Partnership Development for Researching the Education of Aboriginal Students: A Youth Exchange through Arts & Technology - Stories of Culture, Identity, Community and Place

• Main Authors: Donald, Dwayne, Conrad, Diane
• Other Authors: GAPSSHRC
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: English
• Published: 2014
• Subjects: edu; socio; Canada; Northwest Territories; First Nations
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.7939/R33F4KR53; https://era.library.ualberta.ca/items/88b86b10-c694-4400-891a-c475b36851d9

SSHRC Awarded PDG 2015: Challenge: Education for Aboriginal students across Canada is in dire need of enrichment given the legacy of residential schools and the persistent failure of mainstream curriculum to engage Aboriginal learners. The education of Aboriginal students has become a national priority and consequently an increasing demand for teachers who understand the pedagogical implications of working with Aboriginal students. The objectives of our study are to 1) establish sustainable collaborations between three diverse Aboriginal community schools and organizations that support those schools; 2) undertake research development of co-created curriculum models, through arts, digital technology and youth exchange, for nurturing the educational success of Aboriginal learners; 3) build capacity within the communities to utilize and further develop the emergent curricular models; 4) disseminate learning from the study to schools, school authorities, and teacher preparation programs locally, nationally and internationally; 5) develop other partnerships for research into the education of Aboriginal learners. Partnership: Our collaboration involves University of Alberta researchers including a leading Indigenous scholar; three diverse First Nations schools including a community school in the Northwest Territories; a school on a Southern Alberta reserve, with the Principal as research collaborator; an urban Aboriginal school in Edmonton, Alberta; two school boards; a community council; a Northern community college; and a government department. Relationship building activities and consultation processes undertaken with the communities including a meeting of representatives from all three communities have indicated that education is a priority for all partners; they have identified the partnership development as aligning with their established goals. Partners will provide leadership for the research; analyze and evaluate the processes and products of the curriculum exploration, attuned to the specific cultural ...