Research by scholars in the CAAS network demonstrates that the vast majority of Canadian classroom teachers are themselves uninformed of Aboriginal perspectives, cultures and concerns. For these educators, integrating Aboriginal worldviews, cultures, histories and contemporary concerns into mandated curricula is very challenging.

As a result, even the brief extant mandatory curriculum on Aboriginal Peoples (typically found as one of several social studies themes to be taken up in a junior elementary grade across Canada - see WIB) is often handled in a minimalist manner. This curricular marginalization results in further social and cultural marginalization of First Peoples, contributing to reinforcement of negative perceptions and stereotypes about Aboriginal cultures.

WIB offers a wealth of information, links to additional resources and practical strategies, and proposals regarding how classroom teachers can be assisted to make these profound changes in their teaching praxis.

To further aid educators, WIB presents the CAAS Learning Circle as a framework for integration of Aboriginal perspectives into Canadian classrooms. The Learning Circle, and its accompanying proposed learning expectations, offer guidance to Canadian teachers in regards to the pedagogical questions of "how" and "what" teachers must address as they work to incorporate valid Aboriginal perspectives in their programmes.

WIB echoes and builds on many themes contained in the RCAP Report, which is one of the best classroom resources available to educators who wish to move towards this new pedagogy of honesty and respect about Aboriginal-Canadian relationships. In the section entitled "Experiences of European Colonization," historic and current Aboriginal curriculum content is discussed. In the section entitled "Time of Renewal," the report makes many concrete proposals for transforming learning and teaching about Aboriginal Peoples into an honest and respectful pedagogy.

However, as WIB shows, few classroom teachers have access to the RCAP report despite RCAP's own recommendations that the report, and its impressive educators' guide, be disseminated to all secondary and post-secondary institutions across Canada. Among other recommendations, CAAS calls on the federal government to act on RCAP's request for broad dissemination of its final report and teacher guide (WIB, West section).

Despite the obstacles, there are many hopeful signs! There are many instances where Canadian teachers have overcome this shortfall in their own education, and have become exemplary educators in the field (see Sharing Successes on this site). WIB makes a call for further research in this area, to inspire classroom educators seeking to improve their teaching practice.

Working papers specifically designed to support educators and community-based policy/curriculum social change advocates were also released by CAAS on November 18, 2002. These papers identify the need to create local and regional networks to carry this work forward and also the need to put teaching resources and strategies into the hands of classrooms teachers.

"Sharing Circles" provide teachers with a chance to receive and distribute locally relevant resources, and to build networks that will support changes in policy and practice in their localities.

"Unlearning-to-Learn" asks teachers and learners (suitable for ages 10 - adult) to examine what they "know" about Aboriginal Peoples, where they "learned" this information from, and what the "intentionality" behind this information is, resulting in a reflexive critique on the validity of "knowledge" about First Peoples, as held by Canadian students and educators.

Follow these links to learn more about the WIB findings:

• Strengthening the Capacity of the Coalition for the Advancement of Aboriginal Studies (CAAS) to Support these Changes
• SAS has Transformative Effect
• Student Awareness Survey Questionnaire

Follow these links for ideas that might help you with this work in your classroom or region:

• CAAS Sharing Circles
• Unlearning-to-Learn anti-stereotyping, decolonizing exercises
• CAAS Learning Circle and related Learning Expectations