Integration of a constructivist approach for experiential success?

As a teacher with a high population of Urban Aboriginal youth, it is clear that we are far from providing an authentic learning situation for our First Nations students. My project/paper will take a critical look at whether a constructivist approach that incorporates technology could possibly bring more success in a public school setting. Providing the possibility for the youth to be elevated from the dominant Eurocentric paradigm of educational pedagogy and practice while fostering connections with elders, community, and other youth. I will also be investigating the goals of Educational enhancement agreements in British Columbia to see if they are reflective of this idea.

One of the key foundations for constructivism is authentic learning; authentic not just to the needs of the community but also to the young person and their future. The original hegemony of Indigenous education was strongly experiential. I will be examining how an incorporation of technology could revitalize experiential learning in the classroom. Encouraging more success during the troubled Grade 10-12 years where dropout rates climb. The argument for attention to these years is strong. If a successful transition to post-secondary can be established Statistics have shown that First Peoples in Canada have identical if not higher success rates then their non-Aboriginal counterparts (Statistics Canada 2001)

The resources that I will be examining and sharing will provide the background information required to determine the validity of a constructivist approach that embraces technology within First Nations education.

References:
Census Aboriginal Population Profiles. (2001) Retrieved September 23,2011 from
http://www12.statcan.ca/english/profil01/AP01/Index.cfm?Lang=E