Tag Archives: Aboriginal Education

Cultural Competency – Working With Aboriginal Peoples: A non-Native Perspective

https://zone.biblio.laurentian.ca/dspace/bitstream/10219/1986/1/NSWJournalV8_article7.pdf

This article is from the perspective of a non-Native social worker working in a Native social work program.  He speaks of the harsh realities that First Nations people have endured and how working in this program has enlightened his perspective immensely.   His overall understanding of cultural competency and Aboriginal issues is beneficial is assisting and providing the level of support needed in crisis.  He speaks of his interest in working in the Native Social work program and the obstacles he faced due to being non-Native.  He understood that he required some background knowledge so enrolled in as many Aboriginal courses he could.  He came to understand that First Nations people were one of the most oppressed group, and because of this, what better group to teach people about oppression and resilience.  

Module 4 post 1

Post Secondary Education and Aboriginal Students

Reducing BarriersThis 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)

Aboriginal Educational Resources-Thompson River University

A large collection of resources available to educators.  Website resources include: education, environment, wellness and arts.  There are also a section that deals with traditional knowledge and intellectual property that provides links to documents such as one from the Parliament of Canada dealing with this topic.

http://www.tru.ca/aero/faculty/web_resources.html

Module 4 Post 4

First Nation Education Resources

FNERThe 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

FNTCThe 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

FNECThe 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)

Promising Practices in Aboriginal Education

http://www.maei-ppw.ca/professional_development.html

This website is designed for anyone who wants to know more information on Aboriginal education, classroom resources, laws and practices, multimedia, early childhood education, professional development etc. Primarily geared towards teachers and principals. Each issue from this website brings you to a page where there are numerous links to click on. The wealth of information seems endless.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada – Kids’ stop

https://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1315444613519/1315444663239

This website designed by the Canadian government is an excellent source of information on Aboriginals in Canada for students and teachers. It includes information on Aboriginal history, culture, games, stories and classroom resources for teachers. There are stories that you can download, listen to online and activities for the students afterwards.

Key Policy Issues in Aboriginal Education: An Evidence-Based Approach

http://www.cmec.ca/Publications/Lists/Publications/Attachments/295/Key-Policy-Issues-in-Aboriginal-Education_EN.pdf

This document, agreed upon with the Canadian provincial and territorial ministers of education with Learn Canada 2020, outlines their dedication and commitment to improving the outcomes for Aboriginal students. It identifies the gaps in academic achievement and graduation rates between non-Aboriginal and Aboriginal students as an important area for attention. The CMEC (Council of Ministers of Education Canada) Aboriginal Education Action Plan outlines strategies for addressing these gaps. One such strategy is “strengthening the capacity for evidence-based decision making.” With this goal, CMEC instructed a report to consider how better data and evidence can be structured to support jurisdictions’ efforts to increase the academic achievement of Aboriginal students in provincial and territorial elementary and secondary schools.