Harmonizing Education

Two-row wampum
The Braiding Learning Framework draws on the teachings and principles of the Two-Row Wampum and the Theory of Harmony, emphasizing co-existence, mutual respect, and peaceful harmony. It envisions a collaborative learning journey where diverse pedagogical perspectives are equally valued, with neither positioned above the other. Instead, these perspectives work together to support and guide students across their education, fostering an inclusive and balanced approach to education.

Two-Eyed Seeing, a concept introduced by Mi'kmaq elder Albert Marshall, emphasizes the importance of integrating knowledge and perspectives from multiple worldviews. It encourages individuals to "see with both eyes" (and sometimes three, four, or five "eyes")—drawing from the strengths of Indigenous ways of knowing, such as connection to the land, cultural practices, and wholistic understanding, while also valuing the empirical and analytical approaches of science. This framework promotes collaboration and respect between different knowledge systems, fostering a more comprehensive understanding of complex issues. Ultimately, Two-Eyed Seeing serves as a pathway to mutual learning and reconciliation, highlighting the potential for diverse perspectives to coexist and enrich one another in the pursuit of knowledge and understanding.

In this section

Two-Row Wampum (Gaswéñdah)

Treaty belts were a traditional way of knowing, doing, and being before European contact on Turtle Island to keep peace and relationships strong between Indigenous Nations across Turtle Island. The Two Row Wampum, or Gaswéñdah is one example of these Treaty Belts, and one of the oldest treaty agreements, a contract for peace.

After contact, a Two-Row Wampum was created between the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederacy) and European settlers. It represents a relationship of mutual respect, coexistence, and non-interference between two distinct cultures. The wampum itself is a beaded belt made of white and purple quahog shell beads, arranged in a pattern that tells the story of the agreement. The ends are not tied, as it was an agreement set to last as long as the grass grows, the river flows, and the sun rises. Today, it serves as a reminder of commitments made to uphold respect, equality, and coexistence and is a powerful contract in conversations about Indigenous rights, self-determination, and reconciliation, emphasizing the importance of honouring historical, nation-to-nation agreements in contemporary society.

Significance of Parallel Rows

The two parallel purple rows emphasize two vessels travelling down the same river together: one representing the Haudenosaunee canoe, carrying their laws, traditions, and way of life, and the other representing the European ship, carrying their laws and customs. Neither one imposes their ways of being on the other with a mutual recognition of sovereignty. They travel not as father and son, but in a nation-to-nation relationship. While distinct, the two parties share the responsibility of maintaining peace and friendship as they navigate the same river.

The three white rows in between signify peace, friendship, and respect; principles that guide the relationship between the two parties.

Theory of Harmony (Bizaanate, Bangan, Waanaki)

The Theory of Harmony is described by Margaret Noodin in Chapter 8, "Bizaanate, Bangan, Waanaki: An Anishinaabe Theory of Harmony," within The Virtue of Harmony.

Noodin explores the Anishinaabe concepts of peace and harmony, particularly through the terms bizaanate (harmony) and bangan (peace), which are integral to the Anishinaabe worldview. The chapter highlights the deep connection between living in harmony with others, the land, and the self. These concepts are central to the Anishinaabe understanding of balance and well-being, where peace and harmony are not just personal states but collective practices that involve respect, understanding, and reciprocity.

In Anishinaabe thought, peace is seen as an ongoing process that requires active participation in maintaining balance within the community and the environment. Harmony is viewed as a dynamic force that brings individuals together, fostering unity without sacrificing the distinctiveness of each person or entity. This aligns with the idea that true peace arises from relationships built on mutual respect and shared responsibility, where people engage with one another and the world in a way that promotes overall well-being. This relates to the transition of I teach, to we learn:

“However, anyone and anything has the potential to be a teacher, including children, youth, adults, the elderly, plants, animals, and spirits. All teachers may have the ability to teach perspective of harmony, thus all can help individuals develop their balance. Also, just as everything and everyone is a teacher, they are also all students. As we journey through our life stages we are in a continuous process of learning, with the help of many potential teachers” (Bell, 2013, p. 92).

Pedagogies within the Framework

Potlach as Pedagogy: Learning through Ceremony, sk’ad’a Principles

Potlatch is Pedagogy: Learning through Ceremony is a book written by Sara Florance Davidson and her father Robert Davidson on Haida learning pedagogy. The pedagogical model learned through Haida ceremony encompasses wholistic, relational, practical and continuous learning. Sara relates education practice to the sk’ad’a teachings or principles to decolonize teaching practice and suggests how educators can respectfully navigate the differences between Western and Indigenous differences. In Braiding Learning, you may see some of the sk’ad’a principles combined in one ring in harmony with the other practices.

The sk’ad’a principles are:

  • Learning Emerges from Strong Relationships (All my Relations)
  • Learning Occurs through Recognizing and Encouraging Strengths
  • Learning Occurs through Contribution
  • Learning Emerges from Curiosity
  • Learning Honours the Power of the Mind
  • Learning Occurs through Observation
  • Learning Emerges from Authentic Experiences
  • Learning Honours History and Story
  • Learning Honours Aspects of Spirituality and Protocol

Science of Learning

The Science of Learning (SoL) is a set of evidence-based principles that have emerged from cognitive science research to support durable learning. By using teaching strategies housed in these principles which promote memory building and knowledge retrieval, we can encourage long-term learning in our content.

The Science of Learning strategies are:

  • Spaced Practice
  • Interleaving
  • Elaboration
  • Dual Coding
  • Concrete Examples
  • Retrieval Practice

The Four Rs

The Four Rs is written about through many authors, two of which quoted in this framework are Jo-Ann Archibald in Indigenous Storywork: Educating the Heart, Mind, Body, and Spirit and Verna J. Kirkness & Ray Barnhardt within The Four Rs – Respect, Relevance, Reciprocity, Responsibility. The Four Rs support in creating pedagogical practices, that are warm and welcoming, create connections/relationships, and discuss learner's responsibility to learn and take action. Coincidently, though called the Four Rs, through building community and development, this has evolved to have many more “Rs” involved. Further depending on which community you talk to, these Rs may change or be interchangeable.

This framework focuses on the following Rs:

  • Remember
  • Relationships
  • Respect
  • Reciprocity
  • Relevance
  • Responsibility

Bloom’s Taxonomy

Bloom’s Taxonomy, originally developed in 1946 and modified in 2001, builds a hierarchical framework of learning from least to most difficult. It describes that learners must move through the levels as they build expertise in subject matter. Broadly, action words are used to express a cognitive domain of learning, and most often we use these verbs to create course learning outcomes. Each form of assessment is then asked to relate back to these learning outcomes, so learners are clear on the knowledge they are expected to have upon the conclusion of the course/program/experience. As these are hierarchical, often these verbs are visualized as a pyramid.

Bloom’s learning progressions are:

  • Remember
  • Understand
  • Apply
  • Analyse
  • Evaluate
  • Create