Disclaimer: This conversation was with a council member from Malahat Nation. We talked about general teachings, stories, and ways of relating to land and community. We did not talk directly about PE units, social studies curriculum, grading, or Sport Education. The connections I make below between what he shared and my project of bridging PE structures into social studies are my own interpretations as a teacher candidate. They are not instructions from him or from Malahat Nation, and any classroom use of these ideas should be checked with local knowledge keepers through a mutual relationhip. This section will continue to be a living docuement, this means as I learn more information I will continue to update this page.

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What I heard in the conversation

One of the first themes that came up was reciprocity. He described the idea of taking what you need and giving back what you do not, whether that is food, plants, or knowledge. In a harvesting context, that means only taking enough for yourself, sharing with people who cannot harvest, and then helping repopulate what you took. He talked about a rough pattern of one third for yourself and two thirds for others, and about replanting or restoring the plant culture in the place you harvested. This idea of reciprocity also applied to knowledge. When you reach out to people in the community, you do not just take information. You contact your connections ahead of time, explain what you would like to talk about, and treat the conversation as something you are collaborating on. “Take what you need” applies here too, but with the understanding that you bring something back, whether that is acknowledgement, further relationship, or contributing in other ways when you are able.

Another strong focus was on oral tradition and repetition. He talked about stories like the Thunderbird and Killer Whale. One piece that stood out to me was that there are multiple interpretations of the same story. In the version he described, the killer whale was connected to fishing rights and restrictions that traditional peoples had to operate around, and the Thunderbird taking the whale up the mountain and dropping it represented rights being reset or returned. Storytelling in that sense is not just entertainment. It is how teachings about society, law, and culture are carried. Repetition, and hearing the same story in different contexts, is part of how people remember and reinterpret what it means. A connection that the council member did make to teaching more broadly is that traditional stories often use animals as repersentation of different themes which could help younger students understand and conceptualize more complicated topics

He also emphasised the importance of giving, both historically and in modern contexts. In the past, gifts like pelts or other items were exchanged. Today blankets are often used or if you know the person whom your meeting something you know the person could use would work as well. For example; seeds for a gardenor, tools for a handiman, ingrediants for a chef. These gifts were not only for major events. They were also part of meeting people, acknowledging relationships, and anchoring oral traditions. The physical gift helps tie a story or encounter to memory. It marks the moment in time and repersents the mutual respect and giving of both parties involved

Across all of this there was a consistent message about responsibility. Harvesting, receiving knowledge, and hearing stories all come with obligations. You do not just take and walk away. You think about who else needs this, how you can help sustain what you took from, and how to continue the relationship rather than treating it as a one off transaction. He also mentioned that in a teaching context this applies to the importance of sharing knowledge he mentioned that their stories are not theirs to keep but to share.

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How this shapes my PE–social studies bridge

Even though we did not talk about PE or social studies directly, these themes sit right beside the decisions I am making about how to organise learning using Sport Education style structures, standards, and gamified assignments. They give me another way to think about what my “season” structures are doing and what kind of relationships they encourage.

The idea of taking what you need and giving back connects to how I handle both content and assessment. In PE and in social studies I am building units around clear “I can” statements with extension levels and shared records. It is easy for that structure to become one more way for students to collect marks or credentials. Through this conversation, I am starting to see a different angle. If a student or a team has developed a particular skill or understanding, part of “extension” can be about how they give that back to others who might not be able to get there on their own. In PE, that might look like more skilled players designing adaptations or coaching others rather than just using their skill to win. In social studies, it could mean students who are confident with argument writing or research taking on responsibilities for supporting classmates, co constructing resources, or making their work usable by others, not only polishing it for a grade.

The focus on oral tradition and the Thunderbird and Killer Whale story also pushes my social studies design toward story and multiple interpretation rather than only toward abstract concepts. The story he shared deals with rights being taken away and returned, with restrictions, and with how people navigate imposed systems. That maps onto the kinds of questions I want students to explore around citizenship, protest, and power. It suggests that units should be grounded in specific stories and that part of the work is hearing and re hearing them in different ways, not just reading a text once and moving on. From a structural point of view, that fits well with the idea of a season. Instead of a single assignment on a topic, we come back to the same story or case from different angles over time.

Repetition as a feature of oral tradition also has a practical link to how I am already organising PHE classes. In Sport Education and in standards based systems, students revisit the same outcomes across the season rather than being tested once and then dropping the skill (Siedentop, 2002). The conversation makes me more intentional about that in social studies. If a story or concept matters, it should appear in different “fixtures” across the season: early discussion, mid-unit role play, later written work. Each return gives students another chance to take in more of what it means, similar to hearing a story many times and noticing different parts each time.

The emphasis on giving and on gifts anchoring memory gives me a new way to think about culminating events and celebration. In my design, seasons end with some kind of festival, showcase, or public demonstration. The council member’s comments suggest that these are not just about showing off work. They are a chance to mark relationships and to leave behind something concrete that ties the learning to memory. In practice, that could mean building in small but intentional acts of giving at the end of a unit. For example, social studies teams might create resources that are actually useful to another class, to families, or to a community partner, rather than only presenting to their own peers and then discarding the work. In PE, it might mean using the culminating festival to publicly recognise not only performance but also support, care, and teaching others, and doing that in a way that feels like a genuine gift rather than a token certificate.

Finally, the way he talked about contacting community and collaborating on knowledge reminds me to be careful with how I use and present all of this in my project. My bridge from PE to social studies is built from research on Sport Education, Self Determination Theory, and motivation, but it now also sits next to specific conversations with people in this place. If I want to connect students with local stories or invite them into community based learning, the model he described is a good starting point. Reach out early, explain clearly what I hope to do, and treat the relationship as ongoing. That lines up with the whole idea of a season. We are not dropping in to “use” a story or person for one lesson. We are committing to a longer process of working alongside, learning, and then giving back in whatever ways are appropriate.

Table For Quick Reference and Understanding

Theme from conversation	Design move in PHE-style course	Design move in social studies
Reciprocity: take what you need, give back what you do not	Make extension more than harder drills or extra points. Design tasks where more skilled players give back by supporting others, designing adaptations, or coaching, instead of only using their skill to win.	When students reach proficiency, build extension that involves giving back: co-creating guides, helping classmates with sources or argument structure, or producing resources that others can actually use.
Knowledge as something you collaborate around, not just take	When involving community knowledge or guests, frame it as a shared project. Have students prepare questions, follow up, and show how they used what was shared across the season, not just consume it for one lesson.	For inquiries that use local stories or issues, contact people early, explain the purpose clearly, and plan how the class will contribute back (sharing products, supporting a need, or reporting back respectfully).
Stories and oral tradition,	Use recurring game scenarios and short stories to talk about more than tactics, for example how rules shape inclusion and exclusion or who gets access to play. Return to key scenarios across the season rather than using them once.	Build units like “citizenship and protest” or “rights and responsibilities” around specific stories that are revisited through discussion, simulation, written analysis, and creative response so students see that interpretations can shift over time.
Gifts and giving as anchors for memory and relationship	In festivals or culminating events, go beyond ranking and awards. Ask teams to create something that feels like a genuine gift: a drill bank, a mini-coaching clinic for younger students, or resources other classes can use.	End units with products that are actually for someone: zines or slide decks for younger classes, info sheets for families, or materials for a community partner, instead of projects that disappear after grading.
Responsibility when receiving knowledge	Build roles where students are responsible for passing on what they have learned and maintaining a positive learning environment, such as peer coaches, safety stewards, or fair-play monitors.	When students study hard histories or current issues, include tasks where they reflect on what responsibilities come with that knowledge and who else might need it, rather than stopping at “now I know this.”