Category — Module 1

The First Nations Education Steering Committee is an “independent society that is committed to improving education for all First Nations learners in British Columbia. FNESC is led by representatives of First Nations across the province.”  FNESC strives to facilitate First Nations support in the area of education. The website includes information about various programs and initiatives.

http://www.fnesc.ca/index.php

There are many links provided for further information.  A few key ones are:

First Nations School Association

Indigenous Adult and Higher Learning Association

First Nations Early Childhood Development Council

Seventh Generation Club

First Voices

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8hAAkJ1B-M]

“FirstVoices is a group of web-based tools and services designed to support Aboriginal people engaged in language archiving, language teaching & culture revitalization”.  In ETEC 521 we are discussing factors that make Aboriginal education distinct.  The importance of language is one of these things.  Visitors to this site can hear Aboriginal languages being spoken.  There are activities for children as well as adults.

 http://www.firstvoices.com/

Opportunities to make learning Meaningful

This document, published by Alberta Education, provides extensive suggestions for making learning meaningful for Aboriginal students.  It addresses some of their unique learning attributes.  Graphic organizers, cooperative learning, and independent studies are suggested, linking many important Aboriginal values and traditions to learning activities.

Link

The mission of this website is to raise awareness of First Nations pedagogy around the world. June Kaminski, the creator of the site, provides extensive information related to Aboriginal education. The “Theory” section lists many core Aboriginal beliefs and practices (ie: story telling, the land, four directions, elders, interconnectedness). There is also an extensive list of links related to education.

http://firstnationspedagogy.com/