Learning from Eco-social Approaches to Public Health
The “Koh-Learning in our Watersheds” is a UNBC-SD91 partnered project founded on the benefits of learners, educators and partners learning together about ‘Koh’ – a word for waterway in Dakelh. The program builds on a long-standing partnership between SD 91 and UNBC. Initiated in 2019, the Koh-Learning in our Watersheds project involves SD 91 students, teachers, administrators, the Aboriginal Education Council of SD 91, community partners and interdisciplinary researchers.
This program seeks to address two pressing issues within Canada’s education system. Firstly, the system often overlooks and suppresses Indigenous knowledge, beliefs, and practices related to connecting to and respecting the land. This oversight fuels disengagement from a shared future and exacerbates disparities between Indigenous and settler populations. Secondly, the traditional focus on individual achievement and the measurement of recalled knowledge in school systems neglects experiential understandings rooted in authentic expertise. Despite the incorporation of Aboriginal Education and First People’s Principles of Learning (FPPL) into British Columbia’s curriculum since 2018, educators and communities continue to struggle with translating these principles from words into meaningful actions. Through Koh-Learning in our Watersheds Program, we aim to bridge these gaps, fostering a more inclusive and experiential learning environment that respects and integrates Indigenous perspectives.
The 'Seasonal Round' diagram illustrated here, serves as a core feature that promotes quality, diversity, originality, and collective coherence. It facilitates the connection between students, communities, and waterways by aligning the curriculum with traditional Indigenous approaches to self-discovery, interpersonal connections, and the environment. Developed by Leona Prince's framework, this diagram is a foundation for the program's integration of Aboriginal Education and its commitment to inclusive and varied entry points into STEAM education. A video of Leona explaining the 'Seasonal Round' diagram can be found here.