(2004). The Community within the Child: Integration of Indigenous Knowledge into First Nations Childcare Process and Practice. American Indian Quarterly, v28 n3-4 p480-498 Sum & Fall. What does Indigenous knowledge mean in the evolving contexts of First Nations communities? How do Indigenous processes of knowing in both a traditional and modern sense become integrated into early childhood care and development programs? How does the incorporation of Indigenous knowledge in community programs such as childcare impact cultural identities at the level of individual members and the community as a whole? These questions were asked as part of a research study undertaken with twenty-seven First Nations early childhood development (ECD) graduates and thirty-one childcare administrators, parents, and community Elders from three diverse groups of communities in British Columbia (BC), Canada. This article describes the research and highlights some of the approaches taken by First Nations community members to understand and work with Indigenous knowledge in community program development. Two university researchers traveled to each of the three groups of First Nations… [Direct]
(2009). Belgian Images of the Psycho-Pedagogical Potential of the Congolese during the Colonial Era, 1908-1960. Paedagogica Historica: International Journal of the History of Education, v45 n6 p707-725 Dec. Starting from the Belgian historiography about the Congo, the article raises the question of the nature of image formation in the mother country as regards the psychological characteristics and intellectual potential of the Congolese. Two domains of study may already provide information in this regard. First, the image of the psycho-pedagogical dispositions of the "African" are readily derived from the school discourse that was developed in the textbooks. In their simplicity–elementarisation is simply a central didactic act–the textbooks show how much the image formation rested on a hardly concealed racist undertone. Second, the scientific discourse itself, of course, constitutes an important source of information. However, for this there are fewer studies available. Thus, I have here investigated one source diachronically in function of this question. It concerns the popularising journal "Afrika-Overzee". On this basis, I come to the conclusion that one can… [Direct]
(2012). Critical Qualitative Research Reader. Critical Qualitative Research. Volume 2. Peter Lang New York This volume of transformed research utilizes an activist approach to examine the notion that nothing is apolitical. Research projects themselves are critically examined for power orientations, even as they are used to address curricular problems and educational or societal issues. Philosophical perspectives that have facilitated an understanding of issues of power are used to conceptualize research problems as well as determine methodologies. These life-experience perspectives include, but are not limited to, postcolonial and subaltern studies, feminisms, poststructuralism, cultural studies, and critical race theory. The book also examines the use of language, discourse practices, and power relations that prevent more socially just transformations. The "Critical Qualitative Research Reader" is an invaluable text for undergraduate and graduate classrooms as well as an important volume for researchers…. [Direct]
(2006). Becoming Educultural: Te whakawhitinga o nga matauranga–Interfacing the Knowledge Traditions. Kairaranga, v7 n2 p41-44. In every profession, there comes a time when it is important to stop and evaluate the progress that has been made and to determine the changes that will be necessary to engage in new times and to meet new demands. The profession of tertiary education is no exception. In a period of rapid change many solutions are offered about what it takes to sustain effort in order to achieve success. Some of these solutions–for the acquisition of quality in education–insist on precision, rigour, consistency, and replicability. This paper purports that such qualities are of high value, yet appear incomplete if certain sociocultural elements are not taken into account. It is argued that we might better unravel our perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs about education, when we draw from the historical and social contexts that have affected our worldview. These historical and social contexts might well be the tools that help to shape the values of learning, referred to in this paper as "becoming… [PDF]
(2006). The Transfer of Chemical Knowledge: The Case of Chemical Technology and Its Textbooks. Science & Education, v15 n7-8 p761-778 Nov. This paper is a study of textbooks in chemical technology in Sweden during the industrialisation in the 19th century. In this period, teaching in technological education in general became more and more founded on science. However, there existed very few textbooks in chemical technology, and it is argued that the reason was that the essentials of the knowledge used for developing chemical industry were of a tacit and local character. Such knowledge could only with difficulty be transferred through textbooks with scientific ambitions. Thus the textbooks written or translated by scientists were not as widely used as the ones written or translated by chemical engineers. The usefulness of the latter group can be explained by the fact that they had been adapted to local circumstances, and expressed generalisations, not as scientific laws, but as rules of thumb. Finally, a model for the diffusion of knowledge is suggested, by which the role of textbooks in chemical technology better can be… [Direct]
(2011). Science and Mathematics Education: International Innovations, Research, and Practices. International Consortium for Research in Science and Mathematics Education (NJ3) The chapters in this book reflect the work of science and mathematics educators who have worked for many years at the international level. As members of the International Consortium for Research in Science and Mathematics Education, their work provides readers with issues, models, practices, and research results that have applicability and transferability to many countries other than those in which the work was carried out. The Introduction, written by Donna F. Berlin, describes the evolution, mission, and goals of the International Consortium for Research in Science and Mathematics Education since its inception in 1986. The Science Education section includes five chapters that present innovative ways to improve science teaching and learning in grades K-12 and in teacher education–both preservice and inservice–along with evaluative research. Mathematics Education, the second section in the book, includes eight chapters. The third and final section in the book is entitled… [Direct]
(2007). Music Education and Minority Groups Cultural and Musical Identities in the "Newer" South Africa: White Afrikaners and Indians. Intercultural Education, v18 n5 p487-499 Dec. Music Education, as well as cultural and musical identities are all being renegotiated, post-Apartheid, within the so-called "newer" rather than the commonly known "new" South Africa. The developing situation with certain minority groups is particularly interesting. Education in general has undergone much change since the first democratic elections in 1994: music education specifically has been affected by such change in terms of content, delivery and assessment. Within the South African context, cultural and musical identities are often intertwined with language, racial and even tribal identities, and discussing one implies the others. We are particularly interested here in the role of formal Music Education in relation to white Afrikaners and Indians as they renegotiate their cultural development, including musical aspects. (Contains 7 notes.)… [Direct]
(2007). Caught between Cultures: A Study of Factors Influencing Israeli Parents' Decisions to Enrol Their Children at an International School. Journal of Research in International Education, v6 n3 p259-286. This article investigates the factors Israeli parents gave as paramount reasons for enrolling their children in a private international school in Israel. A survey and personal interviews were administered to parents designated as host country nationals by school admissions records. Findings revealed that while an English-language education was looked upon as an added benefit for their children's future success in a global context, it was not a main concern. Parents viewed the discord between their own cultural values and those taught at local schools as a significant factor pushing them away from public-sector education, as well as a curriculum perceived as weak, inadequate teacher preparation, poor administrative responses to violence, insufficient classroom discipline and an unwillingness of teachers in public schools to attend to students' individual needs. (Contains 3 tables.)… [Direct]
(2007). Pacific Voices: Educational Technologies for Literacy Learning. Multicultural Education & Technology Journal, v1 n1 p25-35. Purpose: To describe how literacy-learning strategies and educational technology were integrated in Pacific island classrooms. Design/methodology/approach: The paper discusses the unique context and setting of a five-year initiative that introduced educational technologies to classrooms in the Northern Pacific islands. Several of the literacy strategies that were most valued by the Pacific educators, particularly the creative uses of audio and video technologies in classroom contexts, are highlighted in the paper. Findings: Provides detailed information on how educators can implement similar projects in multicultural settings. Practical implications: The paper provides strategies and information for educators who work with culturally diverse and indigenous populations and highlights how cultural wisdom and knowledge can be melded with new technologies. Originality/value: This paper discusses how technology transfer and training can be done in culturally-appropriate and relevant ways…. [Direct]
(2007). Ecological Values amid Local Interests: Natural Resource Conservation, Social Differentiation, and Human Survival in Honduras. Rural Sociology, v72 n2 p244-268 Jun. Local peoples living in protected areas often have a different understanding about their natural space than do non-local groups that promote and declare such areas "protected." By designing protected areas without local involvement, or understandings of local social differentiation and power, natural resources management schemes will likely be unsuccessful. Protected area Cerro Guanacaure in southern Honduras has been subject to many development projects, most of which have failed, and the local inhabitants observe that degradation of natural resources continues. However, this case study shows that this does not mean locals view natural resources simply in an individualistic, utilitarian way. They also see their surroundings in an ecological way, and a sociocultural way. This assessment is based upon in-depth interviews with local leaders and 208 fixed format interviews of park inhabitants in Cerro Guanacaure. (Contains 4 tables and 6 footnotes.)… [Direct]
(2007). Untying a Dreamcatcher: Coming to Understand Possibilities for Teaching Students of Aboriginal Inheritance. Educational Studies: Journal of the American Educational Studies Association, v42 n2 p111-139 Sep. Increasing the number of Aboriginal students graduating from university is a goal of many Canadian universities. Realizing this goal may present challenges to the orientation and methodology of university curricula that have been developed without consideration of the traditional epistemologies of Aboriginal peoples. In this article, three scholars in the Faculty of Education at the University of Victoria take up this issue by dialoguing with each other about the possibilities of incorporating Aboriginal perspectives into their courses. These conversations are woven together into the narrative form of a four-act play in which the authors caricature their personalities to highlight their initial resistances and eventual reconsiderations. As non-Aboriginal instructors from different cultural backgrounds, the authors confront issues of respect, responsibility, and (mis)representation as they struggle with the dilemmas involved in cross-cultural understanding. Through this journey they… [Direct]
(1970). Aboriginal Family Education Centres. Australian J Adult Educ, 10, 2, 66-71, Jul '70. The Department of Adult Education of the University of Sydney (Australia) has been conducting an action-research project in family education for the Aborigines. The staff is to be available on request to visit communities, listen to expressed needs, and find ways of translating professional knowledge into media that can be understood. Gradually, project support will be withdrawn; eventually Aboriginal responsibility will be total. (DM)…
(2006). Seeing the Trees and the Forest: Attending to Australian Natural History as if It Mattered. Australian Journal of Environmental Education, v22 n2 p85-97. Discourse in the "Australian Journal of Environmental Education" of the last ten years has not addressed a pedagogy that draws on and reflects the natural history of the continent. Australia is an ecological and species diverse country that has experienced substantial environmental change as a consequence of European settlement. Australians have historically been, and increasingly are, urban people. With high rates of urban residency in a substantially modified landscape, what role might environmental education play in assisting Australians to develop understandings of the natural history of specific Australian places? While Australia has a rich history of people observing, comparing and recording the natural history of the continent, environmental education discourse in this journal has not addressed how pedagogy might be informed by a focus on natural history. This paper draws attention to this gap in Australian environmental education discourse and offers some thoughts… [Direct]
(2008). Can the Democratic Ideal of Participatory Research Be Achieved? An Inside Look at an Academic-Indigenous Community Partnership. Health Education Research, v23 n5 p904-914 Oct. Democratic or equal participation in decision making is an ideal that community and academic stakeholders engaged in participatory research strive to achieve. This ideal, however, may compete with indigenous peoples' right to self-determination. Study objectives were to assess the perceived influence of multiple community (indigenous) and academic stakeholders engaged in the Kahnawake Schools Diabetes Prevention Project (KSDPP) across six domains of project decision making and to test the hypothesis that KSDPP would be directed by community stakeholders. Self-report surveys were completed by 51 stakeholders comprising the KSDPP Community Advisory Board (CAB), KSDPP staff, academic researchers and supervisory board members. KSDPP staff were perceived to share similar levels of influence with (i) CAB on maintaining partnership ethics and CAB activities and (ii) academic researchers on research and dissemination activities. KSDPP staff were perceived to carry significantly more… [Direct]
(2008). Mothers' Beliefs about Literacy Development: Indigenous and Anglo-Australian Mothers from Different Educational Backgrounds. Alberta Journal of Educational Research, v54 n1 p65-82 Spr. Research has shown a relationship between mothers' beliefs about literacy, their educational and socioeconomic backgrounds, and their children's emergent literacy awareness. Many Australian Indigenous children experience educational disadvantage, as do children whose parents are manual workers. One recommendation that is frequently made is for parents to be encouraged to participate in their children's literacy development. Yet little is known about the implicit beliefs about literacy held by mothers from Indigenous-Australian and Anglo-Australian backgrounds. Such beliefs need to be taken into account in early childhood literacy programs. Eleven Indigenous and nine Anglo-Australian mothers from varied educational backgrounds were interviewed about how children learn to read and literacy in general. The findings indicate that the tertiary educated mothers, whether Indigenous or Anglo-Australian, held views that were mostly compatible with an emergent literacy perspective. The early… [Direct]