Teaching as Treaty Partners: Exploring Collaborative and Relational Approaches to Implementing Treaty Essential Learnings
Researcher: Penny Mohr
Project Description: This research explores how First Nations and provincial educators work together to implement Treaty Essential Learnings (TELs) in ways that are effective, culturally respectful, and grounded in Indigenous worldviews. The research focuses on the relational, structural, and collaborative processes that shape this work, with specific attention to how partnerships built on reciprocity and ethical space support meaningful TEL implementation.
The study is not designed to evaluate teacher performance or compare school systems. Rather, it seeks to understand how strengths‑based, relational, and culturally aligned practices enrich teaching and learning.
Objectives:
- To understand how collaborative partnerships enhance teaching and learning.
- To identify structures and practices that support strong, respectful educator relationships.
- To explore how shared decision‑making honours Indigenous knowledge systems.
- To highlight how this collaborative work contributes to reconciliation and culturally grounded education.
This research focuses on the lived experiences of educators, First Nations and provincial, who work together to co‑plan and implement TEL‑aligned learning. The research will examine:
- the structures that shape collaboration (e.g., co‑planning time, Elder involvement, partnership agreements);
- relationship‑building practices rooted in trust, respect, protocol, and reciprocity;
- shared decision‑making processes that honour Indigenous voices, knowledge systems, and governance traditions; and
- the learning experiences that emerge for both students and teachers within this collaborative model.
Using an Indigenous‑informed, relational methodology strengthens the teaching practices explored in this study by ensuring that TEL implementation grows directly from shared experiences, collaborative planning, and culturally grounded processes. This approach supports teaching methods that are more coherent, responsive, and aligned with local knowledge systems, as it centers ongoing dialogue, protocol, and collective decision‑making. By grounding the work in ethical space and reciprocity, the research helps create learning environments where instructional practices are shaped through authentic partnership, resulting in TEL‑aligned teaching that is more meaningful, respectful, and sustainable.