Professional Development

This session for Grade 7 & 8 educators as well as teachers of CHC2D and CHC2P is offered jointly by Indigenous education and Equity and Inclusive Education.  Explore Canadian history through anti-oppressive and equity-focused lenses. Participants will examine how systems of power, privilege, exclusion, and resistance have shaped historical and contemporary experiences of marginalized groups. 

Through critical reflection, educators will design learning that reflects diverse identities, voices and lived experiences by shifting their understanding of historical and ongoing impacts of colonialism, racism, and discrimination. Participants will leave with practical ready-to-use lessons and assessment strategies to create more inclusive responsive and affirming learning environments.

This full-day professional learning opportunity offers all staff an immersive, place-based learning experience through visits to Chiefswood National Historic Site and Kayanase Greenhouse and historic longhouse. Participants will deepen their understanding of local Six Nations history, culture, and perspectives through guided learning at both sites. This experience supports staff to have an authentic, land-based, Indigenous learning experience.

This after-school session explores past and present First Nations, Métis, and Inuit contributions and their impact across time. Participants discover practical strategies and resources to support strengths-based, cross-curricular learning that connects to curriculum expectations across subject areas.

Educators have access to Additional Qualification opportunities as post-Secondary Institutions which include:

• First Nations, Métis and Inuit Peoples – Understanding Traditional Teachings, Histories, Current Issues and Culture
• First Nations, Métis and Inuit Studies

Indigenous Cultural Competency Training (ICCT) is designed for the development of necessary skills, knowledge, attitudes, and values that will support participants in building meaningful and informed relationships with urban Indigenous communities.

Each school has a bin of books with an emphasis on Learning from the Land initiatives and supporting Days of Significance. The kit contains a list of the resources in the bin. 

The Indigenous Education Ambassador initiative brings together educators from across Grand Erie to build knowledge, confidence, and leadership in Indigenous education. Through collaborative learning and ongoing support, ambassadors will explore resources connected to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Days of Significance, strengthen their understanding of the Indigenous Education PLE, and support colleagues in fostering meaningful learning and reconciliation within their school communities.

The Indigenous Peoples Atlas Floor Map of Canada resource assists students in understanding the past, present and future of Indigenous Peoples in Canada. There is a wealth of information, and a diversity of stories and voices, on this map.  Introduction to the map will occur during other professional development offerings or staff professional learning environment. 

Community speakers provide learning and insight into Indigenous ways of knowing and being. 

This full-day professional learning opportunity provides educators and staff with the chance to visit significant Indigenous historical sites in the Niagara region, including the First Nations Peace Monument, the Landscape of Nations Memorial, and the Indian Council House.

Through guided learning, reflection, and collaboration, participants will deepen their understanding of Indigenous histories, diplomacy, contributions, and relationships that have shaped the Niagara region and Canada. The day concludes with a collaborative learning session focused on strengthening knowledge, building relationships, and supporting ongoing commitments to truth and reconciliation.

Elders and Knowledge Keepers share their stories in a series of 10 videos. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action 62: ii is addressed by highlighting the importance of integrating Indigenous knowledge and teaching methods into classrooms.  These are located in staff professional learning environment.  

This full day professional learning opportunity invites participants to engage in immersive place-based learning at Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.  Participants will deepen their understanding of MCFN history, culture, and community through guided experiences including visits to the historic Council House, pow wow grounds, and school library, where teachings and stories are shared through art and oral tradition. 

The day will also include a workshop with the Moccasin Identifier Project, connecting participants to the land through an act of Treaty as they learn about and acknowledge the Indigenous peoples who have historically lived on the territory. Through learning on the land and in the community spaces, all staff will strengthen their knowledge and confidence in bringing indigenous perspectives into their and practices across the school community.

Participants will explore relationality as the unifying framework that connects Indigenous art, history, and governance across the N-course curriculum. Through examples such as wampum belts and contemporary land-based art, educators will deepen their understanding of how Indigenous worldviews view art as historical record, history as governance, and governance as creative expression.

Participants will gain a shared language and a coherent narrative for teaching these interconnected concepts, while also leaving with practical questions, strategies, and classroom-ready activities that can be immediately applied to support student learning.

These sessions offer a rare opportunity to learn directly from authors, gaining authentic insights into the text while building confidence in facilitating meaningful classroom discussions.

Educators will leave with practical strategies, enriched content knowledge, and a stronger foundation for creating engaging, respectful, and culturally responsive learning experiences that centre Indigenous voices and perspectives.

The event explores our collective creativity to produce a dance, song, poem, rant or beautiful artwork to express our relationship with the water.

This half-day session includes a guided tour of St. Paul’s H.M. Royal Chapel of the Mohawk, led by Six Nations Tourism, offering a rich opportunity to engage with local Haudenosaunee history and stories connected to this National Historic Site.

The session will support participants in connecting site-based learning to broader themes such as treaties, the role of the church in colonization, and the ongoing presence and contributions of the Haudenosaunee people

The Indigenous Education Aunties share Indigenous history through storytelling, food and Art. The program seeks to promote self confidence in Indigenous youth while also creating understanding (allyship) for non- Indigenous students.

The Woodland Cultural Centre is dedicated to preserving, promoting, and strengthening Indigenous language, culture, art, and history, bringing the story of the Haudenosaunee people to life through innovative exhibitions and programs.

This full-day session will include opportunities to visit GoodMinds Bookstore, tour the former Mohawk Institute Residential School & Woodland Cultural Centre.