In class today, we had a Coast Salish guest  named Ms. Galligos. Throughout our circle discussion, we acknowledged the land and honoured ourselves, our family, and our loved ones.

During this activity, the following Aboriginal Ways of Knowing and Being were thoroughly represented.

• Learning involves developing relationships, respecting distinct cultures, and honouring the perspective of others in our communities.
• The deepest learning takes place through lived experience. It requires exploring our identities, learning from our mistakes, and having gratitude for our gifts.

How can one learn through oral communication?

We can learn more about each other and our community through speaking aloud and sharing information. I feel that this statement was clearly represented in our discussion today. By sharing with each other and allowing ourselves to be vulnerable, we learned sympathy and respect for others around us.

How did this exercise build community in this room?

I think that this exercise helped to build a strong sense of support and safety in our class. Through being courageous and putting ourselves out there, we learned that no one will judge us, that we should not feel afraid to be ourselves and to voice our  thoughts and opinions.