279. Ask Big Questions, Enculturate Values, and Experience Discomfort with Dr. Anton Treuer

What can educators learn from Indigenous ways of knowing, intergenerational learning, storytelling, and community-centered education?

In this episode of the Time for Teachership podcast, host Lindsay Lyons talks with guest Dr. Anton Treuer, author, educator, and scholar, about how education can help create social transformation and prepare students to thrive in an increasingly diverse world.

Dr. Treuer explores the importance of moving beyond a single way of teaching and learning and creating educational spaces where students can encounter different cultures, perspectives, stories, and ways of solving problems. He shares examples from Indigenous communities and schools, including Indigenous language revitalization, culturally integrated curriculum, and the Hawaiian-language school Nāwahī.

The conversation also examines the power of intergenerational learning and the ways schools can reconnect young people with elders, community members, and the natural world. Dr. Treuer explains why storytelling and cultural practices can help students develop values and understandings in ways that go beyond simply learning information.

A major theme throughout the episode is the idea that educators don't have to be experts in every culture or every topic. Instead, they can approach learning with curiosity, ask good questions, bring in community knowledge, and learn alongside their students.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why education is so powerful in creating social transformation
• Dr. Treuer's vision for education and social change
• The importance of intergenerational learning and multi-generational communities
• What educators can learn from Indigenous ways of knowing
• How storytelling can become a powerful tool for learning and reflection
• The role of oral histories and community stories in education
• How cultural practices can help students develop values and ways of seeing the world
• Moving beyond a single, dominant approach to teaching and learning
• Why students benefit from exposure to multiple cultures and perspectives
• Indigenous language revitalization and its role in education
• The example of Nāwahī and Hawaiian-language education
• How schools can integrate Indigenous knowledge across subject areas
• Discovering the mathematics and STEM learning already present in culture and community practices
• Making STEM education more relevant and relatable to students
• Why educators don't need to be content experts on every culture or topic
• How teachers can learn alongside their students
• The importance of asking big questions and connecting students with community knowledge
• Creating educational environments that support different learning modalities
• The impact of historical and ongoing educational practices on Indigenous communities
• Moving beyond stereotypes and romanticized ideas about Indigenous cultures
• What educators can learn from Indigenous approaches without treating any culture as a monolith
• Embracing discomfort as part of the work of pursuing justice and humanity
• The relationship between justice, opportunity, community, and human connection
• How school culture, curriculum, professional learning, and family engagement can all contribute to more inclusive education

Grab the free resource connected to this episode at:

lindsaybethlyons.com/blog/279

Connect with guest Dr. Anton Treuer:

Website: https://antontreuer.com/