(2008). Ecology, Phenomenology, and Culture: Developing a Language for Sustainability. Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education, v2 n4 p302-310 Oct. Education is central to two recent international efforts to address an impending ecological global crisis. "The Earth Charter" and the UN document "Decade for Education for Sustainable Development 2005-2014" challenge all people to consider the socio-ecological, ethical, local and global dimensions of human life. These documents state clearly the international community now strongly believes we need to foster through education the competencies of heart and mind required for a sustainable future. In light of the current ideology driving education today, the proposed re-orientation of education will require challenging taken-for-granted cultural assumptions and deeply re-examining our relationship with the Earth. In this article, I argue that an international effort to re-orient education is at heart a phenomenological task. Understanding the lived experience of the person-environment relationship must be the starting point of such educational efforts and the… [Direct]
(2008). Indigenous Knowledge and Intellectual Property Rights: Confronting Modern Norms to Promote Sustainability. Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education, v2 n4 p276-294 Oct. The global proliferation of intellectual property rights (IPRs), most recently through the World Trade Organization's Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement, poses a grave threat for Indigenous knowledge systems. There is an increasing amount of \piracy\ of Indigenous knowledge, whereby corporations and scientists from rich countries are claiming proprietary rights over knowledge that has belonged to cultures and people for hundreds of years. From the hoodia cactus and the Mexican yellow bean, to the use of neem and turmeric in India, IPRs have been inappropriately utilized to promote growth for the rich while hindering development and perpetuating poverty within many Indigenous knowledge-holding communities. The separation of humans from culture, culture from ecology, and ecology from economics has caused severe ecological exploitation and subsequent degradation. This article frames the current debate at the intersection of IPRs and Indigenous… [Direct]
(2016). We're Going on a Bear Hunt: Reconciling Neoliberalism and Postcolonialism in Pacific Early Childhood. Cogent Education, v3 n1 Article 1152673. Indigenous peoples around the world are struggling to create their own, unique early childhood system that reflects their cultural values and supports their dream of raising their children to proudly wear their own cultural identity. In this research, we share the work being undertaken by Pacific early childhood professionals. The study is part of a larger study across several nations which aims to explore early childhood professionals' understanding of their path towards professionalisation. We suggest that there are numerous obstacles that impede this work, one of which is what appears to be limited awareness amongst those very professionals needing to lead the agenda, of the nature of the obstacles in their path. The values and practices arising from neoliberalism are hegemonic, and it is easy for those living under their influence to perceive this way of being as the only legitimate way of being. We used social constructionism and a narrative-based online survey to collect our… [Direct]
(2016). Following Watery Relations in Early Childhood Pedagogies. Journal of Early Childhood Research, v14 n1 p98-111 Mar. Working methodologically and theoretically with the hydro-logics of bodies of water, this article addresses the limitations of humanistic perspectives on water play in early childhood classrooms, and proposes pedagogies of watery relations. The article traces the fluid, murky, surging, creative, unpredictable specificities of bodies of water that enter an early childhood classroom during a collaborative ethnographic project with young children and early childhood educators…. [Direct]
(2016). A Space to Learn: A Community-Based Approach to Meaningful Adult Learning and Literacy in Remote Indigenous Australia. Prospects: Quarterly Review of Comparative Education, v46 n3-4 p465-477 Dec. If young adults in remote Indigenous Australian communities are to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to participate effectively in mature roles in their own and the wider community, then educators will need to pay attention not only to the provision of schooling and formal adult-literacy tuition, but also to how language, literacy, and technological know-how are acquired through socialization and learning as a lifelong process. In this article, Inge Kral and Jerry Schwab take a social practice approach to reading (and writing) by looking at how Indigenous youth use alphabetic and digital literacies in everyday life and in community settings beyond school. Their proposition is that, in addition to pedagogy, it is meaningful practice across the lifespan that determines competence. Drawing on ethnographic research, Kral and Schwab outline a "learning centre" model, suggesting that it provides a template not only for transformative practice but also for achieving an… [Direct]
(2016). Incorporating Indigenous "Bukre" Game into Mathematics Lessons: A Teaching Experiment. Online Submission, Researchjournali's Journal of Mathematics v3 n1 p1-15 Jan. One major drawback to the curriculum demand for the use of indigenous games in mathematics classrooms is the inability of most teachers to identify the mathematics in these games and consequently incorporate them when teaching specific mathematics content. The primary purpose of the study is therefore to analyze and show how the indigenous "bukre" game could be incorporated into the teaching and learning of probability concepts in junior high school mathematics. Forty-five pupils from Vea Junior High School and a 79-year old knowledgeable man were purposively engaged in "bukre" game and data were gathered by participant observations and interviews. A comparative analysis uncover that, similar to the classical experiment of tossing a coin, a variety of probability concepts surrounds "bukre" game. It is also observed that the game can promote pupils' native conception of probability, intrinsic motivation, friendly classroom dialog and interactions…. [PDF]
(2016). Culturally Responsive Pedagogy: A Holistic Approach. AERA Online Paper Repository, Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (Washington, DC, Apr 8-12, 2016). This study examines the impact of culturally responsive pedagogy in an introduction to university course developed specifically for Aboriginal Access students. The pedagogy has been conceptualized to reflect interconnectivity in a nested system, where all facets of learning link with each other on emotional, spiritual, mental, and physical levels. Teaching from this holistic perspective offers a very different outlook from conventional Western school structure, where school subjects are divided into individual disciplines and students are required to learn in a more linear fashion. The results presented here reflect the content of the December 2013 interviews…. [Direct]
(2014). Implications of Social Practice Theory for the Development of a Numeracy Programme for the Gusilay People Group in Senegal. Adults Learning Mathematics, v9 n2 p85-96 Nov. In this article, I present research on some traditional numeracy practices of the Gusilay people group in Senegal and make recommendations for developing a numeracy programme for women. Based on a strong foundation of traditional knowledge and practices, the programme will aim to meet felt needs of women who are faced with new numeracy related challenges due to changes in society. My research is placed in the framework of social practice theory, which emphasizes the fact that numeracy is not a set of skills that are learned and used in isolation, but rather practices that happen in context and vary with it. After a brief outline of social practice theory and the methodology I have chosen for my research, I analyze my findings from that perspective and suggest some practical implications for developing a numeracy programme for Gusilay women…. [PDF]
(2015). Content Analysis of Life Exhibitions in Japanese Science Museums and Centres. International Journal of Science Education, Part B: Communication and Public Engagement, v5 n3 p223-249. Life exhibitions in Japanese science museums (SMs) face difficulties in coping with rapid progress in the life sciences owing to certain constraints around the frequency of exhibit renovations, and the Japanese indigenous understanding of the natural world (Shizen) that Japanese visitors unconsciously bring with them. To what extent do current life exhibitions reflect aspects of Japanese Shizen as well as recent progress in the life sciences? The purpose of this study was twofold: to analyse the contents of life exhibitions in nine Japanese SMs from both a Japanese Shizen and a contemporary life science perspective. The major findings were: (1) educational missions in natural history institutions appreciated and reflected Japanese indigenous understanding of Shizen in addition to having a scientific understanding of life phenomena; (2) from a life science perspective, among the "common traits of life," "evolution" was the most commonly exhibited trait, while… [Direct]
(2014). The Burden of Historical Representation: The Case of/for Indigenous Film. History Teacher, v48 n1 p9-36 Nov. In this article, the authors explore the nature of film that is both "about" and now more often made "for/by" indigenous peoples and its potential as a medium for introducing and engaging students in the study of indigenous history and perspectives in secondary classrooms. As a framework for analysis, the authors examine to what extent these films meet the burden of historical representation, a construct they developed from the film studies' concept of a "burden of representation." They also examine the potential use of film representing indigenous history with secondary students to raise questions about the common historical narratives taught in schools, to present events or perspectives that typically are marginalized or ignored in the school curriculum, and to examine how film represents the views and histories of different groups. The analysis is grounded in the context in which film is produced, distributed, and viewed. Selecting four films as case… [PDF]
(2021). Online or Onsite? Comparison of the Relative Merit of Delivery Format of Aboriginal Cultural-Awareness-Training to Undergraduate Chiropractic Students. Journal for Multicultural Education, v15 n4 p374-394. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (ATSI), it is expected that non-ATSI health-care professionals become culturally aware; however, participants' perceptions of the relative merit of cultural awareness training (CAT) formats is uncertain. Design/methodology/approach: The authors compared undergraduate students' perceptions of an asynchronous online format with onsite delivery formats of CAT using a mixed-method design. Students from five successive cohorts (n = 64) in an undergraduate programme were invited to complete a post-training survey which gathered quantitative and qualitative data. Findings: Whilst feedback was positive regarding both formats, the onsite format was preferred qualitatively with several valuable learning outcome themes emerging from the results. These themes included; "perceived benefits of self-evaluation of students' own culture whilst learning about Aboriginal culture"; "encouraging… [Direct]
(2001). A Torres Strait Islander Perspective on the Concept of Indigenous Knowledge. Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, v29 n2 p22-29. Indigenous knowledge is a living, breathing concept and must be treated with care and respect. This living knowledge is transmitted orally. At the University of Queensland (Australia), the Torres Strait Islander Studies course was taught in the Indigenous way, and elders were involved throughout, from formatting the course outline to the running of cultural activities and being guest lecturers. (TD)…
(2018). The Courage of Community Members: Community Perspectives of Engaged Pedagogies. College Composition and Communication, v70 n1 p82-110. The emotional dynamics for community members involved in university-community partnerships remain untheorized and often unrecognized. This article explores the fear minoritized high school students expressed about working with college composition students, offering suggestions for how composition teachers can use the strategies of "personalismo," affirmation, rigor, and role fluidity to create more responsive community partnerships. Grounded in insights from community partners, the study suggests that knowledge making might change in community-based pedagogies if dominant epistemologies can shift to understand community members as producers of knowledge…. [Direct]
(2018). An Arts-Based Curriculum Encounter: What Does It Mean to Live on This Land?. McGill Journal of Education, v53 n2 p379-392. Our arts-based curriculum encounter occurred in a graduate course on arts-based research methods. For a class project we engaged in an inquiry on the question: "What does it mean to live on this land?" which we explored through various arts-based activities. The question challenged us to think deeply about our relationship with and responsibilities to the land we occupy. The inquiry raised for us and, in various ways, implicated us in issues around geographical settings, historical contexts, colonization and nationhood, relations as/with Indigenous peoples, Indigenous ways of knowing, relations with the natural environment, exploitation of the land, the environmental crisis, and our own family histories and personal journeys. In this paper, we share the reflective writings of four inquiry participants interspersed with some images from our work together…. [Direct]
(2018). Maori Children's Biliteracy Experiences Moving from a Kohanga Reo Setting to a Kura Kaupapa Maori, Bilingual, and Mainstream Education Setting: An Exploratory Study. New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies, v53 n1 p65-82 Jul. This research explored the biliteracy experiences of three kohanga reo children as they started school in one of three school settings: a bilingual unit, a mainstream classroom, and kura kaupapa Maori. A Kaupapa Maori approach underpinned this research and guided the case study methodology employed. The children's literacy experiences were observed on school entry and parents and teachers from each setting were interviewed regarding their aspirations for children and approaches to literacy. Key findings include the importance of effective teaching strategies, relationship building, the classroom environment, the reading programme employed, and approaches to assessment. The study highlights the importance of teachers who have culturally responsive pedagogies and can adapt pedagogies to meet the literacy learning needs of kohanga reo children as they transition to school. It also highlights the need for further understanding of biliteracy learning in Aotearoa New Zealand schools, and… [Direct]