(2016). Developing a Deeper Understanding of Community-Based Pedagogies with Teachers: Learning with and from Teachers in Colombia. Journal of Teacher Education, v67 n4 p306-319 Sep-Oct. Here we share findings from a 9-month qualitative case study involving a school-university professional development inquiry into how teachers develop, implement, and interpret community-based pedagogies (CBPs), an asset-based approach to curriculum that acknowledges mandated standards but begins with recognizing and valuing local knowledge. After describing the structure and activities of the professional development project, we focus on the work and perspectives of four teachers at one public school in Bogot√°. The challenges identified were outweighed by the benefits, including increased student engagement, motivation, family-school involvement, and an appreciation of local knowledge as curriculum resource. In addition to generating rich curriculum exemplars in chemistry, social studies, and language arts, the teachers' interpretations and enactments of CBPs indicate that CBPs are flexible enough to allow multiple entry points, teacher autonomy, and ownership, and share enough… [Direct]
(2015). Counteracting Educational Injustice with Applied Critical Leadership: Culturally Responsive Practices Promoting Sustainable Change. International Journal of Multicultural Education, v17 n1 p22-41. This contribution considers educational leadership practice to promote and sustain diversity. Comparative case studies are presented featuring educational leaders in the United States and New Zealand who counter injustice in their practice. The leaders' leadership practices responsive to the diversity presented in their schools offer reconceptualizations of educational leadership for a changing society. Applied critical leaders are defined through similarities and differences, followed by suggestions for critical leadership promoting social justice and educational equity and culturally responsive practices to inform policy and practice for sustainable future-focused educational leadership…. [PDF]
(2015). "Not at the Expense of Their Culture": Graduating Native American Youth from High School. High School Journal, v98 n4 p337-352 Sum. What kinds of challenges do educators face in increasing Native American high school graduation rates, and what kinds of adaptations to a traditional high school are understood as necessary to achieve this outcome? This case study explored these questions as part of a larger multiple case study that investigated practices and processes related to high school graduation rates. It focused on educators' attempts to increase Native American student graduation rates in a high school with typical gaps in graduation rates between Native American students and white students. Data collected included teacher and administrator interviews and documentary evidence. Framed by socioecological theory that focuses on relationships between district, school, and classroom processes and practices, study findings revealed that adaptations to improve Native youth graduation rates included (1) offering personally-relevant, real-world, experiential, and interdisciplinary learning experiences aligned to… [Direct]
(2015). A Case Study of Culturally Relevant School-Based Programming for First Nations Youth: Improved Relationships, Confidence and Leadership, and School Success. Advances in School Mental Health Promotion, v8 n4 p216-230. Schools are expected to promote social and emotional learning skills among youth; however, there is a lack of culturally-relevant programming available. The Fourth R: Uniting Our Nations programs for Aboriginal youth include strengths-based programs designed to promote healthy relationships and cultural connectedness, and improve school success during the transition from elementary to secondary school. A mixed methods evaluation of these programs was undertaken utilizing 35 elementary and secondary student interviews, survey data from 45 secondary students, and 7 educator, and principal interviews. Four themes emerged: (1) programming was perceived to contribute to student success; (2) participants experienced improved relationships, and an increased sense of belonging; (3) participants gained confidence and leadership skills; and (4) the provision of culturally relevant experiences and role models was key to program success. The results underscore the importance of developing and… [Direct]
(2012). Internationalization versus Localization: "The Case of Primary Education in Taiwan". International Education Studies, v5 n4 p39-45 Aug. Internationalization is receiving increasing attention at academic institutions all over the world. Taiwan is no exception, where the government is promoting internationalization not only in higher education, but also at the primary education level. In this research we identified the key factors of the internationalization of primary education in Taiwan, calculated their relative importance, and determined their relationships with the various internationalization strategies being used in Taiwan. Questionnaires were administered to 300 school teachers, of which 246 were returned. AHP was adopted as the major instrument for determining the relative weight of each factor and strategy, and correspondence analysis was employed to investigate their respective relationships. Based on the findings, we provide suggestions for improving the internationalization of primary schools in Taiwan…. [PDF]
(2014). Teaching English Critically to Mexican Children. ELT Journal, v68 n3 p310-320 Jul. The purpose of this article is to present one significant part of a large-scale critical-ethnographic-action-research project (CEAR Project) carried out in Oaxaca, Mexico. The overall CEAR Project has been conducted since 2007 in different Oaxacan elementary schools serving indigenous and mestizo (mixed-race) children. In the CEAR Project, teacher educators collaborate with English language student teachers completing their teaching "praxicum", the purpose of which is to teach English critically whilst fostering multilingual, multiliterate, and intercultural practices. Using multimodalities and narrative, the article presents the results of the CEAR Project through the teaching praxicum of a student teacher who attempted to teach English critically by welcoming indigenous children's languages into her classroom and developing identity texts in class activities, thereby creating an inclusive classroom environment in which the children negotiated affirming identities and came… [Direct]
(2013). Embracing Babel: The "Framework for Australian Languages". Babel, v48 n2-3 p14-19. The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) has been developing language-specific curricula for a range of languages in the "Australian Curriculum: Language"s and has also undertaken development of a "Framework for Australian Languages", to provide guidance for the development of curricula for specific Australian Languages (Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander languages) to accommodate the varied situations across Indigenous Australia. Foremost among the challenges for the "Framework for Australian Languages" is the multiplicity of languages potentially to be covered. It is estimated that there were some 250 Australian Languages at the time of the first sustained contact with outsiders. Of these only about 20 are still spoken "right through". The other languages are in various states ranging from minimal documentation and language use through to significant advances in language revitalisation (Walsh, 2001)…. [Direct]
(2013). Exploring the Downside of Open Knowledge Resources: The Case of Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Practices in the Philippines. Open Praxis, v5 n1 p75-80 Jan-Mar. The paper is based on the challenges encountered by the researcher while conducting a study titled "Design, Development and Testing of an Indigenous Knowledge Management System Using Mobile Device Video Capture and Web 2.0 Protocols." During the conduct of the study the researcher observed a marked reluctance from organized indigenous people's groups to participate in the initiative. It soon became apparent that interfacing indigenous knowledge with open access concepts held complicated issues. The inhibiting factors enumerated and discussed in the paper deal with: honoring indigenous belief systems; respecting the privacy of indigenous peoples; dealing with indigenous knowledge system (IKS) protocols; the significance of context in IKS; mainstream prejudice and value judgments among non-indigenous people users; and the misrepresentation of indigenous knowledge…. [PDF]
(2013). The Journey of an Aboriginal Teacher: Imagining and Living the Potential of Excellence through Service. BU Journal of Graduate Studies in Education, v5 n1 p7-9. As an Aboriginal educator, teaching Aboriginal students has, over time and very simply, become the author's focus, passion, and life's work. Her life's journey as an Aboriginal educator, through service to others, has been professionally and personally fulfilling, and is yet evolving. For instance, as her intertwined educational and life's journey progresses, she become more aware of the magnitude of wrongs that exist in the history and in the ongoing legacy of Aboriginal education in Canada. There is no doubt that these wrongs and deleterious effects are still evident today. These effects are most quantitatively and visibly demonstrated by the gap between Aboriginal and mainstream high school student graduation rates, post-secondary attendance numbers, and high unemployment figures among Aboriginal populations in Canada. As an Aboriginal woman whom the teaching profession has chosen, one of the critical wrongs that she is attempting to change, through her past, present, and future… [PDF]
(2019). Proceedings of the 2018 Annual Meeting of the Canadian Mathematics Education Study Group = Actes de la Rencontre Annuelle 2018 du Groupe Canadien d'√âtude en Didactique des Math√©matiques (42nd, Squamish, British Columbia, Canada, June 1-5, 2018). Canadian Mathematics Education Study Group In June 2018 the Canadian Mathematics Education Study Group/Groupe Canadien d'√©tude en didactique des math√©matiques (CMESG/GCEDM) held its 42nd meeting in the idyllic setting of Squamish, British Columbia. This meeting marked the first time CMESG/GCEDM had been in British Columbia since 2010 and the first time it had been held at Quest University. Among the more than 150 attendees were 35 teachers, 17 of whom had been funded by the British Columbia Association of Mathematics Teachers (BCAMT) and the Pacific Institute for Mathematical Sciences (PIMS) to attend the meeting. The meeting featured a scientific program organized into five working groups, six topic sessions, eight new PhD presentations, 16 gallery walk presentations, and six Ad Hoc sessions. Thirty-four papers are included in these proceedings–two are written in French, four are provided in both French and English, and the remainder are written in English. [For the 2017 proceedings, see ED589990.]… [PDF]
(2012). Proceedings of the 2011 Annual Meeting of the Canadian Mathematics Education Study Group = Actes De La Rencontre Annuelle 2011 Du Groupe Canadien D'√©tude en Didactique Des Math√©matiques (35th, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada, June 10-14, 2011). Canadian Mathematics Education Study Group This submission contains the Proceedings of the 2011 Annual Meeting of the Canadian Mathematics Education Study Group (CMESG), held at Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John's, Newfoundland. The CMESG is a group of mathematicians and mathematics educators who meet annually to discuss mathematics education issues at all levels of learning. The aims of the Study Group are: to advance education by organizing and coordinating national conferences and seminars to study and improve the theories of the study of mathematics or any other aspects of mathematics education in Canada at all levels; and to undertake research in mathematics education and to disseminate the results of this research. These proceedings include plenary lectures, working group reports, topic session descriptions, new PhD reports, and summaries of ad hoc and poster sessions. Papers include: (1) Pattern Composition: Beyond the Basics (Chris K. Palmer); (2) The Pair-Dialogue Approach in Mathematics Teacher… [PDF]
(2014). The Design of Place-Based, Culturally Informed Geoscience Assessment. Journal of Geoscience Education, v62 n1 p86-103 Feb. We present a mixed-methods approach to community-based assessment design that engages tribal college and university faculty, students, and science educators, as well as experts in cultural knowledge from the Blackfeet and Din√© (Navajo) nations. Information from cultural experts, gathered through a combination of sequential surveys and focus group sessions, was analyzed to identify important themes with regard to assessment and geoscience content within the context of these communities. While experts use a variety of assessment approaches in their classrooms, only pre- and posttesting and portfolios were found to be most valuable. Experts indicated that the primary role of assessment was to monitor student progress, steer instruction, and prepare students for success; thus, assessment should be tied to the course goals. Experts differed on their views regarding sources of bias in testing, but overall they agreed that test language and content were both strong sources of bias. They… [PDF]
(2013). Becoming Culturally Responsive: A Framework for Teacher Development. AILACTE Journal, v10 n1 p97-115 Fall. This paper proposes a framework for the development of culturally responsive practices in beginning teachers to meet the needs of diverse students in multicultural classrooms. The framework describes the trajectory beginning teachers undergo toward becoming culturally responsive and discusses how teacher educators in liberal arts colleges can support their students in becoming effective educators who are successful in bringing cultural knowledge into the classroom. (Contains 1 figure and 1 footnote.)… [Direct]
(2010). Te Kotahitanga: Culturally Responsive Professional Development for Teachers. Teacher Development, v14 n2 p173-187 May. Te Kotahitanga is a research and professional development project that aims to support teachers to raise the achievement of New Zealand's indigenous Maori students in public/mainstream classrooms. An Effective Teaching Profile, developed from the voices of Maori students, their families, principals and some of their teachers, provides direction and focus for both the classroom pedagogy and the professional development. While the authors understand that there are many institutional changes necessary at the school level, this paper focuses on the professional learning opportunities developed for classroom teachers within this project to support the development of more effective classroom relationships and interactions with Maori students. This has resulted in Maori students attending school more regularly, engaging as learners and achieving to levels where they begin to realise their true potential. (Contains 1 figure and 8 notes.)… [Direct]
(2011). Decolonizing the Navajo Nation: The Lessons of the Naabaahii. Online Submission, Paper presented at the Annual National Indian Education Association (NIEA) Convention & Tradeshow (42nd, Albuquerque, NM, Oct 27-30, 2011). This paper discusses ways Dine peoples can use cultural knowledge to rebuild and decolonize the Navajo Nation. In the past, leaders, warriors, and all peoples worked together to sustain their community's way of life. These stories and strategies can be helpful in rectifying and resolving many challenges and problems Dine peoples face in the twenty-first century. (Contains 22 notes.)… [PDF]