The Learning Processes and Teaching Roles in Native Education

Question: Discuss about the Learning Processes and Teaching Roles in Native Education for Cultural Base and Cultural Brokerage. Answer: Introduction Relevance There is a fundamental difference in the context of world-view as advocated in the Aboriginal culture as against the mainstream culture represented by the English language. While, the traditional culture is symbolised by Aboriginal culture and modern being represented by mainstream culture, there are stark contrasts between the two. In order to ensure that the penetration of education is enhanced amongst the Aboriginal population in Canada, this cultural difference plays a vital role. This is primarily because on one hand the native education seeks to safeguard the rich cultural base and heritage of the Aborigines but at the same time they ought to imbibe some of the mainstream education. The teachers from native population tends to act as cultural brokers in this regard since they act as a bridge between the native education and mainstream education and thereby seek to bring about a harmonious and desirable integration of the two. This would successfully bring about a sustainable ch ange in the educational status of these people and thus enhance their development (Battiste and Barman). Cultural Brokerage and Significance The teachers engaged in Native education need to make important choices in order to enhance the learning outcome and most importantly to gain acceptability amongst the Aboriginal community. Failure to do the above, leads to dissatisfaction and high drop out amongst the community and native education receives a huge setback(White, Peters and Beavon). The concept of Cultural Brokerage in context of Aboriginal education was brought forward by Arlene Stairs in the context of tensions experienced with regards to teaching experiences of North Baffin communities. He indicates that there are two models (Traditional education and mainstream education) that are adopted in parallel which are starkly different. He opined that to enhance the education outcomes, the native teachers must act as cultural brokers and must enhance the modern concepts through traditional tales and keep the essence of the culture intact. However, he indicated that this integration has not happened in the past which has quashed all hopes in these native communities of bringing about educational change. This lack of integration has been at display at all levels of education and a significant contributory factor to the continued backwardness of the native communities in Canada (Stairs). Issues and Corrective Measures As per a survey in Ontario schools by Mackay Miles, it has been found that the major factor which tends to lead to dropouts and failure of youths from native communities is the overall failure of the process used for education of these students. It was found that in educational institutions which fostered a partnership with native communities and had respect for their culture, the outcomes in terms of learning were much higher while at the same time dropout ratio was considerably lower. Hesch conducted a review of the SUNTEP i.e. Saskatchewan Urban Native Teacher Education Program and found a host of issues with regards to teaching practices and the associated curriculum. This gave rise to an inefficient educational system where the teachers and Native students were pulled in different directions, thus leading to unsatisfactory outcomes(White, Peters and Beavon). Thus, research scholars in this domain suggest that such tensions need to be minimised for enhancing learning outcomes. F urther, in order to enhance credibility and act as a successful cultural broker, participation of elders belonging to native communities is also highly helpful. The inclusion of elders is highly helpful in enhancing learning outcomes especially because amongst the native populations also, there is high diversity with regards to beliefs and culture(Leavitt). It has been also suggested that the mainstream evaluation model should be substituted with alternate self-evaluation and assessment models that could be more effective. Additionally, the non-native teachers need to develop an understanding of the native culture so that the professional and social expectations of the teachers and students can integrate (Kitchen, Cherubini and Trudeau). Conclusion It may be concluded from the above discussion that the education in the native population should be propagated in a manner which safeguards their culture. Additionally, the processes and curriculum should be designed in a manner so that the teachers can act as cultural brokers. In this process, the government is a critical stakeholder which needs to ensure mandatory training of non-native teachers with regards to native culture and traditional values. Further, the professional and social outcomes should be defined in congruence with the aboriginal population who need to act as active partners in this process. Only then can the process of educational change bring about inclusive progress in these communities and enhance their development without harming their cultural identity. References Battiste, M and J Barman. First Nations education in Canada: The circle unfolds. Vancouver: University of British Columbia, 1995. Kitchen, J, et al. " Weeding out or developing capacity? Challenges for Aboriginal teacher education." Alberta Journal of Educational Research (2010): 102-110. Leavitt, R. " Language and cultural content in Native education." Battiste, M and J Barman. First Nations education in Canada: The circle unfolds. Vancouver: University of British Columbia, 1995. 124-138. Stairs, Andre. "Learning processes and teaching roles in native education: Cultural base and Cultural Brokerage." Battiste, M and J Barman. First Nations education in Canada: The circle. Vancouver: University of British Columbia, 1995. 139-153. White, JP, et al. Aboriginal education: Current crisis and future alternatives . Toronto: Thompson Educational Publishing, 2009.