(2005). The Development of Aboriginal Language Programs: A Journey towards Understanding. Canadian Journal of Education, v28 n3 p318-338. Attempts to build intercultural understanding inevitably uncover tensions and involve negotiating issues of identity, power, and resistance. Using a self-study approach, I describe the development and early implementation phase of Aboriginal language programs in one school district. I consider the collaborative process involving representatives from the school district, community, and Aboriginal agencies to suggest strategies to transform material and discourse conditions in the community through dialogue and norms of reciprocity. I show that adopting traditional narratives and incorporating cultural structures into school practices demonstrates an integrated approach to communicating and responding to community concerns leads to greater understanding across cultures. (Contains 1 endnote.)… [PDF] [Direct]
(2004). Looking Forward–Looking Back: A Personal Perspective. Babel, v38 n3 p4-15, 38 Sum 2003-2004. In this paper, the author looks back over some 43 years of involvement in language teaching and examines the progress educators have made as a profession. He also considers their present situation, given a Federal Government, which, at least until this year, has seemed antipathetic to languages education, and State and Territory Governments which, for the most part, have been all too willing to use this lack of Federal leadership to excuse their own relative inaction in the area of languages education. This lack of leadership at the political level has resulted in the regression of languages education almost to the point where it was two decades ago. Community attitudes towards language teaching have been further aggravated by the feverish eagerness with which, over the last six years, some politicians have grasped at racism–towards Aboriginals, Asians, and refugees–in order to win electoral favour. He also considers what the future might hold for languages education and how they,… [Direct]
(2003). Malay Digital Folklore: Using Multimedia to Educate Children through Storytelling. Information Technology in Childhood Education Annual, v2003 n1 p29-44. In the early centuries of human evolution, the information to express cultures, social contents, ideas, values, and the society itself were primarily developed by means of expression. This information was represented in the form of classical, signs, figures, traditional manuscripts and performing arts. On the other hand, it becomes less important or is even forgotten, especially by the younger generation, to understand the origin and the significance of this rich local content. Apparently, there are infrequent and minimal efforts given to bring back and preserve these local contents. Storytelling is frequently chosen to reflect way of life and thinking of the people during that era. This research selects one of the most famous groups of folklore in Malaysia namely the Malay folklore to critically understand and explore the characteristics, elements and functions. It covers seven types of the Malay folklore namely: (a) "Penglipurlara," (b) moral, (c) myths, (d) comical, (e)… [Direct]
(1998). The World Is Coming to Us. Northwest Education, v4 n2 p18-23,52 Win. The Lower Kuskokwim School District in southwest Alaska developed Yup'ik language materials to support the curriculum and, trained school staff in bilingual practices. The district school in Quinhagak adopted Yup'ik as the primary language of instruction through fifth grade, taught by Yup'ik-speaking teachers. The tribal council offered support in numerous ways, including guest lectures by village elders. (TD)…
(1998). Children and Youth of the Arctic: A Critical Challenge of Sustainable Development. Northern Review: A Multidisciplinary Journal of the Arts and Social Sciences of the North, n18 p70-78 Sum. Argues for a children and youth agenda as part of the Arctic Council's overall agenda, to include profiling the health of Arctic children; assessing health and developmental impacts of pollution and environmental threats on Arctic children; developing sustainable employment opportunities for Arctic youth; and expanding distance education, with a special focus on literacy. (TD)…
(1999). Seeing a World in a Grain of Sand: Science Teaching in Multicultural Context. Science and Education, v8 n6 p633-44 Nov. Describes the Imagining Nature Project at Deakin University in Australia, and the Native Eyes Project at the Institute of American Indian Art in New Mexico. Both projects entail the teaching of science and technology to non-science majors of highly diverse cultural origin. They also incorporate innovative strategies to make science and technology more credible and relevant to indigenous peoples. (Author/WRM)…
(2001). Indian Summer: A "Hands-On, Feet-Wet" Approach to Science Education. Winds of Change, v16 n4 p54-56 Aut. A summer fish recovery program along the Salmon River (Idaho) involves Native American high school students in science, technology, and research within a cultural and environmental context. The positive attitudes and work ethic of Native students and the research and study skills they acquired demonstrate that Native students succeed when their education incorporates their culture and traditions. (TD)…
(1995). Children of the Nile: The Community Schools Project in Upper Egypt. Education for All: Making It Work. Innovation Series. In 1992, UNICEF signed an agreement with the government of Egypt to develop and coordinate a community schools project in the deprived villages of rural upper Egypt. Four pilot sites were selected in the governorate of Assiut based on minimum numbers of out-of-school children, lack of a school nearby, and the eagerness of the community to participate in the provision and management of the school. Genuine community involvement was considered critical to project success. Classes were scheduled at times convenient to community and family schedules. Maximum class size was 30 children with 2 facilitators. The facilitators were young women recruited locally and given intensive training in innovative teaching techniques. These included the use of art and music, self-learning, peer teaching, active learning, and enhancement of the official curriculum with subjects and activities relevant to the community and children's interests. In the second year, adult literacy classes were begun with… [PDF]
(1999). Rural Education Looks to a Bright Future in the New Millennium: A Report on the Alaska Rural Education Leadership Retreat. Sharing Our Pathways: A Newsletter of the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative, v4 n2 p1-3 Mar-Apr. A 3-day retreat on rural education leadership in Alaska focused on how the Alaska Department of Education, the University of Alaska, rural communities, and school districts can better cooperate to address the long-term educational needs of rural communities. Recommendations were formulated in three focal areas. First, developing an Alaskan rural education action plan for the next 20 years involves adopting standards for culturally responsive schools; defining and achieving local control; developing a clearinghouse to network reform initiatives; engaging elders, families, and communities; stabilizing the rural workforce with a viable economic base; keeping village schools open, regardless of size; and reviewing and revising content standards to insure they address the needs of all Alaska students and communities. Second, developing a rural teacher preparation action plan for HEA, Title II funds includes designating the regional Native Educators Associations as key players in shaping… [PDF]
(1993). Political and Cultural Determinants of Educational Policymaking: The Case of Native Hawaiians. A political-cultural model explores the educational process and its impact on Native Hawaiians over a 140-year period. The theoretical model suggests that core political values are transmitted to educational policy and school-related activities, and thereby impact the social, economic, and academic status of Native Hawaiians. Three historical case studies indicate similarities and provide descriptions that illuminate the process of educational policymaking during each politically turbulent period in Hawaii: (1) the American missionaries arrival and impact, 1820-1839; (2) Hawaii, no longer for the Native Hawaiian, 1887-1900; and (3) new political ideas in post-war Hawaii, 1940-1960. The case studies develop six themes: (1) politicization and quiescence as a political process; (2) status of the power players; (3) limited participation in politics and policymaking; (4) dominating values of efficiency and quality; (5) neglected values of equality and choice; and (6) beneficiaries and… [PDF]
(2001). School at the Centre (SatC): A Pilot Project in North Queensland. Report One: Completion of Phase One, the US Visit and Visits to Australian Schools. The School at the Centre pilot project in Queensland, Australia, seeks to assess the transferability to Queensland of the philosophy and practice of the Nebraska-developed School at the Center program. The pilot project consists of three phases: information gathering, planning, and implementation and evaluation. This report covers work done during phase one. The School at the Center program focuses on rural place, and its philosophy is characterized by two core statements: 20 percent of the curriculum should reflect place, both the immediate locality and the broader rural milieu; and this curriculum should make a contribution to the local community. During reciprocal visits by Australian and American personnel to Nebraska and Queensland rural schools and communities, it was noted that rural areas in both countries were in decline and had educational programs that discounted rural place in the curriculum. Numerous examples from the Nebraska program confirmed that meaningful… [PDF]
(1999). The Evolution of Maori Education in a Predominantly Non-Maori School. Since the late 1970s, the New Zealand government has instituted educational reforms to increase Maori participation and success in education. These reforms required Treaty of Waitangi principles to be incorporated into school policies, devolved responsibility to local boards of trustees with community representation, required Maori culture to be reflected in school policies and practices, and ensured that instruction in Maori culture and language was provided when requested. The Forest Lake school, which in 1978 had an all-White staff (except for the author) and 10 percent Maori students, set up its first bilingual unit in 1982. The school developed an educational environment that is sensitive to Maori values and empowering to all students. The partial immersion course develops competency in both English and Maori and is flexible. The total immersion course delivers all subjects in Maori. The school has two parent groups, one Maori and one White, which merge when they need answers…. [PDF]
(2002). Urban American Indians "Dropping" Out of Traditional High Schools: Barriers & Bridges to Success. High School Journal, v85 n3 p38-46 Feb-Mar. Case studies of three urban American Indian high school dropouts found that alienation in school, family values, and a need for economic independence contributed to dropping out. An alternative high school in Milwaukee (Wisconsin) for at-risk and American Indian students emphasizes wellness, school-to-work programs, service learning, culturally relevant curricula, and student participation in school decisions. (TD)…
(1994). Change in School and Community Attitudes in an Athapaskan Village. Peabody Journal of Education, v69 n2 p43-59 Win. Reports a study that examined the attitudes of students, parents, and teachers toward school and community issues in Nulato, a remote Athapaskan village, noting changes in attitude between 1983 and 1992. Results suggested the community valued the maintenance of cultural heritage, and cultural and language restoration were becoming high priorities in 1993. (SM)…
(1992). Transmitting Traditional Values in New Schools: Elementary Education of Pulap Atoll. Anthropology and Education Quarterly, v23 n1 p44-58 Mar. Data from Pulap Atoll in Chuuk State (Micronesia) indicate ways in which indigenous culture can transform formal Western schooling. Although the educational system ostensibly derives from a U.S. model and occurs in a context that islanders recognize as nontraditional, many aspects of schooling continue to transmit Pulapese culture. (SLD)…