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    unearing - brain with pieces of puzzle leaving the head

                                         

    "The illiterate of the 21st Century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” – Alvin Toffler


    RICHARD WAGAMESE


    You have likely heard of the late Ojibway writer Richard Wagamese, whose life and works have touched many readers across Canada and beyond. His way of writing  illustrated the challenges he endured as a result of neglect and abuse, loneliness, and emptiness. Yet, despite these struggles, his words in fiction and non-fiction works carried the messages of forgiveness ( for self and others), hope, and love.

    In this short story entitled "Upside Down and Backwards" (ONE NATIVE LIFE, Douglas & McIntyre, 2008), Mr. Wagamese discusses how he needed to unlearn some things he had learned at school, and how a caring teacher supported him to learn, and become the best he could be.


    ACTIVITY:

    Listen to the story, and use the following questions as prompts for conversation, teaching, and/or advancing your learning. Share the story with an acquaintance, a relative, a loved one  or a colleague. After exchanging views,  contribute to the blog with a thought resulting from those exchanges, and relate your posting to one of the questions.


     Questions for exploration:

    * How can we use metaphors in the story to start conversations around decolonization?
    * How is the metaphor of ‘needing to unlearn’ reflective of the ways in which we can explore our learned stereotypes and inherited ideas about people and the world?
    * What approach(es) can one uptake to support those who feel they do not ‘fit’  or that they do not belong in the world because of other people’s expectations?
    * In regard to Indigenous people, culture, heritage, language, worldview, and so forth, what are three aspects that you have chosen to or needed to unlearn?; Who or what prompted that process?

    In our Synchronous session, we will engage in conversation about the challenges we still face in our contexts. What have I unlearned? Why did I need to unlearn it? How did I do it?

    Come prepared to engage with colleagues in a supportive space!