(2007). In Search of Theory and Method in American Indian Studies. American Indian Quarterly, v31 n3 p353-372 Sum. American Indian studies should have a theoretical and methodological focus sufficient to organize an academic discipline. A primary focus of American Indian studies as a discipline is to conceptualize, research, and explain patterns of American Indian individual and collective community choices and strategies when confronted with relations with the American state and society. American Indian cultural emphasis on retaining culture, identity, self-government, and stewardship of land and resulting contestations with the U.S. government and society forms a body of empirical social action that constitutes the subject matter of American Indian studies as an academic discipline. American Indian studies defined in this way should be capable of generating theory, performing empirical research, making generalizations, commenting on policy, and supporting the goals and values of American Indian nations. Although multidisciplinary approaches to teaching and researching American Indians has… [Direct]
(2006). Biodiversity: Who Knows, Who Cares?. Australian Journal of Environmental Education, v22 n2 p99-107. Biodiversity is an abstract concept, attracting various responses from different people according to where they have come from and what ecosystems they have been closely linked to. In theory, most people would agree that protecting biodiversity is an important process, but in practice, few people commit to actions on a local level. This paper explores a situation faced in the Northern Territory where environmental educators seek to engage hearts, hands and minds to protect biodiversity but it is difficult to gain commitment given a diverse and transient community such as exists in Darwin. The survey of 175 tertiary students at Charles Darwin University develops insights into how individuals perceive and name local mangrove and savanna ecosystems, and which areas they would want to conserve. Results have implications for local environmental education. Suggestions are made about how awareness of and actions for biodiversity in the Top End could be extended. (Contains 2 tables and 4… [Direct]
(2008). First Nations, Metis and Inuit Education Policy Framework: Progress Report, 2008. Alberta Education This progress report describes the work currently underway toward improving the success of First Nations, Metis and Inuit (FNMI) students in Alberta. It provides an update on the progress made since the release of the Framework in 2002 and the 2004 Progress Report up to December 31, 2007. Since the release of the Framework, a new Ministry of Advanced Education and Technology was created. Alberta Education continues to lead the implementation of the Framework, while Advanced Education remains involved in various initiatives and as a member of the FNMI Education Advisory Committee. In this report, current action and recent progress in FNMI education are referenced against the goals and strategies recommended in the FNMI Education Policy Framework and Alberta Education's Business Plan Goals. Improving FNMI student success is a shared responsibility. It requires continued collaboration among students and parents, Aboriginal communities, various education stakeholders and government to… [PDF]
(2008). Opportunities for Everyone: Programs and Services for Disadvantaged and Low Skilled Learners Offered at Colleges and Institutes. Final Report. Association of Canadian Community Colleges This report is the result of a policy research initiative that was identified as a priority by the Board of Directors of the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) in recognition of the increased demand for programs and services that address the needs of disadvantaged and low-skilled learners. The goal of this study is to facilitate the exchange of promising practices and lessons learned among colleges and institutes on programs and services for disadvantaged and low-skilled learners; and to inform policymakers on this role colleges and institutes have within education systems in Canada, in particular given the pressing need to more effectively address the literacy and adult education needs of Canadians. The study involved a review of existing research and resources available on literacy, adult learning, and programs and services for disadvantaged and low-skilled learners, and a survey of ACCC member institutions conducted via an on-line survey and interviews. Fifty-two… [Direct]
(2008). Interactive Distance e-Learning for Isolated Communities: The Policy Footprint. Education in Rural Australia, v18 n2 p39-52. This paper provides information on the policy strand of an investigation into the Australian Research Council Linkage research project into "interactive distance e-learning" [IDeL] following the introduction in New South Wales and in the Northern Territory of Australia of satellite-supported two-way broad-band internet services for school-age and adult distance education. The "policy strand" context is the expansion and reform of educational services to these communities. One key conceptual development, explored on the basis of early data collection, is that of the shared nature of the IDL project, between governments and between public and private sectors. In particular, this is being explored within the concept of "knot-working"; that is, how the project has built up a distributed network of expertise. This aspect of the presentation draws upon the concept of communities of practice. The attraction of this approach is reinforced by the notion that… [Direct]
(2007). Can We Move beyond "Indigenous Good, Non-Indigenous Bad" in Thinking about People and the Environment?. Australian Journal of Outdoor Education, v11 n2 p3-9. Bucknell & Mannion (2007) commented that student responses in the 2006 VCE Outdoor and Environmental Studies (OES) exam could be boiled down to the simple formula of "Indigenous good, non-Indigenous bad" (p. 8). They suggest that the subject of OES is to rich for such pat answers. This paper uses this formula of "Indigenous good, non-Indigenous bad" as a springboard to explore some of the ways notions of the environment, race and ethnicity intersect and how this is taken up in the OES curriculum. The aim of this paper is to highlight some of the productive tensions of environment, race and ethnicity as a strategy for richer and more complex debates around peoples' interactions with the environment…. [Direct]
(2008). Science Education in a "Classroom without Walls": Connecting Young People via Place. Teaching Science, v56 n1 p6-10 Mar 2010. Edmund Rice Education Australia Flexible Learning Centres (EREAFLCs) operate within a social inclusion framework to "walk with" young people who have disengaged from the traditional schooling system. Students attending the centres face multiple stressors in their everyday lives, as well as significant barriers to achieving success in the classroom environment. Addressing the immediate literacy and numeracy concerns of students as they present at the centres has left little time to formalise strategies for engaging students with traditionally "difficult" subjects such as Science. In addition, there is very little research material available to assist teachers in the development of teaching and learning strategies for science education that deal with the unique situation of the flexible learning context. The aim of this research project has been to work with Flexible Learning Centre staff to identify and trial a range of science teaching strategies to enable the… [Direct]
(2008). VET in Schools, 2006: Terms and Definitions. Support Document. National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) This document covers the data terms used in the "VET in Schools, 2006" report. The primary purpose of this document is to help users understand the specific data terms used in the report. Terms that appear in the report are listed in alphabetical order with the following information provided for each: (1) Definition: a brief explanation of the term; (2) Classification categories: defined categories that apply to each term are listed, where applicable; and (3) Source: a description of the source of this information, including details of any calculations or derivations. [Funding for this report was provided through the Australian Department of Education, Science and Training. This document was produced as an added resource for the report "VET in Schools, 2006." For the main report, see ED507235.]… [PDF]
(1997). Biopiracy and Native Knowledge: Indigenous Rights on the Last Frontier. Native Americas, v14 n2 p22-31 Sum. In the past few years, transnational corporations and university researchers received patents for traditional medicines and for food and textile plants used by indigenous peoples without returning any benefits to those peoples. In light of U.S. and Canadian government claims that traditional knowledge is not intellectual property, indigenous activists are carrying the "heritage rights" issue to international forums. (SV)…
(2008). The Urgency of Postsecondary Education for Aboriginal Peoples. Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy, n86 p1-22 Nov. Canada has an unprecedented need to increase the number of Aboriginal peoples who undertake and complete postsecondary programs. Endorsing postsecondary education for Aboriginal peoples advocates an invigorating, fortifying future for Aboriginal peoples, their families, and their communities. Additionally, the postsecondary educational achievements of Aboriginal peoples support the health and sustainability of the Canadian nation; spearheaded by Western Canada's current economic prosperity, human resources supplied by Aboriginal peoples have become increasingly important. Captured herein are demographic, social, educational, and economic trends reinforcing the rationale that Aboriginal peoples urgently need to be provided with greater opportunities to succeed in postsecondary education. (Contains 3 tables and 2 figures.)… [PDF]
(2000). Indigenous Studies as an International Field. This paper proposes the development of Indigenous Studies as an international field, both in the sense of advancing the discipline internationally, wherever there are Indigenous peoples, and in the sense of incorporating international perspectives into curricula. In Canada, Indigenous Studies has been and is still treated as something to be done by "experts" for others. Indigenous Studies does not exist in its own right as an autonomous discipline, has no serious academic recognition, and depends upon the paradigms and methodologies of non-Indigenous academia. A correctly conceived and correctly implemented Indigenous Studies program would address the "unfinished business of decolonization" and would produce both Native and non-Native graduates that understand Indigenous worldviews. The interdisciplinary approach to Indigenous Studies can be construed as a way of expanding universal knowledge while keep the subjects being studied marginalized from the… [PDF]
(2007). A Grassroots Effort. Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, v24 n21 p28-30 Nov. If academics, students and supporters at the Newark Earthworks Center at The Ohio State University have their way, the Newark Earthworks will be listed among the likes of England's Stonehenge and Mexico's Teotihuacan in terms of international archaeological and cultural importance. Dr. Richard Shiels, director of the newly founded center and Dr. Marti Chaatsmith, program coordinator, envision the site will become a "must see" for those touring international cultural sites. The center, approved in 2006 by university trustees as an interdisciplinary program, is poised to reap the academic rewards from growing interest in the mounds. Their hope is that the center will become the heart of scientific and cultural inquiry into the Earthworks, drawing academic and public attention. Earlier this year, the center hosted a conference sponsored by the American Indian Studies Consortium on the theme "Native Knowledge Written on the Land," which included faculty and students… [Direct]
(2007). From a Place Deep inside: Culturally Appropriate Curriculum as the Embodiment of Navajo-ness in Classroom Pedagogy. Journal of American Indian Education, v46 n3 p72-93. Three Navajo teachers' conceptions of culturally appropriate curriculum and pedagogy highlight the benefits of reflective practice within different educational and school contexts. Each teacher provides a way of thinking about culturally appropriate curriculum, and its implementation in classroom practice for different Navajo students. The ways in which these teachers acknowledge the influence of being Navajo allows us to see why each chooses to teach and to know from where her inspiration comes. This study of the three Navajo teachers brings to the larger discussion of culturally appropriate pedagogy the need to consider the cultural knowledge, referred to as \Navajoness,\ that the teacher brings to the classroom context. Navajoness, a way of being or familiarity with being a Navajo person, appears to provide Navajo teachers with the knowledge and ability to make immediate connections between knowledge in school and home contexts. Further, Navajo teachers have an initial foundation… [Direct]
(2008). Higher Learning and the Labour Market in a Changing World: Environmental Scan for British Columbia. Ministry of Advanced Education In a knowledge-based economy, economic and social well-being depend on the development of human resources, and those with access to education benefit from higher lifetime earnings, lower rates of unemployment and poverty, a greater sense of engagement at work and society, and healthier lifestyles. This environmental scan considers the major economic, demographic, social, and labour-market trends influencing British Columbia's higher education system and workforce. Five chapters include: (1) Economic Trends (including globalization, the North American economy, climate change, new technologies, and regional variations in economic development); (2) Demographic Trends (forces of change, such as the aging of the baby boom generation, the declining birth rate and school age cohort, and shifts in inter-provincial and international migration); (3) Social Trends (British Columbia's social fabric and inequalities faced by low-income groups, women, Aboriginal people, persons with disabilities,… [PDF]
(2008). Are Adolescents from a Forest Community Well-Informed about Forest Management?. Journal of Biological Education, v42 n3 p104-111. The indigenous community of San Juan Nuevo Parangaricutiro in Mexico has been engaged in a successful Community Forest Enterprise employing sustainable management practices since 1981. These environmental practices do not seem to be reflected in the educational programmes developed at school. In this study, the environmental knowledge and interest of 102 students at high-school (15 to 18 years old) towards forestry management were analysed. The association between their knowledge and interests in environmental issues was also estimated. These analyses examine their interest in forest management as potential employment and the effect of the educational system on environmental learning. A combination of quantitative and qualitative methods was used. Results showed that environmental concepts were poorly understood despite their inclusion in the curriculum. Adolescents did not envisage working in the forest in the future because they showed no interest in forest activities. Educational… [Direct]