Indigenous knowledge andnavigating the rising tides of climate change and other existential threats

Existential threats to Indigenous People’s lands, cultures, and languages are exacerbated and intensified by climate change and its effects, particularly to those groups deeply connected to natural systems. Through five case vignettes situated in Alaska, Yap State, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands, this paper describes adaptive responses at the intersection of Indigenous Knowledge (IK) and climate change. Though their locations, history, and customs vary, they share an underlying similarity in the urgency expressed for their Traditional Ecological Knowledge to be part of a response that leads to sustainability. Navigating these rising and turbulent waters requires new ways of thinking, political will, governmental leadership, and values commensurate with harmonious living. To write this paper required a significant change in a paradigm that guided my work in ethnomathematics from the school context to the larger social-cultural-ecological systems

Key to the Past: Community Perceptions of Yup’ik Youth Interaction with Culturally Relevant Education Inspired by the Nunalleq Archaeology Project

This study qualitatively describes a) the implementation of culturally relevant education (CRE) programs for Yup’ik youth in Quinhagak, Alaska that developed from the Nunalleq Project—a nearby archaeological excavation—and b) community members’ and program facilitators’ perceptions of associated youth social and psychological outcomes. Ten semi-structured interviews (seven community members, three program facilitators) were undertaken and analyzed using constant comparative analysis. Community members and program facilitators attributed numerous outcomes to the Nunalleq-related CRE, such as imparting practical skills (e.g., wilderness survival, artistic and technological skills), teaching young people to value their heritage (e.g., educating them about the struggles their ancestors overcame), and psychological outcomes (e.g., improving self-esteem). Interviewees also offered specific recommendations for planning future local CRE programs. These results provide guidance for local program planners and a framework for researchers to directly assess CRE outcomes in Quinhagak. This project is a step towards the development of a systematic approach to CRE outcome evaluation rooted in community members’ perspectives. Educators developing archaeology-inspired CRE programs in other Indigenous communities may also draw from this study’s results

Differences in the Extent of Use of Culture in the Classroom Between Indigenous and Non-indigenous Teachers and the Relationship to Student Reported Academic Achievement in Reading and Math

With the historical lack of academic achievement of American Indian/ Alaskan Native (AI/AN) students in public schooling, Indigenous communities have expressed the need to emphasize Indigenous culture in the education of AI/AN students. This study investigated if the relationship between the use of Indigenous culture and academic achievement can be validated through the use of the National Indian Education Survey database. This study examined (1) if there is a difference in the extent of AI/AN culture used in the classroom between Indigenous teachers and non-Indigenous teachers, (2) if there is a relationship between the student reported academic achievement of AI/AN students in mathematics and the extent of the use of AI/AN culture in the classroom, and (3) if there is a relationship between the student reported academic achievement of AI/AN students in reading and extent of the use of AI/AN culture in the classroom. In conducting the study, the National Indian Education Study (NIES) Part II Grade Four Student and Teacher survey questionnaire database was utilized. Ten of the NIES questionnaire items pertaining to the use of culture in the classroom were used to create a new construct; Cronbach\u27s alpha analysis was conducted to test this scale for reliability and was found to have high reliability with a Cronbach\u27s alpha = .877. Using the new scale construct for extent of culture use in the classroom, classroom teachers of Indigenous (AI/AN/NH/PI) background were compared to classroom teachers of non-Indigenous background to determine if there was a difference in the extent of culture used in the classroom between the two; results of the t-test, t(2357) = -22.241, p \u3c .05, indicate there is a significant difference in the extent of the use of culture in the classroom used by Indigenous and non-Indigenous teachers. Chi-square analysis was performed to determine if there was significance to the relationship of the extent of use of culture in the classroom and academic achievement. There was no significance χ (6) = 9.83, p = .132 for reported academic achievement in mathematics in relation to the extent of culture use in the classroom; however, there was significance χ (6) = 18.325, p = .005 for the relationship between student reported academic achievement for reading and the extent of use of culture in the classroom

Stemming the Revolving Door: Teacher Retention and Attrition in Arctic Alaska Schools

Limited research is available concerning teacher retention and teacher attrition in Arctic Alaska.  This paper reports survey research findings, which identify factors related to teacher retention and attrition in Alaskan Arctic Native communities. Teacher retention rates (2009-2013) vary widely over time showing no significant trends. Results confirm that teacher turnover in rural districts is higher than in urban school districts. The authors recognize that teacher retention and attrition are multidimensional issues recommending that better communication patterns and shared responsibilities between rural school districts, local administrators, teachers, community members, and university-based teacher preparation programs be established

Firsthand learning through intent participation

This article examines how people learn by actively observing and “listening-in” on ongoing activities as they participate in shared endeavors. Keen observationand listening-in are especially valued and used in some cultural communities in which children are part of mature community activities. This intent participation also occurs in some settings (such as early language learning in the family) in communities that routinely segregate children from the full range of adult activities. However, in the past century some industrial societies have relied on a specialized form of instruction that seems to accompany segregation of children from adult settings, in which adults “transmit” information to children. We contrast these two traditions of organizing learning in terms of their participation structure, the roles of more-and less-experienced people, distinctions in motivation and purpose, sources of learning (observation in ongoing activity versus lessons), forms of communication, and the role of assessment

Charting a Course for Culturally Responsive Physical Education

In this article, we explore the absence of understanding related to culturally responsive pedagogy in physical education for Aboriginal students. In so doing, we examine the limited literature related to culturally responsive physical education and the especially limited literature dedicated to Aboriginal students within physical education. Recognizing that this absence should present a very obvious concern for pre-service physical education teachers, in-service physical education teachers, teacher educators, and most importantly, Aboriginal students themselves, we borrow from the few most notable pedagogues who share our concern and offer a framework and suggestions for future practice and inquiry. We make these suggestions for future practice and inquiry with the wholehearted belief that a commitment to culturally responsive pedagogy can improve upon the immediate and long-term physical education experiences of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students. Dans cet article, nous portons notre attention sur le manque de compréhension par rapport à la pédagogie tenant compte de la réalité culturelle des élèves autochtones dans les cours d’éducation physique. Ainsi, nous étudions le nombre limité de publications qui touchent les cours d’éducation physique adaptés à la culture, et notamment celles, encore plus limitées, qui traitent de la culture autochtone. Reconnaissant que cette lacune devrait constituer une préoccupation bien évidente pour les stagiaires en éducation physique, les enseignants en éducation physique, les formateurs d’enseignants et, surtout, les élèves autochtones eux-mêmes, nous puisons chez les pédagogues importants qui partagent nos préoccupations (ils sont peu nombreux) et offrons un cadre et des suggestions pour des pratiques et des recherches futures. Nous proposons ces suggestions pour les pratiques et les études futures, sincèrement convaincus qu’un engagement visant une pédagogie adaptée à la culture peut améliorer, dans l’immédiat et à long terme, les expériences des élèves autochtones et non-autochtones dans les cours d’éducation physique

Critical issues in the preparation of Alaska Native teachers : perspectives of cross-cultural education development (X-CED) program graduates

Thesis (Ph.D.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1998This study draws upon the experiences of 35 Alaska Native teachers who have succeeded in earning a teaching certificate through the Cross-Cultural Education Development (X-CED) Program to identify issues that affect the preparation of Native teachers for schools in rural Alaska. The guiding question of the study is: What do Native teacher eduation graduates perceive to be the factors that contributed most to their success in a field-based teacher preparation program and as teachers? Components of the question include: Why did Native students pursue a teaching credential? How did the XCED graduates go about achieving their goals? And, how do they perceive their experiences as teachers? It is evident from this study that Alaska Native people face many critical issues in their pursuit of a Bachelors degree and a teaching certificate to teach in their communities. Factors that contribute to the success of the Native teachers interviewed in this study include field-based instructors; locally driven curriculum; and school district, community, family and fellow student support. Implications for future success of Native teacher preparation efforts conclude the study

Reconciliation, resilience and resistance in Inuit teacher’s professional development and practices

Acknowledgements We are extremely grateful to the Inuit teachers and long-term northern educators from all Inuit regions who were able to participate, and for the community of Nain, Nunatsiavut for hosting the Forum. We want to highlight the support of ArcticNet, the Nunatsiavut Ministry of Education and Economic development, ITK and the SSHRC for their financial and in-kind support in the form of time and resources. We also thank Shanti Subedar (student at the University of Winnipeg) who transcribed Forum recordings.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE: EMANCIPATORY POSSIBILITIES IN CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

In this article, I argue that emancipatory possibilities for Mäori, the Indigenous people of New Zealand, rely on structural changes that enable them to have control over resources, decision making, and meaning, and that emancipation is a journey traveled by oppressed groups as they exercise their collective agency. The 1990s development of Pängarau, the national mathematics curriculum policy in the medium of Mäori, provides the context for this discussion. Recent developments indicate that state structures have shifted towards giving Mäori more control in curriculum writing. Key words: collective agency, state structures, Indigenous curriculum development, New Zealand education, Mäori education, mathematics education Dans cet article, l’auteure soutient que les possibilités d’émancipation des Maori, le peuple autochtone de la Nouvelle‐Zélande, reposent sur des changements structu‐ raux qui leur permettent d’avoir la haute main sur des ressources, la prise de déci‐ sions et l’orientation générale et que l’émancipation est un chemin parcouru par des groupes opprimés qui exercent une action collective. L’élaboration dans les années 1990 de Pängarau, la politique nationale relative à l’enseignement des mathématiques en maori, fournit le contexte de l’analyse présentée ici. Des faits récents indiquent que les structures de l’État évoluent vers la remise d’un contrôle accru aux Maori pour ce qui est de l’élaboration des programmes d’études. Mots clés : action collective, structures étatiques, élaboration de programmes d’études par des autochtones, éducation en Nouvelle‐Zélande, éducation dispensée aux Maori, enseignement des mathématiques