As we approach National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, I return to a piece of writing that deeply resonates with how I am growing up as an artist and pedagogue while unpacking my lineage as a white settler. The article brings forward the First Peoples Principles of Learning through the lens of education and self-inquiry. The First Peoples Principles of Learning have been foundational to my own decolonization journey, a journey deepened with the amazing Aurélia Kaililani Kinslow of Sun Curriculum. Reading Hanson’s reflection, I felt an immediate sense of alignment.

While Kelly Hanson speaks about pedagogy and learning, I find that her insights expand naturally into my own creative practice and my role as a parent. I find the process of making art, parenting and the process of learning to be intimately connected. Especially in the context of Early Years Education, for a child, I argue that creating and learning are the same. As a person engaging with creation and pedagogy, I find that both practices require reflection, presence, openness, discomfort, and ongoing self-examination. Bringing the First Peoples Principles of Learning to the centre of my inquiry has changed, and continues to change me, and by extension, how I engage in art and learning in community.

Because I believe the reach of this article extends beyond pedagogy into creative practice and parenting, it is in this spirit that I invite you to read it here:“The First Peoples Principles of Learning: An Opportunity for Settler Teacher Self-Inquiry” .

It was published in 2019 by LEARNing Landscapes, an open-access, peer-reviewed, online education journal supported by LEARN (Leading English Education and Resource Network). Published in the spring of each year, it attempts to make links between theory and practice and is built upon the principles of partnership, collaboration, inclusion, and attention to multiple perspectives and voices.