(2006). The Challenges of Designing and Implementing a Cross-Cultural Unit of Work. Educational Action Research, v14 n1 p45-64 Mar. This paper reports on the challenges that were experienced as I engaged in an action research project in which I designed and enacted a cross-cultural unit of work entitled "Maintaining Health". George has advocated the use of traditional knowledge as a strategy for increasing the relevance of science curricula within the Trinidad and Tobago context. My intention therefore was to improve my practice and to facilitate students' access to conventional science concepts by having them build bridges between their traditional knowledge about health-related matters and conventional science concepts. This type of investigation was an innovation in science teaching in Trinidad and Tobago. In my role as teacher-as-researcher at a single-sex (female) urban secondary school–Parkview Secondary–I engaged in the first action research cycle–plan, act and observe, reflect–with a group of form 2 students (12-15 years). My reflections on the planning phase were recorded in a journal, and… [Direct]
(2006). Literacy, Ethnolinguistic Diversity and Transitional Bilingual Education in Malawi. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, v9 n2 p239-254. This paper examines recent attempts by the Malawi government to introduce local languages into the primary school system and other secondary domains of national life, breaking more than 30 years of Chichewa/English monopoly. In a country where the language policy has essentially established the hegemony of English over indigenous languages, the fundamental question that this policy must consider should revolve around the role that these languages can play in the development of Malawi(ans) from a traditionally oral to an increasingly literate culture, ever more connected to the international community through the English language. For many Malawians, economic success is predicated on one's ability to speak, read and write English. There are, therefore, enormous attitudinal, political, economic and social problems that the policy has to contend with…. [Direct]
(2008). Cree Language and Culture: 9-Year Program Classroom Assessment Materials, Grade 4. Alberta Education This document is designed to provide assessment materials for specific Grade 4 outcomes in the Cree Language and Culture Nine-year Program, Grades 4-5-6. The assessment materials are designed for the beginner level in the context of teaching for communicative competence. Grade 4 learning outcomes from the Cree Language and Culture Nine-year Program, Grades 4-5-6 provided the basis for the development of the performance tasks and accompanying evaluation tools in this document. These assessment materials are intended to be closely linked to classroom practices and are aligned to the general and specific outcomes for Grade 4. The guide discusses purposes of assessment as divided into two categories: "for learning" (formative assessment) and "of learning" (summative assessment). Suggestions for how and when to use assessment materials, and activity templates are included. The guide summarizes effective classroom assessment as: (1) addressing specific outcomes in the… [PDF]
(2003). Angela: A Pedagogical Story and Conversation. Multicultural Education, v10 n3 p33-42 Spr. Presents a fictional account of one teacher's experience with an Aboriginal student, focusing on the details in each section of the story to highlight the many preconceived notions teachers may have when dealing with Aboriginal students. A sidebar offers guidelines for establishing a safe environment for discussing and learning about culturally sensitive issues. (SM)…
(2005). Enhancing Opportunities for Australian Aboriginal Literacy Learners in Early Childhood Settings. Childhood Education, v81 n6 p327 Aug. In the context of contemporary Australian society, the education system is still failing to increase educational outcomes among the majority of Australian Aboriginal (1) learners. This educational dilemma has persisted despite the regular introduction of systemic initiatives and funding aimed at addressing Australian Aboriginal learners' low educational outcomes. Continued tension exists between, on the one hand, policy and suggested strategies addressing the broad context, and, on the other hand, the development of context-specific classroom practices that will enhance literacy outcomes for Australian Aboriginal learners. While various approaches can be considered, the uniqueness of the Australian experience–both in historical and contemporary contexts–requires consideration of Australian histories, cultures, and geography. In light of this, a cultural-historical approach that "assumes that individual development and disposition must be understood in (not separate from)…
(1993). The Teaching of Conflict Resolution and Nonviolence in Australian Schools: A Context for Peace Education. Peace Education Miniprints No. 53. This paper is concerned with placing conflict resolution and nonviolent alternatives firmly at the center of peace education. A brief review of theoretical tendencies in peace education in Australia is offered, and how this is consonant with, and different from, what is actually taught in Australian schools. Some discussion also is given about the teaching of conflict resolution and nonviolent alternatives in schools in various Australian states. It could be argued that the practice of peace education in Australian schools in some ways has gone ahead of theory. Five emphases of peace education as set out in a 1984 account (Rachel Sharp) are: (1) peace through strength; (2) conflict mediation and resolution; (3) personal peace; (4) world order; and (5) the abolition of power relationships. The paper suggests that Australian educational authorities are now turning to peace education as violence in Australia is on an increasing spiral. Backlash against the Aboriginal population of… [PDF]
(1990). Black/Indian Interaction in Spanish Florida. The history of the lives of non-white peoples in the United States largely has been neglected although the Spanish bureaucrats kept meticulous records of the Spanish Mission period in Florida. These records represent an important source for the cultural history of these groups and offer new perspectives on the tri-racial nature of frontier society. Africans as well as Indians played significant roles in Spain's settlement of the Americas. On arrival in Florida the Africans ran away from their captors to Indian villages. The Spanish, perceiving an alliance of non-white groups, sought to separate them, and passed special legislation forbidding living or trading between the two groups. There were continuous episodes of violence by the Indians who resisted Spanish labor and tribute demands, efforts to convert them, and changes in their social practices. Villages were reduced to mission sites where they could more readily supply the Spaniards with food and labor. Indian and black… [PDF]
(2000). Teachers' Work in Canadian Aboriginal Communities. This paper focuses on teachers' work in western Canadian communities that have substantial populations of Aboriginal students. It highlights the expectations, conditions, and activities that accompany the work in which teachers engage as a direct response to the needs and concerns of diverse Aboriginal communities, examining ways in which teachers can contribute to or impede positive educational change in these communities and discussing the implications of these expectations and relationships for an understanding of teachers' work. The paper begins by examining teaching as a contradictory form of work in which teachers' contributions to the general development and regulation of others are mediated by the regulation of teaching itself. Next, it presents a brief overview of the historical and contemporary community contexts in which Aboriginal education is situated. This is followed by a discussion of key substantive dimensions associated with teaching in these communities. The next…
(1997). Walkabout in Sixth Grade. Phi Delta Kappan, v78 n7 p513-14,516 Mar. Describes a walkabout program that a sixth-grade teacher developed for her students from several models designed for older students. The program's basic structure revolves around five areas of personal development: adventure, creative expression, local inquiry, practical skills, and service. This voluntary program's success hinges on developing well-defined, observable project outcomes. (MLH)…
(2003). Decolonizing Schools. Phi Delta Kappan, v84 n7 p552-53 Mar. Discusses major findings and recommendations in recent report entitled "Aboriginal Education in Winnipeg Inner City High Schools," published by the Manitoba branch of the Canadian Center for Policy Alternatives. (PKP)…
(1990). Healing the Earth within Us: Environmental Education as Cultural Criticism. Journal of Experiential Education, v13 n3 p12-17 Nov. \Stories\ of Western societies portray earth and nature as (exploitable) objects of value. Environmental education and experiential education are also stories constructed in response to inadequacies of Western culture, but they also embody those inadequacies. In contrast, stories of aboriginal peoples and children assist in reconstructing people's relationships with the earth. (SV)…
(1995). Distance Education for Aboriginal Communities in Canada: Past Experience and Future Potential. American Journal of Distance Education, v9 n3 p48-61. Reviews problems with the current educational situation in Canadian aboriginal communities. Notes the potential of distance education to reduce problems associated with cultural assimilation and to enhance multimedia resources. Discusses strengths and weaknesses of two distance education programs for aboriginals and concludes with guidelines for future distance education endeavors. (Author/AEF)…
(2003). Channelling the "Other": An Embodied Approach to Teaching across Cultures. Research in Dance Education, v4 n2 p177-182 Dec. This essay discusses issues of cultural difference in dance studies and presents specific pedagogical strategies for engaging the students' embodied knowledge as a research tool in both historical and cross-cultural investigations. (Contains 2 notes.)… [Direct]
(2002). Shifting Sights: The Cultural Challenge of Sustainability. Higher Education Policy, v15 n2 p133-142 Jun. This article focuses on the need for universities as teaching and research organisations, to recognise and act upon a more culturally inclusive interpretation of \sustainable development\ and \sustainability\. It argues for the valuing of indigenous worldviews as a means of achieving a more holistic and interdisciplinary way of thinking about the Earth as the home of all people and as a complement to the beliefs of western science and rational objective thinking. At a more personal level, it challenges readers, especially academics, to re-examine their own ways of thinking and knowing for the sake of creating sustainable futures that are inclusive in its processes, contexts and outcomes…. [Direct]
(2007). Surrendering a Colonial Domain: Educating North India, 1854-1890. History of Education, v36 n1 p45-63 Jan. Postcolonial research has often assumed that colonial education fell victim to the forces of nationalism, like other areas of Raj governance in the early twentieth century. However, European-led education that aspired to reach the general population had already failed a generation earlier, at least in north India. This was after highly imaginative and expansive systemic village schooling experiments had been attempted in the 1850s. A poorly conceived but well-meaning crusade against female infanticide, a linguistically tenuous curriculum, a drive for Middle School English instruction and a policy of "decentralization", which handed "lower-order" schooling to apathetic local committees, all played their part in a progressive disengagement between populace and department over the next three decades. Finally, the 1882 Hunter Commission demonstrated to Europeans that they had permanently lost their earlier educational initiative. (Contains 78 footnotes.)… [Direct]