George Brown Polytechnic is located on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and other Indigenous peoples who have lived here over time. We are grateful to share this land as treaty people who learn, work and live in the community with each other.
Welcome to the Relational Knowledge Journey
When you enter the river, you begin with the shore – pausing to reflect before moving with the current. Each step deepens your relationship to knowledge, community, and the land. This journey invites you to unlearn individualism and engage with knowledge as a living, relational process. You will move through cycles of reflection and action in a circle format with your colleagues, returning with gifts that ripple through your classroom, institutions, and beyond. Welcome to the journey.
Who Am I?
Hello and welcome! My name is Leslie Wexler and I am a Métis woman from Treaty 6 territory and the Manager of Indigenous Pedagogies at George Brown Polytechnic. Rooted in relational ways of knowing, I guide faculty through the Relational Knowledge Journey with care, humility, and a deep commitment to reciprocity. I hold a PhD from the University of Toronto and bring years of experience in integrating Indigenous methodologies into higher education. My current work bridges Indigenous and Western knowledge systems, creating ethical spaces where faculty can reflect on their own positionality, cultivate meaningful relationships, and engage with Indigenous perspectives in a good way.
Why a relational knowledge journey?
Indigenous Knowledges, including pedagogies are not something to be extracted or consumed, but rather are “relational,” or built through relationships over time. This journey invites you to sit with complexity, move with the rhythms of reciprocal learning, and cultivate practices that honour Indigenous ways of knowing.
How this Journey Unfolds
Gathering at the Shore
In our first learning circles we reflect on self-location and positionality
Deepening the Current
We continue by building reciprocal relationships and ethical space.
Navigating Change
We deepen our understanding and commit to institutional transformation.
The Give-away
In the final phase of the journey, we apply knowledge through practical commitments in the classroom
- Phase 1 – Gathering at the Shore: Grounding in Relationship and Self-location
- Phase 2 – Deepening the Current: Building Reciprocal Relationships and Ethical Space
- Phase 3 – Navigating Change and Institutional Transformation
- Phase 4 – The Give-away: Building Practical Applications
Phase 1 – Gathering at the Shore: Grounding in Relationship and Self-location
This opening phase contains 5 learning circles that establish the foundation for faculty engagement by centering relationships, self-location, and ethical commitments. Before engaging with Indigenous pedagogies or applying new frameworks in the classroom, faculty first introduce who they are in relation to Indigenous communities, histories, and knowledge systems. Rather than approaching Indigenous education as a set of concepts to be mastered, this phase invites faculty into a process of self-reflection, relational accountability, and deep listening.
Please Note: each Circle on Cornerstone is offered on 3 different dates, you're welcome to sign up for 1 date per Circle. If you require assistance, please reach out to the Training Contact listed.
- Circle 1: Self-Location and Positionality in Indigenous Contexts
Faculty are invited to reflect on their own identities, privileges, and responsibilities in relation to Indigenous Peoples, histories, and lands. This circle helps participants move beyond an abstract understanding of Indigeneity to recognize their own place within these conversations.
This 2 hour circle is capped at 15 participants and includes a material practice to start a beaded “badge.”
- Circle 2: The Seven Grandfather Teachings and Relational Ethics
The Seven Grandfather Teachings (Wisdom, Love, Respect, Bravery, Honesty, Humility, and Truth) provide a values-based ethical framework for engaging in Indigenous pedagogies. Faculty will explore how these teachings guide relationships, decision-making, and personal integrity in the learning journey.
This 2 hour circle is capped at 15 participants and includes a material practice to continue a beaded “badge.”
Note: This framework can be expanded for departments wishing to do an 8-month journey into relational ethics with their faculty members that covers a single value every month in a sharing circle.
- Circle 3: Storywork, Storying, and Storytelling as Indigenous Pedagogy
Engaging in storytelling as a practice of relational knowledge-sharing and reciprocity. Indigenous education is deeply rooted in oral traditions, storytelling, and narrative-based learning. The practice of storytelling, in its various forms, holds significant cultural and educational value within Indigenous communities. It goes beyond mere narrative; it is a deeply rooted method of teaching, learning, and preserving history, knowledge, and values.
This circle introduces faculty to Indigenous Storywork as a pedagogy that conveys knowledge, fosters relationality, and carries responsibilities for both the storyteller and the listener. We will explore the concepts of storywork as core components of Indigenous pedagogy, highlighting their integral roles in knowledge transmission, cultural resilience, and community building.
This 2 hour circle is capped at 15 participants and includes a material practice to continue a beaded “badge.”
- Circle 4: Reframing Time: Traditional Knowledge and Seasonal Moons
Understanding Indigenous approaches to time and cycles. This traditional knowledge share circle invites participants to engage in a deep, reflective conversation about the cycles of nature and their significance in the context of personal, spiritual, and collective growth. In this circle, we will reflect on the traditional practice of aligning our lives with the moons of the season—an embodied and relational approach to time that transcends the linearity of Western clocks and calendars.
The will be a safe space for sharing stories, knowledge, and teaching circles passed down through generations, as well as personal reflections on the teachings of the 13 moons. Each moon presents an opportunity to reflect, learn, and grow through seasonal rhythms, fostering a holistic understanding of time that is deeply interconnected with the land, ancestors, and community. Indigenous staff, community members and students are also welcome in this traditional knowledge circle.
This 2 hour circle is capped at 10 participants and includes a material practice to continue a beaded “badge.”
- Circle 5: Circle as an Indigenous Teaching and Sharing Pedagogy
Establishing circle practice as a foundational way of learning together in classrooms. Circle pedagogy, as an Indigenous form of teaching, is grounded in values of respect, equality, and relationality. The circle, both symbolically and physically, is a powerful tool for fostering inclusive, participatory learning environments where every voice matters.
This session moves beyond explaining the method to offering faculty an experiential understanding of how learning in a circle fosters relational accountability, deep listening, and non-hierarchical knowledge-sharing. Space is provided for those who have used circle in their classrooms to share their experiences.
This 2 hour circle is capped at 10 participants and includes a material practice to complete a beaded “badge”.
Phase 2 – Deepening the Current: Building Reciprocal Relationships and Ethical Space
Phase 2 deepens faculty engagement by centering ethical spaces, relational accountability, and reciprocal learning—not only with Indigenous knowledge but also with one another. This phase shifts from individual reflection to collective practice, fostering mutual care among faculty as they navigate this journey together. The process begins by exploring ethical spaces and the responsibilities they carry, emphasizing that meaningful engagement requires more than passive learning. Faculty are then invited to examine their relationships with time through Indigenous frameworks, expanding their understanding beyond linear structures to cyclical, seasonal, and relational ways of being.
- Circle 6: Honouring Indigenous Knowledges and Ethical Spaces
Why This Phase is Essential: It explores relational accountability—how knowledge is held, shared, and respected—and ethical spaces, which create room for different worldviews to coexist in meaningful dialogue rather than assimilation or appropriation.
This circle will explore the responsibilities we hold when engaging with Indigenous Knowledges and ethical spaces, drawing on the work of Willie Ermine. Participants will reflect on how ethical spaces create dialogue between worldviews and how we can uphold relational accountability, community protocols, and Indigenous ways of knowing in our learning spaces.—they are commitments to action and relationship.
This circle will guide participants in exploring their connection to the land and their responsibilities to Indigenous Peoples. Through collective discussion, we will reflect on how to move beyond performative acknowledgements toward meaningful, lived practices that respect and uphold Indigenous rights and sovereignty.
This 2 hour circle is capped at 15 participants and includes a material practice to start a beaded “badge.” Those wishing to participate can sign up at: [link] The reading can be found [link] A Land Acknowledgement support guide can be found [coming soon]
- Circle 7: Holding Each Other in Good Ways: Faculty as Relational Partners
Why This Phase is Essential: It encourages faculty to engage with Indigenous relational paradigms where knowledge is understood as shared and collective.
Western academic institutions often privilege individual achievement, competition, and expertise over collaboration and care. This emphasis on individualism can isolate faculty, creating silos where knowledge and emotional labour are unevenly distributed. Unlearning academic individualism and fostering mutual care. Encourages faculty to see their learning as collective, deepening their relationships with one another as they navigate this journey. This space encourages them to see each other as co-learners and supporters, reinforcing that their journey is not solitary but interconnected.
In this circle participants will cultivate mutual care and deepen relationships through and active learning weaving of personal stories into collective commitments.
This 2 hour circle is capped at 15 participants and includes a material practice to continue a beaded “badge.” Those wishing to participate can sign up at: [coming soon]
- Circle 8: Stories of Connection: Personal Relationships with Land and Place
Why This Phase is Essential: It allows faculty to bridge knowledge and action by embodying the principles of reciprocity and relationality.
Moving beyond performative land acknowledgments this circle invites faculty to explore their own lived relationships with land and place.
Rather than framing land as something we are responsible for, this circle invites faculty to explore their own lived relationships with land and place. Through personal storytelling, reflection, and shared experience, participants will consider how land shapes memory, identity, and belonging. This session makes space for humor, curiosity, and wonder—reminding us that meaningful relationship comes not only from duty but also from deep familiarity, care, and joy.
This 2 hour circle is capped at 15 participants and includes a material practice to continue a beaded “badge.” Those wishing to participate can sign up at: [coming soon]
Personal readings and land acknowledgements will be shared in addition to the Land Acknowledgement guide [coming soon]
- Circle 9: Walking with the Land: Place-Based and Land-Based Learning
Final Beaded Badge
Moving beyond performative land acknowledgments this circle invites faculty to explore their own lived relationships with land and place.
Rather than framing land as something we are responsible for, this circle invites faculty to explore their own lived relationships with land and place. Through personal storytelling, reflection, and shared experience, participants will consider how land shapes memory, identity, and belonging. This session makes space for humor, curiosity, and wonder—reminding us that meaningful relationship comes not only from duty but also from deep familiarity, care, and joy.
This 2 hour circle is capped at 15 participants and includes a material practice to continue a beaded “badge.” Those wishing to participate can sign up at: [coming soon]
Personal readings and land acknowledgements will be shared in addition to the Land Acknowledgement guide [coming soon]
Phase 3 – Navigating Change and Institutional Transformation
As we transition into deeper systemic work in Phase 3, personal stories, relationships, and experiences with land from Phase 2 provide the emotional grounding needed to sustain commitment to long-term transformation.
This phase moves from relational learning into direct application, guiding us all toward meaningful institutional change. It begins with cultural humility, encouraging educators to reflect on their own biases, privileges, and power relations. By the end of this phase, we move from learners to active participants in reshaping education. Through humility, accountability, and advocacy, they become part of a larger movement to transform institutions in ways that honor and uphold Indigenous ways of knowing.
- Circle 10: Cultural Safety through Cultural Humility
Encourages educators to examine their own biases, privileges, and power relations. Lays groundwork for creating safer, more inclusive spaces for Indigenous learners (and all learners).
Cultural safety is an essential practice that moves beyond cultural awareness and competency. This circle will explore how cultural humility fosters deeper understanding, respect, and responsibility when engaging with Indigenous students, colleagues, and communities. Participants will engage in critical self-reflection and dialogue on power, privilege, and the importance of creating safer spaces in educational institutions.
This 2 hour circle is capped at 15 participants and includes a material practice to continue a beaded “badge.” Those wishing to participate can sign up at: [coming soon]
Reflection Assessment
Where have I grown and changed?
- Circle 11: Supporting Indigenous Learners in “a good way”
Indigenous learners often navigate spaces that do not reflect their identities, histories, and ways of knowing. This circle will guide participants in understanding how to create safer and more inclusive spaces where Indigenous students feel seen, heard, and supported. Drawing from the work of Sheila Cote-Meek's Colonized Classrooms: Racism, Trauma and Resistance in Post-Secondary Education (2014), on Indigenous experiences in post-secondary education, we will discuss the impacts of colonial structures and systemic barriers on Indigenous learners. Through storytelling and shared experience, we will explore ways to respond to difficult conversations, disrupt harmful narratives, and uphold Indigenous learners in a good way.
Participants are invited to share their experiences and learn from one another in a respectful and inclusive space.
This 2 hour circle is capped at 15 participants and includes a material practice to continue a beaded “badge.” Those wishing to participate can sign up at: [Coming Soon!]. The link to Sheila Cote Meek’s Colonized classrooms reading [coming soon]
Reflection Assessment
Where have I grown and changed?
- Circle 12: Building Meaningful Allyship and Culturally Responsive Teaching
Final Beaded Badge
Focuses on what allyship looks like in practice, from curriculum design to daily interactions. Reinforces reciprocal relationships with Indigenous communities and avoids performative gestures. True allyship requires ongoing learning, humility, and action. This circle will explore how to build meaningful relationships with Indigenous communities by centering Indigenous voices, honouring sovereignty, and engaging in culturally responsive teaching practices.
This circle shares knowledge around how allyship and culturally responsive teaching shows up for each in practice to inspire one another. A further reading provides questions for reflection and discussion.
This 2 hour circle is capped at 15 participants and includes a material practice to continue a beaded “badge.” Those wishing to participate can sign up at: [coming soon]
The link to Allyship Bill of Responsibilities reading [coming soon]
- Circle 13: Institutional Transformation and Indigenous Knowledges
Why This Closing Circle is Essential: This culminating circle expands the relational journey beyond individual practice, inviting institutional leaders to witness, listen, and commit to sustaining systemic change in a good way.
Many circles focus on personal and classroom‐level practice. A culminating session on how to work with administrators, policy makers, and broader institutional structures can help sustain changes beyond individual faculty efforts.
This circle is an invitation for faculty members to bring a person who they feel can effect greater change into the sharing circle. Personal statements of experience in the circles, changes in classroom, reflections upon the journey, and a final discussion of proceeding in a good way shape this circle.
This 2 hour circle is not capped at 15 participants, but invites those leaders in department to join faculty members to hear stories and discussions in the journey and how their support might effect greater change. Those wishing to participate can sign up at: [coming soon]
Phase 4 – The Give-away: Building Practical Applications
"The Give-Away" honors the tradition of giving back to the community as an act of reciprocity, recognizing that the knowledge and growth gained throughout the journey are not meant to be kept but shared generously.
Topics include Indigenous ethics in emerging fields like AI, assessment practices aligned with Indigenous worldviews, conflict resolution through restorative approaches, and building long-term partnerships with Indigenous communities. It reinforces that faculty are not just completing a process but offering their insights, transformations, and commitments to the broader institution, making space for collective flourishing.
- Circle 14: Indigenous Teachings, Ethics, and Artificial Intelligence
This application-based seminar considers Indigenous ethical frameworks to a modern context (AI and emerging technologies). Shows that Indigenous principles are not confined to tradition but guide ethical decision‐making in cutting‐edge fields.
This 1.5 hour circle is capped at 15 participants and includes a material practice to continue a beaded “badge.” Those wishing to participate can sign up at: [coming soon]
Link to the TLX conversations about GenAI and Burnout [coming soon]
Check it Out: Vanessa Andreotti’s Burnout From Humans
- Circle 15: Honouring Indigenous Ways of Knowing in Assessment and Reflection
This application-based seminar considers shifts into how we evaluate learning: alternative assessments, relational accountability, oral traditions, and community validation. Invites faculty to adapt or redesign their assessments to align with Indigenous perspectives.
This 1.5 hour circle is capped at 15 participants and includes a material practice to continue a beaded “badge.” Those wishing to participate can sign up at: [coming soon]
Check it Out: Gesturing Towards Decolonial Future’s Pedagogical Experiments
- Circle 16: Conflict Resolution or Restorative Approaches
This application-based seminar considers how Indigenous circles are often used for conflict resolution and healing. A circle specifically on how to navigate conflicts or challenging conversations with students, colleagues, or community members could be valuable.
This 1.5 hour circle is capped at 15 participants and includes a material practice to continue a beaded “badge.” Those wishing to participate can sign up at: [coming soon]
Check it Out: Restorative practices: Circle as Healing
- Circle 17: Collaborating with Indigenous Communities
Final Beaded Badge
While several circles mention engagement with Knowledge Holders, you could expand on protocols for building long‐term partnerships with local Nations—covering how to respectfully invite, compensate, and sustain relationships with Elders and community members.
This 1.5 hour circle is capped at 15 participants and includes a material practice to continue a beaded “badge” that represents Métis beadwork flowers to honour what we have shared, and to gift part of my own heritage to those who have completed the entire journey. Those wishing to participate can sign up at: [coming soon]