Three readings from this week, combined with the readings from last week of overarching themes, got me think about how I have been considering indigenous student experiences myself. In fact, I have not given too much thought into the issue. I have not personally encountered any indigenous students during my studies and, thus, I have not had a chance to recognize their challenges until quite recently. I encountered the issue from a course I took last term, LHA 3810, as one of the last topics in the course, which led me to decide on enrolling in this course. Everything from the readings are quite new to me, and I find this opportunity to be a good learning experience as each reading material presents me new insights on the issue.
This week’s
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This framework has provided me with a new way of looking at the challenges which indigenous students encounter. The examples of American Indian Teacher Training Program (AITTP) showed how the institution has made efforts to achieve the 4R’s, where indigenous knowledge and culture are respected, their placements to interact with indigenous students for relevance and reciprocity, and responsibility of students for accomplishments for their community was valued. With this program as an example, the authors demonstrated how Tribal Critical Race Theory can change how indigenous people are considered with their education. One of the ideas that struck me was that indigenous students come to institutions with various responsibilities of their immediate family but also of their community. Their education tends to be to enhance community situations and I felt that these students may have higher desire for achievement, persistence in school, and thus, more motivation for learning than other students who may pursue for individual …show more content…
Indigenous cultural values were respected, the curriculum and practices were designed to be relevant for this population, the institution took responsibility in providing equitable learning environment with various support system and achieved reciprocity for students to engage with their unique values, as well as to be able to provide cultural competent care out in the community. This reading presented, not just the key points on a checklist to be completed, but the real achievements, valuing the indigenous knowledge and respecting their cultural integrity. At the same time, this got me to think where the other institutions are in terms of implementing different accommodations for this group of students. Rather than just a list as presented in the report by University of Toronto in response to TRC, this norther nursing program presents an outstanding example that, I think, needs to be considered by every institution in Canada. They had initiative to move forward with improving systems to recruit and support indigenous students to persist through their studies, and it has the potential for much bigger impact to Indigenous community with such
Indigenous youth continue to be marginalised and oppressed. The marginalisation of the Aboriginal community is a result of colonisation. The Indigenous community lost their land and culture. This is reflected on today’s Indigenous youth as they are still feeling the effects.
In our day and age where our youth are becoming more aware of the history of the country and the people who inhabit it, the culture of Native Americans has become more accessible and sparks an interest in many people young and old. Recent events, like the Dakota Access Pipeline, grab the attention of people, both protesters and supporters, as the Sioux tribe and their allies refuse to stay quiet and fight to protect their land and their water. Many Native people are unashamed of their heritage, proud of their culture and their ancestors. There is pride in being Native, and their connection with their culture may be just as important today as it was in the 1800’s and before, proving that the boarding school’s ultimate goal of complete Native assimilation to western culture has
This essay will discuss the Aboriginal Education policies in Victoria and Federally and how these policies impacted upon the children of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. This essay will further analyse the impact these past policies had on the Aboriginal and Torres strait Islanders’ families and children’s education and how current policies were put in place to assist indigenous students’ access to education. Further to this an analysis of how teachers can implement these changes in the curriculum and classroom.
This strategy of developing a relationship with Aboriginal communities can be seen as one of the most important strategies in the regards to the realisation of meeting 1.1.2 (NSW DET 2008). These learning partnerships have been proven to be beneficial to the community on the whole, not only “giving credibility and integrity to the teaching of Aboriginal students and syllabus content related to Aboriginal issues” (NSW BOS 2008, p. 2) but also builds pride and confidence within the Indigenous parents and therefore their community. The NSW BOS (2008, p. 2) goes on to say that for a school to provide authentic experiences, skills and knowledge in context to Aboriginal studies; they must consult Aboriginal people. The AETP (NSW DET 2008) believe that consultation with Aboriginal communities will provide the support and knowledge teachers need to develop engaging and motivating learning environments and scenarios, demonstrate high expectations and work with Aboriginal students in their pursuit of ‘personal
The education of Aboriginal people is a challenge that has been a concern for many years and is still an issue. However, it remains the best way young people can climb out of poverty. With the colonialization and the oppression of Aboriginals, there have been many lasting side effects that continue to be affecting the Aboriginal youth today. “While retention and graduation rates have improved among urban Aboriginal population, an educational gap still remains between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal youth in urban settings” (Donovan, 127). Many suffer from a diminished self-worth, as they do not feel valued and feel inferior to their classmates. In this essay I am going to outline the reasons Aboriginals are struggling, discuss what is being done
1) First topic chosen was wellness which is “a conscious, self-directed and evolving process of achieving full potential.” (The National Wellness Institute, para 3) What wellness means to me is being with my family, surrounding myself with your loved ones, or even being with the environment. To Indigenous people it is the exact same with their wellness with each other, or the wellness with their environment. Mental wellness in Indigenous is living a journey along the way being fulfilled in good health. This changed my thoughts because sometimes I don’t always see the good or surround myself in happiness which can create bad health for me.
Thomas King uses an oral story-telling style of writing mingled with western narrative in his article “You’re Not the Indian I Had in Mind” to explain that Indians are not on the brink of extinction. Through this article in the Racism, Colonialism, and Indigeneity in Canada textbook, King also brings some focus to the topic of what it means to be “Indian” through the eyes of an actual Aboriginal versus how Aboriginals are viewed by other races of people. With his unique style of writing, King is able to bring the reader into the situations he describes because he writes about it like a story he is telling.
To the indigenous community, country and story creates a strong cultural identity and is the starting point to their education. The second outcome; connected with and contribute to their world, is shown through the experience and learning of the indigenous culture and the history of the country and land they live in. Outcome three; strong sense of wellbeing is shown through enhancing indigenous children’s wellbeing socially, culturally, mentally and emotionally through learning about their heritage, country and history through the stories passed down through generations and gaining a sense of belonging and self identity. Both outcome four and five; confident and involved learners and effective communicators are important as they show a unity and understanding between the indigenous culture through learning about the country and stories together about the indigenous
Nevertheless, in the author’s note, Dunbar-Ortiz promises to provide a unique perspective that she did not gain from secondary texts, sources, or even her own formal education but rather from outside the academy. Furthermore, in her introduction, she claims her work to “be a history of the United States from an Indigenous peoples’ perspective but there is no such thing as a collective Indigenous peoples’ perspective (13).” She states in the next paragraph that her focus is to discuss the colonist settler state, but the previous statement raises flags for how and why she attempts to write it through an Indigenous perspective. Dunbar-Ortiz appears to anchor herself in this Indian identity but at the same time raises question about Indigenous perspective. Dunbar-Ortiz must be careful not to assume that just because her mother was “most likely Cherokee,” her voice automatically resonates and serves as an Indigenous perspective. These confusing and contradictory statements do raise interesting questions about Indigenous identity that Dunbar-Ortiz should have further examined. Are
Native American Studies departments, according to Jon Reyhner, “are critical to providing a positive university environment for Native students…(NAS) help keep Indian students in school by providing them with a university home”(Reyhner 106). I don’t believe that American Indian Studies programs will keep Indian students in college. I believe, the desire of wanting to achieve and excel in academics for what it has to offer, will keep Indian college students in college. I believe that Jon Reyhner gives excellent points in defining the reasons for Indian students dropping out of college, but I have to disagree about his ideals on keeping them in. It seems Reyhner feels that Indian Studies Programs will give Indian students a place to show their truest identity, in turn giving them enough comfort to strive through and finish a college degree. Native college and university students, just as any other student in higher education, have distinct backgrounds and different ways of thinking. Although many Indian people come from similar histories of assimilation, cultural disappearance, slaughter, and sacrifice, the adaptability of an Indian person within college depends upon their perspective, attitude, and envolvment, in such environments. I wish American Indian Studies departments in colleges and universities could keep Indian Students from quitting, but the reality of the matter is that Indian people have little to relate to in the college world.
Sen Youngblood is an American Indian Boy in a sixth grade classroom. His teacher called for a parent teacher conference due to his academic performance in the classroom. Problems such as not doing his homework, not communicating with the teacher in a timely manner, not showing up to class on time, and cheating on tests were noticed in Sen’s education. Sen’s teacher wants to talk to his parents about it because she wants to see a difference in his education. This is a case study done to consider why an American Indian boy is not able to keep up in the classroom. By looking into nine different concepts of his deep culture and creating advice for his teacher, one can see how a person’s culture can affect their life as they venture into another
Tara J. Yosso’s book Critical Race Counterstories along the Chicana/ Chicano Educational Pipeline uses a unique set of critical race counterstories focused on teachers and students in the Chicana / Chicano community. It reveals a great deficiency in appropriate U.S. education and investment but demonstrates the richness of the culture of minorities and interest in innovative approaches to education. This innovative work, in comparison to works published by many leading researchers, uses critical race theory to give stories along the educational pipeline from primary school to university. It is an absorptive work giving voices to the largest minority in the United States, presenting the latest demographic research on the status of Chicana / Chicano students’ education at the time of its publication in 2006.
When I first came into this class, introduction to indigenous studies, I was uncertain of what to expect but really interested. Part taking in my major towards history and noticed this class I immediately pounced on it as I was quite interested and very pleased. I have been paying attention to many circumstances going on with the indigenous people, their land and culture over the past few years. As even into the first day of class it opened my eyes to a whole new way of life, situations and much much more that indigenous people have went through and are still going through taking my perception much more in-depth, and I cant belief how astonished I am already only six weeks into the course.
School districts across the province have signed Enhancement Agreements with the British Columbia Ministry of Education and the First Nations Education Council in the hopes of reaching parity between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students (British Columbia Ministry of Education, 2010). The necessity of these agreements has come from the long standing lower achievement results of Aboriginal students on provincial standardized tests (such as Foundation Skills Assessments and Provincial Examinations) which students complete annually (British Columbia Ministry of Education, 2010). Literature suggests many factors such as school, student, and family influence the academic success of Aboriginal students (Clarke, 1994). One such factor is a school principal’s leadership.