Page 28 - THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9 to 12 | First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Studies

THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9–12 | First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Studies
As they advance through the grades, students acquire the skills to locate and gather relevant information from a wide range of primary and secondary sources of information that include Indigenous knowledge sources. These primary sources may include, but are not limited to, sources such as Indigenous ecological knowledge, oral teachings, interviews with Indigenous individuals, songs, dances, traditional clothing, addresses and affirma- tions, symbols, material repositories of cultural knowledge such as wampum belts, creative literature, and works of art. Secondary sources of Indigenous knowledge may include, but are not limited to, books and articles by Indigenous authors, websites, documentaries by Indigenous filmmakers, and current newspapers and magazines produced by Indigenous organizations and/or communities. All these Indigenous knowledge sources enrich students’ investigations and deepen their understanding of the inquiry process.
The questioning students practised in the early grades becomes more sophisticated as they learn that all sources of information have a particular point of view and that the recipient of the information has a responsibility to evaluate it, determine its validity and relevance, and use it with permission and in appropriate ways. Developing the ability to locate, question, and validate information allows a student to become an independent, lifelong learner.
The introductions that precede each course or set of courses in this document outline the unique aspects of the inquiry process in the discipline with which the course is associated. Skills and strategies for every stage of the process for each subject need to be taught explicitly. The type of questions asked, the information, evidence, and/or data gathered, and the analysis applied will vary by subject. It is important for teachers to understand that the inquiry process is not necessarily implemented in a linear fashion. For example, teachers may:
• provide students with questions and ask them to gather and analyse information, evidence, and/or data to investigate them;
• provide students with a piece of evidence and ask them to analyse it and to draw conclusions based on their analysis;
• ask students to apply the entire inquiry process.
Students will use the applicable components of the process in the order most appropriate for them and for the task at hand, and not all investigations will involve all components. Moreover, there are different entry points within the process, and these may depend on student readiness. Prior knowledge, resources, and time may also be factors. Students will tend to move back and forth between the areas as they practise and refine their skills. In addition, each inquiry is unique and will require a particular mix and sequence
of skills.
This flexibility and openness to a range of inquiry processes and ways of knowing is crucial to the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit studies curriculum. Throughout the inquiry process in all courses, students learn to apply the Indigenous research principles of intent, reciprocity, and respect and to acknowledge Indigenous ways of knowing and related protocols. It is essential that students:
• articulate the motivations for and the consequences of their research projects;
• engage in mutually respectful relationships as they locate and gather information;
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