(2017). Drawing the Line with Google Earth: The Place of Digital Mapping outside of Geography. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, v41 n1 p75-93. The "Te Kawa a Maui Atlas" project explores how mapping activities support undergraduate student engagement and learning in Maori studies. This article describes two specific assignments, which used online mapping allowing students to engage with the work of their peers. By analysing student evaluations of these activities, we identify four aspects that benefit student engagement: mapping "diversifies" the learning experience; mapping promotes acquisition of a different "skill" set; online mapping allowed more open "sharing" of work and; mapping promotes "place"-based learning. Some students were ambivalent about the assignments, so mapping should only be used to support other learning objectives…. [Direct]
(2015). The Factors and Conditions for National Human Resource Development in Brazil. European Journal of Training and Development, v39 n8 p666-680. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to understand the factors and conditions that influence national human resource development (NHRD) in Brazil. In this paper, the transitioning nature of the political, economic, social and educational conditions; the current challenges and trends that may impact NHRD; and the current status of NHRD research in Brazil are examined. Design/methodology/approach: A search of the research literature focused on the political, economic, cultural, social and educational environment and the research associated with NHRD in Brazil was conducted. After searching several databases, including Academic Search Complete, Google Scholar, ERIC and EBSCO, several articles were selected and analyzed based on the depth of description of the conditions and research. Findings: Among the factors discovered, race, gender and educational equality are still concerns. The complex nature of the relationship between the Brazilian Government, its people and organizations, as… [Direct]
(2015). A Snapshot from a Rural Area of Australia: Why and How Early Childhood Educators and Carers Take on Board Sustainable Practices. Journal of the International Society for Teacher Education, v19 n2 p15-21. A report card on the wellbeing of young Australians does not paint a promising picture (ARACY, 2013). Some of the poor performance indicators from this report can be linked to early childhood education and sustainability, which forms the basis of this paper. A survey of recently graduated Certificate III and Diploma students will provide a snapshot of their feelings on sustainability. This will provide a point of view from a new generation of early childhood educators and carers in one rural area of Australia. The survey questions how these educators rate the need for sustainable practices and why. Will these educators follow their services program, or do they genuinely feel they have a role in the big picture of ensuring young people gain knowledge about sustainable practices? The second part of this paper will give an overview of a case study of sustainable practices being undertaken in a rural preschool that caters to Aboriginal and low income families. These practices will be… [PDF]
(2012). A Critical Race and Class Analysis of Learning in the Organic Farming Movement. Australian Journal of Adult Learning, v52 n3 p484-506 Nov. The purpose of this paper is to add to a growing body of literature that critiques the whiteness of the organic farming movement and analyse potential ramifications of this if farmers are to be understood as educators. Given that farmers do not necessarily self-identify as educators, it is important to understand that in raising this critique, this paper is as much a challenge the author is extending to herself and other educators interested in food sovereignty as it is to members of the organic farming movement. This paper draws from the author's personal experiences and interest in the small-scale organic farming movement. It provides a brief overview of this movement, which is followed by a discussion of anti-racist food scholarship that critically assesses the inequities and inconsistencies that have developed as a result of hegemonic whiteness within the movement. It then demonstrates how a movement of Indigenous food sovereignty is emerging parallel to the organic farming… [PDF]
(2012). Indigenous Knowledge and Science in a Globalized Age. Cultural Studies of Science Education, v7 n2 p479-484 Jun. This forum explores and expands on Ben-Zvi Assaraf, Eshach, Orion, and Alamour's article titled "Cultural Differences and Students' Spontaneous Models of the Water Cycle: A Case Study of Jewish and Bedouin Children in Israel" by examining how indigenous knowledge is appropriated in science classrooms; how students from indigenous students' experiences are more complex than many non-indigenous students; and how science and globalization complicates the preservation of indigenous knowledge. In this forum we suggest that research on indigenous knowledge be examined through the lens of the locally situated contexts and the extent to which globalization hinders this kind of knowledge in the name of value neutral scientific knowledge. We finally suggest that research in indigenous communities has to be more intentional and respectful, and teachers need to rethink how useful and meaningful science learning can be for indigenous students…. [Direct]
(2014). Disrupting Colonial Mindsets: The Power of Learning Networks. in education, v19 n3 p89-107 Spr. If changes that make a difference to Aboriginal learners are to be effected in public schools, then transformational change is required (Menzies, Archibald, & Smith, 2004). How is transformational change best achieved? In this article, I argue, based on a recently completed study (McGregor, 2013) that teacher learning–particularly among non-Aboriginal teachers–is critical to effecting transformation in how teachers think about Aboriginal learners as well as how they plan and deliver fully inclusive learning opportunities. After outlining a theoretical framework for transformation focused on networked, inquiry-based learning and culturally inclusive practices, I explore how one particular teacher-learning network–the Aboriginal Enhancement Schools Network (AESN) in British Columbia, Canada, offers a powerful example of how teacher learning networks can enable deep and transformational change among participating teachers and leaders. I provide exemplary stories of transformation… [PDF]
(2013). "I Can't Believe I Just Said That": Using Guided Reflections with Non-Indigenous Pre-Service Teachers in Australia. International Education Journal: Comparative Perspectives, v12 n1 p161-179. This paper explores the use of guided narrative reflection as a strategy used with high-achieving non-Indigenous pre-service teachers in Australia on teaching practicum. We suggest that reflections (and subsequent dialogue) can provide opportunities for non-Indigenous pre-service teachers to re-think their beliefs and actions in ways that may intervene in the teaching that often causes educational disadvantage for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students…. [PDF]
(2013). Indigenizing Student-Centred Learning: A Western Approach in an Indigenous Educational Institution. Journal of International Education Research, v9 n1 p1-6. This study investigated the alignment of the teaching and learning practices with a student-centred learning approach in an indigenous educational institution. The findings indicated that when a western concept is applied in the classroom, it is vital for it to be culturally relevant and appropriate to the cultural beliefs and values of the students and the institution. In an indigenous learning environment, learning and teaching that acknowledges the learner's cultural identity is seen as fundamental to their educational success and empowerment. The existent cultural elements of beliefs, values, language, heritage, heredity, perspectives and practices are clearly [Direct]
(2017). Attitudes of Classroom Teachers to Cultural Diversity and Multicultural Education in Country New South Wales, Australia. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, v42 n5 Article 2 p17-34 May. Views of country school teachers towards multicultural education and anti-racism policy directives are examined against a background of a largely "white" landscape but increasing numbers of language background other than English (LBOTE) immigrants. A 10 per cent response from a self-administered online survey of government primary and secondary classroom teachers in country New South Wales examines their attitudes to cultural diversity, goals of multicultural education, and anti-racist strategies. Though strongly supportive of attempts to combat racism, implementation in some schools lags behind intention. Whether on cultural diversity, multiculturalism or acknowledgement of racism, teacher attitudes are more tolerant than those in the wider communities the schools serve. But while among teachers and the wider community there is some level of intolerance and discrimination towards Aboriginal and LBOTE Australians, such attitudes do not vary significantly across country… [PDF]
(2015). Thresholds of Possibility-Mindful Walking, Traditional Oral Storytelling, and the Birch Bark Canoe: Theorizing Intra-Activity in an Afterschool Arts Space. Literacy Research: Theory, Method, and Practice, v64 n1 p210-226 Nov. The chapter explores the relationships of the material and discursive in an afterschool arts space devoted to creating an "ideal city" out of recyclables. Intrigued by the making of a homeless shelter by a Grade 5 student and a teacher candidate, the author turns to intra-activity as a theory–and ethic-onto-epistemological framework–through which to read and analyze the intra-actions between the human and nonhuman, the material and discursive and the natural and cultural factors in the practices of designing and making the home. For this literacy researcher, this required a methodological and ontoepistemological re-orienting, a poststructuralist move to enter into the theoretical threshold and to produce knowledge differently. Drawing on three thresholds–mindful walking, traditional oral storytelling, and the making of the birch bark canoe–the author suggests new possibilities for thinking with intra-activity as a theory in the study, illustrating how Indigenous ways of… [Direct]
(2012). Window Dressing or Transformation? Intercultural Education Influenced by Globalization and Neoliberalism in a Secondary School in the Canary Islands, Spain. Multicultural Perspectives, v14 n3 p144-151. This article profiles intercultural education efforts at schools on the Canary Islands. After a brief profile of this autonomous community of Spain, descriptions of national efforts to promote intercultural education as they are enacted in one particular school setting are provided. Successes and limitations of these efforts are detailed. (Contains 1 table and 4 footnotes.)… [Direct]
(2012). Overcoming "Being" in Favour of Knowledge: The Fixing Effect of "Matauranga". Educational Philosophy and Theory, v44 n10 p1080-1092 Dec. It is common to hear Maori discuss primordial states of Being, yet in colonisation those very central beliefs are forced into weaker utterances. In this process those utterances merely conform to a colonised agenda. "Matauranga", a tidy term that overwhelmingly refers to an epistemological knowing of the world, colludes nicely with its English equivalent, "knowledge", to further colonise those core contemplations of Being. Its plausibility relies on an orderly regard of things in the world. In education, historical and current practices of schooling pave the way for things in the world so that they amount to matauranga for Maori, and even the term "ako" will conspire in its own way. Both Novalis and Heidegger have the ability to identify subtly colonising philosophies, and may even propose some theoretical solutions for Maori. (Contains 4 notes.)… [Direct]
(2018). Minority-World Preservice Teachers' Understanding of Contextually Appropriate Practice While Working in Majority-World Early Childhood Contexts. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, v32 n2 p202-218. International field experiences in Kenya and Nepal supplied data for two collaborative ethnographic research projects that analyze, using the concept of contextually appropriate practice (CAP), how minority-world early childhood preservice teachers define "quality" practices. The term "minority-world" is used for educators who come from wealthier regions of the globe, which constitutes a small percentage of the world population, such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and Europe. The term "majority-world" has replaced the term "third world," as this term constructs a discourse about third-world countries being less developed. Fifteen preservice teachers from a predominantly White university in the United States served as the participants. Two Kenyan and Nepali teachers also participated to gain an emic perspective of quality practices from local community members. Data were collected through participation observation by the researchers,… [Direct]
(2014). The Identity of Upholding Indigenous Lifeways. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, University of Montana. This qualitative study examined the role of Native Lifeways in tribal colleges as perceived by their presidents and other influential leaders on the campuses of three tribal colleges. Tribal colleges were founded in part to support and promote Native Lifeways, as demonstrated within their respective mission statements. Given the fact that TCUs are at the forefront of the defense of Native Lifeways, they continue to be in a state of endangerment as a result of the history of U.S. Indian Policy. Data was acquired from the face-to-face interviews of 15 leaders within the three tribal colleges located in northwest United States. The data were analyzed through the process of grounded theory, as described by Strauss and Corbin (1990), Tesch (1990), and Creswell (1994). Three coding procedures were used to analyze the data: open coding, axial coding and selective coding. During the stage of open coding, six categories emerged: (a) Indigenous Lifeways are Core, (b) Need to do More, (c)… [Direct]
(2014). Exploring Methodologies for Researching Indigenous Knowledge of Plant Healing for Integration into Classroom Science: Insights Related to the Data Collection Phase. African Journal of Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, v18 n2 p164-175. This article forms part of a major study being conducted in Zimbabwe to explore the possibilities of integrating indigenous knowledge of plant healing (Ikoph) into western-oriented classroom science. The article reports on an aspect of research methodology. This study explored appropriate strategies for gaining access to indigenous knowledge holders, and for generating indigenous knowledge data from these knowledge holders. It is a descriptive study rooted in an African indigenous research methodology. Data were generated through field-noted observations and audio-recorded conversations with 12 participants during the phases of attaining access and of data generation. The findings demonstrated that the participants hold a solid spiritual worldview alongside that of western science and Christianity. Ikoph occupies these participants' metaphysical knowledge zone, although when asked they initially display western science and Christian worldviews related to plant healing. The use of the… [Direct]