América del norte/Canadá/26 Agosto 2017/Fuente: Prensa Latina
El sindicato de maestros primarios de la provincia canadiense de Ontario exigen hoy rebautizar todos los centros educativos que lleven el nombre del exprimer ministro John A. Macdonald, a quien vinculan con el exterminio de pueblos originarios.
La moción adoptada por la Federación de Maestros de Escuela Primaria de Ontario (ETFO por sus siglas en inglés) recalcó que desea proscribir dicho nombre de sus escuelas y edificios debido al papel que jugó dicha figura como ‘arquitecto del genocidio contra los pueblos indígenas’.
Fue un debate saludable, no fue de ninguna manera unilateral. Pero al final se votó claramente para aprobar la moción, explicó Felipe Pareja, profesor de francés que presentó la iniciativa.
Según el maestro, la responsabilidad de Macdonald en el establecimiento de la Ley de Indios (1876) y en el sufrimiento de los pueblos indígenas cuando su tierra fue tomada por el ferrocarril nacional son ‘oscuros’ lados de la historia que necesitan ser abordados.
También sostuvo que resulta difícil para estudiantes y maestros nativos acudir a una escuela que lleva el nombre de alguien que fue -recalcó- cómplice del genocidio de los pueblos indígenas.
El pedido de la ETFO ocurre después que el mes pasado estudiantes de la Universidad Ryerson de Toronto recomendaron suprimir el nombre de Macdonald de los planteles por respeto a los sobrevivientes de las escuelas residenciales.
La casa de altos estudios lleva el nombre de Egerton Ryerson, un ministro metodista pionero de la educación pública en Ontario, quien ayudó a conformar la educación de menores indígenas con ideas avanzadas.
Macdonald fue primer ministro canadiense durante los periodos 1867 a 1873 y de 1878 a 1891.
En 1876, Ottawa adoptó la Ley de Indios, en la que se estipulaba que todos los niños originarios quedarían bajo tutela del Estado.
Macdonald afirmó en 1883 que ‘los niños indígenas deberían ser retirados lo máximo posible de la influencia de sus padres y la única forma de lograrlo era de enviarlos a escuelas industriales donde podrán adquirir las costumbres y prácticas de los blancos’.
Entre finales del siglo XIX y 1970, más de 150 mil infantes nativos fueron arrancados de sus familias y enviados a escuelas residenciales, en su gran mayoría dirigidos por comunidades religiosas, con el objetivo de ‘reeducarlos’, pues se les consideraba ‘salvajes’.
La ‘asimilación’ se llevó a cabo de una manera extremadamente cruel e inhumana. Se eliminó el contacto de los niños aborígenes con sus familias, les prohibieron hablar sus lenguas originarias y practicar sus creencias religiosas y culturas.
Informes oficiales confirman que unos 3 mil 200 niños murieron, la gran mayoría antes de 1940, debido a disímiles enfermedades como la tuberculosis, mientras miles sufrieron abusos físicos, psicológicos y sexuales, entre otros maltratos y perjuicios.
América del Norte/Canada/Agosto del 2017/Noticias/https://theconversation.com/
At this time of year, it can sometimes be hard to tell who’s more excited about returning to school, youth or their parents.
But the excitement for kids about new friends, teachers and ventures can be overshadowed by anxiety and stress, particularly if they’re moving into high school.
The sheer size of a high school building can be overwhelming to the uninitiated. The potential loss of social status among a larger group of peers and the increased number of teachers — each having different styles and expectations – can be intimidating for newcomers. Add to this the hormonal changes that accompany puberty and drive physical, emotional and cognitive growth, and the demands on young people can be overwhelming.
In high school, teachers tend to stay in one place while the students rotate through their classrooms. This can be difficult for students who are used to having a homeroom teacher for the majority of their subjects.
Some high schools have instituted homerooms for core subjects such as language arts and social studies. These allow students to connect daily to at least one key adult who knows them and ostensibly has their best interests in mind. Regrettably, this practice is rare past Grade 8.
Fortunately, parents and their children can take some steps to make the transition easier. As an educator and a psychologist from the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary, I offer you a few simple strategies:
1. Get to know the school space
Familiarity helps to reduce anxiety. If possible, youth should try to tour the school halls in advance to get to know where specific rooms are located. Of course, it helps if they can have a school map to help them navigate. It’s always important to learn where key spaces are such as the administrative offices, washrooms, cafeteria and water fountains.
Youth can identify friends from their previous school who plan to attend the same high school. If they live close together, they can travel together to school or plan to meet up before school, at lunch breaks and during times when they might not have scheduled classes. Among other things, this will give them the opportunity to share and compare experiences — essentially normalizing what they are going through, while brainstorming solutions to challenges they might be facing.
3. Identify clubs and interest groups
These hobby-based groups tend to be smaller than regular classes and have supportive teacher sponsors with an interest in the subject area. This can be an easy way to connect with others who have similar interests, while building a support network at school.
In high school, there’s an increased expectation for students to take responsibility for planning and organizing materials for themselves, as well as getting to class on time, handing in homework and assignments and coming prepared for quizzes and exams. This also includes managing class materials, unique clothing for sports and clubs, musical instruments and other school equipment. Most schools offer a personal planner booklet that can help students to overcome some of these challenges. However, most will require support to be able to use and maintain them properly.
It’s true that adolescence is a time of cognitive growth and consolidation. This comes from the myelination of nerves (insulation for faster signals) and the pruning of neural networks (specialization for efficient brain function) that improve thinking capacities. However, the adolescent brain keeps developing well into the early 20s. Higher order thinking, planning and foresight can take time to develop.
5. Organize a study schedule
Family support and parental engagement are linked to academic success. It’s important to start building study habits early, even if there is no assigned homework to do. Students should plan for 30 to 60 minutes of study, homework and project work per night. It is often best to schedule a regular time, such as just before or after the family dinner.
Whatever the schedule, it’s also important to take breaks after school. And try to plan time carefully so that such work does not drag on and become demotivating.
6. Monitor stress
Even after settling into the new environment, getting to know teachers and their expectations and collecting a group of friends, the level of stress in high school can still be intense. Schools can be competitive environments. Exams (particularly high-stakes final exams) can be stressful to the point of debilitation. And social demands can be overwhelming.
Challenges like these can be exacerbated if students have unique needs such as physical or sensory impairments, learning disabilities, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or a mental health condition such as anxiety or depression. In cases where such challenges are known in advance, it is important to connect to the receiving school’s specialized supports, which often come in the form of guidance and counselling services and accessibility services.
Kids should also be monitored to ensure they’re coping with the demands being placed on them. Their ability to cope can change day to day and month to month, and parents should be ready to offer support when it’s needed. In some cases, stress can become overwhelming or persistent to the point of immobilization. If they aren’t experiencing reduced anxiety within a month, they likely need help.
If so, specialized professional support may be needed to identify the underlying problem and intervene appropriately. School counsellors can be a good place to start, while family doctors can often point the way toward a good child psychologist or counselling specialist.
With the right kind of planning and support, the transition to high school can be a life-changing and empowering one that can set your youth on the path toward an amazing future. Start now to plan for success.
El jefe de la Asociación de Maestros de Terranova y Labrador dice que un reciente informe sobre el sistema educativo de la provincia refleja lo que ha estado escuchando de sus miembros, pero la verdadera sustancia será en cómo se implementan las recomendaciones. El primer ministro Dwight Ball publicó el martes el Informe del Grupo de Trabajo sobre la mejora de los resultados educativos , diciendo que su gobierno planea comenzar a actuar sobre las 82 recomendaciones en 2018. La larga lista de cambios recomendados se centra en la educación inclusiva, los actuales programas de matemáticas y lectura, la salud mental de los estudiantes, el desarrollo profesional de los maestros y más. Jim Dinn, presidente del sindicato de maestros, dijo que el reporte aborda temas que han sido planteados por los maestros durante años, pero el verdadero desafío ahora será reunir a todas las personas adecuadas para cambiar las cosas para mejor. Lea el reporte completo aqui
The head of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Teachers’ Association says a recent report on the province’s education system reflects what he’s been hearing from his members, but the real substance will be in how the recommendations are implemented.
The long list of recommended changes centre around inclusive education, the current math and reading curriculums, student mental health, teacher professional development and more.
Jim Dinn, president of the teachers’ union, said the report addresses issues that have been raised by teachers for years, but the real challenge will now be bringing all the right people together to change things for the better.
The premier’s task force on education presented 82 recommendations that ranged from overhauling inclusive education to addressing student mental health and well being. (CBC)
«It’s a big challenge but it’s going to require all partners,» he told CBC Radio’s St. John’s Morning Show.
«It takes a village to raise a child, and it takes a community and a province to make an education system work.»
Inclusive education
When it comes to the inclusive education component, the task force report recommended an overhaul of the approach which has often been criticized by teachers who say more resources are needed.
Dinn said the problem over the last few years isn’t that people necessarily disagreed with the actual philosophy behind inclusion, but there was a feeling that they were just not equipped to properly manage an inclusive classroom.
«In my four years as president I will tell you I have yet to meet a teacher that they oppose inclusive education. The frustration for them is the inability to help the students in their care,» he said.
‘If you increase the time in one subject area, it’s coming from somewhere else.’– Jim Dinn
«I’ve been in schools where they’ve been noted for their inclusive education practices. Go back the next year and they’ve had a lot of the resources gutted, and they’re struggling.»
It’s a bit overwhelming to cover all 82 recommendation in one interview, Dinn said, but the most important point he wants to stress is that ultimately the ability or inability to implement any of the task force’s ideas will come down to the workload and class sizes that teachers have to contend with.
Government can give teachers all the professional development they want, but if they have a large class of varied students and little support to deal with them all, then it’s going to be a challenge to deliver proper education — no matter how well thought out the policies of the education system are.
«You cannot talk about diverse needs or student behaviour in the classroom without looking at the composition of that classroom,» he said.
«You cannot talk about the fact of having small group settings without realizing that that’s going to mean you will have to increase the numebr of teachers in the system.»
Flexibility with teaching math
The task force report also heavily focused on the need for changes to the current math and reading curriculums in the province, including ending current standardized provincial assessments.
Jim Dinn says addressing class sizes and composition is key to any improvement to educational outcomes. (Shutterstock/Syda Productions)
Dinn said requiring all students to use the exact same strategies for solving a math problem completely went against what teachers were told about inclusive education.
Instead, he said allowing educators more flexibility to teach and accept different ways of learning and how students show their work will benefit for everyone involved.
«It’s a system that’s based on diverse instruction, and differentiated instruction, yet we focus on that one marker, and one marker only,» he said.
«If you have a class that of students that are doing well in math, how many strategies do you need? They’ve obviously already mastered the skill.»
Dinn said he does have concerns about the recommendation to increase the amount of time spent on math by 20 per cent, and has questions about what courses will suffer to make up that extra time.
«If you increase the time in one subject area, it’s coming from somewhere else,» he said. «There are other subject areas that are important.»
Canadá/Agosto de 2017/Autor: Roberto Bécares/Fuente: El Mundo
Gestión educativa, modelos de liderazgo, integración en las aulas o innovación educativa son algunos de los aspectos en los que 40 docentes pertenecientes a equipos directivos o futuros equipos directivos de centros públicos bilingües de la Comunidad de Madrid han estado formándose este verano en el Programa de Liderazgo y Gestión Educativa celebrado en Canadá.
Allí, durante tres semanas, han conocido de primera mano uno de los sistemas educativos más avanzados en cuanto a la implantación del sistema de educaciónbilingüe (en Canadá son oficiales tanto el francés como el inglés). Durante tres semanas, los participantes, docentes de Primaria y Secundaria, han residido en dependencias de la Universidad Simon Fraser (Vancouver), una de las más innovadoras y prestigiosas de Canadá.
En el centro universitario, los participantes han recibido formación en liderazgo y gestión de centros educativos bilingües, área del conocimiento en la que la mencionada universidad está especializada, con cursos impartidos a docentes de numerosos países, como Alemania, Francia, México o Japón.
«En Canadá tienen una metodología que se parece a lo que tenemos nosotros en educación bilingüe; en esa parte hay similitudes y es muy interesante el enfoque que tienen», señala Manuel Suárez Alvite, director del Instituto de Educación Secundaria Los Poetas, en el distrito de Moncloa-Aravaca de Madrid, que ha participado este año en el programa.
Los docentes estuvieron en Bristish Columbia, donde la lengua predominante es el inglés, pero en los centros imparten muchas asignaturas en francés, no sólo la del idioma. En Madrid, los centros están obligados a dar un 30% de horas en inglés, pero muchos llegan hasta el 70%; algo parecido ocurre en Canadá.
En ese sentido, Alvite resalta la gran labor de «inclusión» que se realiza en los centros canadienses, ya que hay una población inmigrante elevada, y de cuyos métodos han tomado nota para que haya un aprendizaje más interactivo y donde todos participen. También destaca el consenso político que hubo en el país canadiense para cambiar el modelo curricular hace cinco años, donde colaboraron también profesores y directores de centros. «La idea general fue hacer un currículum menos extenso en contenidos, pero sí profundizando en los contenidos que se dan», resume el director.
La formación, que se ha impartido íntegramente en inglés, ha combinado sesiones teóricas y prácticas sobre aspectos como la gestión educativa y los distintos modelos de liderazgo, la creación de comunidades de aprendizaje, el sistema educativo bilingüe canadiense, el currículo y la evaluación, la innovación educativa, los planes de mejora de centros educativos o el aprendizaje social y emocional, entre otros.
Asimismo, el programa se ha completado con visitas a centros educativos locales, lo cual da a los participantes la oportunidad de conocer de cerca la realidad de la educación y de los modelos de liderazgo canadienses.
A través del plan conocido como Leadership Growth Plan, los participantes del curso ponen en práctica en sus propios centros los conocimientos adquiridos. Para facilitar el desarrollo del mismo, los docentes participarán, como continuación de la formación, en una serie de webinars (conferencia, taller o seminarios retransmitidos vía internet), que tendrán lugar en los meses de octubre, noviembre, enero, abril y mayo de 2018.
El director Alvite señala que la «interacción y compartir experiencias» entre los directores de centros madrileños «enriquece mucho la perspectiva» para valorar diferentes «estrategias» y enfoques a los problemas que surgen dentro de los centros.
A finales de mayo de 2018, está prevista la celebración de un simposio en el que participantes de las cinco ediciones del curso (170 docentes en total)podrán poner en común los resultados de lo aprendido.
Resumen: Un estudio sugiere que si bien los maestros pueden querer instruir sobre las escuelas residenciales e incluir la cultura indígena en sus aulas, no se sienten suficientemente seguros y están nerviosos por decir lo malo. Emily Milne, profesora asistente de sociología en la Universidad MacEwan de Edmonton, entrevistó a 100 padres y maestros indígenas y no indígenas en el sur de Ontario entre 2012 y 2014. Su informe, publicado en el International Indigenous Policy Journal, recomienda que las escuelas usen «entrenadores indígenas», quienes, según ella, fueron utilizados con éxito como un recurso para los maestros durante un programa de verano de prueba en una escuela de Ontario. «Había educadores que conocí que no sabían acerca de las escuelas residenciales. No sabían acerca de los pueblos indígenas en Canadá, la cultura indígena y el patrimonio y la historia «, dijo Milne durante una entrevista.
A study suggests that while teachers may want to instruct about residential schools and include Indigenous culture in their classrooms, they don’t feel confident enough and are nervous about saying the wrong thing.
Emily Milne, an assistant professor of sociology at MacEwan University in Edmonton, interviewed 100 Indigenous and non-Indigenous parents and teachers in southern Ontario between 2012 and 2014.
Her report, which was published in the International Indigenous Policy Journal, recommends that schools use “Indigenous coaches,” who she says were successfully used as a resource for teachers during a trial summer program at one Ontario school.
“There were educators I met who didn’t know about residential schools. They didn’t know about Indigenous people in Canada, Indigenous culture and heritage and history,” Milne said during an interview.
“Then there were teachers who knew a bit about it but still were unsure how to incorporate it into their classes, and maybe were too uncomfortable, and so didn’t.”
“The problem is that when you have people that are uncomfortable and intimidated, the result is that we have educators that may not be doing it at all.”
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s report into residential schools made several recommendations aimed at incorporating Indigenous history and culture into curricula for all students, including age-appropriate instruction about the schools.
Some of the recommendations have been endorsed by provincial governments, which control education, and teachers’ unions have posted articles on their websites with examples of ways educators can include Indigenous culture in everything from social studies to science.
The British Columbia Teachers’ Federation in June launched a guide for teaching about residential schools. It includes the short life and tragic death of Gladys Chapman, a child from the Spuzzum Nation, who died of tuberculosis at age 12 in Kamloops Indian Residential School.
But Milne said it’s hard to take something from a document or a book and implement it confidently.
Indigenous parents who were interviewed for Milne’s study were open to non-Indigenous teachers talking about Aboriginal culture, but said teachers sometimes misappropriate or incorrectly present information, sometimes lump groups together or make generalizing statements.
Melissa Purcell, supervisor of First Nation, Metis and Inuit education with the Edmonton Public School Board, said schools within that district have consultants to provide support on how to build relationships with elders, knowledge keepers and cultural advisers.
Some of the work involves helping teachers with culturally respectful terminology. The office also provides assistance with how to teach about residential schools.
“Some of our staff are in the very beginning stages where they’re just becoming aware of the importance and significance of why we do this work, and then some are becoming more aware and are keen to find innovative ways to weave it into their classrooms and school environments,” Purcell said.
Fred Hines, principal at an Edmonton school with mostly Indigenous students but a number of non-Indigenous teachers, said professional development, along with support, is key.
“It’s a transition. It’s not like a real ‘right or wrong,’ but if there’s anything that’s really culturally sensitive, that’s where you bring in your experts,” he said.
América del norte/Canadá/19 Agoato 2017/Fuente: Enpositivo
Siempre que se habla de educación aparece en la conversación el ejemplo de Finlandia como referencia y país de la mejor educación del mundo. Junto al país escandinavo, Corea del Sur y Singapur son potencias que ocupan los primeros puestos de los ránquines educativos especialmente los de la OCDE (La Organización para la Cooperación y Desarrollo Económico).
Las pruebas de la OCDE consisten en un estudio de varios factores de la educación que se emplean para la evaluación del rendimiento educativo de los estudiantes y son publicados cada tres años en los informes PISA.
En su estudio más reciente ha destacada Canadá como la nueva potencia educativa a nivel mundial, posicionándose junto a los tres países veteranos y dando mucho de qué hablar como ejemplo educativo.
Cada país tiene un sistema educativo diferente, sin embargo y a pesar de sus diferencias, tanto el país europeo como el asiático y el norteamericano son los líderes de la educación. Por ejemplo, mientras Finlandia destaca por su corto horario escolar, ningún tipo de deberes para casa, prácticas laborales obligatorias, participación y curiosidad como puntuación y todo tipo de ayudas, entre muchos otros factores, Corea del Sur apuesta por más de 10 horas de clases al día, muchos deberes y memorización como aprendizaje.
Ambos sistemas educativos son diferentes, pero, al mismo tiempo, son dos de las superpotencias educativas a nivel mundial, cuyos jóvenes más y mejor educados están y contribuyen a su vez a la economía del país.
Pero ahora parece que Canadá se lleva toda la atención y se convierte en la superpotencia educativa con el mayor número de jóvenes educados, además de posicionarse entre los 10 países con notas más altas en matemáticas, ciencias y lectura.
El sistema educativo de Canadá tiene sus propias normas y peculiaridades que han logrado destacar con los mejores resultados, pero el motivo y el secreto de su éxito es la equidad entre todos sus ciudadanos.
Canadá tiene una elevada tasa de inmigración, más de un tercio de jóvenes adultos canadienses son procedentes de otros países. Las familias que llegan a Canadá disponen de facilidades entregadas por parte de los canadienses para integrarse rápidamente en su cultura logrando así no desentonar en la escuela y continuar con su educación al mismo nivel que sus compañeros.
Las diferencias culturales en Canadá no son ningún inconveniente para la educación tal y como muestra el último informe de PISA. Todos los escolares se encuentran al mismo nivel, no importa de dónde hayan llegado.
Según John Jerrim, profesor del Instituto de Educación de College University de Londres afirma que, al contrario que en algunos países, los migrantes que llegan a Canadá de destinos como China o India no suponen ninguna amenaza ni competitividad sino todo lo contrario, representan una gran parte de su éxito. Además, los extranjeros que llegan a Canadá lo hacen buscando el éxito personal y finalmente terminan inculcándoselo a sus propios hijos motivándoles en su educación.
También es muy curioso que, a diferencia del resto de países que destacan por su educación, Canadá no tiene un sistema educativo nacional, sino que cada provincia tiene sus propias normas siendo autónomas. La OCDE detectó que la acción del gobierno canadiense en la educación es muy limitada. Aun así y sea el método que sea, Canadá acoge y educa todos sus ciudadanos por igual sin distinguir entre nacionalidades.
Como curiosidad y para quien no se haya percatado aún de que Canadá es la nueva referencia educativa, los premios Global Teacher Prize nombraban a la canadiense Maggie Macdonnell como mejor maestra del mundo.
Resumen: Jo-Ann Archibald se convirtió en uno de los pocos graduados indígenas del programa de educación para maestros de la Universidad de Columbia Británica. A partir de allí dedicó su carrera docente en escuela pública, y eventualmente en el sector universitario, desde donde trabajó para incluir en los planes de estudios del sistema educativo, la cultura, la lengua y las maneras indígenas de saber . De igual manera ayudó a cambiar la forma en que la universidad más grande de la provincia involucró a las comunidades indígenas, apoyó a sus estudiantes y dio prioridad al contenido indígena en cada área temática. De igual manera ayudó a establecer una nueva metodología para la educación indígena y a crear cursos de educación para maestros y estudiantes de doctorado, por lo que elaboró una propuesta para nuevos maestros en conocimiento indígena, y un programa de doctorado en educación indígena. Sobre los cambios que considera que todavía son necesarios, señala que se necesita hacer mucho más en la preparación de los maestros de educación básica para que estén mejor formados en cuanto el impacto de la colonización, para entender cómo eso ha impactado a generaciones de indígenas y para pensar cómo podrían empezar a trabajar con las familias y comunidades indígenas, incluyendo más conocimiento indígena en su práctica. Por otra parte señala que si bien en los post-secundarios se han asumido realmente la Indigenización de la academia, y han asumido una gran parte de la formación para la reconciliación, necesitamos tener muchos más profesores indígenas.
Jo-Ann Archibald remembers her experience as a Sto:lo First Nations member in Chilliwack public schools in the 1950s to late 1960s as one that required straddling two completely different worlds. But the world of school rarely acknowledged Indigenous people or culture.
“When I got to high school, there was a little bit about ‘Indian people,’ but it was always negative,” said Archibald, who retired last month as an education professor from the University of British Columbia after 35 years.
“It was the ‘Indian problem,’ or it was history and it was the ‘fierce Indian people’ fighting the British or the French. So there was nothing ever to be proud of.”
Yet Archibald went on to become one of the few Indigenous graduates from the University of British Columbia’s teacher education program. She dedicated her teaching career in the public school system, and eventually at UBC, to including Indigenous culture, language and ways of knowing into the curriculum.
On developing Indigenous-led school courses:
My first job was in the North Vancouver School District, and they were interested in developing some curriculum [in 1972] that was related to Squamish people. So I was on the committee to start that. At that time it was a rather innovative approach, because there wasn’t that much happening [with Indigenous curriculum] in the public schools.
In 1976 [while teaching in Chilliwack], the Coqualeetza Cultural Centre started documenting a lot of their [Sto:lo] culture and language, because it had been oral up to this time. And that work became part of the [public and band] elementary school curriculum that was used in Chilliwack, and I would say in the province that was among the first [Indigenous-created curriculum] to really start as a comprehensive curriculum in the elementary grades. There were units in each grade level from Grades 1 to 7.
On her graduate studies experience:
There was nothing in the [Masters of Education] program that was Indigenous. It was all western, mainstream stuff. But I would always try and look at it from an Indigenous perspective, and always did my assignments on Indigenous topics.
It was about 1989-90 when I went into my PhD. I found ways to make my own learning meaningful. I chose to go into these programs knowing they wouldn’t have much Indigenous [content]. But I figured if I wanted to stay working at UBC, I needed to have the doctoral degree.
I think that helped motivate me as I continued working with UBC, to make institutional change. That’s been probably my consistent theme of what I do: try and change the university or the kindergarten to Grade 12 system to make the systems more responsive, respectful of Indigeneity.
On her involvement with NITEP — then the Native Indian Teacher Education Program, now known as UBC’s Indigenous Teacher Education Program, for Indigenous students who want culturally relevant teacher training:
The opportunity arose to work with NITEP students [in 1981]. I really enjoyed my interactions with NITEP. I always wished that I had gone through that kind of teacher ed program, because it was Indigenous and there were Indigenous people, and you could be in your home community.
I became the director of NITEP [In 1985]. My goal was to keep on strengthening the Indigenous component, through the coursework, through expanding the field centres [satellite campuses near or in Indigenous communities], to just making sure that we could have community-based centres. That was the principle: whenever a new field centre was started, we always worked with the Indigenous communities [and elders] of the area.
I always felt that NITEP students — the majority were women with children — were very committed to improving their lives and their communities, and doing that as a teacher. So I always was amazed by what they were able to persist in, because they experienced what I did, but even more intense because many came from rural communities.
On the available supports for UBC Indigenous students in the 1980s & 1990s:
In 1987, Verna Kirkness started what was called the First Nations House of Learning. Eventually the First Nations House of Learning provided more student services, especially when the First Nations Longhouse was opened in 1993. But until that time, it was only NITEP [and UBC Faculty of Law’s Indigenous program].
In 1993 I became the director of the First Nations House of Learning. I still did a little with NITEP, but my energies were focused on the wider university at that time, and providing the student services in the longhouse.
On changes she helped introduce at UBC, first as director of First Nations House of Learning:
The grade point average for entry into faculties was very high, and when you looked at what happened to Indigenous students in high school, the graduation rates probably would have been in the 50 per cent range.
And some are older learners and they have work experience. We convened a committee of Indigenous faculty and the university admissions, and we set about establishing an Aboriginal admissions policy.
Another important aspect was work with the other deans, associate deans within the faculties on: ‘How can we increase not only the [Indigenous] students, but [Indigenous] courses or programs?’
Then as associate dean of Indigenous Education:
[In the mid 2000s], the faculty of education was in the process of revising its total teacher ed program. [A mandatory Indigenous] course was always talked about. There was interest among more faculty members to ensure we had the Indigenous course.
Also at the time, the BC Teachers’ College, the teacher accreditation body, were recommending a three-credit or equivalent Aboriginal ed course in each teacher ed program. That also helped reinforce why we needed Aboriginal ed, but I know we started the program at least a year before that accreditation change happened.
I was able to work [along with other faculty] to establish a peer support program for graduate students we called SAGE [Supporting Aboriginal Graduate Enhancement]: a province-wide network for any graduate student doing Indigenous research.
Then we started an annual Indigenous grad student conference, and that’s been going on for 15 years.
I helped to establish some new Indigenous methodology and education courses for masters and doctoral students, and put together a proposal for a new masters in Indigenous knowledge, and [a] doctoral program in Indigenous education, which I hope is still working its way through being approved.
I’ve helped contribute to increasing the number of Indigenous faculty members. Because that’s another area that I think has been lacking — very few Indigenous tenure-track faculty members. In education, we started out at four [Indigenous faculty members], and got to 10.
On what changes are still needed:
We need to do a lot more in K-12 with teachers to get them better prepared to know more about the impact of colonization, to understand how that has impacted generations of Indigenous people. And to think about how might they start to work with Indigenous families and communities, how might they include more Indigenous knowledge in their practice.
We have now 11 per cent of the K-12 population that are Indigenous, and it will increase. We need to do better as far as the graduation rate.
I believe the post-secondaries have really taken on Indigenizing the academy, and have taken up a lot of the reconciliation, wanting to talk more about how to address the [Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s] Calls to Action. We need to have many more Indigenous faculty members. We need to go through the whole system: K-12, undergraduate and graduate in order to have more faculty members.
At the same time, we have to keep educating non-Indigenous faculty members, so that they can be more responsive in how they teach. And they can do it knowing they have no Indigenous students in their courses: it’s for everybody. It’s part of who we are as Canadians.
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