In Their Own Voices: First Nations Students Identify Some Cultural Mediators of Their Learning in the Formal School System

• Main Author: Kanu, Yatta
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: University of Alberta 2002
• Subjects: First Nations; Premières Nations
• Online Access: https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/ajer/article/view/54917

Theories of cognition argue that children develop thinking, communication, learning, and motivational styles consistent with the culture into which they are socialized. Cultural socialization, therefore, influences how students learn, particularly how students mediate, negotiate, and respond to curriculum materials, instructional strategies, learning tasks, and communication patterns in the classroom. But what specific aspects of culture influence the learning of a particular group of students? The author set out to answer this question in relation to First Nations students by conducting research among First Nations students in a Winnipeg high school. Five culturally relevant themes were identified that provide insights into the development of appropriate instruction for preservice teachers for the enhancement of cross-cultural communication, the design and implementation of assessment strategies, and the creation of effective instructional materials. These are traditional Aboriginal approaches to learning, patterns of oral interaction, concepts of self, curriculum relevance, and the educator's interpersonal style. Selon les théories sur la cognition, les enfants développent des structures de raisonnement, de communication et d'apprentissage ainsi que des schèmes motivationnels qui correspondent à la culture dans laquelle ils sont socialisés. La socialisation culturelle influencerait donc l'apprentissage des élèves, surtout la façon dont ils abordent et manipulent la matière, les stratégies d'enseignement, les activités d'apprentissage et les modèles de communication dans la salle de classe. La question qui se pose est donc la suivante: quels sont les aspects culturels qui agissent sur l'apprentissage d'un groupe donné d'élèves? L'auteur a voulu répondre à cette question par rapport aux élèves des Premières Nations en étudiant des Autochtones fréquentant une école secondaire à Winnipeg. On a identifié cinq thèmes culturellement significatifs susceptibles de guider la formation des stagiaires dans le but ...