This week, as we explored Chapter 9 of Teaching Each Other, I found myself reflecting again on what it means to connect students to learning through relationship and relevance.
The case studies in this chapter focused on learning in the community, learning on the land, and learning from Elders bring to life the principle that teaching is not limited to a classroom or curriculum guide. Instead, learning happens in relation to people, places, and stories. These are spaces of differentiation and connection, where Indigenous pedagogies naturally bridge the gap between content and meaning.
Learning in Community and in Relation
Goulet and Goulet’s case studies highlight the value of bringing students into learning experiences that are rooted in community. Whether through land-based projects or time spent with Elders, the message is clear: when students see the relevance of their learning in their lived world, engagement follows.
They write:
“Innovative approaches can also improve the instruction of Indigenous students, such as storytelling (Archibald, 2008), using the arts (Goulet et al., 2011), including multimedia technology (Baker, 2008), and trying new technologies to explore traditional knowledge (Hull, 2002)” (p. 196).
For me, this passage captures the essence of why I teach the way I do in the Balfour Arts Collective (BAC). The arts (drama, music, dance, visual expression) are not simply tools for creativity; they are pathways for connection. They open doors for students to express understanding, emotion, and identity in multiple ways.
When I combine ELA and Arts Education, as we often do in BAC, I see this “innovative approach” in action. Students respond to literature through movement, performance, and creation, building personal and cultural connections to content that traditional academic formats might miss.
This also manifests in the work we continue to do with our Indigenous Students Circle. Where students are not learning through a designated curriculum like ELA or Art but are learning spiritually, culturally and through community. Although this group was started by teachers, it is a place where the learning is truly reciprocal. From our relatively quiet start last year this group has evolved to meeting every second Wednesday. We start with a smudge, we share a meal, we listen to each other. Sometimes the teachers lead the way, sometimes our Knowledge Keeper Rawd leads the way and sometimes the students lead the way. It is a space where we see all the elements of the Nehinuw concepts and Indigenous Pedagogies take shape.
Learning from Elders: Tuesdays with Sharron
Outside of the Indigenous Circle and inside of a classroom this idea of community connection also came to life through my ELA 20 class’s collaboration with Elder Sharron in our unit where we read the memoir Tuesdays with Morrie. Our project, Tuesdays with Sharron, has created a bridge between text and lived experience, allowing students to see that wisdom, mentorship, and relational learning exist both in literature and in life.
As students gathered on Tuesdays and listened to Elder Sharron’s reflections on culture, teaching, and community, they began to notice the parallels between Morrie’s lessons and her own. These moments grounded abstract ideas (love, respect, humility, perseverance) in a living context.
This is exactly the kind of differentiated learning Goulet and Goulet describe: responsive, relational, and rooted in the community. It is teaching that situates the learner in relation to both the content and the people who carry it. I have heard from both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students in this classroom about how much they enjoyed their time with Elder Sharron and the one Tuesday it didn’t work to sit with Elder Sharron I didn’t hear the end of it from the students.
Differentiation Through Indigenous Pedagogies
What stands out in Chapter 9 is how differentiation and innovation are not framed as add-ons but as inherently Indigenous practices. Learning in community, on the land, and with Elders naturally integrates multiple modes of knowing; verbal, visual, performative, reflective, and embodied.
For me, this connects directly back to ideas from Week 6, when I reflected on Risa Naytowhow’s message about celebrating Indigenous success and brilliance. In both cases, the call is to expand what learning looks like through story, movement, and creation.
When I look at my own lesson planning in BAC, and my ELA classroom I see these ideas manifest in small but intentional ways. Encouraging students to respond to a novel through a devised scene, or to express an emotion from a poem through movement, are examples of what Goulet and Goulet describe as “innovative approaches” that lead to improved engagement and, ultimately, achievement (p. 196).
These are micro-changes in pedagogy, but they can create macro-shifts in how students see themselves as learners.
Learning on the Land
The authors also remind us that the land itself is a teacher. Learning on the land provides opportunities for students to see connection, stewardship, and story come alive. Even in an urban setting, we can emulate this through projects that take students outside the traditional classroom into community spaces, performances, or environments that connect them to place and purpose.
In BAC, this might look like site-specific theatre, outdoor dance performances, or using local community and student’s own stories as inspiration for creative work. These practices align with Goulet and Goulet’s call to engage the community as both context and curriculum.
Engagement as a Pathway to Achievement
What ties all of this together is the understanding that connection leads to engagement, and engagement leads to achievement.
When we embrace storytelling, creative expression, and community learning (as Goulet and Goulet, and others suggest) we invite students to see themselves reflected in the learning process. This matters deeply for Indigenous learners, but it also enriches learning for all students.
Each time we add an interactive, relational, or arts-based element to our teaching, we create a small but meaningful shift in pedagogy, one that encourages students to bring their full selves into the classroom.
As Goulet and Goulet (2014) remind us, these innovative approaches not only improve instruction; they cultivate belonging. And belonging is the foundation of learning.
Key Takeaways
- Learning in Relation: Community, land, and Elders are foundational teachers.
- Differentiation as Connection: Responsive, arts-based, and experiential learning reflect Indigenous pedagogical values.
- Innovation and Engagement: Storytelling, multimedia, and creative practice deepen engagement and, in turn, achievement.
- Micro-Change, Lasting Impact: Small shifts toward interactive, relational, and culturally responsive teaching can have enduring effects for all learners.
Will Whitten 