Month: November 2011

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Module 3

State of the World’s Minorities and Indigenous Peoples

This document has been produced by the European Union and UNICEF. The objective of this document is to frame a series of practical recommendations intended for a wide readership of governments, international organizations and agencies, civil society, educators and those who learn from them, in the field of minorities and Indigenous peoples. While working on my research topic, I found this report that describes the existing international legal framework of the right to education of Indigenous people. The document also emphasizes that the educational environment cannot be seen in isolation from the wider societal conditions experienced by Indigenous people and minorities. It describes in details that education is a vital gateway to the enjoyment of a wide range of other rights and fundamental freedoms, without which Indigenous people and their societies remain economically, socially and culturally impoverished.

http://www.unicef.org/lac/worlds_minorities_and_indigenous_peoples_2009.pdf

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Uncategorized

Reviving Our Culture, Mapping Our Future

Reviving Our Culture, Mapping our Future

This interesting clip explains the story of a special gathering for Indigenous people in Venda, South Africa. It shows Indigenous leaders from different countries explore a simple yet powerful way to express the past and present of their territory and livelihoods onto hand-drawn maps. The maps highlight the importance of their culture, sacred sites and territory, and empower them to map the future towards which they need to strive.

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Module 3

Educating the Aboriginal Child

I have been surfing the net to find resources that will help me with my focus of educating the First Nations child in a regular school. I need to find resources that will teach me ways to reach out to my First Nation students and tell me why these methods would be effective. There are lots of sites and documents but after our journey through this course I am very cautious about what I choose. From the plethora of information I have to find meaningful, authentic sources. After our readings about non aboriginal researchers and their tainted work, the wannabee Indians and their half-baked philosophies, and the passionate Indian radicals without sound traditional reasoning, I have to sift and sort to find some gold nuggets.

There is much work out there done by First Nation researchers or work by non-aboriginals that has the support and approval of the First Nations people. I have found articles about the history of First Nations education, the First Nations Pedagogical beliefs, challenges faced by First Nation students in schools on and off reserves, and learning styles that are conducive to educating a First Nations child. There are documents from various education ministries from all over Canada in which they propose and approve of ways in which First Nation beliefs can be incorporated into to regular teaching content to make the learning more applicable, and in my opinion more complete. Here are some of them:

1. Learning Styles of American Indian/Alaska Native Students: A Review of the Literature and Implications for Practice
By Cornel Pewewardy

2. Aboriginal Education in Canada: A Retrospective and a Prospective
By Verna J. Kirkness

3. Joining the Circle: A Practitioner’s Guide to Responsive Education for Native Students By Agnes Grant and LaVina Gillespie

4. Culturally Relevant Pedagogy: First Nations Education in Canada
By Faith Maina

5. Teaching in a First Nations School: An Information Handbook for Teachers New to First Nations Schools
2006 by First Nation Summit of British Columbia

6. Some Ministry Documents:

INTEGRATING ABORIGINAL PERSPECTIVES INTO CURRICULA: A Resource for Curriculum Developers, Teachers, and Administrators 2003 Manitoba Education

Ontario First Nation, Métis, and Inuit Education Policy Framework (2007) @

Shared Learning British Columbia

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Module 3

Native Issues

CBC Archives: Native Issues

This collection of CBC Archives includes 30 radio clips and 36 television clips under 12 topics focusing on Aboriginal peoples. Broadcasts span several decades, from 1955 to present times. Topics range from celebrating Aboriginal heritage to social and economic issues to Aboriginal rights and political activism. Each presentation offers background history and facts to better understand its context, and the site includes connections for teachers to additional educational material and resources to extend awareness and understanding of the topics.

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Module 3

Stolen Children: Truth & Reconciliation

Stolen Children: Truth & Reconciliation

Sponsored by CBC, Stolen Children: Truth & Reconciliation is rich collection of resources that help provide a historical account of residential schools and their lasting impact on Aboriginal people. It also documented the efforts of the The Truth & Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which was established by the Canadian government as an independent body to oversee the safe disclosure of individual experiences by former residential school students in a culturally respectful manner as part of the Residential Schools Settlement Agreement. Their mandate also includes helping reconcile the relationship between Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal Canadians by raising awareness around the impact of the residential school sytem and its lasting effects that continue to affect people and communities today, although it’s a part of history that many Canadian’s continue to be fully aware of.

The site includes current news coverage as well as CBC Digital Archive videos to help illustrate a timeline of Aboriginal education policies in Canada. The sharp contrast in early propaganda produced to encourage residential school attendance to the 2008 apology by the Canadian government provide an eye-opening view to begin processing a more comprehensive understanding of the need for social and restorative justice.

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