Indigenous Education Commons^™

Mayan Languages Education And Technology: A Case Study Of Kaqchikel And K’Iche’ Educators In Guatemala, Hector Palala

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe and analyze how Mayan language instructors in the Faculty of Humanities at the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala use technology in their classrooms. In this research, indigenous professors shared their experiences as Kaqchikel and K’iche’ language instructors at the higher education level. A narrative qualitative case study was applied to discover the practices and insights of two Kaqchikel Mayan language instructor and one K’iche’ Mayan language instructor by addressing the following questions: (1) How do the professors use technology while teaching IDI3 Mayan Language in the Faculty of Humanities at …

Multilingual/Translanguaging: Narrative Writing Through Authentic Language, Lucia E. Brea

Open Educational Resources

No abstract provided.

Exigimos Inclusión, No Tolerancia: La Interseccionalidad En Los Movimientos Estudiantiles En Argentina, Angélica Ramos

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Los movimientos estudiantiles en Argentina surgieron en respuesta a las desigualdades y represión dentro del sistema educativo. Los estudiantes intentan luchar para una educación de calidad, igual y gratuita para todos. Lamentablemente, como consecuencia de la historia de genocidio y esclavitud en Argentina, ideas racistas y coloniales existen hoy día en las mentalidades de muchos argentinos. Esta investigación analiza las maneras en que permanece estas mentalidades dentro de los movimientos estudiantiles y como evita la interseccionalidad e inclusión de poblaciones marginalizadas. Porque si continúa la falta de interseccionalidad de parte de estudiantes privilegiados hacia estudiantes y poblaciones femme, trans, indígena …

Language Nests On The Move: The Case Of Võro Pre-Primary Education In Estonia, Kara D. Brown, Mariko Faster

Faculty Publications

This article considers the circuitous route of knowledge exchange from South (New Zealand)-to North (Finland)-to regional South (Estonia) by examining the development of Võro language nests (keelepesä) in Estonia. Language nests reflect the global nature of educational knowledge exchange as well as the importance of networks of languageresearchers and activists in this policy inspiration. Estonia is a fascinating case for understanding the international spread and local development of the language-nest approach in a post-Socialist context. The authors draw on concepts of policy borrowing and diffusion and the “grammar of schooling” to explore the spread of the language nest approach and …

Educational Leadership In A Mayan Village In Southern Belize: Challenges Faced By A Mayan Woman Principal, Yanira Oliveras, Wesley D. Hickey

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

A Mayan woman principal taking a position in a historically paternalistic village in Southern Belize faces inevitable challenges due to the cultural structure of the village. In this case, the challenges go beyond cultural norms. Mrs. Po, a Mopan woman leading a school in a Kekchi village, faces challenges related to her role as a teaching principal in a multigrade school, her lack of leadership preparation, the remoteness of the village, and the language barrier, among others. The reader is encouraged to ponder the myriad of issues that impact the principal’s efforts to improve the education system while working in …

Learning To Be Effective Allies To Indigenous Communities: Perspectives From The Sheridan College Community - Research Report, Bethany Osborne, Ferzana Chaze, Elijah Williams

Publications and Scholarship

In Our Voices: Sheridan’s Indigenous Community and Allies is an arts-based research project conducted in collaboration with the Centre for Indigenous Learning and Support at Sheridan College. The larger research project from which these findings emerged was focused on the dual purposes of understanding how the Sheridan community views the role of an effective ally to Indigenous communities and to highlight stories of strength, resilience and discovery of Sheridan’s Indigenous community members. The research was funded by a Sheridan College SRCA growth grant. This study received ethics approval from the Sheridan Research Ethics Board in May 2018. Data collection began …

Interdisciplinary Lens On Indigenous Health Iniquities: Planning, Nursing, Anthropology, Geography, Education, Chantal Francouer, Alana Kehoe, Ivy Tran, Steven Vanloffeld, Lillian Woroniuk, Jacob Renaud

Head and Heart Posters 2019

Indigenous peoples experience poorer health outcomes on almost every measure of health and wellbeing, when compared to the rest of Canada. For decades researchers have been working independently on addressing health inequalities, yet little progress has been made on closing the gap. This Discipline-specific way of thinking is too narrow and neglects indigenous ideologies of holistic approaches to health. An interdisciplinary approach to indigenous health research provides a more collaborative and integrated opportunity to address the multidimensional aspects of health. This paper has the goals to contribute to the limited research on interdisciplinary indigenous health research.

Decolonizing Nature/Knowledge: Indigenous Environmental Thought And Feminist Praxis, Nosheen Ali, Binish Samnani, Abdul Wali Khan, Najmi Khatoon, Barkat Ali, Sadia Asfundyar, Muhammad Aslam, Sumaira Amirali

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

This faculty-student collaborative article is a result of a graduate seminar on ‘Environmental Education’ taught at the Aga Khan University’s Institute for Educational Development in Karachi, and it illuminates new perspectives and pedagogies of nature from the global South, specifically South Asia. Drawing inspiration from feminist and indigenous thought, the narratives of ecology shared here center the place of emotions, experience, memory and spiritual intimacy, offering one means of decolonizing environmental studies and expanding our understanding of ‘environmental consciousness’. These narratives defy ontologies of nature-human separation, capturing not just the co-existence of animals, spirits and humans but their co-constitution. Such …

Supporting Social And Emotional Learning With Little J And Big Cuz: Case Study 3: Marion Primary School, Kathryn Moyle, Kevin Mcrae

Little J and Big Cuz

Marion Primary School is located 10 kilometres south of the Adelaide CBD. There is a high level of student transience due in part to the mobility of families in short-term rental accommodation, which includes parents who are students at the nearby Flinders University. Students come from a diversity of cultural backgrounds with more than 14 countries represented in the school. In 2018, there were 21 students enrolled who identified as being of Indigenous descent. To support these Indigenous students and their families, the school has an Aboriginal Community Education Officer, Eileen Butler, known to everyone as ‘Aunty Eileen’. A team …

Little J & Big Cuz: A School Readiness Initiative: Final Report And Case Studies, Kathryn Moyle

Little J and Big Cuz

The purpose of this study was to identify potential social and behavioural changes in individuals, schools and communities that could result from the implementation of the School Readiness Initiative (SRI) television project Little J & Big Cuz. This study comprised the preparation of a literature review, and the development of case studies drawn from early childhood, preschool and junior primary school settings. Little J & Big Cuz is a 13-part animated television series that was commissioned as a SRI television project to build the school readiness of children and to support the successful home to school transition of Indigenous children …

Connecting Little J And Big Cuz With A Kindergarten Education Program: Case Study 1: Morphett Vale East Kindergarten, Kathryn Moyle

Little J and Big Cuz

This case study explores how the television program ‘Little J and Big Cuz’ was incorporated into the education program at Morphett Vale East Kindergarten. Morphett Vale East Kindergarten in South Australia is a government-funded kindergarten for children aged between three and five years. Little J & Big Cuz was incorporated into the education program as the screen time activity, which was then followed with discussions about each story the children had seen. The choice of episodes was linked to the learning priorities of the Kindergarten. The viewing responses of the children are discussed as well as how Little J & …

Teachable Moments: Planning Early Childhood Programs For Indigenous Children That Incorporate Little J And Big Cuz : Case Study 4: Batchelor Institute Of Indigenous Tertiary Education, Kathryn Moyle

Little J and Big Cuz

Students in the Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care course at Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education (BIITE) incorporated the children’s television program Little J & Big Cuz into their early childhood programs and family life in the respective communities in which they live and work. This course is a three year program and enrolment requires that the students are working in early childhood settings. The BIITE students who planned and incorporated Little J & Big Cuz into their early childhood programs live in Yarralin and the Tiwi Islands.

Developing Written Language With Little J And Big Cuz : Case Study 5 : Saint Augustine's School, Kathryn Moyle, Kevin Mcrae

Little J and Big Cuz

St Augustine’s School is a Catholic primary school located in the town of Mossman in Far North Queensland. Jo Brooks is the Prep class teacher at St Augustine’s School, and she incorporated the Little J & Big Cuz television series into her teaching and learning program. Her Prep class has 21 students of whom five identify as being Indigenous; four as Aboriginal and one as a Torres Strait Islander. Jo found a valuable teaching resource in the Little J & Big Cuz series. This resource engaged her Prep class. It led to student directed conversations and to diverse student initiated …

Curriculum Vitae - Dr. Henry "Hank" Robert Lehrer, Hank Lehrer

Native Impact Overview

Curriculum Vitae - Dr. Henry "Hank" Lehrer.

Preparing Socially And Emotionally For Preschool With Little J And Big Cuz: Case Study 2: One Tree Community Centre Yera Children's Service, Kathryn Moyle

Little J and Big Cuz

The Yera Children’s Service in the Northern Territory is located within the campus of Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education (BIITE) in the township of Batchelor, 98 kilometres south of Darwin. Yera Children’s Service at Batchelor has 34 places for children from birth to three years of age and a ‘kindy’ room that caters for children aged three to six years of age. The early childhood educators prepare development programs for the children, including programs to develop children’s social and emotional wellbeing and prepare them for their transition to junior primary school. Keiryn Christodoulou has been an educator at the …

Is Little J And Big Cuz Suitable For Children In Preschool? Case Study 6: Wulagi Family Centre, Wulagi School, Kathryn Moyle

Little J and Big Cuz

The Wulagi Family Centre and Wulagi Preschool in Darwin in the Northern Territory provide programs for children and adults that emphasise the importance of language development and high quality interactions between children and adults, informed by the Abecedarian Approach. This case study of the Wulagi Preschool asks the question: is the Little J and Big Cuz television program suitable for children in preschool? At Wulagi Preschool Little J and Big Cuz was trialled with 40 children, aged between 3 and 4 years of age. About a third of these children identify as being Indigenous. Due to the timing of this …

Indigenous Early Childhood Education, School Readiness And Transition Programs Into Primary School: Literature Review, Kathryn Moyle

Little J and Big Cuz

This literature review identifies, evaluates and synthesises academic, grey and other literature about transition to school programs for Australia’s Indigenous children. It draws on both international and Australian research. Its purpose is to provide an overview of current research about factors that support effective transitions to school by Indigenous children, and to consider the role that educational television can play in those transitions. This literature review was also prepared to inform the development of the case studies about how the first season of the television program, Little J & Big Cuz had been used in various remote, regional and urban …

Girl-Centered Participatory Assessment Tools, Kelly Hallman

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The Indigenous Adolescent Girls' Empowerment Network (IMAGEN) is an initiative within Indian Country seeking to strengthen the protection, safety, and resilience of girls in Native communities by reclaiming neighborhood spaces in which to rekindle matrilineal traditions. Housed within the Girl Innovation, Research, and Learning (GIRL) Center, IMAGEN's evidence-based approach consists of a set of adaptable planning tools honed over 20 years in global settings that enables the establishment of neighborhood safe spaces for girls. This toolkit is designed to help programs precisely identify the nature and degree of girls' "shrinking worlds" at puberty, and to aid them in devising strategies …

Worksheet For Native American Studies Guidelines For Independent Course Work, University Of Maine, Native American Studies Program

General University of Maine Publications

The Native American Studies (NAS) minor is open to all undergraduate, degree-seeking University of Maine students. To declare a minor, obtain a Change of Program/Plan/Sub-Plan form from The Native American Programs office located at Corbett Hall, room 208, or online at https://studentrecords.umaine.edu/forms/. For more information, please contact Darren Ranco, Chair of Native American Programs at darren.ranco at maine.edu or 207-581-1417.

Undergraduate Minor In Native American Studies, University Of Maine, Native American Studies Program

General University of Maine Publications

The Native American Studies (NAS) minor is open to all undergraduate, degree-seeking University of Maine students. To declare a minor, obtain a Change of Program/Plan/Sub-Plan form from The Native American Programs office located at Corbett Hall, room 208, or online at https://studentrecords.umaine.edu/forms/. For more information, please contact Darren Ranco, Chair of Native American Programs at darren.ranco at maine.edu or 207-581-1417.

College Of Liberal Arts And Sciences Native American Studies Program, University Of Maine, Native American Studies Program

General University of Maine Publications

Native American Studies is an interdisciplinary minor committed to the study of the cultures, values, history and contemporary life of the American Indian nations and people of North America with a focus on the Wabanaki Nations of Maine and the Maritimes. The importance and significance of the indigenous people are critical in understanding the settler nation-states in which we live. The Native American Studies minor creates an understanding of the unique legacy of American Indians and their continuing relationship to the development of the United States and Canada. Specific emphasis is placed on the Wabanaki peoples of Maine and Canada, …

Road Ditch Flowers Of Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota, Joanita M. Kant

STEM Educational and Outreach Materials

Goal: Participants will become lifelong learners and critical thinkers about culturally relevant traditional Native plants, both inside and outside of a school setting, while considering their roles as conservationists.

Objectives: Participants will be able to identify Native plants or know where to access information to make identifications and find traditional uses through accessing the knowledge of tribal Elders, Internet sites, books, and visits to herbaria collections.

Alaska Native Scholars: A Mixed Methods Investigation Of Factors Influencing Phd Attainment, Alberta J. Jones

Woodring Scholarship on Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

This study entitled, "Alaska Native Scholars: A Mixed Methods Investigation of Factors Influencing PhD Attainment," investigates the contributing factors influencing the attainment of PhD degrees by Alaska Natives. Originating from a cross-section of rural and urban Alaska communities and tribal ethnicities, this group of scholars attended graduate schools throughout the country. Today many of these PhDs work in universities, conduct research, and advocate for Indigenous people in various leadership roles, both in and outside of Alaska. This study's assumption is these PhD graduates have gained valuable lessons along their path to success and an examination of these factors is relevant …

Policy Communication And The Influence Of Agricultural Communities On Karst Landscapes: A Case Study In Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park, Vietnam, Elizabeth Willenbrink

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Karst landscapes are vulnerable to human influence, especially agricultural practices. The interconnectedness between surface activities and subsurface environments make karst landscapes particularly susceptible to soil erosion and water contamination. The likelihood of these two phenomena happening increases when agricultural intensification, irrigation, or fertilizer application occurs. This situation arises frequently in Vietnam, where 18% of the country is karst terrain and 60% of the population depends on agriculture for their livelihoods (Farming First 2009). In order to mitigate the negative consequences of agriculture on karst landscapes, effective implementation of policy to regulate human activities and increased communication of these policies to …

Persistence At A Tribal University: Factors Associated With Second Year Enrollment, Thomas C. Motl, Karen D. Multon, Fei Zhao

Education, Health & Behavior Studies Faculty Publications

Participants include 89 college students from a tribal university in the Midwestern United States. A survey regarding attitudes and adjustment to campus was administered to all students during their first semester of college. Variables assessed included psychosociocultural integration factors, such as educational goals, trust of others at college, longing for home, school pride, and fair treatment from others (Motl et al., 2009). Objective variables indicating level of academic preparation for college (high school GPA, ACT scores, and class percentile), academic integration (college GPAs), and persistence (2nd-year enrollment status) were gathered from the university. Using logistic regression procedures, a model was …

Indigenous Adolescent Girls’ Empowerment Network (Imagen): Adapting The Girl Roster™ For Lakota Communities, Kelly Hallman, Stephanie Martinez

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This brief reports on a first-of-a-kind meeting between the Population Council’s GIRLCenter and organizations such as the White Buffalo Calf Woman Society (WBCWS) that work locally with Native American communities to understand the specific needs of adolescent girls in Indian Country. This followed an inaugural meeting of the Indigenous Adolescent Girls’ Empowerment Network (IMAGEN) with its wealth of insight concerning the needs of the Native communities they serve, and the GIRL Center’s myriad programmatic tools and resources that have been tried and tested in global settings for several decades. The IMAGEN Approach is an adaptable process that links these two …

A ‘Better’ Education: An Examination Of The Utility Of Boarding School For Indigenous Secondary Students In Western Australia, Mary-Anne Macdonald, Eyal Gringart, Terry Ngarritjan Kessaris, Martin Cooper, Jan Gray

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Over the past 10 years, great improvements have been observed in the Year 12 attainment rate of Indigenous Australians. This has been due, in part, to government funding of programmes aimed at improving education opportunity for Indigenous Australian students, including funding of scholarships for students from remote areas to attend boarding schools. The current qualitative study investigated the perspectives of school leaders and Indigenous secondary students across the Australian state of Western Australia, on the utility and impact of this boarding provision. Students identified that boarding education allowed them to achieve a dual goal of meaningful career pathways and improved …

The Role Of Education In Self-Sustaining Community Development, Leanne Riegel

Senior Honors Theses

Self-sustaining community development strategies, focused on education as a means for change, have great potential to make an impact on worldwide poverty. Instead of a one-time intervention with results that fade over time, the cyclical structure of participatory development will yield increasing results as time goes on. Teaching the community how to improve itself will increase its ability to deal with future problems, and positively impact women, children, and the environment in developing countries. This philosophy and practical strategy could be effective in any geographic location or culture, focusing on education and the ability of the local people to transform …

"Why Can’T We All Get Along:" An Analysis Of Baka Education, And The Application Of Picture Books In Baka, Kylie Richmond

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research seeks to understand the implementation of mother tongue language education, specifically within the Baka community. Research was conducted in a Baka village called Mintoum over a three week period. By working with a non profit organization, information was gathered in hopes to improve the education of the Baka. Interviews were conducted to better understand, how these booklets affected not only the child’s education but also the parents’ reaction to books in their language. There was also an observation process conducted to see how the application of these booklets took place within a new Baka run preschool program “Chasing …

Reconciliation Begins At Home, Geoff N. Masters, Gerry Moore

Teacher columnist – Geoff Masters

Saturday marks 50 years since the 1967 referendum to include Indigenous Australians in the census and is the beginning of Reconciliation Week.

However, access to educational opportunities remains a significant contributor to gaps in equality and equity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, as observed in last year’s State of Reconciliation in Australia report.