Author Archives: Timothy Dong

MOD #4 POST #5: College/ university Language programs in BC

Although the focus for the final project is K-12 education, I have come across this recent article: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/ubco-bacheclor-indigenous-language-fluency-program-1.5970694

Armstrong says the Bachelor of Nsyilxcn Language Fluency program she leads is Canada’s first ever degree program taught in an Indigenous language and is critical in keeping the endangered Nsyilxcn language alive.

Students can receive an Indigenous language fluency degree from UBCO in Nsyilxcn, an endangered language spoken among the peoples of the Okanagan Nation. Included in the program are language immersion courses and courses on revitalizing endangered languages. This program is part of a BC government initiative to create academic Indigenous language fluency programs in BC.

After reading the article, I was curious to see what university/ college-level courses are offered in British Columbia. I have come across a few programs and courses offered throughout BC:

The First Nations and Endangered Languages Program at UBC.

Language courses are offered along with language documentation and revitalization courses. By working with the Indigenous community, research into languages and creating educational materials to support Indigenous languages in BC.

https://fnel.arts.ubc.ca/

Indigenous languages program at Nicola Valley Institute of Technology.

Diploma and certificate programs both on-site and in the communities support the retention and maintenance of Indigenous languages. Advanced Diploma in Indigenous Language Teaching can be taken by diploma graduates to prepare students to teach in school settings.

https://www.nvit.ca/programs/indigenouslanguages.htm

Indigenous Language Fluency Certificate at North Island College

Kwak’wala and Nuu-chah-nulth immersion programs are available. Their goal is to support students expand their skills and support language revitalization in their communities.

https://calendar.nic.bc.ca/preview_program.php?catoid=3&poid=358

Indigenous language revitalization at UVIC.

Diploma, certificate, bachelors’ degree, and graduate-level programs available for Indigenous language revitalization. On-campus courses are offered as well as within language communities.

Students in UVic’s Indigenous language revitalization programs:

  • develop practical strategies for Indigenous languages to thrive and flourish

  • build language skills

  • conduct research

  • prepare to be teachers and interpreters

  • connect generations of Indigenous language speakers and educate future generations

  • curate oral histories

  • create new dictionaries, videos and apps

https://www.uvic.ca/education/areas-study/indigenous-language/index.php https://www.uvic.ca/about-uvic/about-the-university/indigenous-focus/indigenous-language-revitalization/index.php

MOD #4 POST #4: First Peoples’ Cultural Council Language Programs

https://fpcc.ca/programs/about-our-language-programs/

First Peoples’ Cultural Council (FPCC) has various initiatives and grants that work towards supporting Indigenous languages in BC.

FPCC is a strong advocate for Indigenous peoples’ right to live and speak our languages and practice our cultures. We provide funding, training, resources and support for language revitalization.

Programs offered include their youth empowered speakers program, language revitalization planning program, language technology program, mentor-apprentice programs, and language nest programs for young speakers. Also included is FirstVoices, a program designed to support the use of online tools for language documentation.

Grants offered by FPCC support community-led efforts in digitization, language gatherings and sharing, and language revitalization activities. Grants are combined as part of their Pathways to Language Vitality Program, which allows flexibility for communities to address needs specific to their community.

MOD #4 POST #3: No new funding for Indigenous languages in B.C.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/no-new-funding-bc-indigenous-language-1.6045504

“Indigenous language teachers across B.C. were alarmed to learn earlier this year there would be no renewal of funding from the provincial government.”

This is recent news (June 2021) has come up as we were working on our project. As we found, funding is vital in the Indigenous language revitalization and preservation efforts by Indigenous communities and advocates. Curriculum development, paying teachers to teach the language, and creating online platforms is supported by funding from the government.

“In 2018, the province invested $50 million over three years for Indigenous language revitalization for the nearly 200 First Nation communities in the province. The funding was not renewed and no new funding was provided in this year’s budget.”

One conclusion from a report Indigenous Languages Recognition, Preservation and Revitalization from the National Dialogue Session on Indigenous Languages in 2016 was that: language funding must be sustainable to be effective.

In addition to funding, another barrier mentioned in the article is the lack of support in government computers for non-English or non-French text characters found in Indigenous languages. For example, a glottal stop (ʔ) is replaced by a 7. Indigenous names need to be anglicized when inputted into government systems and computers. These are some barriers faced by Indigenous communities and advocates when attempting to support Indigenous languages in British Columbia.

MOD #4 POST #2: Language Education Planning

http://www.fnsa.ca/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/61415-FNESC-Language-Education-Planning-WB-MARCH16-F-WEB-1.pdf

This document by the First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC) and First Nations School Association (FNSA) is a user-friendly guide created for Indigenous communities and advocates hoping to create and plan Indigenous language programs. This guide is meant for planning language programs at any level and meant to work alongside other resources available online. Whether the user is planning a language nests, school language programs, immersion programs for kids, or adult language programs, all of these can be supported by this workbook.

The workbook includes fillable activities with guiding questions to help the user develop their plan/idea. Activities include:

1) Forming your core group

2) Encouraging community involvement

3) Surveying language education in your and neighbouring communities

4) Environmental scan of language resources in your and neighbouring communities

5) Developing a vision and a plan for language education in your community

6) Evaluating what you did

The workbook then guides the user into thinking about engaging parents and families, teacher training and education required, curriculum building, and funding. This step-by-step guide is helpful for those hoping to revive language through education.

MOD #4 POST #1: First Nations Education Foundation (FNEF)

https://www.fnef.ca/

First Nations Education Foundation (FNEF) is an organization collaborating with First Nation Governments in supporting their language revitalization efforts. By working with the community, they hope to use interactive technology and educational practices to support at-risk languages. Currently, they are working on a pilot program with the Yuułu?ił?ath Government (Ucluelet First Nation) in Ucluelet, BC. Their process of preserving existing knowledge includes professionally recording elders, creating living dictionaries, listening to community feedback, developing curriculum, using digital tools (such as quizzes and social forums).

“Not an endowment fund, FNEF is a foundation in the sense that it provides nations with an infrastructure and methodology through which they can create and sustain their own language revitalization efforts independently and autonomously. The result is an organic process where language resources are streamlined into a comprehensive archive and made accessible to the whole community through an open-ended digital platform. A 21st century approach makes contemporary learning strategies feasible for small communities and offers real hope for Indigenous language revitalization.”

MOD #3 POST #5: Indigenous Languages of British Columbia Curriculum

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/teach/resources-for-teachers/curriculum/languages-template/indigenous-languages

This page of the BC Ministry of Education website provides a list of Indigenous languages where the curriculum has been developed and are in use in school districts throughout British Columbia. However, the website does not link to the curriculum content directly, contact information for each district and their program is listed.

In 2016, the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC) conducted a review of the development and implementation of Indigenous languages programs and curriculum. Through site visits, surveys, interviews, and literature reviews, the report highlights best practices. The report can be read here: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/ways-to-learn/aboriginal-education/aboriginal-languages-irp-review.pdf. In the report, they have provided recommendations on multiple levels, in leadership, curriculum design, funding, and teacher preparation.

MOD #3 POST #4: Kingston Indigenous Languages Nest

https://kingstonindigenouslanguage.ca/

The Kingston Indigenous Languages Nest (KILN) is an organization in Ontario that supports language revitalization through community-based programs. They are guided by “a dish with one spoon”, meaning they honour and support all Indigenous Peoples.  According to their website and mission, they “welcome status and non-status people, as well as supportive settler allies”. Their workshops allow participants to learn language through songs, stories, games with the help of fluent speakers. Their aim is to support the learning and growth of Indigenous languages through culturally appropriate and intergenerational activities.

MOD #3 POST #3: Indigenous Storybooks

https://indigenousstorybooks.ca/

Indigenous Storybooks Canada is a website that provides stories written in Indigenous languages. Their goal is to provide resources written in Indigenous languages, as well as English, French, and immigrant languages. Those using this website can hear, see, and read the resources in various languages to support language development. They also have a resource page, sorted by languages, that provides additional curricular support and visual aids. The stories from the site are from the Little Cree Books project in Alberta and are open licensed.

Video introducing Indigenous Storybooks can be found here:

 

MOD #3 POST #2: Apps for Learning an Indigenous Language

https://www.animikii.com/news/apps-for-learning-an-indigenous-language

This blog post written by Animikii, an Indigenous-owned digital agency, highlights some language apps to support the preservation and revitalization of traditional languages and cultures. As we have read and discussed earlier this semester regarding the combination of technology and traditional knowledge, Animikii had this to say about this balance:

While technology cannot fully replace group or in-person interactions for language learning, they are a useful tool for learning vocabulary, usage, and pronunciation. To help on your language-learning journey, we’ve compiled a list of Indigenous language apps to supplement classes and conversations and to help you start to think outside the English box.

Part of their goal is to support groups creating apps by both helping with the development of apps or aiding with promoting the availability of developed apps. The traditional languages are met with 21st-century learning of integrating technology in these examples shared by Animikii. Most apps shared, such as My Cree and Kwak’wala are free. However, a few apps such as Anishinaabemowin and Talk Mohawk 2012 costs a fee.

MOD #3 POST #1: Should non-Indigenous Canadians learn Indigenous languages?

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/the180/stop-subsidizing-seniors-good-judges-can-make-bad-decisions-and-which-canadian-city-is-the-most-american-1.4028473/should-non-indigenous-canadians-learn-indigenous-languages-1.4028584

This article by The 180, a former radio talk show on CBC one, discusses the question of learning languages as non-Indigenous Canadians. The author said, on one hand, it is important as Canadians to acknowledge and bring back languages and cultures that belong to the place we live. However, on the other hand, it is good practice to connect with local languages and find those who speak them when attempting to learn words and about Indigenous languages. This article considers different perspectives one should consider if they would like to learn Indigenous languages as a non-Indigenous Canadian, to ensure it is not an empty gesture, but a meaningful connection to the culture and place.