(1982). The Nature and Implication of Textbook Bias. Savage, blood-thirsty, drunk, monosyllabic, naked, and primitive are the stereotypes of Native Americans in textbooks. These stereotypes are so pervasive that they tend to be accepted uncritically by the rest of society. The evidence suggests that many textbooks are biased and, in a large number of cases, outright racist. The concept of "errors by omission" has been noted as important by several educators. Also, many authors who are critical of textbooks state that texts are written from a white Eurocentric perspective. In the pamphlet "Two History Texts: A Study in Contrasts" (1975), Moore states that judging one culture by the standards of another represents its own type of bias. Hence, Indians are named Indians instead of a name of their own choosing; authors report that"funny sounding" place names come from Indians; Indian religions practices are called myths; and the Indians were "discovered" or "found" by Europeans. Critics of… [PDF]
(1984). Peru: Affirmative Action for the Majority. This paper discusses affirmative action in Peru and considers what the government must do to solve the inferior status of the Indian majority. Ethnically and geographically diverse, Peru's population is said to be marked by inequities in wealth, education, and employment. The policies developed by Peruvian governments over the past 20 years to deal with these problems are analyzed. The first regime of Fernando Belaunde Terry (1963-68) is contrasted with the revolutionary military government of Juan Velasco (1968-75) and Morales Bermudez (1975-80). Three specific concerns are addressed: (1) policy innovation and its motivation; (2) the complexities of the implementation process; and (3) intended and unintended outcomes on Indian peasants and women. The paper reports that by the mid-1970s, a series of affirmative action efforts were undertaken by Peruvian governments, but considers that not all of these have been successful. One reason for failure cited is the difficulty of…
ISSUES IN TRAINING THE NEW NONPROFESSIONAL. THE GUIDELINES THAT ARE PRESENTED IN THIS MODEL FOR TRAINING NONPROFESSIONALS FOR JOBS IN THE FIELD OF HUMAN SERVICES ARE BASED ON A "NEW CAREER" CONCEPT, WHERE THE JOB ITSELF PROVIDES MOTIVATION FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT THROUGH TRAINING, UPGRADING, AND EDUCATION. SPECIAL EMPHASIS IN DEVELOPING TRAINING PROGRAMS IS GIVEN TO THE RECRUITMENT OF SENIOR TRAINERS ("TRAINERS OF TRAINERS") FROM NONTRADITIONAL SOURCES, THE SPECIALIZED TRAINING REQUIRED BY THESE TRAINERS, AND THE KIND OF KNOWLEDGE THEY NEED TO HAVE ABOUT NONPROFESSIONAL TRAINEES. SPECIFICALLY DISCUSSED IN THESE GUIDELINES ARE THE RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION OF TRAINEES. RECOMMENDED TRAINING METHODS INCLUDE ON-SITE TRAINING, BRIEF PRESERVICE ORIENTATION IN A "PROTECTED" BASE, A PHASED PROGRAM AND SYSTEMATIC INSERVICE, JOB-RELATED TRAINING CONDUCTED IN TEAMS OR GROUPS. SOME OF THE SUGGESTIONS ARE ILLUSTRATED BY REFERENCE TO THE EXPERIENCES OF THE LINCOLN NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICE CENTER IN NEW YORK CITY…. [PDF]
(1969). Nonprofessionals in the Human Services. In fourteen in-depth studies, this book explores problems and possibilities in employing nonprofessionals in such human service fields as social work, mental health, and psychology. It analyzes the effects of social change on professional structures and practices and, in turn, the social implications of nonprofessional staffing and career development: liberation of the poor (especially inner city Negroes and other disadvantaged minorities) from chronic unemployment; the rational use of manpower; the extension and improvement of services to poor and affluent alike. Difficulties stemming from emphasis on certification and status are considered, followed by training and manpower development efforts, issues in formulating social policies, professional attitudes in clinical psychology, Federal legislation since 1965, and nonprofessional training programs within the Federal government itself. A great need is seen to convince professionals in all fields that, by using nonprofessional aides…
(1969). From Textbooks to Reality: Social Researchers Face the Facts of Life in the World of the Disadvantaged. This report, addressed to graduate students who intend to enter into field research in inner-city settings, details some of the personnel and community relations problems and logistical and financial challenges encountered by a research team, which undertook an evaluation of early education programs, basic research on child development, and social action. Hiring community workers for local management and data collection was found to present problems. The evaluation staff underestimated demands placed on the local coordinator, whose loyalty was divided between the community and the project. Delays in bimonthly pay checks created serious hardships, and were responsible for absenteeism among black mothers hired as testers. Chaos and violence in these women's lives were noted to affect their work. Securing adequate office space, transportation and communication facilities, children's furniture, estimation of petty cash needs, and the establishment of trust between the project evaluation… [PDF]
(1969). Strategies Against Poverty. The major antipoverty strategies of the 1960's are analyzed–the conflict model of Alinsky, the welfare crisis approach of Cloward and Piven, and the new careers viewpoint of Riessman and Pearl. The latter strategy is said to have a greater "multiplier effect" on poverty than other approaches. Discussed are such specific strategies in the human services areas as mental health, education, and family planning. (NH)…
(2002). Participatory Action Research and the Struggle for Legitimation. There is little reason why educational research in Australia should be progressive and highly developed, given that its history and direction are subject to the economic and political determinants of an increasingly globalized and uncertain world. Educational research cannot be a neutral endeavor; it demands that researchers identify a political perspective or world view from which new knowledge is described and interpreted. Such fundamental questions have confronted the design and implementation of Nyerna Studies, a bachelor of education program being conducted in partnership between Victoria University of Technology and the Koori people of the Echuca region of Australia. The program is highly innovative and community-based, pursuing holistic and enquiry learning and projects that are negotiated around integrated areas of student interest. "Naturalistic inquiry" processes are more appropriate to generating community knowledge than the more formal processes of the physical… [PDF]
(1999). School Sport Self-Concept of Urban Aboriginal School Children: Teacher Influences. This paper examines the self-concept of urban Western Australian Aboriginal school children, aged 11-12, in school sports settings. Most students were from the Nyoongar Aboriginal community of southwestern Western Australia. Data were collected from interviews with Aboriginal students and parents, class teachers, and sports teachers, and from observations in the school sport setting. Overall, school sports contributed favorably to Aboriginal students' self-concept and feelings about their Aboriginality. Sports activities generated enjoyment and provided opportunities for students to demonstrate their sport and physical competencies. Although males and females differed in their sports preferences, basketball was a favorite of all Aboriginal students, regardless of gender or ability. All students reported positive expectations about their ability to perform well in sports in the future. However, the school did not meet student needs to develop their sports competence. The school's… [PDF]
(1997). Cultural Perspectives on School Motivation: The Relevance and Application of Goal Theory. American Educational Research Journal, v34 n1 p207-36 Spr. Whether goals held by students from diverse cultural backgrounds differ and the relationship of these goals to school motivation and achievement were studied with 2,156 Australian (Anglo, immigrant, and Aboriginal), 529 Navajo, and 198 Canadian Montagnais Betsiamite Indian secondary school students. Cross cultural and educational implications are discussed. (SLD)…
(1990). Tertiary Bridging Courses in Science and Mathematics for Second Chance Students in Australia. Higher Education Research and Development, v9 n2 p85-100. Programs designed to enable Australian aborigines who had not successfully completed high school to qualify for science- and mathematics-related courses in higher education emphasize diagnostic testing, individualized instruction, short-term goals, and learner independence. Tutors have instructional, management, and support roles. Some early program success is evident. (Author/MSE)…
(1992). Food on the Move. Bulletin of the Illinois Geographical Society, v34 n1 p27-28 Spr. Presents a classroom lesson that teaches about the transfer of plants and animals between Europe and the Americas as a result of the Columbian voyages. Includes a list of teaching resources and step-by-step procedures. (CFR)…
(2000). From Expert to Acolyte: Learning To Understand the Environment from an Anishinaabe Point of View. American Indian Culture and Research Journal, v24 n3 p1-19. A land use mapping study in an Anishinaabe (Ojibwa) Indian Reserve in northern Ontario attempted to satisfy the demands of both academic and Aboriginal communities. Community elders provided extensive knowledge of the local environment, its history and cultural and spiritual significance, and the links between environmental and community well-being during a collaborative process that produced a bilingual cultural atlas. (SV)…
(1995). Current Issues Affecting Language Loss and Language Survival in California. Southwest Journal of Linguistics, v14 n1-2 p29-42. California is extremely linguistically diverse, with one of the largest numbers of deeply endangered indigenous languages. None of its 50 living Indian languages are being learned at home by children, with few native speakers left. Outlines some language activism that native Californians are using to help develop new speakers and save their languages from extinction. (Author/SM)…
(2005). Teaching Children to Understand Operations in Early Childhood. Australian Primary Mathematics Classroom, v10 n4 p19-26. The author discusses teaching early child mathematics in an environment of unique challenge in a remote region of Western Australia. The challenges include: (1) a high proportion of transient students; (2) a student population that is forty percent aboriginal, many for whom English is a second language; (3) students who consistently perform below the general student population in numeracy assessments; (4) teachers who are experiencing professional isolation; and (5) high financial costs, time commitments, and logistical difficulties in gathering personnel at central meeting places. In such an environment, teachers use a wide range of pedagogies in their classrooms, becoming more diagnostic in their approach to teaching the operations and using successful learning experiences to initiate purposeful mathematical dialogue, arouse curiosity, challenge thinking, and actively engage students in learning. By noting specific weaknesses, listening to the kinds of questions students ask, and… [Direct]
(1997). Village Science. Teacher's Edition [and Student Edition]. This science curriculum was written to inspire rural Alaskans, primarily Alaska Natives, to find science in their local environment. The author lived a subsistence lifestyle in the Alaskan bush for over 30 years and claims that understanding science has often kept him from being stuck out in the woods. Section 1, Skills, Tools, and Craftsmanship, contains seven chapters covering cutting and drying fish; sharpening tools; nails, pegs, and lashings; falling trees and small-scale logging; guns; chainsaw clutch and chain; and ice picks. Section 2, Shelters, covers wood stoves, wall tents, steambaths, insulation and vapor barriers, and gas lamps and stoves. The final section, Ways and Means of Travel, presents 12 chapters that address piloting a boat, boat design, basic concepts of gasoline engines, dog sleds, snowmachine tracks, snowshoes, and winter trails. A notation at the beginning of each chapter explains which academic standards and scientific concepts are addressed. The… [PDF]