Category — Module 1

Indigenous peoples (IP) hold worldviews that are radically different from Westerners, and these differences play themselves out in educational contexts.  IPs connect to the physical places where they live.  These places define them spiritual, culturally, and historical.   In their drawings depicting researchers, children from these cultures, for instance, will often depict researchers working in the rugged outdoors, while children from a Western culture invariably depict researchers donning white coats and working in a sterile lab (Semken, 2005).

Despite their connections to place, IP are not drawn to environmental and earth sciences degrees in college and universities because too often these courses focus on “global syntheses” (Semken, p. 149).  Course textbooks typically feature natural phenomenon from all over the world and other planets, embedding causal effects and explanations of these phenomenon in abstruse scientific theories.  And when the texts do discuss places that are familiar to IP through their traditions, the presentations are done in ways that are culturally unacceptable to IP.  The students experience cultural discontinuity that places a seeming barrier to what the Westerner’s curriculum tries to teach (Semken, p. 150).

The authors advocate a place-based approach to teaching geosciences at colleges and universities.  They define place-based learning as an approach to teaching and learning where the content of the subject focuses on physical attributes and meaning.  It focuses on the cultural, historic, and socio-economic underpinnings of a place.  In place-based learning, students typically work in the outdoors or in the community in place-based learning.  Place-based learning de-emphasizes “global  standardization, incessant testing, competitiveness, and career training.” (Semken, p. 151), characteristic of Western approaches to education.  It promotes sustainable lifestyles.

Place-based learning is similar to situated learning.  It is only the context that changes; the cognitive requirements remain the same.

References:

Semken, P. (2005).  A sense of place and place-based introductory geosciences teaching for American Indian and Alaska Native undergraduates.  Journal of Geoscience Education, 25(2), 149-157.  Retrieved from

http://www.promiseofplace.org/assets/files/research/SemkenPlacebasedGeoscienceforAmeriIndian.pdf

http://www.ethnosproject.org/site/?p=650

At the recent 2011 Research Conference “Indigenous Education: Pathways to success”, Professor Lester-Irabinna Rigney, (Dean of Aboriginal Education, Director of the Wilto Yerlo Centre at Adelaide University) presented a talk on “Indigenous education: Creating classrooms of tomorrow today.”  The presentation highlights:

•  the characteristics of curriculum, policy and pedagogy for future schooling of Indigenous children.

• It uses national and international literature to explore 21st century learning that seeks to revolutionise the way teachers and students are educated.
• It highlights that Indigenous students live in a multi-tasking, multifaceted, technology-driven, diverse, rapidly changing world which is far removed from the world faced by most of their teachers at the time they entered adulthood.

This is an excellent resource for educators as it highlights opportunities that can create and sustain positive educational outcomes for Indigenous students.  The full-text of his presentation can be accessed at:

http://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http://www.acer.edu.au/documents/RC2011_-_Indigenous_education-_Creating_classrooms_of_tomorrow_today.pdf&chrome=true&pli=1

http://www.ischool.utexas.edu/~vlibrary/edres/pathfinders/ajohnson/pathfinder.html

This article examines the use of technology in promoting Indigenous culture.  AJ Johnson highlights several links to online resources that will help researchers find information on the Internet about modern technologies and how they are used to preserve and promote Indigenous Peoples way of life for their descendants and for our collective knowledge of human history.  The article is focused mainly on Native Americans, however, examples of other Indigenous groups are included for illustration purposes.  To guide research, answers to the following questions were examined:

•  Where can I find sources that give a general overview of the effect of technology on indigenous peoples?

• What uses of new technology are most beneficial to indigenous groups?
• What are some problems Native Americans have encountered in gaining access to telecommunications technology, and what solutions are being explored?
• How have indigenous people used new technology to preserve, promote and teach their history and culture?
• How has communication between tribe members or members of different indigenous groups changed due technology?
• What are some organizations and other resources that promote utilization of technology in indigenous communities?

http://www.sbwellnessdirectory.com/tierra-sagrada.htm

The Ti Tierra Sagrada foundation is dedicated to preserving the cultures of Indigenous Peoples and their environment as well as educating the public regarding their wisdom.  As a result of destruction of Indigenous environments, through Diasporas and encroachment by western culture, their knowledge is forever lost and this is what has allowed them to “dwell harmoniously within their native regions for thousands of years”.  For this reason, this movement attempts to “bring this ancient wisdom forth to teach living Indigenous peoples in a manner that is not sustainable to walk differently upon Mother Earth, to join in community, to prepare their sanctuaries.”

This is an excellent resource for researchers who are exploring First Nation culture. Through this website, Tierra Sagrada provides links to events that teaches about and practice Indigenous rituals and traditions.  These include:

Ancient Paths to Initiations for Women

This event promises to create a bridge between ancient wisdom and contemporary knowledge.

Mayan Shift of the Ages

Tierra Sagrada is helping with the completion of an incredible film “Shift of the Ages”.  The project serves as a voice for suppressed indigenous perspective.  It’s a calling for tribal unification, and a collective initiation of progressive action.

Melting the Ice in the Heart of Man III

This is an event where Indigenous cultures will be practiced in an attempt to “restore the balance that’s been missing on the earth”.

http://www.nativeplanet.org/

Native Planet is a non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to the self-empowerment of indigenous peoples and the preservation of world ethnic cultures since indigenous cultures of the world are slowly disappearing.  Against this background, Native Planet strives to protect these cultures, their ways of life and their ancestral homelands from modern infringements.  Through this website entrenched with numerous pictures and cultural documentaries, Native Planet intends to raise global awareness of all traditional cultures as well as the challenges they are facing through the creation of a comprehensive database that stores information on indigenous cultures.

This website is an excellent resource.  It provides comprehensive information on the ancient cultures of Natives and highlights why the preservation of Indigenous traditions is relevant in this globalised world.

http://www2.brandonu.ca/library/cjns/17.2/cjnsv17no2_pg293-314.pdf

Today, the cultural heritages of First Nation are lost which leads to a “digital divide” between Indigenous peoples and mainstream Canadian.  Geographic and social isolation, high costs, and lack of infrastructure are factors that contribute to the digital divide. Recovering the cultural heritage is of utmost importance to First Nation Peoples since it is necessary for them to function effectively and participate in a culturally diverse society. Against this background, the author wants schools to develop an understanding of the historical relationships between First Nations cultures and mainstream educational systems; the nature of culture as dynamic and evolving and the identification of those strategies that are most effective in building upon the cultural identities of First Nations children.

This paper will help me to examine information disparities and assess policies which affect First Nations’ ability to bridge the digital divide.

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.