Decolonization in education isn’t just about curriculum — it’s about the spaces themselves. Classrooms, hallways, libraries, and playgrounds are shaped by colonial assumptions: what languages are on the walls, whose histories are displayed, and whose knowledge is treated as “supplementary.” Decolonizing school spaces means rethinking the physical, cultural, and relational environments that shape learning every day.
Why It Matters
Visibility and belonging: If students never see their cultures represented, the message is clear: their identities aren’t valued.
Healing and reconciliation: School buildings have historically been sites of trauma for Indigenous families. Reimagining them as safe and affirming is essential.
Everyday impact: Learning doesn’t only happen in textbooks. Symbols, design, and environment constantly reinforce values.
The Canadian Context
Murals, land acknowledgments, and Indigenous-designed learning circles are appearing in some schools — but are they symbolic or transformative?
Language revitalization projects are bringing Cree, Inuktitut, and other Indigenous languages into classrooms.
Funding constraints often mean surface-level changes, while systemic inequities (like underfunded Indigenous schools) remain.
The Opportunities
Co-creation: Involve Indigenous elders, artists, and communities in shaping the learning environment.
Shared spaces: Design schools that support cultural practices — from smudging rooms to outdoor learning areas.
New narratives: Move beyond colonial symbols and architecture to reflect diverse worldviews.
The Risks
Symbolism without substance: Painting a mural without changing policy or practice risks performative reconciliation.
Token representation: Highlighting one cultural element while ignoring systemic inequities.
Resistance: Pushback from those who see decolonization as “erasure” rather than inclusion.
The Bigger Picture
Decolonizing school spaces is about shifting power — who gets to define knowledge, whose cultures are affirmed, and whose presence is made visible. It’s about turning schools from institutions of assimilation into spaces of belonging.
The Question
What would a truly decolonized school look like, sound like, and feel like — and who gets to decide?
Decolonizing School Spaces
The Concept
Decolonization in education isn’t just about curriculum — it’s about the spaces themselves. Classrooms, hallways, libraries, and playgrounds are shaped by colonial assumptions: what languages are on the walls, whose histories are displayed, and whose knowledge is treated as “supplementary.” Decolonizing school spaces means rethinking the physical, cultural, and relational environments that shape learning every day.
Why It Matters
The Canadian Context
The Opportunities
The Risks
The Bigger Picture
Decolonizing school spaces is about shifting power — who gets to define knowledge, whose cultures are affirmed, and whose presence is made visible. It’s about turning schools from institutions of assimilation into spaces of belonging.
The Question
What would a truly decolonized school look like, sound like, and feel like — and who gets to decide?