ABSTRACT
Public-school teachers across North America often struggle with how to understand and teach students who are from backgrounds culturally different than their own. In Canada, this is particularly poignant with indigenous1 students who continue to face signifi cant struggles in school disproportionate to the larger student body (Cowley & Easton, 2006). Additionally, indigenous youth are one of the fastest growing populations in the country (Statistics Canada, 2005) whereas the teaching population continues to be largely white, middle-class women. The strength of indigenous voice within education is gradually growing as indigenous knowledge is increasingly recognized as a distinct and crucial knowledge system (Battiste, 2008). This shift is refl ected in benefi cial efforts, such as indigenous control over education, the integration of indigenous language and curriculum within public schools, and the indigenization of existing curriculum (Battiste & Barman, 1995; Bishop, 2008).
