PIP Proposal, Fall 2019

PIP Main Inquiry Question

• To what extent can outdoor education be taught through a complete First Nations perspective
while holding true to the integrity of the credited courses?

Statement of Guiding Questions:

A statement of guiding questions directing the project and why this question is important:

• To what extent can the integration of place-based education increase student experiences with
the land?
o How can learning about local heritage, culture, landscapes, opportunities and
experiences increase student’s awareness of the environment?
• To what extent can a traditional view on the environment create a more intimate experience
and outlook of the damages caused through western expansions?
o How can looking at traditional practices and meaning of life help create empathy for the
environment within students?
• How does learning from Elders create more empathy for materials learned?

Exploration of Research

An initial exploration of the research that is available (through a general overview and annotated
bibliography)

• Jay T. Johnson (GeoJournal, 2012. August 2010) Place-Based learning and knowing: critical
pedagogies grounded in Indigeneity.
o What is place and how does it impact our sense of self. How is placelesness indicative of
Western culture?
• Iain J. Davidson-Hunt & R. Michael O'Flaherty (2007) Researchers, Indigenous Peoples, and
Place-Based Learning Communities, Society & Natural Resources, 20:4, 291-
305, DOI: 10.1080/08941920601161312
o Science based research practices vs. Indigenous people’s practices
• Polistina, K. (1999) Cultural and Environmental Education by and for Indigenous Australians:
through the medium of outdoor recreation.
o How ATSI outdoor recreation and western ways can come together to contribute to a
future society of acceptance
• McBee, G. (2013) Learning from Nature-Based Indigenous Knowledge: A trail to understanding
elders’ wisdom
o Have not read yet, must grab from library
• Tonia, G.; Peter, M. (2012) The role and place of outdoor education in the Australian National
Curriculum
o The importance of outdoor and nature-based education in Australian schools. The
benefit of experiences in nature and an analysis of the relationship between human and
nature. An examination of how nature-based education can reduce student risks and
promote social development.
PIP Proposal, Fall 2019

Strategy and Process Description

A description of the strategies/ process to be implemented as part of the project

• Grant application to Fortis will be submitted to cover costs of food and facility rentals.
• Lunch time meetings will reduce the load on students and allow those who may not have access
to transportation to attend this course.
• The lunch meetings will be held in a lecture style minus the debrief and the culminating activity
sharing.
• The visit to HSIBJ will be an all Saturday event. The lodge will be booked out and an Elder
brought in. The students will participate in the Living off the Land program and will learn
traditional methods of cooking from a Blackfoot Elder. They will later be able to try their hand at
these recipes and ways of cooking down at the Bastien’s Tipi Camp (if allowed, if not, we will go
to Zoeteman Park in Fort Macleod). It is here that they will perform various navigation
techniques and map readings.

Timeline of Events

A timeline of anticipated events;

• Beginning of October: student interest in the program will be addressed at the with a cap of 18
students (9:1 ratio)
• October 9: first meeting with group of students, describe course and intended outcomes
• October 16: Lunch time meeting re: outdoor cooking theory (45 minutes)
• October 23: Lunch time meeting re: outdoor cooking theory, wildlife protection and stewardship
(45 minutes)
• October 30: Lunch time meeting re: wildlife protection and stewardship, wilderness navigation
(45 minutes)
• November 6: Lunch time meeting re: wilderness navigation; People, culture, wildlife heritage (45
minutes)
• November 9: Visit to Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump
• November 13: Lunch time meeting re: debrief
• November 20: Lunch time meeting re: culminating activity

Description of Final Product

A description of final product(s), or what you hope will be the outcome of doing this research and how
the project findings will be shared at the school.

Description

The students will receive 5 credits for this course as it will blend 5 Wilderness Clusters. The
students will participate in a series of in class information session, create 5 individual recipes
that they will then create during our field trips, navigate through various terrains using a variety
of navigation techniques, and perform one culminating class where the students will create a
debrief presentation of information learned. This class is designed to be hands on to allow
PIP Proposal, Fall 2019

students to authentically learn the intended skills. Students will participate in a series of
activities that allow them to view life as it was pre-colonization.
The students will take a field trip to Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump and will be visited by Elders
and other knowledge holders who will teach the students preservation methods, along with
butchering skills and tools used. Students will then be required to prepare and cook a traditional
meal as learned through our Elder.

Outcome

Through a holistic and land-based education model, the students will form an understanding of
the way of life pre-colonization and will increase their appreciation for the cultural practices of
both pre-contact and modern Indigenous cultures. They will also achieve credits in the following
courses:

WLD1100: Outdoor Cooking Theory:

• Demonstrate factors relating to safety and sanitation in an outdoor cooking environment

• Describe factors relating to the safe handling of tools, equipment, and products
• Demonstrate food choices in relation to the Canadian Food Guide
• Describe a variety of outdoor cooking methods
• Demonstrate knowledge and skills in planning, preparing, and evaluating basic food recipes in an
outdoor setting
• Describe proper ways to manage, minimize and contain waste

WLD2100: Outdoor Cooking Practice:

• Demonstrate safety and sanitation in an outdoor cooking environment

• Apply knowledge and skills in planning, preparing, and evaluating basic foods in an outdoor
environment
• Demonstrate proper ways to manage, minimize, and contain waste in an outdoor environment
• Identify possible life roles related to the skills and content

WLD3020: Wildlife Protection & Stewardship

• Describe ways in which human populations and wildlife affect each other
• Describe and compare strategies used to manage wildlife spaces and species
• Demonstrate commitment to environmental responsibility through individual and shared
actions
• Demonstrate basic competencies

WLD1060: Wilderness Navigation

• Identify and describe different types pf navigation techniques, and their development
• Identify and describe different types of maps
• Demonstrate methods used to read and interpret a variety of types of maps
• Demonstrate use of a variety of navigational devices
• Demonstrate basic wilderness navigation
• Demonstrate basic competencies
PIP Proposal, Fall 2019

• Make personal connections

WLD 1050: People, Culture, Wildlife Heritage

• Explain the status of Canadian wildlife prior to 1900

• Describe the effects of land use practices on wildlife prior to 1900
• Explore management strategies that enable wildlife and society to coexist
• Identify and explain how human activity affected the structure, behaviour and habitat of a
Canadian wildlife species before 1900
• Describe the social, economic, and environmental significance of wildlife
• Explain how personal needs, wants, beliefs, and actions may influence wildlife and wildlife
habitats
• Demonstrate basic competencies
• Make personal connections