(2018). Tangerqengiaraucaraq (Being Present). ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Alaska Fairbanks. This qualitative, participatory action research was conducted to investigate the following research questions: What are the attitudes of the teachers in ESDY 630: Language, Culture and Teaching in Secondary Schools class toward culturally responsive teaching and learning? How does participating in ESDY 630: Language, Culture and Teaching in Secondary Schools class affect attitudes of the educators? How do educators co-construct the relationship between standards and culturally responsive teaching and learning? Data were gathered from five pre-service teachers in the University of Alaska Anchorage Master of Arts in Teaching program in a 2-credit Language, Culture, and Teaching in Secondary Schools class. Data consisted of class recordings, student artifacts, teacher researcher journal and informal interviews. The data were analyzed using Constructive Grounded Theory framework. "Tangerqengiaraucaraq" (Being Present) emerged as a key concept based on the themes identified in… [Direct]
(2023). Youth as Pattern Makers for Racial Justice: How Speculative Design Pedagogy in Science Can Promote Restorative Futures through Radical Care Practices. Journal of the Learning Sciences, v32 n1 p76-109. Background: We examine the development of youth sociopolitical consciousness and agency in an eighth-grade science classroom as students of color engage in critical speculative design activities, exploring the multi-scalar, racial realities and possibilities of the science and engineering of pervasive digital technologies–specifically involving the entanglement of lightwaves and melanin in computer vision and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. Methods: Through case studies of two girls of color (ES and GS), we analyze the youths' learning pathways across three instructional phases: threading practices (learners' sociopolitical interpretation); weaving practices (learners' coordination of multiple ways of knowing and being in relation to their interpretation); and patternmaking practices (learners' visions of more just patterns, practices, and politics through speculative design). Findings: Our analyses show how youth use their felt, cultural, and community knowledges, as… [Direct]
(2019). Internalization the Concept of Local Wisdom for Students in the Listening Class. Arab World English Journal, v10 n1 p382-394 Mar. The purpose of this study is to find out the principle of composing listening materials that contain local wisdom based on the dimensions of roles and parts. The problem formulation of this study is how the principle of composing listening materials that contain the value of local wisdom based on the dimensions of roles and parts. The findings of this study can be used as a reference in making learning models, especially listening materials which can be used as a means to foster students' characters related to their culture and appreciation toward local wisdom. The research design used in this study is research and development (R & D) design. This research produces roles with local wisdom to be an emotionally better person for a harmonious life, especially when the students are engaged in group discussion activities. To teach local wisdom related to environment care can be done through learning activities. It can be seen how the students are actively participating in the… [PDF]
(2024). Honoring the Ancestors: A Culturally Responsive Response to Intervention Framework for Diverse, Twice-Exceptional Students. Gifted Child Today, v47 n4 p274-285. In this article, the authors illustrate how teachers use a strength based, culturally responsive Response to Intervention (RTI) framework to meet the varied needs of a culturally diverse, twice-exceptional student. Using a case-based approach, the authors demonstrate how classroom teachers and specialists collaborate with the student and her family to create an individualized system of supports designed to nurture the student's gifted potential while simultaneously addressing her cultural needs and learning disabilities. Using a hypothetical case, a student's curiosity about her Puerto Rican heritage and multiracial identity becomes the central focus as teachers build a thematic unit of instruction that honors her ancestors. As the student learns about her Indigenous Ta√≠no and African heritage, she is taught to use specific evidence-based learning strategies to improve her memory, study skills and build on her curiosity and multilingual strengths. Throughout the article, the authors… [Direct]
(2022). Participation and Persistence of Adult Basic Education Students at a Rural College Campus on Manitoulin Island. Canadian Journal for the Study of Adult Education, v34 n2 p29-55 Dec. Little research has been conducted to examine the participation and persistence of adult basic education students in northern and rural Canada. This explanatory sequential mixed-methods study was conducted with adult learners to address this research deficit. The study consisted of questionnaire and interview phases. Using thematic analysis, five themes were identified from the participant responses: (a) positive, supportive, personal touch; (b) situational hardships; (c) friendships and community; (d) campus Indigeneity; and (e) program resources. Situational hardships directly affected students' program participation and persistence. A positive, supportive environment contributed to participation and persistence, while friends, community, and program resources influenced student persistence in the program. Participants identified campus Indigeneity and promotion of the program as areas for improvement…. [Direct]
(2022). An Indigenous Intercambio Program: Empowering Underrepresented STEM Students to Participate in Scientific and Cultural Exchange through Study Abroad. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, v34 n3 p16-43 Oct. The Panama-Heritage University Indigenous Intercambio Program (PIIP) is a science and cultural exchange between participants from both the United States (US) and the Ng√§be and Bugl√© (NB) of Panama. This study abroad program is specifically designed to resonate with the cultural backgrounds of Latinx and Native American students together with the Indigenous community they work with. PIIP provides a model for developing a community-based study abroad experience that is empowering for both students and host communities. Data gathered from US students, the NB participants, and a PIIP professor were analyzed to examine questions exploring how taking underrepresented minority students on an international experience is different–both for the study abroad student and the host community. We explore how power dynamics are always at play and begin to redefine the purpose of study abroad. Mutual learning, an exchange of ideas, and a relationship built on reciprocity and respect form the… [PDF]
(2022). "Entrudo": Ethnography of the Contemporary Challenges of Azorean Informal Education in Light of Ecopedagogy. Online Submission Ecopedagogy demands we identify non-orthodox educational practices, under the assumption that only by valuing marginal or unconventional experiences we could face the educational challenges emerging from globalization. My dissertation opens with a theoretical study that is dedicated to the establishment of the best epistemological categories to tackle the above issue. In doing so, it assesses different investigative approaches and eventually sides with Lave and Wenger's 'communities of practice.' Furthermore, the research establishes criteria for the operationalization of the above framework by identifying two specific epistemological concepts–situatedness and practice–and their related operationalizations: 'negotiability continuum' and 'apparatus complexity.' These operationalizations are furtherly identified as the key to detect 'peripheral participation,' which is key to well-functioning communities of practice. In doing so, it demonstrates compliance with genealogical research…. [PDF]
(2020). Educating for Comprehensive Well-Being. ECNU Review of Education, v3 n3 p406-436 Sep. Purpose: Educational approaches that advocate "well-being," the "whole child," "social and emotional learning," "character," and the like emphasize human development beyond the acquisition of knowledge and skills. These approaches vary widely in their views of human nature, their visions of a good life, and their prescriptions for educational practice. This article maps out heterogeneous contemporary approaches to "well-being" and related constructs, thereby allowing researchers, educators, and policymakers to understand the divergent assumptions made by the proliferating approaches to education that go beyond academics. Design/Approach/Methods: This article presents results from a 2-year project, which included interviews with advocates of different approaches and review of key literature about eleven educational approaches to "well-being," the "whole child," "social and emotional learning,"… [PDF] [Direct]
(2017). Choice of the Medium of Instruction in Kenyan Preschools: Averting Xenocentrism. Journal of Education and Practice, v8 n9 p210-216. This qualitative study sought to prompt a critical and reflective discourse on the dismal use of mother tongue in Kenyan early childhood education (ECE) institutions in an attempt to detect existence of xenocentrism. Although the Kenyan ECE policy framework sanctions use of the language of the catchment area when teaching and communicating with the young learners, many teachers continue to use English. Though studies have tried to identify factors that deter use of mother tongue, it is not clear whether the practice could be an indicator of xenocentrism. The objectives of the study were to assess parents' and teachers' competence in mother tongue, how they valued mother tongue and their willingness to have children learn their mother tongue. The study used descriptive research design. The population comprised preschool teachers and parents with children in preschools in a rural zone in Kiambu County. Data was collected through interviews. The results revealed that parents and… [PDF]
(2017). Family+Stories=Research. Qualitative Research Journal, v17 n4 p345-355. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to draw on the author's research involving girls who leave their Torres Strait Island communities for boarding colleges in regional Queensland, Australia, and the academic, social and cultural implications that impede the transition process between community and school. While this paper discusses some of the research outcomes, its main focus is the unique indigenous research paradigm "Family+Stories=Research", devised for and utilised within this project. This paradigm centres on the Australian indigenous kinship system and was implemented in two specific phases of the research process. These were: the preliminary research process leading up to the implementation of the research project; and the data collection phase. In turn, both phases enable the cultural significance of the kinship system to be better understood through the results. Because observations and storytelling or "yarning" were primarily used through both phases,… [Direct]
(2023). Using Social Theory in Higher Education. Palgrave Macmillan This open access book offers a unique and refreshing view on working with social theory in higher education. Using engaging first-person accounts coupled with critical intellectual analysis, the authors demonstrate how theory is grappled with as part of an ongoing practice rather than a momentary disembodied encounter. In a structure that creates a space for relational dialogue, each chapter is followed by a response from another author, demonstrating the varied interpretive possibilities of social theory. Collectively the authors invite the reader to engage with them in questioning the usefulness of social theory in higher education teaching and research, in considering its possibilities and limits, and in experiencing the opportunity it offers to understand ourselves and our work differently. Written in a way that is scholarly yet accessible, the contributors explore how social theories can be used to think through issues that are emerging as key social and political concerns in… [Direct]
(2020). "Tu'utu'u le upega i le loloto–Cast the Net into Deeper Waters": Using Research and Practice to Rethink Mathematics Pedagogy–Let's Dance!. set: Research Information for Teachers, n1 p49-57. Teaching Pasifika learners effectively to improve their educational outcomes is an education priority in New Zealand. New ways to maximise learning are needed. This article shows how dance, a cultural experience of many Pasifika learners, offers strong opportunities for enhancing learning across the curriculum while impacting positively on feelings of wellbeing and belonging. Drawing from the first author's experiences of teaching secondary school mathematics and Poly club, and a wide range of research literature on the many affordances of dance, we describe the potential of Pasifika dance as a culturally responsive and culturally sustaining mathematics pedagogy. Ways to explore the mathematics embedded in the Samoan sasa dance with students are described using a sample unit outline. Challenges and supports for teachers of mathematics for using Pasifika dance in their mathematics teaching are discussed…. [Direct]
(2020). Teaching through Challenges for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Colleges and universities cannot ignore the increasingly diverse student population in their classrooms, and how a focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion across disciplines trains students in the intercultural awareness they will need in competitive job markets. Yet while faculty may be aware of a need to understand EDI goals in relationship to their disciplines, and institutions may support EDI in theory, the onus of pedagogical training in EDI often falls on individual faculty. This book was written by faculty and administrators for educators who value the goals of EDI, and seek an intellectual community to help them develop their practice. Important to this book is an honest discussion of common challenges faculty may face when they engage in this difficult work, and effective strategies for addressing those challenges. The chapters are grouped according to six different themes: respect for divergent learning styles; inclusion and exclusion; technology and social action;… [Direct]
(2019). Informal Learning and Literacy among Maasai Women: Education, Emancipation and Empowerment. Routledge Research in International and Comparative Education. Routledge Research in International and Comparative Education "Informal Learning and Literacy among Maasai Women" highlights the importance and role of informal education in the emancipation and development of Maasai village women in Kenya. At present, knowledge and research on the impact of informal learning and literacy on community development is limited, and there is a gap between policy level discussions and women's lived experiences. Using a postcolonial feminist framework, this book sets out to examine linkages between informal learning and literacy, human development and gender inequality. Despite improvements in recent years, access to traditional education remains restricted for many women in rural communities across Kenya. Takayangi's book is the first to introduce how Maasai village women utilise informal learning and literacy for collective empowerment as well as to sustain their own well-being and that of their families. It presents the perspectives of both local women and institutions and argues that women's learning is… [Direct]
(2017). Institutional Approaches for Building Intercultural Understanding into the Curriculum: An Australian Perspective. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, v41 n4 p475-487. Australia is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world. Since World War II, seven million immigrants from more than 150 countries have settled in Australia. Since that time, Federal governmental changes to its policies on immigration has recognized the importance of cultural diversity in its population. Educational institutions have also responded by initiating a variety of strategies and developing curricula aimed at achieving equitable education and social outcomes and promote the acceptance of people from ethnically diverse backgrounds. This paper first examines how Australia has developed policy that has enabled education to become its third largest export market worth more than AUD$18 billion in 2014-2015. It focuses on some of the state and federal government policies that have encouraged the internationalization within the primary, secondary and tertiary education sectors and then gives an overview of some of the institutional strategies and policies that have… [Direct]