(2004). A Thirst for Justice in the Arid Southwest: The Role of Epistemology and Place in Higher Education. Educational Studies: Journal of the American Educational Studies Association, v36 n1 p93-107 Aug. How is the university connected to the pressing social and environmental problems that confront citizens in its region? What sorts of communities will students build in this changing cultural and environmental landscape as a result of their experiences in education? In this article I explore how an ethnobotany seminar uses critical pedagogy of place to engage students in the social, economic, and ecological relationships beyond the university campus. I describe how ethnobotany, the study of plants used by human cultures, is one way for students to explore the epistemology of Western science and traditional ecological knowledge. In this course, I encouraged students to ask, What counts as science? Whose knowledge is valued? What knowledge can sustain our communities? In our ethnobotany seminar, the topic of access and quality of water in the Southwest became a focal point for understanding the relation between place, epistemology, and ecojustice….
(2002). Education Warriors: Emergence of the American Indian Teacher Training Program. American Indian Graduate, v2 n1 p11-13 Fall. Three master's degree programs for American Indian administrators and teachers of gifted students are described. Indian education and leadership theories and issues are integrated into the courses. Each program has a large enough cohort of Indian students to allow them to form their own communities within the larger university environment, resulting in retention and graduation rates of over 97 percent. (TD)…
(2007). Teaching Global Change in Local Places: The HERO Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, v31 n3 p413-426 Sep. The Human-Environment Research Observatory (HERO) Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program aimed to develop the next generation of researchers working on place-based human-environment problems. The program followed a cooperative learning model to foster an integrated approach to geographic research and to build collaborative research skills. The program hosted 12-16 students annually, who first engaged in an intensive short course and then formed three- or four-person teams to conduct research in four biophysically and socioeconomically diverse places. The teams used cyberinfrastructure to collaborate and integrate their research and findings. Most of the REU students have opted to attend graduate school and specialize in human-environment research. (Contains 3 tables and 2 notes.)… [Direct]
(2006). The Impact of Comparative Education Research on Institutional Theory. International Perspectives on Education and Society. Volume 7. JAI Press This volume of International Perspectives on Education and Society explores how educational research from a comparative perspective has been instrumental in broadening and testing hypotheses from institutional theory. Institutional theory has also played an increasingly influential role in developing an understanding of education in society. This symbiotic relationship has proven intellectually productive. In light of the impact that comparative education research has had on institutional theory, the chapters in this volume ask where the comparative and international study of education as an institution is heading in the 21st century. Chapters range from theoretical discussions of the impact that comparative research has had on institutional theory to highly empirical comparative scholarship that tests basic institutional assumptions and trends. Two pioneers in the field, John W. Meyer and Francisco O. Ramirez, contribute the Forward and the concluding chapter. The other chapters are… [Direct]
(2007). Teachers' Beliefs about Teaching Urban Indigenous Students in Taiwan. Online Submission The purpose of this interpretive study is to situate teachers' understanding and interpretation of their experiences with indigenous students in city schools. This qualitative study examines six teachers' perspectives of indigenous students and reveals factors that potentially impede or promote the success of indigenous students in Taiwanese urban schools. From the cross-case discussion, we learn that there is a need in the educational field for a reshaped perspective of indigenous students, along with changes in curriculum, instructional methods, and practices and policies. Hopefully, then, schooling experiences like those of indigenous teachers will be historical memories, not everyday occurrences, and their children will have more successful stories to tell about their school experiences. (Contains 1 figure.)… [PDF]
(2006). The Teaching of Spanish as a Second Language in an Indigenous Bilingual Intercultural Curriculum. Language, Culture and Curriculum, v19 n2 p171-188. This paper reports on the implementation of an ambitious bilingual instructional programme in the P'urhepecha-speaking region of Michoacan state in Mexico, the Meseta Tarasca. A curriculum of indigenous language preservation and cultural affirmation, overturning the previous Spanish-only programme, has been developed by a group of indigenous teachers in two P'urhepecha elementary schools, "Miguel Hidalgo" of San Isidro and "Benito Juarez" in the neighbouring village of Uringuitiro. Today, the P'urhepecha language is the nucleus of the curriculum. With the previous curriculum largely discredited, the bilingual teachers embarked on a project that would both provide instruction to children in a language they understand, and contribute to the preservation of their indigenous language, which in these communities, in all cases, is children's first language (L1). Being cognizant of the importance of learning Spanish as a second language, a major current planning and… [Direct]
(2002). Collecting Texts in Craho and Portuguese for Teaching. The Crao are an indigenous group of Tocantins in Brazil who speak a Je language of the Timbira group. In the Aldeias, Crao students often use the same materials as other Brazilian students. The Indians often do not consider these educational materials good because textbook content does not pertain to their culture and they cannot make sense out of it. Researchers developed a collection of texts in Crao and Portuguese for educational purposes. The text presented in this paper describes an important Crao festival that involves a sacred axe. The educational materials reflect the everyday practices of the different Indian people of Tocantins, starting with the Crao. The paper offers a passage, which is the first lesson in the textbook, that describes the festival (which celebrates good harvesting). In order to prepare an educational program using this text, teachers can have students make word lists or can record and listen to different texts in specific or related languages. The…
(1996). Preliminary Explorations of Indigenous Perspectives of Educational Management: The Evolving Malaysian Experience. Journal of Educational Administration, v34 n5 p50-73. Articulates the need to understand and seek indigenous perspectives of educational management, using Malaysia's experience as an example. To differentiate culture-free and culture-bound content in educational management, the field's core corpus of theories, concepts, and terminology must be identified; the culture-specific ways of knowing must be examined; and unique categories must become identifiable. (95 references) (MLH)…
(2003). Aboriginal Peoples: Literacy and Learning. Literacies: Researching Practice, Practising Research, n1 p9-12 Spr. A three-phase research project included a literature review on Canadian Aborigine literacy, interviews and focus groups, and a symposium and follow-up workshops. Findings were as follows: (1) Aboriginal literacy has a distinct, culturally appropriate holistic perspective; (2) no single educational practice is best; (3) funding tied to criterion-based outcomes is not culturally appropriate; and (4) Aboriginal literacy reflects distinct world views. (SK)…
(1996). Our Culture/Your Good Intentions (Reflections). Primary Voices K-6, v4 n3 p38-41 Aug. Offers a Native Hawaiian educator's perspective on the well- intentioned but misguided efforts of many non-Native teachers, administrators, and professors. Uses the Kamehameha Early Education Program as an example of an authoritarian discourse being taught to Native children. (SR)…
(2003). The Sami School System in Norway and International Cooperation. Comparative Education, v39 n2 p185-92 May. In Norway, a separate curriculum for primary and lower secondary schools has been introduced in indigenous Sami areas, and some jurisdiction over the school system has been transferred to the Sami Parliament. These recent initiatives are discussed against a backdrop of three international relationships: between the Sami people and other speakers of Finno-Ugric languages, other arctic indigenous peoples, and other European minority groups. (Contains 17 references.) (Author/SV)…
(2003). The Experience of Native Peer Facilitators in the Campaign against Type 2 Diabetes. Journal of Rural Health, v19 n2 p174-80 Spr. Four lay health workers on two American Indian reservations were trained to present a diabetes curriculum while coordinating and guiding group discussion in "talking circles"–a culturally appropriate intervention. Facilitator interviews discussed their "calling" and commitment to the work and to Indian people, their journey of self-growth, blending of two worldviews as a diabetes intervention strategy, and interpretation of the health materials. (Contains 23 references.) (SV)…
(1997). Toward an Effective Model for Implementing Distance Education Programs. American Journal of Distance Education, v11 n2 p39-55. Describes the implementation and evaluation of the partnership between the University of Alberta, Fairview College, and Kayas Cultural College offering synchronized, multipoint video conferencing for introductory faculty of arts courses in remote regions of Alberta, Canada. Aboriginals constituted 70% of the students in the first year. Proposes a model for effective distance education initiatives. (PEN)…
(2001). Ready, Willing, and Able: Prospects for Distance Learning in Canada's First Nations Community. Journal of Distance Education, v16 n1 p102-12 Spr. Describes a study conducted by Athabasca University that investigated the use of information technology by First Nations communities in Canada, often in remote rural areas, to help determine their readiness for distance learning opportunities for postsecondary education. Discusses individual technology use and community technology use. (Author/LRW)…
(2005). Knowledge Construction as Contested Terrain: Adult Learning through Artistic Expression. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, n107 p3-11 Fall. Traditional forms of teaching and learning based on textual forms of representation and rational thought may limit how we perceive our world. Artistic forms of expression and their implications for adult education are discussed…. [Direct]