Hamiltion, Erenna Morrison, Jasmine Rice, and Gayatri Thakor

The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) joined a growing list of Ontario boards (over 32) who have mandated that NBE3U: Understanding Contemporary First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Voices replaces ENG3U: Grade 11 English (People for Education, 2023). Although the Toronto District School Board, along with several other boards, have offered this course at various schools for almost a decade, their move to replace ENG3U with NBE3U is an important commitment to the TRC Calls to Action and UNDRIP (Chong, 2024). Incorporating Indigenous authors, however, must involve intentional pedagogical processes situated within the broader context of anti-racist pedagogies, liberatory praxis, and cultural safety. The project was guided by three main objectives: examine teacher preparedness and professional development, examine the experiences of Indigenous students, and investigate the pedagogical implications and possibilities of the course as an effective response to Reconciliation Education. The data collection involved classroom observations, interviews with teachers, and Sharing Circles with self-identified Indigenous students enrolled in the course. Findings indicate a broad spectrum of student and teacher experiences, but an overall need for greater professional development opportunities to prepare educators to teach Indigenous literatures with cultural integrity is necessary in order to effectively support Indigenous learners.