(2012). Improving Indigenous and Ethnic Minority Student Success in Foundation Health Study. Teaching in Higher Education, v17 n5 p589-602. This study investigates what teaching practices in the "non-lecture context of a foundation programme" help or hinder Maori and Pasifika students' success in a New Zealand university. This two-year qualitative project used Kaupapa Maori and Pasifika Research (KM/PR) methodologies conducted in three phases: (1) needs analysis, (2) intervention and (3) evaluation. Twenty-eight Maori or Pasifika students were interviewed using the Critical Incident Technique identifying 798 incidents grouped into four themes for institutional development: (I) use effective practices for teaching and learning, (II) grow independent learners, (III) support the empowerment of the learner and (IV) harness the positive cohort effect. Initially, students reported that intensive support provided by the foundation programme was not preparing students well for success in degree-level study. Following interventions of institutionally-led changes, students reported better preparation for ongoing study…. [Direct]
(2012). Indigenous Elementary Students' Science Instruction in Taiwan: Indigenous Knowledge and Western Science. Research in Science Education, v42 n6 p1183-1199 Dec. This preliminary ethnographic investigation focused on how Indigenous traditional wisdom can be incorporated into school science and what students learned as a result. Participants included community elders and knowledge keepers, as well as 4th grade (10-year-old) students, all of Amis ancestry, an Indigenous tribe in Taiwan. The students' non-Indigenous teacher played a central role in developing a science module "Measuring Time" that combined Amis knowledge and Western science knowledge. The study identified two "cultural" worldview perspectives on time; for example, the place-based cyclical time held by the Amis, and the universal rectilinear time presupposed by scientists. Students' pre-instructional fragmented concepts from both knowledge systems became more informed and refined through their engagement in "Measuring Time". Students' increased interest and pride in their Amis culture were noted…. [Direct]
(2010). Towards Culturally Appropriate Assessment? A Contribution to the Debates. Higher Education Quarterly, v64 n3 p231-245 Jul. Culturally appropriate assessment in higher educational is premised on factors that do not benefit minority groups, because they have no control over the processes governing such factors. Significantly, practices to account for students from different ethnic/minority/indigenous backgrounds are the inclusion of elements like their language, knowledge and culture into the curriculum. However, assessment procedures are often seen to be \a-cultural\, but are political activities that benefit the interests of some groups over others, as \a-cultural\ approaches tend to be bound within the cultural capital of the dominant group. This article examines the international discussions relating to culturally appropriate assessment through generic themes, assessment practices, cultural inclusions and cultural appropriateness. It argues that there are two distinct approaches to addressing inclusion: \centric\ and \friendly\, respectively, that result in different priorities and outcomes. Assessment… [Direct]
(2012). Implications of Discourse: A Trilogy of Educational Policy. Alberta Journal of Educational Research, v58 n1 p160-164 Spr. The learning ministries in Ontario have made a concerted effort to underscore Aboriginal learners' needs and preferences in publicly-funded and assisted schools and training services throughout the province. Through a trilogy of policy documents, the Ontario Ministry of Education (OME) and the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU) have addressed expanded definitions of learning and sought to unfold the socio-cultural and epistemic values related to Aboriginal student and community worldviews. The policies in many respects represent a poised effort on the part of the learning ministries to improve educators' awareness of culturally-responsive pedagogy, as well as to bring Aboriginal peoples' socio-historical traditions to the fore. While the policy initiatives by Ontario's learning ministries undoubtedly represent a collective attention to Aboriginal learners, the author's line of inquiry is revealing some noteworthy initial findings that are deserving of further… [Direct]
(2013). Africentric Schooling: What Next?. International Journal for Talent Development and Creativity, v1 n2 p119-127 Dec. This article introduces the idea of Africentric schools to the Toronto School Board as a counter alternative to promote the idea of including the myriad identities of students in the learning process. The sociological and philosophical tenets of Africentric schooling are presented under the headings of: The Afrocentric Idea; Groundedness in the Community; Social Identities; Spirituality in Learning; and Racial Solidarity is not a Guarantor of Success. In conclusion the discussion highlights courses of action in moving forward to consider ways to strengthen Canadian schooling…. [PDF]
(2013). Human Rights Education in Canada: Results from a CTF Teacher Survey. Canadian Teachers' Federation (NJ1) The United Nations has placed a high priority on human rights education. Building on the foundation laid by the UN Decade for Human Rights Education (1995-2004), the UN General Assembly launched the World Programme for Human Rights Education in December 2004 "as a global initiative, structured in consecutive phases, to advance the implementation of human rights education in all sectors." The first phase of the programme (2005-2009) focused on integrating human rights education into elementary and secondary school systems. The second phase (2010-2014) focuses on integrating human rights education in the higher education system as well as training for civil servants, law enforcement officials and military personnel. As part of the Canadian Defenders for Human Rights initiative, the Canadian Teacher's Federation (CTF) conducted an online survey of teachers in February 2013 to obtain their perspectives on human rights education in Canadian schools. The survey sought out… [PDF]
(2009). Local Knowledge and Adult Learning in Environmental Adult Education: Community-Based Ecotourism in Southern Thailand. International Journal of Lifelong Education, v28 n4 p513-532 Jul. This paper examines how local knowledge is employed in environmental adult education in a community-based ecotourism project in an island community in southern Thailand. The study is based on field research and analysis of project websites, media reports and documents. Situated at the intersection of global tourism and a local Thai-Malay Muslim fishing community, the ecotourism project functions as an alternative tourism development model challenging dominant practices of mass tourism. In the project, tourists stay as guests in local homes, and learn firsthand from family and community ecotourism guides. The informal ecotourism "curriculum" for tourists centres on local knowledge of tidal and marine ecosystems, environmental conservation efforts, local culture, and traditional livelihood activities. Tourists learn experientially to understand and appreciate this local knowledge, and in the process, contribute to the sustenance of the community, to the preservation of… [Direct]
(2009). Silencing the Center: Local Knowledge and Imported Model in Learning Disabilities. Globalisation, Societies and Education, v7 n3 p275-287 Sep. This qualitative study investigates the interaction between local and imported knowledges in a specific case of transnational importation; the whole-sale importation of the American medical learning disabilities (LDs) model in Kuwait. A discourse analysis of the narratives of local educators at the only school for LDs in the country reveals a belief in the value of the imported model over their personal, experiential and cultural knowledge in the education of students identified with LDs. I conclude that importation needs to be a conscious act or the result would be the total loss of local culture…. [Direct]
(2013). ICTs and Indigenous Languages as Agents for the Actualization of Millennium Development Goals in Nigeria. International Journal of Information and Communication Technology Education, v9 n2 Article 7 p79-87. This paper advocates for the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and indigenous languages for the actualization of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Nigeria because both tools are capable of transforming the rural and urban populace. It explores the MDGs so as to unravel the ways ICTs and indigenous languages can facilitate the speedy actualization of MDGs in Nigeria, a country with peculiar cultural heritage and with over 750 indigenous languages. It also analyzes some of the contending constraints confronting Nigeria from actualizing MDGs such as corruption, extreme poverty, lack of attention to indigenous languages, high cost of ICTs which are products of bad leadership. The effective use of Nigeria's different indigenous languages and ICTs, it maintains, remains the most effective way towards educating Nigerians and achieving the MDGs in Nigeria come 2015…. [Direct]
(2013). Right to Education of Scheduled Tribe: An Indian Perspective. International Journal of Educational Administration and Policy Studies, v5 n7 p128-134 Nov. Education seeks to unfold the latent qualities of a person, thereby giving full development to the individual. As such, it has been described as the act or art of developing, or creating, cultivating the various physical intellectual, aesthetic and moral faculties of the individual. Scheduled Tribe has a history of social and economic deprivation, and the underlying causes of their educational marginalization are also strikingly distinct. About 87 percent of the main workers from these communities were engaged in primary sector activities. The literacy rate of Scheduled Tribes is around 47 percent, as against the national average of 74.04 percent. More than three-quarters of Scheduled Tribes women are non-literate. Not surprisingly, the cumulative effect has been that the proportion of Scheduled Tribes below the poverty line is substantially higher than the national average. The study intends to explore the state of education and the awareness of the disadvantaged groups towards… [PDF]
(2012). New Educational Environments Aimed at Developing Intercultural Understanding while Reinforcing the Use of English in Experience-Based Learning (Nuevos entornos educativos destinados a desarrollar la comprensi√≥n intercultural y a reforzar el uso del ingl√©s mediante el aprendizaje basado en experiencias). PROFILE: Issues in Teachers' Professional Development, v14 n2 p195-211 Oct. New learning environments with communication and information tools are increasingly accessible with technology playing a crucial role in expanding and reconceptualizing student learning experiences. This paper reviews the outcome of an innovative course offered by four universities in three countries: Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Course objectives focused on broadening the understanding of indigenous and non-indigenous peoples primarily in relation to identity as it encouraged students to reflect on their own identity while improving their English skills in an interactive and experiential manner and thus enhancing their intercultural competence…. [PDF]
(2011). Ecological Metissage: Exploring the Third Space in Outdoor and Environmental Education. Pathways: The Ontario Journal of Outdoor Education, v23 n2 p10-15 Win. Metis scholar Catherine Richardson introduced the concept of the "Third Space" as the existentially blended territory of a Metis mentality. She compared this to the "First Space" of the dominant Euro-Canadian society and the "Second Space" of colonially subjugated Aboriginal peoples. However, during a recent conference presentation, one audience member astutely pointed out that the First Space on Turtle Island was, in fact, Aboriginal, followed by the European Second Space, which resulted in the Third Space of the Metis. The Third Space is a place where Western, Aboriginal, and other cultural beliefs, philosophies, values, and knowledge intersect, cohabit, and intermingle. Concepts such as the Third Space, healing the split head, Two-Eyed Seeing, and metis provide a compelling theoretical basis for exploring intercultural environmental ethics and education. The author uses the term "ecological metissage" to collectively describe these concepts…. [PDF]
(2012). Multiple & Overlapping Identities: The Case of Guam. Multicultural Education, v20 n1 p23-32 Fall. Schools in Guam function to Americanize immigrants by adjusting different sociocultural values to American mainstream beliefs and practices which are considered norms, such as the matters of hygiene, manners, and farming and food preparation process. However, the educators in this study manifested their different ways of understanding and an empathy for new immigrant children and identifying who they are. Due to the unique Guamanian circumstance of multiple, mixed, and complicated identity formation, they must deal with a triple standard not only for themselves but also their students, including reviving Guam's native culture of Chamorro, embracing the different cultures from new immigrants, and incorporating them into American mainland's educational practices and culture at the same time. Due to the unique Guamanian circumstance of multiple, mixed, and complicated identity formation, they must deal with a triple standard not only for themselves but also their students, including… [PDF]
(2012). Cultural Studies, Pedagogy, and Response-Ability. Review of Education, Pedagogy & Cultural Studies, v34 n1-2 p61-70. A few years ago, in a tutorial in an advanced level undergraduate subject that she teaches–"Emotions, Culture and Community"–the author was a witness and participant in a pedagogical event that moved and provoked the class: It incited response-ability. This article is about that event, the meaning of response-ability, and the window that it opens onto the larger question of what it means to teach into a cultural studies program in an Australian university today. With the increasing corporatization of universities, and the associated emphasis on measurable outcomes, one may too easily lose sight of the immeasurable value of cultural studies and its place in advancing the immeasurable qualities of university study. The pedagogical event illustrates a movement toward, and dwelling with, immeasurability. This article begins with a discussion of responsibility and some of the different ways that the concept is understood and utilized in debates about democracy, difference, and… [Direct]
(2015). Ministry of Education 2014/15 Annual Service Plan Report. British Columbia Ministry of Education This Annual Service Plan Report provides data and discusses the results related to measures in the Ministry of Education 2014/15-2016/17 Service Plan. The Ministry of Education operates in accordance with the Taxpayer Accountability Principles. Work within the Ministry is driven by the Minister's Mandate letter, aligning both with government's strategic mandate and the Ministry's goals, objectives, and strategies. Comparing performance against the principles and results helps to inform strategic decision making at the Minister level. Each year the Ministry is provided with key priorities that are outlined in the Minister's Mandate Letter from the Premier. The 2013 mandate letter informed the planning process for the 2014/15 Service Plan, and the Ministry of Education has made significant accomplishment in regards to the various priorities over the 2014/15 fiscal year. This year's report is divided into the following sections: (1) Minister's Message and Accountability Statement; (2)… [PDF]