Posts from — September 2011

Topic : Bridging the gap of culture and education between non-indigenous and   Indigenous groups with technology

As a Jamaican working in my country I was never exposed to indigenous people and their cultures in Canada and Australia until I started module one of this course. As I read the literatures of this module, I have become aware that there is a lot to learn about the indigenous cultures and they can learn from our culture.  I agree with the quote, “Culture is a deeply ingrained part of the very fiber of our being” (Brown, 2000, p. 183). In my view, culture is unique to a group but should be not enclosed to a particular group. We easily communicate with each other when we are fully aware of each other’s culture. Hence the knowledge of different cultures becomes important to effective and efficient communication between individuals. Through the use of technology one can easily learn the cultures of indigenous people and vice versa.

Since the start of this course my web searches are centred on the cultures and education of indigenous people both in Canada and Australia. From various searches I have done so far revealed that both the indigenous and non-indigenous people can immensely benefit from each other. As result of the high fuel which has greatly affected the price of travelling across countries, technology is most effectively tool to bridge the gap between boundaries.

As I continue to carry web searches for my weblog on each module in this course, I will ensure my searches are based the keywords of my research topic.

Reference:

Brown, H.D. (2000). Principles of Language Teaching and Learning. New York: Pearson Education.

Visit : http://www.afn.ca/uploads/files/education/24._2002_oct_marie_battist

e_indigenousknowledgeandpedagogy_lit_review_for_min_working_group.pdf

This article was prepared Dr Marie Battiste, Director Apamwek Institute for the National Working Group on education and the Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) Ottawa, ON. It addresses the points on the culture of Indigenous groups in Canada with an emphasis on the complex set of technologies developed and maintained by Indigenous societies. It explores the nature of Indigenous knowledge and pedagogy in First Nations Education. This article also explains the moral principles of and criteria for understanding Indigenous knowledge and for incorporating it into the classroom.

Visit : http://www.encorewiki.org/display/encore/Module+1+-+Educational+and+Cultural+Goals

 This site addresses the goals of Aboriginal education and the roles of technology in mainstream education. The article also looks at the factors that are associated with technology in indigenous society. Citations of Howe, C. (1998) were used to substantiate ideas highlighted in the article. It plainly explains the term “Cyberspace is no place for tribalism” The differences in goals for Aboriginal peoples and mainstream education were explored in the article.

Visit : http://www.indigenousteaching.com/html/exemplars_glossary.html

This site hosts a glossary that provides definitions of terms relevant to the Australian Indigenous societies as well as non-indigenous teachers in Indigenous schools.  The  document on  the site clearly explains terms such as mainstream, indigenous, Maori and      Koorie Heritage Trust. Several terms defined on this site have links to other useful sites based on the defined terms.

Visit: http://www.svs.is/ahdr/ahdr%20chapters/english%20version/AHDR_chp%2010.pdf

This site clearly addresses the education systems of indigenous education in Alaska, the Yukon, and the Northwest Territories (NWT) of Canada (25) Russia and Saami. In the article the terms, ‘education’ and ‘educational system’ were explored by the authors of the document, Gunilla Johansson, Luleå University of Technology, Sweden, Chris Paci, Arctic Athabascan Council, Canada, and Sylvi Stenersen Hovdenak, University of Oslo, Norway. The article compares mainstream education with Indigenous education in the various countries.

Visit: http://books.publishing.monash.edu/apps/bookworm/view/Closing+the+Gap+in+Education%3F/55/xhtml/part03chapter01.html

 This site is based on educational policies to overcome the challenges facing indigenous education in Australia. These policies were outlined in section 3 of a book edited by Nieuwenhuysen Ilana Snyder and John entitled “Closing the Gap in Education? Improving Outcomes in Southern World Societies”.  This section of the book is written John Altman and Bill Fogarty. It clearly outlines the challenges faced by indigenous education and mentions the implementation of an education policy to address the challenges in Australia.

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

Visit :http://menziesfoundation.org.au/education/IndEd%20Workshop%20presentations/Closing%20the%20gap%20in%20Indigenous%20education%20-%20Workshop%20Report.pdf

 This site is based on a report of a workshop on indigenous education conducted by the Menzies Foundation, East Melbourne, Australia on the July 7-8, 2010. The report explicitly states the purpose of the workshop, which was mainly focused on the measures to be taken to improve the educational background of Indigenous children in northern and remote Australia. The report also summarised the main conclusions and recommendations brainstormed by the participants of the workshop.

The Cultural Survival Organization has been partnering with different Indigenous Communities worldwide for the past forty years to help them protect their land, language and culture. This organization basis its work on, ‘The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.’ The site is used to highlight the issues Indigenous people face. The sight is also a venue for advocacy against mistreatment of natives. Although this site is used as a means for fundraising; it is also educational and contains a lot of information about issues such as language loss, etc. It also highlights tools and endeavours that have been put into place to help preserve the native culture. Hence, it is a good resource to refer to for information regarding cultural loss and ways in which the Aboriginal culture has and can be preserved.

http://www.culturalsurvival.org/australia?gclid=COu7k9r5uKsCFRdlgwod3h7ogg

This webpage is a conglomeration of links in a section called ‘The Aboriginal Canada Portal and the Government of Canada Website’. The portal offers an array of information on programs and services specifically related to Canadians of Aboriginal decent. The Resources for Teachers Section, consists of a collection of links for resources that cater to Aboriginal education. This educational tool kit allows for teachers to help students to examine Aboriginal culture through the use of lesson plans, activities and other educational resources that are linked to Aboriginal culture and their understandings. There is an additional, interesting section at the bottom of the page called, ‘Did you Know,’ that includes interesting facts such as “Pine trees were used by First Nations to make tea that helped relieve coughs.”

http://www.aboriginalcanada.gc.ca/acp/site.nsf/eng/ao31045.html