Indigenous-Based Adult Education Learning Material Development: Integration, Practical Challenges, and Contextual Considerations in Focus (original) (raw)

Literacy practitioners\u27 perspectives on adult learning needs and technology approaches in Indigenous communities

2010

Current reports of literacy rates in Australia indicate an ongoing gap in literacy skills between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian adults, at a time when the literacy demands of work and life are increasing. There are many perspectives on what are the literacy needs of Indigenous adults,from the perspectives of community members themselves to the relatively under-researched perspective of literacy practitioners. This paper provides the insights, experiences and recommendations from adult literacy practitioners who work with adult Indigenous learners in communities across Australia. Focus group interviews, using an online synchronous platform, were used to elicit views about the literacy needs of Indigenous adults in communities and the successes in and barriers to meeting those needs. The practitioners also shared their views on the use of technology in literacy learning. Together, these views can informfuture directions in curriculum design and teaching approaches for commu...

Literacy practitioners' perspectives on adult learning needs and technology approaches in Indigenous communities

Australian Journal of Adult Learning, 2010

Current reports of literacy rates in Australia indicate an ongoing gap in literacy skills between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian adults, at a time when the literacy demands of work and life are increasing. There are many perspectives on what are the literacy needs of Indigenous adults, from the perspectives of community members themselves to the relatively under-researched perspective of literacy practitioners. This paper provides the insights, experiences and recommendations from adult literacy practitioners who work with adult Indigenous learners in communities across Australia. Focus group interviews, using an Literacy practitioners' perspectives on adult learning 261 online synchronous platform, were used to elicit views about the literacy needs of Indigenous adults in communities and the successes in and barriers to meeting those needs. The practitioners also shared their views on the use of technology in literacy learning. Together, these views can inform future directions in curriculum design and teaching approaches for community-based Indigenous adult literacy education.

Adult education and indigenous people: Addressing gender in policy and practice

International Journal of Educational Development, 2006

Adult education programmes developed for or by indigenous communities rarely seem to have addressed gender inequalities. Yet, compared to mainstream adult educational interventions promoting instrumental approaches to 'functional literacy', such programmes often appear highly politicised, starting from a standpoint of promoting indigenous peoples' rights. We look at the reasons for the absence of gender analysis from policy and research on indigenous adult education and highlight key issues within indigenous adult education, when viewed from a gendered perspective, particularly language, assessment, learning structures and programme objectives. Drawing on case studies of indigenous adult education programmes in South and SouthEast Asia, we emphasise the need for participatory, non-hierarchical processes in adult education that can provide legitimate space for multiple voices within indigenous groups, without enhancing the sense of marginalisation. The principles underlying indigenous adult education programmes can help planners to challenge and respond to gender inequalities.

Teaching and Learning Indigenous Knowledge

If Indigenous education might well be thought of as ‘composite’, made up of several parts or elements, this paper offers three potential differences in relation to such education. The first part briefly analyses education in general – considering self-learning, the notion of ‘position’, and the very idea of transformative learning – but also suggests that Indigenous persons might be highly intelligent beings who might not accept the ‘white’ educational process, and thus how education might be ‘diversified’ rather than similar. The second considers the idea of university education, and how specific issues might well be ‘applied’ to Indigenous persons, such as Indigenous ‘houses of learning’. And the third – quite contrary to university education – analyses the possibility of vocational educational and training re Indigenous people. A number of sources are analysed, and the brief conclusion suggests what might be understood about Indigenous education.

Adult Education and Indigenous Peoples in Canada. International Survey on Adult Education for Indigenous Peoples. Country Study: Canada

2000

Adult education for indigenous peoples in Canada was examined. First, information on government institutions, indigenous organizations, international agencies, and nongovernmental organizations engaged in adult education for Canada's indigenous peoples was compiled. Next, questionnaires and survey techniques were used to research the policy and practice of adult education for Canada's indigenous peoples. Special attention was paid to the following topics: (1) Canada's demographic and cultural characteristics; (2) postsecondary education for Canada's aboriginal peoples in the past and present; and (3) issues and challenges for postsecondary education for Canada's aboriginal peoples (access; completion rates; Indian control of Indian education; and relevance). The study established that, in the past 30 years, postsecondary education for Canada's Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. BIBLIOGRAPHY ALBERTA EDUCATION. Advanced Education and Career Development Initiatives.

Education : building on indigenous knowledge

2005

Indigenous knowledge (IK) can act as a powerful tool in a learning environment to teach students. Conventional curricula, and achievement tests in many countries, however, do not support students' learning based on their IK. Learning environments need to be adapted to help students build on their indigenous communities' knowledge, and by recognizing students' culture and value systems. Educators can further this type of education by combining appropriate pedagogical techniques1. The note presents various strategies that can help educators recognize the IK that students bring with them to learning environments, and use this as a stepping-stone to help them succeed academically. In addition, three educational programs that have successfully integrated IK into their projects are highlighted.

Assessment of Text-Based Instructional Materials Used Among Indigenous Peoples (IP) Learners in a New Normal Classroom

International Journal of Membrane Science and Technology

This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of instructional materials used for Indigenous Peoples (IP) learners in the Division of Butuan City during distance learning. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the research incorporated both quantitative and qualitative methods. Correlation analyses were utilized to determine significant associations between variables, while teachers' profiles and the integration of Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Practices (IKSPs) were described using frequency tables and weighted means. The findings indicated that many teachers in IP schools were newly hired, with few pursuing graduate studies, and most of them were non-IPs. Their level of cultural literacy, based on relevant training programs, was moderate, with a few teachers considered experts who could contribute to future capacity-building efforts. IP learners generally had positive learning experiences when teachers incorporated indigenized big books, Weekly Learning Activity Sheets, and in...

Indigenous Educational Models for Contemporary Practice

2000

is a unique and exciting approach to addressing the important question of what philosophy should drive education for Aboriginal peoples. The authors contest the main premises of the Western model of education by developing an educational vision that is rooted in, and supportive of, In digenous ways of knowing. The book emerged from a gathering at Sol у Sombra in Santa Fe, New Mexico, that brought together a select group of 14 Indigenous educators from New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and the United States who have been recognized as leaders in their own communities for their work in establishing innovative responses to educational challenges. The book explores these individuals' community and/or tribal perspectives on educa tion and attempts to situate them in a pan-Aboriginal series of principles. For this the book's authors are to be commended.