sylvia moore | Memorial University of Newfoundland (original) (raw)

Papers by sylvia moore

Frontiers in Education, 2022

Indigenous second language programs in K-12 schools contribute to culturally nourishing education... more Indigenous second language programs in K-12 schools contribute to culturally nourishing education and to the revitalization of Indigenous languages. Assessing Indigenous second language learning presents particular opportunities and challenges based on the linguistic, historical, political, cultural, and social contexts in and for which the Indigenous language is being taught and learned. The self-governing Inuit region of Nunatsiavut is concerned with developing effective and appropriate tools for assessing students’ Inuttitut in order to evaluate how well K-12 programs are working so far, identify the basis on which future K-12 Inuttitut curriculum may be developed, and support ongoing assessment of learning and for learning in Inuttitut classrooms. This article discusses ways in which Inuit teachers in Nunatsiavut and a curriculum evaluation team have developed and implemented assessment tools and practices to evaluate Inuttitut learning in Nunatsiavut area K-12 schools. We discu...

This chapter examines how government policies regarding social inclusion have impacted the Indige... more This chapter examines how government policies regarding social inclusion have impacted the Indigenous1 Peoples of Canada. Although Canada has embraced multiculturalism as a national identity, Aboriginal Peoples have remained largely outside of the multiculturalism discourse and inclusion policies. This chapter begins with a review of the government legislation that has established a system of social equity in the country but has excluded Indigenous Peoples. It then examines the Indian Act, which attempted to forcibly assimilate the First Peoples through ‘eliminat[ing] Aboriginal governments; ignor[ing] Aboriginal rights; terminat[ing] the Treaties; and, through a process of assimilation, cause[d] Aboriginal Peoples to cease to exist as distinct legal, social, cultural, religious, and racial entities in

The Morning Watch: Educational and Social Analysis, Apr 9, 2021

This paper is a written account of the ICMPC-ESCOM 2021 workshop “Cross-Cultural and Decolonized ... more This paper is a written account of the ICMPC-ESCOM 2021 workshop “Cross-Cultural and Decolonized Research,” and an opportunity to dig deeper into some of the topics that were discussed over the course of organizing and presenting the workshop. The paper is divided into four sections: 1) why we organized the workshop, and our reflections on it; 2) a summary and critique of two previous papers (Jacoby & Margulis et al., 2020; Savage, Jacoby, Margulis et al., forthcoming) with recommendations about cross-cultural work in music science; 3) a summary of the responses to five questions we posed to experts in cross-cultural and anti-colonial/imperial research, prefaced by a discussion of how we chose who we wanted to approach; and 4) our reflections on future steps music science can take to engage cross-cultural and anti-colonial/imperial research ethically.

Acknowledgements We gratefully acknowledge research funding by ArcticNet Centre for Research Exce... more Acknowledgements We gratefully acknowledge research funding by ArcticNet Centre for Research Excellence, and Dr. Sandy McAuley, as Primary Investigator on the broader ArcticNet project. We also acknowledge the students, faculty, and staff who shared stories, and allowed their stories to be further shared

Memorial University's 2009 Presidential Task Force on Aboriginal Initiatives called for the estab... more Memorial University's 2009 Presidential Task Force on Aboriginal Initiatives called for the establishment of a community-based teacher education program for Labrador. The Faculty of Education at Memorial and the Nunatsiavut Government (NG) subsequently worked together to develop an Inuit-focused primary-elementary pre-service program for Goose Bay, a community adjacent to Nunatsiavut. For NG, the training of local Inuit teachers in the Inuit Bachelor of Education (IBED) is an important step towards taking control of the K-12 education system in their land claim area. In this paper we explore the design and pedagogical practices of that program. The macro-level program design pays attention to context-relevant factors such as academic and cultural supports, program sequence and schedule, workload-family balance, and the selection of instructors. The curriculum design is guided by "Two-Eyed Seeing," a model that respects the differences in Western and Indigenous ways of understanding the world and draws on the strengths of both (Marshall, Marshall & Iwama, 2010). Inuit culture is infused, in all aspects of the IBED, through landbased experiences, Inutittut language training, the inclusion of Inuit Elders, and the use of Inuit specific resources. The pre-service teachers are developing pedagogical practices that: reflect Inuit ways of teaching and learning, embrace culturally relevant Inuit education within the context of provincial curricula, and align with the goals of The National Inuit Education Strategy (2011).

Canadian Journal of Education, 2017

Engaged Scholar Journal: Community-Engaged Research, Teaching, and Learning

This article is a reflection on an education research project, based in a Mi’kmaw community, whic... more This article is a reflection on an education research project, based in a Mi’kmaw community, which brought together staff and students from North Queens School with community members from Wildcat First Nation to collaborate in a project involving Atlantic salmon and bass in the Mi’kmaw community. Framed in the Mi’kmaw concept of msit no’kmaq (all my relations), the writing explores four strands of interconnectivity that exemplify how engaged scholarship with Indigenous communities is based in respectful and reciprocal relationships. The four strands represent relationships: between adults, adults and children, humans and salmon, and people and the land.

International Journal of Circumpolar Health

Études/Inuit/Studies

The Inuit Bachelor of Education (IBED) program in Labrador is a partnership between the Nunatsiav... more The Inuit Bachelor of Education (IBED) program in Labrador is a partnership between the Nunatsiavut Government (NG) and Memorial University of Newfoundland. It is preparing teachers to be key participants in NG’s education system. The IBED students and Sylvia Moore, the lead faculty member in the program, have based this paper on a collaborative presentation. The writers explore the tensions between the current provincial curriculum offered in the regional schools and a curriculum that is founded on Inuit history, culture, and worldview, restores the central role of the Inuit language, and is community-based as recommended in the 2011 National Strategy on Inuit Education. The students discuss four key threads of culturally relevant education: land, language, resources, and local knowledge. Moore reflects on how the IBED program incorporates these same elements to support Inuit identity and the developing pedagogy of the pre-service teachers.

American Indian Culture and Research Journal, 2011

Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, 2012

Written as a trickster tale and co-narrated by the researcher and a trickster figure (Crow), this... more Written as a trickster tale and co-narrated by the researcher and a trickster figure (Crow), this writing considers the challenges of bringing traditional ecological knowledge to environmental studies and science programs. The researcher describes a project to raise and release salmon, which was collaboratively developed and carried out by members of a First Nations community and staff at the local public school. The participants gathered in learning circles, shared stories of salmon and the river, and then ceremoniously released the salmon in the spring. Although at a different academic level, the research highlights key components of the work between formal education institutions and Indigenous communities to bring traditional knowledge into education programs. Trickster challenges the researcher's version of the story, suggesting it is simply a nice little story. Instead, he claims that the story has to be turned inside out. This takes the research story to “trickster space” (Vizenor, as cited in Blaeser 1996, p. 162), which is characterized by the contradictions and confusion that exist when moving from an Eurocentric to an Indigenous world view. The researcher concludes that in order to integrate Indigenous knowledge into university-based programs, scholars must develop relationships with members of the local First Nations communities and learn their ways of understanding the world.

LEARNing Landscapes

A narrative approach was adopted to explore the experiences of 13 women who pursued academic care... more A narrative approach was adopted to explore the experiences of 13 women who pursued academic careers. Analysis of the personal reflective narratives uncovered themes common to the participants, also the authors of this study, which focused on striving to have work-life balance, personal and professional costs associated with being unwell, and the impact of academic work on families. Findings highlighted suggestions for being well in academia such as choose to engage in work and leisure activities that are enjoyable and maintain relationships. Suggestions for universities included: provide clear promotion and tenure processes, examine workload expectations, promote wellness, and facilitate mentorship. About Memorial University’s Faculty of Education Writing Group In 2009, a group of members from a Faculty of Education began meeting to share their writing and discuss the writing process. We meet regularly and each member takes a turn hosting the meeting. There are no strict deadlines ...

Learning Landscapes, 2017