Month: November 2011

Learning Indigenous Science from Place

Research Study Examining Indigenous-Based Science Perspectives in Saskatchewan First Nations and Metis Community Contexts

This 158 page report is based on a 2007 project, in which a group of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal scholars, teachers and administrators investigated the potential inclusion of First Nations and Metis perspectives in the Saskatchewan school science curriculum. The purpose of the project was to find different ways to improve the achievement levels of Aboriginal students. “The research model provided a process and avenue through which community members could collectively clarify problems and formulate new visions for the future, implement and test meaningful solutions and thereby generate new knowledge” (p. 6). The researchers focused on “Aboriginal Peoples who have been previously marginalized from opportunities to envision, develop, and operate policies, programs, and services” as the primary sources of knowledge (p. 6).

The Learning Garden: Place-based Learning for Holistic First Nations’ Community Health

Mirella L. Stroink, Connie H. Nelson, and Brian McLaren, Lakehead University

This case study is featured on the Canadian Council on Learning and it specifically addresses the idea of contextual learning and community health for First Nations communities. “This report presents the development and findings of the Learning Garden program, which was developed and run in partnership with Ginoogaming and Aroland First Nations in Northwestern Ontario. The Learning Garden program was developed with the purpose of increasing physical, emotional, and social indicators of health, while taking an initial step toward community resilience in the area of food by increasing local food knowledge” (p. 6).

New Learning: Transformational designs for Pedagogy and Assessment

“Literacies presents a contemporary approach to literacy learning and teaching, developing and extending ‘Multiliteracies’ theory and practice.” This online book presents 15 chapters of information on different aspects of literacies, one of which is dedicated to Literacies on a Human Scale, more specifically Eight Aboriginal Ways of Learning. This chapter includes information on story sharing, learning maps, symbols and images, and so forth. More information on this topic has been recorded using a wiki at: http://8ways.wikispaces.com/.

Indigenous Teaching at Australian Universities

“We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the traditional owners of this land, and pay our respects to the Elders past and present”

The Australian Learning & Teaching Council, has dedicated a part of their work to Indigenous teaching at Australian Universities. This website features a set of “research-based exemplars for good practice” on Indigenous teaching, based on research interviews with 26 Indigenous and non-Indigenous university teachers across New South Wales and Victoria, as well as materials from recent forums on indigenous learning and teaching.  Topics include:

1. What is Indigenous Teaching?

2. What does ‘Indigenous Studies’ include?

3. Who are the teachers?

4. Who are the students?

5. 15 approaches to indigenous teaching