(2005). The Social Justice, Peace, and Environmental Education Standards Project. Multicultural Perspectives, v7 n1 p8-16 Jan. Inspired by the Alaska Native Knowledge Network's \Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools,\ members of fourteen social justice, peace, and environmental education (SJPEE) special interest groups (SIGs) from the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and several other prominent organizations have been involved in drafting SJPEE \standards\ based on research, theoretical perspectives, foundational documents, and models. Ten SIGs have already disseminated drafts to members and beyond to help forge a set of standards, guidelines, or queries representing collective visions for social justice, peace, and ecological sustainability. A project goal is to garner the energy and wisdom of many constituencies to increase visibility, credibility, and accountability for SJPEE in the national educational agenda. In this article, the author describes the development of this SJPEE standards project. (Contains 2 tables and 3 endnotes.)… [Direct]
(2003). Learn in Beauty: A Professional Development Project for Navajo Bilingual Teachers. The Learn in Beauty Project at Northern Arizona University worked with a consortium of seven Navajo Nation school districts seeking to implement the Dine Language and Culture teaching perspective. This perspective is based on the premises that education is best when it reflects a sense of place; education should be based on the philosophy and values of those being educated; and preparation of teachers/mentors should reflect the Dine perspective of education. The project assisted teachers who were enrolled tribal members in completing a bilingual Navajo endorsement and an M.Ed. and provided continued support to the teachers as they juggled jobs, families, and studies. The goals of the project were to: support school reform by strengthening a network of schools on the Navajo Nation that provide exemplary community-based programs for limited-English-proficient students; implement a standards-based curriculum that reflected the Dine philosophy of education; and support beginning… [PDF]
(1996). Native American Children's Literature: A Study of Authorship, Publisher Type, and Cultural Diversity of In-Print Works. The content of 281 works of in-print children's fiction about Native Americans written for grades K-6 was analyzed to determine the amount of cultural diversity as measured by cultural area, time frame, and physical setting of the story. All analyzed works were published in the United States or Canada. Data identifying publisher type, mainline or alternative, and the ethnic background of writers and illustrators were also collected to determine if these factors affect the content of the literature. Works were assessed according to ten culture areas, four time frames, and three settings. The literature portrays Native Americans as contemporary culturally diverse peoples. Results from the study include: (1) most works were written about Native Americans of the Northeast, Southwest, or Plains culture areas; (2) most works have a contemporary time frame and a rural setting; (3) only 10% of works were about buffalo hunting Plains Indians in the ethnographic present even though they… [PDF]
(1969). An Introductory Guide to Training Neighborhood Residents in Comprehensive Health Services Programs. This guide for the development of training programs to prepare neighborhood residents to function as staff members in Comprehensive Health Services Projects is organized into an introduction and nine other sections. \A Special Training Program\ discusses jobs and careers, learning style, practice, and basic skills. \Planning for the Training Program\ discusses the development of job categories and assessment of community resources. \Recruitment and Selection\ suggests approaches, emphasizes the importance of the recruitment of men, and considers the relevance of previous educational achievement. \Training Program\ covers the phases of training: orientation, core training, skill training, on-the-job training, remediation, and counseling. \Schedules\ discusses sequencing and integrating program phases and determining program length. \Training Supplements\ discusses curriculum development and provisions for feedback. \Structure of the Training Program\ discusses composition of the… [PDF]
(2000). SIAST Annual Report, 2000/01. This is the annual report for 2000-2001 from the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST). The SIAST Review Committee's report identified four priorities: (1) an appropriate and progressive mandate; (2) a commitment to accessibility; (3) responsiveness to the labor market; and (4) organizational effectiveness. This report also identifies the challenge of increasing Aboriginal access and success as a major priority. In addition, SIAST will seek alliances and partnerships with business, industry, and other institutions. Other highlights include: (1) SIAST's FTE for 2000 was 10,322, with 2,390 students in adult basic education courses; (2) a total of 3,475 total graduates from 187 programs in 2000 were surveyed for the Graduate Employment Survey; 68% responded. Ninety-six percent rated the overall program quality as good to excellent, while the average salary for respondents in full-time, training related occupations was $2,049 per month; and (3) SIAST's… [PDF]
(2000). Visual Metaphor, Cultural Knowledge, and the New Rhetoric. Modern Western European ways of thinking are based on a print culture that uses verbal metaphors, and indigenous ways of thinking are based on an oral culture that uses visual metaphors. Visual metaphors provide a dominant mode of information processing and are used among indigenous groups to share cultural knowledge, yet Western culture is oblivious to it. One way of knowing involves reading people through nonverbal communication, but in Western culture, nonverbal communication can be virtually invisible. Problems occur when knowing and sensitive children from oral cultures such as American Indians are judged by people from cultures that do not know much about visual thinking. These children are aware of visual space, are sensitive to nonverbal communication, and understand that silence communicates. In writing English compositions for school, these children do not use the syllogistic reasoning of Aristotle because it is not part of their cultural knowledge, nor do they use the… [PDF]
(1999). Identifying and Addressing Challenges Encountered by Educators of Aboriginal Children in an Urban Setting. This study examined challenges that Canadian educators faced when teaching aboriginal students in a large urban school. The study involved the school's principal, teachers, counselors, and coordinators of Aboriginal student programming. Participants, who were Aboriginal and Caucasian, completed semistructured interviews that examined personal information, challenges to teaching Aboriginal students, and suggestions for improvement. Data analysis indicated that challenges were directly influenced by students, parents, educators, and administrators. Most of the challenges were task-related rather than personal. Aboriginal and Caucasian respondents agreed on most of the challenges. Students' preparedness for school and inability to adapt to the school structure were challenges that were especially relevant. Participants agreed that Aboriginal students learned in unique ways which educators needed to understand and work with. Parental distrust of mainstream education was a significant… [PDF]
(1996). A Model and a Case Study for Analyzing Colonial Interaction. Social Studies, v87 n4 p177-181 Jul-Aug. Presents a teaching model that allows students to recognize, synthesize, and analyze characteristics and components of colonialism. Identifies and provides examples for five main types of colonial interaction: subjugation, coexistence, extermination, reservation, and combination. Applies this model to the case study of the Spanish in New Mexico. (MJP)…
(1991). Teaching the Columbian Quincentenary. OAH Magazine of History, v5 n4 p7-9 Spr. Discusses difficulties in teaching about the Columbian quincentenary. Suggests ways to approach the subject with sensitivity, such as focusing on Columbus the individual or as a part of western European effort to understand the world. Addresses intercultural contact, women's history, world history, and pre-Columbian American culture. Lists teaching materials and sources. (DK)…
(1998). "You Tell Us": Indigenous Students Talk to a Tertiary Library. Australian Academic & Research Libraries, v29 n1 p13-22 Mar. A Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Equity Grant provided an opportunity for the QUT Library to engage indigenous students in a dialog facilitated by an experienced storyteller who focused on cultural and motivational issues that affect the relationship between students and the library. Results and recommendations are discussed. (Author/AEF)…
(1996). An Approach to Achieving Access and Equity in Vocational Education and Training: Issues Paper. Australia's first national strategy for vocational education and training (VET), "Towards a Skilled Australia," was formulated in 1994. Within the theme of improved accessibility, the strategy identifies the following groups as disadvantaged in VET: women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, disabled people, people of a non-English speaking background, people in remote and rural areas, people without adequate English language and literacy levels, and unemployed people. It was determined that the national strategy would be redeveloped in 1996 to allow for developments in VET and the following issues: progress to date in access and equity; emerging issues and populations; key features of the national VET system; existing VET planning processes; standards and curriculum; delivery; information and communication; student support; cultural shifts; successful ventures; and future strategies. Fifty questions pertaining to these issues have been identified that will be… [PDF]
(1992). Child Care Reform Consultation Infopack = Consultation sur la reforme des services de garde d'enfants. Trousse d'information. This information packet presented here in both the English and French language versions, summarizes the results of a public consultation on the subject of child care reform in Ontario, Canada. The packet consists of: (1) a table that describes the six modes of consultation that were used in the consultation process (public meetings, round table meetings, parent questionnaire, briefs and letters, locally initiated activities, and francophone community preconsultation); (2) a graph that illustrates the constituencies, such as parents, caregivers, and the education sector, that participated in the consultation; and (3) an overview of the results of the parents questionnaire. Parents' answers to six closed-ended questions in the questionnaires are summarized, and some of the parents' answers to three open-ended questions are provided. In response to a question about important characteristics of high-quality child care, parents discussed the philosophy of the child care facility, the…
(1987). Teachers' Perceptions of Appalachian and Non-Appalachian Students. Interviews conducted with 45 public school teachers in a county school system in rural southern Appalachia explored teacher perceptions of cultural differences between Appalachian and non-Appalachian students and whether teachers born and reared in Appalachia differed in their perceptions from teachers born and reared outside the region. Teachers came from four elementary schools and one high school in a predominately rural county approximately two-thirds of whose inhabitants were fourth generation Appalachia residents. The study found that views of Appalachian teachers differed little from their non-Appalachian counterparts, although they were more reluctant and uncomfortable in citing differences between students and occasionally viewed Appalachian students in a more positive way. A majority of both groups of teachers perceived differences between students based on symbolic and structural dimensions rather than cultural ones. Over 80 percent stated that students were treated… [PDF]
(1967). AN OVERVIEW OF PROJECT ENABLE. PROJECT ENABLE (EDUCATION AND NEIGHBORHOOD ACTION FOR BETTER LIVING ENVIRONMENT) WAS A ONE-YEAR PROJECT FUNDED BY THE OFFICE OF ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY IN SEPTEMBER 1965 IN WHICH VOLUNTARY SERVICE AGENCIES IN 59 CITIES MOUNTED PROGRAMS TO HELP POOR PARENTS IMPROVE CHILD REARING PRACTICES, USE EXISTING COMMUNITY RESOURSES, AND IDENTIFY THEIR MOST PRESSING NEEDS THROUGH DISCUSSION GROUPS AND NEIGHBORHOOD CONTACTS. REPRESENTATIVES OF THREE NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS–FAMILY SERVICE ASSOCIATION, CHILD STUDY ASSOCIATION, AND NATIONAL URBAN LEAGURE–WORKED TOGETHER TO PLAN THE OVERALL PROGRAM AND DEVELOP THE STAFF TRAINING CURRICULUM. IN THE TRAINING PHASE, 138 PROFESSIONAL STAFF MEMBERS WERE TRAINED IN SIX AREA INSTITUTES IN GROUP LEADERSHIP, COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION, WORKING WITH POOR PARENTS, INSTITUTIONAL FORCES IN POVERTY COMMUNITY, TEAM APPROACH, AND ORIENTATION AND SUPERVISION OF SOCIAL WORK AIDES. MORE THAN 200 INDIVIDUALS, RECRUITED FROM THE NEIGHBORHOODS TO BE SERVED AND TRAINED ON THE…
(2000). Breaking the Cultural Cycle: Reframing Pedagogy and Literacy in a Community Context as Intervention Measures for Aboriginal Alienation. This paper presents an alternative view to the pedagogical needs relating to literacy for Aboriginal students. The question posed is how to utilize this knowledge to lessen the impact of perceived failure in early schooling of entrenched non-attendance patterns for Aboriginal students of compulsory school attending ages. The potential for improving literacy levels within a school community sensitive to cultural and pedagogical diversity is presented as offering the parallel potential to encourage a more lateral view of non-attendance patterns. After laying out the constructions of Aboriginal alienation and literacy and the methodology used for this paper, the factors that affect the achievement and participation of Aboriginal students is examined in depth. Considered sequentially are parenting, health, attendance, literacy, and teacher factors. It is concluded that "reframing" the pedagogy of Aboriginal instruction is necessary for each of these factors. This paper… [PDF]