(1999). Learning through the Soul: Concepts Relating to Learning and Knowledge in the Mayan Cultures of Mexico. International Review of Education/Internationale Zeitschrift fuer Erziehungswissenschaft/Revue Internationale de l'Education, v45 n3-4 p367-370. Describes the central concept of Mayan culture, the possession of the soul, or ch'ulel, in the process of forming a knowledgeable person. Soul acquisition is important to becoming the ideal person, and to the educational formation of future generations. Looks at the role language plays in culture as memory, thought formation, and learning process. (VWC)…
(1994). Life on the Other Side: Native Student Survival in a University World. Peabody Journal of Education, v69 n2 p115-39 Win. Reviews programs and policies developed for college students from diverse cultural backgrounds, discussing Alaska Native students at one institution. The article examines tensions between university and indigenous student cultures, noting changes and accommodations negotiated to help develop environments to promote student success and maintenance of cultural identity. (SM)…
(1999). Teachers' Views on Aboriginal Students Learning Western and Aboriginal Science. Canadian Journal of Native Education, v23 n2 p159-75. Surveys and interviews with 42 science teachers of Aboriginal students in northern Saskatchewan examined teacher attitudes toward Western science and Aboriginal knowledge and their practices that integrated the two cultures. Barriers to accommodating both Western and Aboriginal science cultures in the classroom were found to be conceptual, pedagogical, ideological, psychological, and practical. (Contains 26 references.) (Author/SV)…
(2006). Mathematics for Maori–An Investigative Approach?. Teachers and Curriculum, v9 n43-48. Carrying out mathematics investigations in primary classrooms has become an expectation in New Zealand classrooms especially since the introduction of Mathematics in the New Zealand Curriculum (Ministry of Education, 1992). This has meant increased emphasis on investigations as a way of learning mathematics. This research reports on the impact of this approach for Maori preservice teachers and possible implications for Maori children learning mathematics…. [PDF]
(2006). Walking a New Path of Life: Learning Tours, "Agroforestry" and the Transformation of the Village of Bann Na Isarn, Thailand. International Journal of Lifelong Education, v25 n4 p407-431. Rural areas in both developed and developing countries are being increasingly marginalized through structural changes. Furthermore, the disinvestment in state-provided supports and services means that rural people are left to their own devices to cope with these changes. Numerous authors argue that the most effective way of dealing with these challenges and changes is through informal learning and local knowledge construction. One way of facilitating this type of local informal learning is through learning tours, which can be best understood as organized conversations. This study asked the question: what impact does participation in a learning tour have on the participants in the learning tour, the non-participants and the community in general? We begin by developing a theoretical framework that integrates community capitals with the principles of working knowledge. Using this theoretical framework, we then employ a case study design, looking at how one person's learning in the rural… [Direct]
(2006). Story: The Heartbeat of Learning Cancer Education for Alaska Native Community Healthcare Providers. Convergence, v39 n4 p81-89. Community Health Aides and Community Health Practitioners (CHA/Ps), the primary providers of healthcare in rural Alaska, share the importance of story as a culturally respectful way for creating meaning and broadening understanding. Story is woven into the fabric of cancer education courses for CHA/Ps. Between May 2004 and April 2007, 13 week-long cancer education courses were provided for CHA/Ps. In response to the written, end-of-course, evaluation question, "Do stories help you to learn? If yes, how?" Ninety-six percent (96%) of respondents (99/103) described ways that story supported their learning. Additionally, in May 2005, 293 (65%) of the 454 CHA/Ps responded in writing to a mailed cancer education survey. Of the survey respondents, 240 (86%) were women and 239 (86%) were Alaska Native people. Nearly all, 98% (224/229) of Alaska Native people and 93% (37/40) of non-Native people identified story as helping them learn. CHA/Ps, on both the cancer education course… [Direct]
(1995). Distance-Delivered Tertiary Programs for Indigenous People in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. This report is made up of 20 case descriptions of tertiary level distance-delivered educational programs developed specifically for indigenous students in three countries: Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Included in each case is a description of the institutions and stakeholders involved in each course or program, history of the initiative, and its future. Each case focuses particularly on four areas: indigenous community involvements, inclusion of language and culture, student support, and course or program design and delivery. These are four of the areas identified in the literature as essential to the success of distance-delivered programs and courses for indigenous people. The information is based on review of program publications and face-to-face interviews with educators at the 23 institutions visited. Each case begins with a brief description of the institution at which the program is housed to provide readers with a context for the case. This is followed by a description… [PDF]
(1987). Readings in American History (In Their Own Words), Book II: Growth of the New Nation and Teacher's Guide. This skills-text is the second of four books in the series \Readings in American History.\ The materials allow opportunities to improve reading and comprehension skills in a subject matter context by using certain primary sources related to the topic. Book 2 covers the period immediately following the American Revolution to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President in 1860. Each lesson includes short readings with exercises and questions to allow students to explore the topic. The table of contents includes: (1) \After Independence: The 'Critical Period'\; (2) \The Constitution and the Branches of Government\; (3) \The Bill of Rights\; (4) \The Supreme Court Speaks: Marbury vs. Madison\; (5) \Expanding National Power: The Monroe Doctrine\; (6) \Native Americans and 'The Trail of Tears'\; (7) \The National Spirit: The Webster-Hayne Debate\; (8) \Slavery Remembered\; (9) \Abolitionism and 'Freedom's Journal'\; (10) \Dorothea Dix Speaks Out\; (11) \Women Meet at Seneca Falls\; (12)…
(1995). Aboriginal Graduate Employment Statistics Report, 1994. In 1994, the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST) conducted a study of 1993-94 graduates from SIAST's four campuses to compare the employment rates of graduates of Aboriginal ancestry to those of graduates overall. Questionnaires were mailed to all 2,346 graduates from 1992-93, receiving responses from 1,600 graduates, of whom 77 identified themselves as of Aboriginal ancestry. Study findings, including comparisons to findings from past studies, included the following: (1) 78.3% of all graduates from 1993-94 were employed 6 months after graduation, compared to 71.4% of Aboriginal respondents; (2) the 6.9% differential between aboriginal and general graduate employment rates for 1994 represented a decrease from the 8% differential found in 1993; (3) 11% of the Aboriginal graduates found employment outside of Saskatchewan, compared to 12% overall; (4) although Aboriginals have disproportionately low incomes province-wide, graduation from SIAST eliminated… [PDF]
(1995). Alive and Deadly: Reviving and Maintaining Australian Indigenous Languages. The booklet describes efforts to preserve Australian Aboriginal languages and culture, profiles individuals who have a significant role in these efforts, contains individuals' commentaries on Aboriginal language issues, gives background information on the languages and language groups, and describes programs and organizations supporting the maintenance of the languages within mainstream Australian culture. Programs described include language courses, language revival movements, college second language programs, regional Aboriginal centers, adult education programs, recording of Aboriginal songs, translation projects, language research, art, incorporation of Aboriginal languages into the national curriculum, and consultation programs. Language-related anecdotes and numerous photographs are also included. A list of print and organizational resources in each territory is provided. (MSE)…
(1995). The Implementation of the Literacy Component of the First Steps Project in ELAN Schools (Schools with a High Proportion of Aboriginal Students). This report describes the findings concerning the implementation of the literacy component of the First Steps program, which provides additional support for development of literacy and numeracy among "at-risk" students, in English Language and Numeracy (ELAN) schools (those with a high proportion of aboriginal students) in Western Australia. Data were gathered in a survey of 150 schools and case studies of 12 schools. The program was commonly seen to have a lot to offer children regarded as "at-risk" for any reason. While many respondents praised the program enthusiastically, a wide range of opinion was found. Overall, parents, principals, teachers, and "Focus Teachers" all found that: teachers in ELAN schools were generally more positive about all aspects of the program than teachers; ELAN schools generally made similar or greater progress than schools not participating in the First Steps project; and teachers in ELAN schools found the program more… [PDF]
(1998). Indigenous Peoples in Modern Nation-States. Proceedings from an International Workshop (Tromso, Norway, October 13-16, 1997). Occasional Papers Series A, No. 90. The relationship between indigenous peoples and nation-states has long been of academic interest, and is also an emerging topic in the international debate about human rights and development. Universities and museums play an important part in this debate as producers, managers, and communicators of knowledge about indigenous peoples. In these processes, the voices of indigenous peoples themselves must also find their proper place. A workshop at the University of Tromso (Norway) in October 1997 addressed aspects of this debate. The point of departure was a collaborative research program between the Universities of Botswana and Tromso to promote research of relevance for the indigenous people of Botswana, called Bushmen, San, Basarwa, or Kwe. The University of Tromso also has a special responsibility to the Saami–indigenous people of Norway. The 17 papers in this proceedings address ethnographic research methods and issues; history, cultural heritage, and cultural maintenance;… [PDF]
(1996). An Interview with John Stokes. Journal of Family Life, v2 n2 p16-25 Win. As teacher, musician, and performing artist, John Stokes has traveled widely in his efforts to promote awareness of the natural world and the integrity of indigenous peoples. In this interview, Stokes discusses life experiences that led him to establish the Tracking Project, a program that has taught traditional tracking and survival skills to more than 75,000 children worldwide. (LP)…
(1994). Through a Glass Darkly? Indigeneity, Information, and the Image of the Peruvian University. Higher Education, v27 n3 p271-95 Apr. Drawing on surveys of Peruvians, a discussion of Peruvian university education looks at how realistic students' expectations of the economic benefits of university attendance are. Differences in perceptions among ethnic groups (Spanish-speaking and Quechua-speaking) were examined, and implications for social integration in such a society are considered. (Author/MSE)…
(1998). Technology and Indigenous Language Revitalization: Analyzing the Experience of Hawai'i. Canadian Modern Language Review, v55 n1 p139-159 Oct. Reports two years of ethnographic research on efforts to use online technologies in Hawaiian language revitalization programs. Issues discussed include the Internet's role in promoting or hindering language diversity, relationship of multimedia computing to non-Western patterns of civilization, Internet use for exploring cultural and social identity. Results are examined in the context of a critical theory of technology. (Author/MSE)…