(2010). State of Learning in Canada: A Year in Review, 2009-2010. Canadian Council on Learning The 2009-2010 "State of Learning in Canada" provides the most current information on the Canadian learning landscape, contributing to a comprehensive understanding of how Canadians are faring as lifelong learners. As in previous "State of Learning" reports, this update reflects the Canadian Council on Learning's (CCL's) vision of learning as a lifelong process. CCL's research affirms time and again that the skills and knowledge that citizens bring to their families, their workplaces and their communities help determine a country's economic success and overall quality of life. This update takes a lifecourse approach, beginning with learning in the early childhood learning and school-based education through to the formal and informal learning of adults. Highlights from the recently released report on the "State of Aboriginal Learning in Canada: A Holistic Approach to Measuring Success" (2009), which introduced the first application of a comprehensive… [PDF]
(2010). State of Learning in Canada: A Year in Review, 2009-2010. Executive Summary. Canadian Council on Learning The 2009-2010 "State of Learning in Canada" provides the most current information on the Canadian learning landscape, contributing to a comprehensive understanding of how Canadians are faring as lifelong learners. As in previous "State of Learning" reports, this update reflects CCL's vision of learning as a lifelong process. CCL's research affirms time and again that the skills and knowledge that citizens bring to their families, their workplaces and their communities help determine a country's economic success and overall quality of life. This update takes a lifecourse approach, beginning with learning in the early childhood learning and school-based education through to the formal and informal learning of adults. Highlights from the recently released report on the "State of Aboriginal Learning in Canada: A Holistic Approach to Measuring Success" (2009), which introduced the first application of a comprehensive approach to measuring Aboriginal Learning… [PDF]
(2010). Educational Aspirations in an Urban Community College: Differences between Immigrant and Native Student Groups. Community College Review, v37 n3 p209-242. This study explored the educational aspirations of immigrant and native students in an urban community college. Using Burton Clark's cooling-out theory as a framework, the study looked at choices students make when applying to college and the extent to which students later change their aspirations. Immigrant students who were educated in United States high schools were more likely than other student groups to aspire to a 4-year degree and seek admission to a senior college rather than a community college. Logistic regression analysis revealed that most students did not change their majors over six semesters, although among those who did, students were more likely to be cooled out (i.e., they lowered their aspirations as indicated by a change from a transfer to a terminal program) than to shift from a terminal program to a transfer program. (Contains 1 figure and 8 tables.)… [Direct]
(2009). In the Shadows of the Mission: Education Policy, Urban Space, and the "Colonial Present" in Sydney. Race, Ethnicity and Education, v12 n3 p267-280 Sep. This paper is concerned with enduring histories and micro-geographies of the (post)colonial Australian nation, played out through contemporary connections between Aboriginality, inner Sydney and educational policy change. This paper traces the "racialization" of space and place in the Sydney inner city suburb of Redfern, including the Aboriginal–"owned" residential area commonly known as the Block; it then outlines aspects of an educational policy change in inner Sydney, specifically the relationship of policy proposals to the positioning of Aboriginal people; and, last, focuses on connecting the notions of Aboriginality and space to educational policy change through Derek Gregory's idea of the "colonial present". It explores how the idea of the "colonial present" as "performance of space" might help to understand the racialisation of the inner city and education policy discourses. It concludes that the "colonial present"… [Direct]
(2013). Engaging Student Teachers in Sustainable Praxis in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Journal of Teacher Education for Sustainability, v15 n1 p5-14. This paper draws on the narratives of three teaching staff as they collaborate to transform student teachers' thinking and praxis about sustainability through a bicultural perspective that acknowledges indigenous and Western ideologies. It will discuss some of the experiences that the student teachers found to be transformational such as: whakapapa (our connectedness to all things, both living and non-living) and a mini action research project on the "rubbish" generated on their class days. The question the co-researchers pose: How is the [bicultural] conceptual framework visible in our teaching and learning about sustainability? Our findings suggest that student teachers become articulate and passionate about sustainability through engagement in activities that challenge the "taken-for- granted" everyday practices. As confidence and competence increases, student teachers can realise their potential to make significant curriculum changes as they work alongside… [PDF]
(2013). Bi-Cultural Aotearoa/New Zealand: Provision of Psychological Services to the Maori Population of Rural New Zealand: Combining Best Practice with Cultural Considerations. School Psychology International, v34 n4 p428-438 Aug. New Zealand is considered a bi-cultural country with both the majority European and the minority/indigenous Maori cultures are supposedly given equal weight within the psyche and policies of the country. In reality, however, individuals of Maori descent tend to be over-represented in negative socio-economic and educational dimensions. A higher percentage of Maori than Europeans live in rural areas which makes the provision of services to this segment of the population even more challenging. The New Zealand government has, however, recognized its obligations to Maori citizenry and has developed a number of initiatives in an attempt to better meet the needs of Maori students and to increase the number of Maori children achieving positive educational outcomes. This article summarizes initiatives currently in place and presents information concerning Maori educational achievement and progress that has been made to bring in Maori children to a level commensurate with rates of other… [Direct]
(2012). Developing Learning Identities in and through Music: A Case Study of the Outcomes of a Music Programme in an Australian Juvenile Detention Centre. International Journal of Music Education, v30 n3 p244-259 Aug. The last decades have witnessed significant growth in music programmes targeted at various populations in detention, including those in male and female prisons and juvenile detention centres. The aspirations of such programmes have included a concern to improve detainees' mental and physical health and well-being, develop pro-social behaviours that assist in rehabilitation into the community and diminish the incidence of recidivism. In Australia there is an upward trend in the number of young people in detention. The population is overwhelmingly male, disproportionately indigenous, and largely aged between 15 and 17 years. The Australian Children's Music Foundation (ACMF) has implemented a number of music programmes in juvenile detention centres as a means to assist young people to develop their sense of self-worth, build skills in self-discipline and communication, foster resilience, and re-engage with life and the community. This qualitative case study identifies and documents… [Direct]
(2011). Stories of/on Citizenship Education: A Case of Participatory Planning. International Journal of Lifelong Education, v30 n2 p171-185 Mar. In this article we elaborate a case where citizens were encouraged to discuss an environmental policy plan within seven focus groups. In line with this experience, we raise two questions about the deliberation process we tried to support. First, how to understand the importance of narratives as sources of civic learning? Second, how can a narrative understanding of civic education challenge current practices of citizen participation? Our answers to these questions are grounded both in the practical context of the seven focus groups and in a more theoretical endeavour to understand policy planning as a particular educational practice for citizens. (Contains 2 tables.)… [Direct]
(2013). Teaching Creole-Speaking Children: Issues, Concerns and Resolutions for the Classroom. Australian Review of Applied Linguistics, v36 n3 p234-249. There are now significant numbers of children who speak a language other than English when they enter the formal school system in Australia. Many of these children come from a language background that is entirely different from the school language. Many Indigenous children, however, come from creole-speaking backgrounds where their home language may share features with the school language whilst remaining substantially different in other ways. What often makes this situation more challenging is the tendency to view creole, rather than as a different language, as a kind of deficient version of the standard language. Children entering the school system with a creole thus often encounter considerable difficulties. In addition, teachers who are not trained in teaching creole-speaking children may not recognise these difficulties. This paper explores some of these issues in the Australian context with reference to home languages such as Kriol and Torres Strait Creole (TSC) as well as… [Direct]
(2011). A Healing Space: The Experiences of First Nations and Inuit Youth with Equine-Assisted Learning (EAL). Child & Youth Care Forum, v40 n4 p319-336 Aug. The Nimkee NupiGawagan Healing Centre (NNHC) in Muncey, ON provides residential treatment to First Nations and Inuit youth who abuse solvents. As a complement to its culture-based programming, in 2008 the centre began offering weekly equine-assisted learning (EAL) curriculum to its clients in partnership with the Keystone Equine Centre and the Lambton Equine Assisted Learning Centre. This study explores the potential benefit of the EAL program on youths' healing. We conducted 15 interviews with two intakes of male and female EAL program participants and 6 NNHC and EAL staff, reviewed EAL facilitator and NNHC staff reflections and participants' EAL journals, and observed the EAL program. It was concluded that youths' healing was aided through the availability of a culturally-relevant space; from within an Aboriginal worldview this understanding of space is central to individual and communal well-being. This was conveyed in three key themes that emerged from the data: spiritual… [Direct]
(2010). Spaces In-Between: Indigenous Women Leaders Speak Back to Dominant Discourses and Practices in Educational Leadership. International Journal of Leadership in Education, v13 n1 p93-105 Jan. My intention in this article is not to solely "talk up" or "talk back" to troubling dominant discourses about, and practices in, educational leadership, but to authenticate and legitimate Indigenous women's voices through theorising their leadership realities and by situating such knowledge in the cultural spaces that they occupy. Accordingly, this article leads with the voices of Indigenous women that shape the theoretical discussion. Finally, I offer alternative ways of seeing the relationship between community, schools and leaders from Indigenous perspectives. (Contains 1 table and 1 note.)… [Direct]
(2011). An Analysis of the Education Systems in Mexico and the United States from Pre-Kinder to 12 Grade. Online Submission This article provides an overview of the public school system in Mexico from early childhood to high school, and compares it with the American education system. It also identifies educational terminology and concepts unique to the Mexican system that can become possible sources of conflict and confusion for American educators. (Contains 7 endnotes and 3 tables.)… [PDF]
(2010). On Their Own: How Thirty-One Tribal Colleges Address Five Educational Concepts. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of North Texas. This qualitative research, specifically a content analysis of 31 tribal colleges' mission statements and curricula, examined how the colleges' curricula aligned with the five educational concepts suggested in the colleges' mission statements. Cajete's (1994) seven foundations to indigenous thinking proved to be a major theoretical framework which provided a worldview for tribal learning. The study concluded that whereas the five educational concepts aligned between mission statements and curricula, the curricula emphasized culture, tribal community, and academic success at a greater level than mission statements indicated. Further, tribal colleges' curricula did not emphasize economic concepts as the mission statements indicated. A particular finding suggests that tribal colleges' are investing in environmental studies programs, thus increasing their intellectual capacity to protect their environmental interests while promoting indigenous thinking and community learning across all… [Direct]
(2010). Representing and Practising Meaningful Differences in a Well-Structured but Complex Art Curriculum. Journal of Curriculum Studies, v42 n6 p727-750. This paper conceptualizes the secondary art curriculum as a well-structured but complex knowledge-domain, with the aim of emphasizing meaningful differences in the way creative grammar operates in the following gatherings of art practices: Pre-historic and non-European cultures; Ancient and European cultures before c. 1800; Romantic and Modern culture from c.1800 to c.1950; and Late-and Post-modern culture from c.1950 onwards. The gatherings are further differentiated into pre-modern practices of "Gemeinschaft" (community) and modern forms of "Gesellschaft" (association). Practices of "Gemeinschaft" use the creative grammar of accretion and the grammar of omission to emphasize meaningful differences. The earlier phase of "Gesellschaft" inherits the grammar of accretion and omission from Gemeinschaft in the attempt to sustain the expression of meaningful differences. The late- and post-modern phase of Gesellschaft adopts a nihilistic creative… [Direct]
(2009). Examination of Traditional Medicine and Herbal Pharmacology and the Implications for Teaching and Education: A Ghanaian Case Study. Alberta Journal of Educational Research, v55 n3 p298-318 Fall. This article presents the preliminary findings of a pilot study of the practice, uses, and effectiveness of traditional medicine in Ghana. Based on in-depth interviews with local key practitioners and users of traditional medicine, the article points to some of the educational significance of local cultural knowledge on the environment and the relevance of such knowledge for science education in Ghana. In the discussion the authors briefly highlight general themes relating to local understandings of traditional medicine, the distinctions between traditional and plant medicine, contestations between traditional medicine and orthodox medicine, local conceptions of health and a healthy individual, the economics of health, and the lessons of science and public education. Although the findings of the study are preliminary, the article argues that much is to be gained for educational purposes through the critical study of traditional medicine, particularly in terms of the promotion of… [Direct]