Author Archives: ronaye kooperberg

Post Secondary Education and Aboriginal Students

This website is actually a PDF document which discusses barriers to post-secondary education in Canada. While this 130-page document examines PS barriers for all Canadians, it does take an in-depth inquiry into the challenges faced by Aboriginal communities and students. Created in 2011, by the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology, this document provides a list of barriers as well as recommendations to resolving these issues.

To access this document, follow this link: http://www.parl.gc.ca/content/sen/committee/411/soci/rep/rep06dec11-e.pdf

Ronaye Kooperberg (Module 4 – Post 5)

First Nation Education Resources

The First Nation Education Resources (FNER) blog contains a plethora of online educational resources for both educators as well as students. The goal of the webmaster is to improve the lives of Aboriginal students across Canada as well as to inform educators on how to engage First Nations students in the classroom. Educational resources are separated into subject matter and provides examples of thematic units, Aboriginal student projects, as well as resource kits available for teachers. Student resources links users to Aboriginal awards as well as online games and apps. For the purposes of ETEC 521, the webmaster has compiled a large number of papers and articles under the heading of Professional Development. This website is very useful for day-to-day education of First Nations populations.

To access the content of this blog, proceed to this website address: https://fner.wordpress.com/

Ronaye Kooperberg (Module 4 – Post 4)

First Nations Technology Council

The First Nations Technology Council is an organization in BC whose aim is to promote the use of technology to unite, revitalize and empower First Nations communities within BC. The organization believes that technology will assist in the preservation of language and culture, enhance community connections between Aboriginal people, and provide new opportunities for jobs and economic development. In addition, the council mines data in both health and educational services for Aboriginal community members.

The Technology Council also works with communities in building a a unique Community Technology Plan which is to assist in the development of sustainable technology solutions. “The Technology Council will help take the guess work out of determining short, mid and long terms goals and will be a trusted ally in your implementation of digital technologies, no matter how big or small!”. The Technology Council also supports digital skills training for those community members wishing to advance their skills.

To access the First Nations Technology Council website, follow this link: http://www.technologycouncil.ca/

Ronaye Kooperberg (Module 4 – Post 3)

First Nations Education Council

The First Nations Education Council (FNEC) is an organization which has several mandates. The website lists seven specific areas of focus, some of which include:

To ensure that First Nations regain full control of their education through political action.
To ensure respect of the educational rights of First Nations communities.
To advance and increase the quality of First Nations educational programs and services.
Conduct studies and make recommendations on governments’ decisions on Aboriginal education.
Manage educational programs to ensure services are developed for the benefit of the communities.

In addition, the FNEC is also working on training members of the community through online learning and face-to-face classes. In 2010 the FNEC established the Kiuna Institution, a post-secondary school promoting culture and traditions for the First Nations of Quebec. This website also has a large collection of position papers, videos and documents which support their position for self governance of Aboriginal education. Although this organization mainly focuses on the Aboriginal people of Quebec, there is a plethora of information which spans Aboriginal communities across Canada.

To access the information within this website, follow the link to: http://www.cepn-fnec.com/index-eng.aspx

Ronaye Kooperberg (Module 4 – Post 2)

First Nations Information Governance Centre (FNIGC)

The First Nations Information Governance Centre is a national organization which provides research and data collection for the First Nations people of Canada. It’s vision statement is:

“Founded on First Nations Principles, The First Nations Information Governance Centre is a premier Indigenous model of research and data excellence for the well being of our Peoples and Communities”

In addition, the FNIGC is devoted to the health and wellness of First Nations people, promotes the First Nations people whenever possible, and measures advancements or set backs within Aboriginal communities in Canada. In addition, the FNIGC conducts the First Nations Regional Health Survey (FNRHS) and the First Nations Regional Early Childhood, Education and Employment Survey (FNREEES). The results of the FNREEES (also referred to as the REEES) was released on November 18, 2015. You can find a CBC report summarizing the findings here: http://www.cbc.ca/news/aboriginal/new-stats-offer-snapshot-of-life-in-first-nation-communities-1.3326682

To access this website, follow the link to: http://fnigc.ca/

Ronaye Kooperberg (Module 4 – Post 1)

Empowering the Spirit – First Nations, Metis and Inuit Education

The Edmonton Regional Learning Consortium in conjunction with Alberta Education has created a website to assist educators in providing an authentic learning experience which reflects the values and traditions of the First Nations, Metis and Inuit populations. These groups have chosen to provide resources which focus on both literacy and numeracy. In addition to free resources which are embedded within this website, there is a travelling classroom library which can be requested by educators. This library provides students with culturally responsive books for loan. The cultural awareness section is meant for educators and administrators who are unaware or require additional information on the needs of these students and their families. This website is an excellent resource for teachers of Aboriginal students. For the purposes of our course, this website provides an insight on the reality of how few literary resources are available for students. For students reading (or seeing) literary representations of themselves is important for empowering them within their communities.

To access this website, go to: http://empoweringthespirit.ca/

Ronaye Kooperberg (Module 3 – Post 5 – Community Reality)

Edmonton Public School Board – FNMI Education

Having completed my B Ed at the University of Alberta, I was quite aware that the Edmonton Pubic School Board (EPSB) had a large program in place to reach the Aboriginal student, family and community as well as the educators of Aboriginal students. The resources within this website are plentiful. Documents for First Nations, Metis and Inuit families to maneuver the educational system, documents to guide young adults in future career pathways, Cree language resources (as many schools K-12 provide Cree as an option for students), family resources for health and well-being. This all-encompassing website replicates the values of the First Nations people as it does not solely deal with education, rather the development of the whole person (and those who support the student). This website is not only useful for those teachers who have First Nations, Metis or Inuit students but it provides an example of how educational boards are reaching out to meet the needs of all learners. From an Aboriginal perspective, I feel this could be seen as a form of media outreach to showcase the efforts of the school board to connect with the Indigenous communities.

To access this website, go to: https://sites.google.com/a/epsb.ca/fnmi-education/home

Ronaye Kooperberg (Module 3 – Post 4)

AMMSA – Aboriginal Multi-Media Society

The Aboriginal Multi-Media Society is an Aboriginal communications society dedicated to serving the needs of Aboriginal people throughout Canada. The mandate of the AMMSA is to provide an objective view of news, education and technology to the Canadian aboriginal community. This organization publishes Windspeaker and Alberta Sweetgrass as well as a wide-reaching radio station. This website is quite useful in viewing how current events are interpreted or impacting the First Nations of Canada. Furthermore, this website connects the aboriginal community with current events to use in the classroom while respecting the values of the Indigenous people. I happened upon this website while exploring current barriers to post-secondary education for aboriginal students.

To access this website, go to: http://www.ammsa.com/content/home

Ronaye Kooperberg (Module 3 – Post 3)

Chiefs Assembly on Education

This website summarizes the findings of the Chiefs Assembly on Education. This document provides an in depth look at Aboriginal education from a First Nation’s perspective. The notes from this meeting highlight gaps within the system from K through post-secondary education. The Chiefs end with the need for more financial assistance to assist with the higher incidents of special needs of students, repairs to a vast majority of the schools as well as the resources to meet the needs of these specific learners. Overall, this document is useful for an insider’s perspective on the state of aboriginal education in Canada and provides a snapshot of the reality of the current educational system within the Aboriginal communities.

To access this website, go to: http://www.afn.ca/uploads/files/events/fact_sheet-ccoe-3.pdf

Ronaye Kooperberg (Module 3 – Post 2)

Statistics Canada – Aboriginal Youth Data

The Statistics Canada (Stats Can) website is useful for anyone gathering statistical data for their research project. Although this data was generated in 2011 from the National Household Survey, it is still relevant and accurate (as we all know Stats Can generates quality data). This data is separated into three categories, Aboriginal (First Nations people), Metis, as well as Inuit (which would be useful for narrowing your research). Interestingly, Stats Can indicates that the information compiled is incomplete as some groups did not participate in this survey or the survey was incomplete due to natural disasters such as forest fires. So while the information gathered is quality data, it may not reveal the entire aboriginal community experience in Canada.

To access this website, go to: http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/as-sa/99-011-x/99-011-x2011001-eng.cfm#a9

Ronaye Kooperberg (Module 3 – Post 1)