ELEMENTARY TEACHERS’ FEDERATION OF ONTARIO

REPORT TO THE 2015 ANNUAL MEETING

Advancing and Protecting Our Union, Our Values and Our Profession

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books and various items that reflect FNMI peo-
ple’s culture and perspectives. The resources will 
be displayed and shared with ETFO members and 
students at Federation events.

Infusing Aboriginal Perspectives 

in Math, Science and Literacy

ETFO FNMI members and staff developed a three-
day workshop for the Federation’s 2015 Summer 
Academy called Infusing Aboriginal Perspectives into 
Mathematics, Science and Literacy. The workshop 
invites participants to immerse themselves in 
hands-on activities that are inclusive of Aboriginal 
culture and pedagogies. By connecting these con-
cepts with Western ways of knowing, educators 
will gain a conceptual understanding of Aboriginal 
perspectives and how to infuse these pedagogies 
into mathematics, science and literacy.

FNMI Perspectives in Literature 

Online Book Club

In June, an online FNMI book club was launched 
to support the unique needs of Aboriginal mem-
bers, increase involvement of Aboriginal mem-
bers and promote Aboriginal education through-
out the school year. The online club is based 
around FNMI literature and childrens’ books and 
was developed by Aboriginal members and staff.

ETFO Classroom Management Course

In August, ETFO held the first three-day Classroom 
Management Course designed for members expe-
riencing difficulties with classroom management as 
identified by the local and/or Professional Relations 
Services staff. In many cases, these members had 
received unsatisfactory teacher performance 
appraisals or were members who were ‘on review’ 
for issues related to behaviour management, class-
room management and self-control.

Along with reinforcing the importance of profes-
sional judgment, the course provided opportuni-
ties for growth in critical areas such as recogniz-
ing characteristics of the learner, meeting indi-
vidual student needs, understanding behaviour 
management, creating positive classroom inter-
ventions and building effective relationships with 
students, staff and parents. Participants gained 
a deeper understanding of how emotions and 
behaviour can feed into problems, and learned 
effective strategies to change these patterns. Two 
one-day courses were also held in November and 
April.

Equity and Women’s Services

Women in the Margins Conference

This two-day leadership opportunity in May pro-
vided a venue for women members to engage 
in, discuss, challenge and be proactive regard-
ing societal, cultural and systemic stereotypes 
about women. Along with a keynote address by 
writer, educator and First Nations, Métis, and 
Inuit (FNMI) elder Lee Maracle, workshop pre-
senters included human rights lawyer Yasmeena 
Mohamad, Trans educator Rosalyn Forrester and 
FNMI activists Tanya Senk and Bonnie Johnston. 
Participants discussed issues related to women 
from designated groups as many concerns inter-
sect race, socio-economic status, sexual orienta-
tion, religious/cultural identity and the differing 
levels of ability and mental health concerns.

Next Steps - Résumé and 

Interview Workshop

This two-day program in February was designed 
to support racialized women members in the 
area of résumé writing and interview skills prepa-
ration. The program has been developed to build