Continue reading »]]> With the recent budget announcement came changes to Alberta Education’s business plan and what was goal #3 “Success for First Nations, Metis, and Inuit Students”  has now been embedded with goal #2 “Success for Every Student.” Along with the new goal and direction, are the ever present reminders at the “achievement gap” between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students and goals to reducing the disparity between the two groups. Are these goals realistic, modest, or just writings in the sand?

Recently Dr Allan Luke spoke at the University of Calgary on the topic of  “White Systems, Deficit Talk and Indigenous School Reform: A Glimmer at the End of the Tunnel” using his work as a part of multidisciplinary, mixed-race research team working on an evaluation of the largest scale intervention in Indigenous school reform in Australia. His message was not about the proverbial gap, programs, increasing attendance or engagement as they discovered in their work that none of these reforms help Aboriginal students graduate high school.

What does work to improve graduation rates is systemic reform from a deficit model to a strengths based model. The strengths based approach is nothing new and makes perfect sense: see our students for who they can be not what they are not achieving. For many of our marginalized students they know far too well what they cannot do, they experience this daily. Their classrooms should be the place where they are encouraged to over come barriers with the support of caring adults that are connecting education to a successful future.

Dr Allan Luke suggests that for Aboriginal students to reach success like their non-Aboriginal classmates, their teachers need to see them as having potential for success, not self-fulling a destiny of failure, and a system that functions on a deficit model makes this very difficult. Paradigm shifts can be challenging to traditional ways of doing, however, we only need to look to the statistics for our Aboriginal students to see that the current reality is not working.

Too often the focus is on weaknesses and how we can support the weakness to meet other student’s standards but this does not honour diversity or create a positive niche for all students. Digging for unrecognized strengths and celebrating diversity within a systemic paradigm shift is the direction that we need to take. With Alberta Educations shift to “Success for Every Student” and other initiatives involving policy changes, we are perhaps in the midst of the paradigm shift from a deficit based way of teaching to a strengths based way of sharing a journey will all our students and families.

Continue reading »]]> While late in posting this (Day 3 was in December!) the learning continues…

On day 3 we began our discussion with what language is needed for teachers to talk about Indian Residential Schools to their classes. Often, there is a lack of understanding because of the perpetuation of this history in the curriculum as well as a comfort level with the content. Tying Canada’s history of oppression into similar stories is one way to delve into this topic. The history of oppression is not limited to Indian Residential Schools however, the impact is still felt within our classrooms so how do educators respond to this?

Again this work focuses on perspectives. When fiction becomes fact, we need to respond and correct the errors in assumptions. Questioning why policies are in place that affect our Aboriginal students negatively, why are believes based on fiction allowed to infiltrate our classrooms? Schools need to be intentional with respect to change and supporting Aboriginal students.

The effects of oppression and colonization are felt across the world, and in present day. As culturally responsive educators, we explored some of the principles of this work and then we created our visions for tomorrow.

Culturally Responsive Teaching is not the end, it is really only the beginning of this journey. Next stages along the journey include anti-racist education, diversified understanding, and cognitive dissonance.

When we meet next in April, after tying things up, members will be sharing their artifacts of the journey we have taken so far.

Continue reading »]]> One of the reasons why I enjoy the community of practice model is due to the process of ongoing learning. To be a life long learner we then are admitting that we do not yet know everything, and I found this to be very true on the 2nd day of our community of practice “We see, we feel, we change” that took place on November 12th.

We began the day by watching Simon Sinek talk about leadership and that we need to start with ‘why’ in our practice. Why do we need to think differently, why do we need to see leadership function from a why perspective first. How do we teach from the why out? Resources are the what, strategies are the how, but why we need to do this should be our start.

When leadership flows from our sense of self it extends into our circle of influence and we need to be culturally responsive and culturally responsible to those cultures we are engaging with and teaching about. When world views collide, one is at risk of becoming marginalized and left in a dependent state. How can learning be engaging or empowering from a disadvantaged point of view? Dr Ottman posited that it takes a generation (12-25 years) for society to change, with the last Indian Residential School in Canada closing in 1996, we are at the mid-point of a change and there remains work to be done.

We next reviewed the MindshiftChangeModel by Rolf Smith which challenges us to think differently and that real change happens at an internal place, if we want to think differently. People tend to change with they are shown a truth that influences their feelings. With that emotional connection, we need to have a deep sense of understanding of the culture of our students. Until we have that connection, change remains difficult.

While watching the DVD Muffins for Granny, a project Nadia McLaren completed to understand her grandmother and the experience the Indian Residential School had on her, my learning moment materialized. One of the Elders shared his first day of the IRS he was sent to and how the statue of the Crucifixion of Jesus had impacted him. He expressed his wonder in the film about how could people do that to another human being and what did He do to deserve that: because the Elder did not want to end up like that. While that impression certainly leaves one to ponder, this was not the learning moment: for me it was that this Elder had no idea who was being depicted in the statue. That was a big shift in thought for me.

Addressing misconceptions needs to be done to not only facilitate a mind-shift but also cause us to ask why? Why do I have those thoughts and are they accurate? Misconceptions cause divisions in society and as educators, we can use our circle of influence to empower society to grow and shatter misconceptions. With going through a mind-shift, we need to allow ourselves time to not only self-reflect but patience as well.

Day 3 will be held on December 3rd and in the short time between sessions, members of “We see, we feel, we change” will be engaged in learning with Dr Ottman though BlackBoard and more readings.

Continue reading »]]> The first Community of Practice day on October 5th brought together Rocky View staff from across the division in professional communities of learning. Dr Jacqueline Ottman from the University of Calgary and Elizabeth Cressman from the Calgary Regional Consortium are facilitating the journey of becoming a culturally responsive teacher for those registered in the community “we see, we feel, we change.” Participants will become leaders in their schools as culturally responsive teachers and will also challenge personal believes and values, making this a very deep and rewarding professional learning community.

The first day began with a review of Dr Ottman’s literature review on Aboriginal perspectives and a discussion on what is the difference between perspectives and point of views. Perspective essentially means  a consensus from a group of individuals’ point of views and this is very complex. Once a definition of perspective is reached, it can be built on from there. We can only understand what knowledge we are given, and when developing perspectives, it is crucial to take into account not only what we understand to be true, but more importantly what we do not understand.

Some of our students function in our schools with symptoms of a root cause, often some form of trauma. Once students begin to understand or gain knowledge of this trauma, not only does their point of view alter, but they begin to go through the grieving process, beginning with anger and this needs to be supported. The history of each student, and the history of Canada including the Indian Residential Schools belongs to everyone and  how it affects our interactions with each other. This comes down to the affective domain and how we influence the students we interact with.

Donald Schon discusses how we influence others by using our tacit knowledge, as this knowledge is ingrained within ourselves through the development of our personal point of views. We need to raise our own awareness of ourselves and reflect both in action and on action (questioning why?). This is central to reflective thought and to becoming a culturally responsive teacher.

To begin this reflective practice, participants discussed stereotypes specific to Aboriginal people and the reality was shared with the group. Jane Elliot  delivers a harsh message that not only targets stereotypes, but exposes participants in her workshops to the hard reality marginalized people live with daily. Using her blue-eyed and brown-eyed experiment, she gathers people together to expose them to the tacit racism within that community. After watching her video “Indecently Exposed” participants debriefed the video and discussed scenes that resonated, leading to very rich discussion. Jane Elliot shares in the video that society can either change or not change but we need people to understand why they need to.

Another piece of this work is incorporating story into our classrooms. Over the next 3 sessions, this will be built in as a strategy to culturally responsive teaching. Story is not only a powerful learning tool, but engagement tool. Stories facilitate relationship building and establish a safe and caring classroom. Some stories though are not always positive, but learning needs to be taken from them as well such as this story: Shannen’s Dream.

Next steps for participants will be to continue reading and communicating with the group via BlackBoard at the U of C until the next session on November 12th.

Continue reading »]]> Essentially, cultural competency describes our ability to form relationships with others from various cultures through a personal cultural perspective based on life experiences, attitudes towards various cultural differences, and understanding of different cultures.

Why then is this imperative for 21st Century educators to develop?

Classrooms are becoming increasingly diverse and we need to move beyond anecdotal information about students’ and family backgrounds. Instead, engage in a deep and rich knowledge gathering process about our students to increase understanding about cultural diversity.

Diversity goes beyond language and ethnic differences. It also includes students living in poverty, homelessness, and other environments that are exceptional to the ‘norm’. We must also remember that within a given culture there is also diversity. For example, Aboriginal people are assumed to be one cultural group however this is not reflective of the reality as there are estimated to be nearly 65 different ethnic groups.

Educators need develop first an understanding of themselves as cultural beings and engage in a process of critical self-reflection of personal cultural perspectives. This process will surface individual biases and beliefs that have formed a current vision of diverse populations. Once the root is identified, work can begin to transform the past perspective into one that is culturally responsive.

Developing authentic relationships with students and families while exploring cultural backgrounds will help educators find ways and strategies to enhance each student’s strengths. Using an asset based approach students can celebrate and share their differences in the classroom to reduce stereotypes and biases.

Intentionally engaging in culturally responsive strategies both in the classroom and through professional development will move educators from being culturally aware to a place of transformative action.

Interested in the journey to develop skills in cultural competency? A Community of Practice for both teachers and support staff will be offered during the 2012-2013 school year. “We See, We Feel, We Change” is an exciting professional learning opportunity in partnership with Rocky View Schools, the Calgary Regional Consortium, and the University of Calgary.

Continue reading »]]> Many of our First Nations, Métis, and Inuit students and families are still experiencing the impact of inter-generational trauma and historical loss and this is important for educators to have understanding of.

Why not Post Traumatic Stress Disorder? What is the difference? PTSD can follow after a traumatic event. This does not accurately describe inter-generational trauma or historical loss. Complex trauma does deal with multiple traumas; however, it does not take into consideration massive group trauma or generational trauma.

In the 19^th Century, the Canadian government adopted a policy called ‘aggressive assimilation’ that was to see Aboriginal people learn English, adopt Christianity, and Canadian customs to enable them the best chance for success in Canadian society. The real hope was to erase all forms of Aboriginal culture and language within a few generations. What Aboriginal people lost was their right to mourn, to practice their spirituality, and ultimately their identity.

Historical trauma can be defined as a cumulative emotional and psychological wounding across generations, including one’s own lifespan. Not only the actual events of the massive group trauma, but the unresolved grief go along with historical trauma. The last residential school in Canada closed in 1996.

Some of the response features of historical trauma are: survivor guilt, depression and psychic numbing, fixation to trauma, low self-esteem, victim identity, anger, self-destructive behaviour, substance abuse, hyper-vigilance, compensatory fantasies, preoccupation with death, death identity, loyalty to the ancestral suffering and to the deceased, internalization of ancestral suffering, and internalized oppression.

Having an understanding of the trauma and some of the responses to the trauma, educators and others should develop an understanding that the effects are not always self-chosen but a result of a massive loss. The impact of inter-generational trauma and historical loss is a common factor for current challenges many First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people share.

As professionals, responding with this perspective, and not dismissing the impact, creating authentic relationships becomes honest and meaningful. Also, by acknowledging individual cultural identities and ancestral past, a process of healing can begin.

For more information on inter-generational trauma and historical loss, refer to the National Aboriginal Health Organization.

 In June, National Aboriginal Day is celebrated on June 21. Also, June 11 marks Canada’s National Day of Healing and Reconciliation.

Continue reading »]]> Day-to-day practices that promote student achievement and the meeting of outcomes can at times be overwhelming and slow the creative process. When educators retire, what will be the fondest memories of the classroom: helping students meet outcomes, or helping students open doors that provide  a gateway to personalized learning?

At the recent Leading in Literacy and Numeracy for FNMI Students conference in Edmonton, many speakers delivered thought provoking strategies and challenging questions like the one above. While ensuring students meet outcomes is of course what teachers do, the question is how are the outcomes being met.

Using digital story telling, or narrative media in the classroom, students are able to have another door opened that will assist in meeting outcomes. Think also to our Aboriginal students that come from a culture that educates by oral stories, using digital stories aligns with their cultural pedagogy. Transforming narrative pedagogy  into a digital format creates magic.

Literacy is shifting from being text based to arts based and many of the 21^st Century competencies support the arts way of thought.  Art is the next ‘r’ and is a new language. Now in this context digital story telling can be used by following the DAOW method created by Dr Jason Ohler.

Stories are information containers. Many students (and adults) struggle with remembering lists of items or chapters of information but put that information in a story and retention becomes strengthened.  Ask the question: are students really cognitively not able to connect to the material, or is it just because they are not engaged?

Literacy and numeracy are ways of connecting to the world, ways of being. Stories help open those doors.

Stories connect people to their community and lay the foundation for literacy and numeracy. They also create a sense of identity and provide an opportunity for students to have a voice, to nurture the spirit. Active listening, patience, creativity are all fostered when story telling is used.

Land also has literacy. For Aboriginal people, the land is not described as an object, but a place that gives life. The land also has stories to tell and when striving to engage Aboriginal students, using land literacy fosters belonging and creates authentic learning opportunities. Narcisse Blood shared that this is not about accommodating FNMI students, but Indigenizing our institutions of learning.

Being raised in a culture built on an oral pedagogy, Aboriginal students are very attuned to non-verbal language. It is not only the what of teaching, but also the how: the number of doorways  offered to students.  What is not being said to students is just as important what is being said. How is the classroom a comfortable environment?

Now what about numeracy? Can digital story telling be used in Math? In Science? Absolutely! Aaron Paquette shared that numeracy is a part of everyday language; it helps people survive in the world. When outcomes, grade level equivalencies, and benchmarks of achievement are imposed on numeracy, the beauty of math is lost. Using digital story telling can help bring the magic back.

The how of teaching math and science needs to be expanded to capture the beauty they naturally contain. The last thing numeracy should be is confusing and stressful. The best way to encourage learning is by surprise and discovery. Direct instruction of material does not guarantee what students will take away from the lesson. Let creative chaos occur and knowledge will be fostered. Students know more numeracy often than given credit for.

Give students a voice and be prepared for passion!

For future links to resources and insights into what Rocky View teachers are doing to use digital story telling to enhance literacy and numeracy skills, check out this blog and if you would like to contribute to this blog, just email me your content at tcardinal@rockyview.ab.ca.

Continue reading »]]> Recently I attended a conference and was able to be a part of a session being run by Dr Bishop from New Zealand as he discussed his project with educators in New Zealand to make a difference in Maori Education. What was done in New Zealand can easily be modeled in RVS; first educators need to acknowledge that what is being done may not be working. Aboriginal students in Alberta have a higher drop-out rate, lower completion rate, and are over represented in social services and justice programs. RVS is doing better than the provincial average but can continue to improve learning conditions for our Aboriginal students. It is important to note that note only will becoming a culturally responsive teacher have a positive impact on Aboriginal students, but on all students. On Dr Bishop’s website Anjali’s Story describes how this educator, with over a decade of teaching experience, realized something needed to change in order for her to improve student engagement in her classroom.

The Aboriginal population is the fastest growing demographic in Canada, our future is in our classrooms today so how do educators work to become culturally responsive teachers? What needs to be addressed first before one begins this journey is to recognize Canadian history as that of interactions between colonizers and the colonized. Many do not understand the current impact this has on today’s Aboriginal people, and this needs to be explored on a personal level in order to begin to understand the effect. Learn Alberta has produced a resource for teachers to begin to explore Aboriginal perspectives and here is a short video from Lois Edge as she speaks to her experience in a grade 5 classroom.

Inter-generational trauma has a significant impact on today’s students and Canadian social policy’s have historically been meant to remove the Aboriginal worldview and replace with the colonized one. What needs to next happen along this journey is also the recognition that it is the institutions, not the Aboriginal students, that need to change. As Dr Bishop believes, there needs to be a 4 inch revolution to make classrooms and teachers culturally responsive: the 4 inches between the ears.

So, what are the strategy’s to becoming a culturally responsive teacher? There are four:

The first strategy to become a culturally responsive teacher is to walk in the Aboriginal students shoes. What is it like to be an Aboriginal student, a family member of an Aboriginal student, a teacher of an Aboriginal student? Dr Bishop’s research showed that parents, students, and administrators felt that the relationship between the teacher and student was the most important factor that affects student achievement. Shockingly, teachers felt that it wasn’t the relationship, but the child was the most important factor of success. In other words, the teachers in this project thought the child was the problem. In Dr Bishops book Culture Speaks a student says the teacher makes them feel “Dumb, and I always argue with her. She makes me feel like I have a dumb name, and I’m dumb.” Another student says “They never even actually make and effort to understand our culture. They don’t try to understand where we are coming from.” The mismatch between students and teachers needs to be adjusted and teachers need to recognize that their relationship with students is the most important factor for student engagement which naturally leads to student achievement.

The second strategy is to let go of deficit thinking. Once the importance of the relationship is realized, this is what needs to change, not the child, family, or teacher. Ask yourself, would you tell your partner that everything is their fault and they need to change? Probably not, so why do the same for students, families and teachers? Relationships can be changed once there is cultural understanding. Deficit thinking can easily become an excuse to stop engaging with students and instead regard them as behaviour problems, for example passive/aggressive students. Are they simply just not engaged in the relationship? Once stereotypes are removed and cultural perspectives are understood, respect, trust, and friendship will begin to grow. Another student in the book Culture Speaks says that because of poor relationships with teachers she lost courage in herself because she was not regarded as a learner. Teachers need to become agents of change and establish caring relationships. Not only will there be respect, trust, and friendship but communication becomes easier and engaging. Students believe they have someone they can rely on.

Third, having well managed learning environments engages students. Begin with a guarantee: that all students in the class will learn, and back it up! Maintain high expectations for all students and provide supports for those necessary. Providing a safe and caring universal learning environment will enhance student engagement. Culturally responsive teachers care, have high expectations, have positive relationships with their students and have supportive learning environments. Students become more motivated when they see their learning improve.

Fourth, teachers should have a range of teaching interactions that are culturally relevant. In his research, Dr Bishop outlines some instruction strategies that do not work: direct instruction, monitoring, feedback +/-, and feed forward +/-.  Instead, focus on students prior knowledge and allow them to bring their own cultural experience into the classroom. Feedback needs to be immediate and academic in nature. Instead of saying ‘good work’, be specific and relate feedback to content and context of the assignment. Feed forward as well needs to be immediate and academic. Instead of saying ‘next time why don’t you read this book’ state what specific action needs to be taken to see improvement in the skill being taught. Co-construct knowledge together with students and give them control and ownership of their learning.

Another interaction involves using a different pedagogy: one example is using a narrative pedagogy. As 21st Century learners, students need to learn how to ask questions and find answers. This also allows for them to bring in their cultural knowledge into curriculum and co-construct learning. By using narrative pedagogy, students are able to capitalize on their strength of oral language and story telling. Instead of giving students guiding questions before having to read an article or watch a video, let them formulate their own questions and see what magic happens!

It is not enough to have cultural pictures or one day events, but to have all members of the school community engaged in culture.

So, what were the results? Does using these strategies to become a culturally responsive teacher actually work? Yes it does.

In this work amongst the schools targeted, literacy increased and students became engaged in their learning. Teachers felt more empowered and that they had better managed learning environments. Parents felt that they become an equal in their child’s learning experience.  This combination saw a natural increase in student engagement and achievement. Students became passionate about their learning and felt engaged in their learning environments.

One student stated “I have become me.”