A CULTURALLY RELEVANT PROGRAM IN A FIRST NATION CLASSROOM: AN ACTION RESEARCH STUDY

• Main Author: Sayers, Mackenzie Ann
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: Scholarship@Western 2010
• Subjects: action research; culturally relevant programming; First Nations
• Online Access: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/digitizedtheses/3677; https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/context/digitizedtheses/article/7495/viewcontent/2022_05_03_Culturally_Relevant_First_Nation_Classroom_Program_OCR.pdf

In contrast to the negative era of residential schooling during which efforts were made to extinguish Aboriginal languages and culture, cultural revival is now regarded as a positive and desirable aspect of First Nations education. Through the use of an action research methodology, this thesis explores the development and implementation of a culturally relevant program in a First Nation classroom. The research is presented as a story of the journey an educator took, thereby respecting the First Nations' tradition of story telling as a teaching and learning method designed to promote understanding. The research demonstrated that implementing a culturally relevant program in a First Nation classroom requires the use of a teacher-guided approach that utilizes community resources to ensure a program compatible with the community’s culture. Programming ran most smoothly when it allowed students to be active participants and engage in hands-on activities. Teacher reflections reinforced the findings of others that a culturally relevant program could instill confidence in students, improve classroom management, and provide growth for an educator in a First Nation classroom.