Learning in Unexpected Places: How Informal Educational Spaces Promote Social Justice and Public Pedagogy

Michelle Lam, Ph.D. Brandon University

In Canada’s past, education was used to perpetrate genocide on Indigenous Peoples through residential schools. Today, education is attempting to move in the opposite direction, Indigenizing curricula, teaching true history, and decolonizing classrooms. However, the general public’s knowledge has not kept pace. Informal education initiatives are emerging in response, yet they remain understudied.

This presentation shares multiple case studies of community-based grassroots education. Data sources include interviews with Indigenous Elders, Chiefs, founders, participants, and volunteers, with supplemental artifacts.

Cases explore a marathon from a residential school to a reserve, honouring students who died while educating non-Indigenous runners, a church recording Indigenous Elders’ stories and songs, and others. These case studies explore how communities are educating the general public outside of formal education systems.

As many countries grapple with colonial legacies, this presentation calls the field of education to consider ‘who counts’ as an educator and ‘what counts’ as curriculum.

Registration: https://www.oxfordsymposia.co.uk/education