Ethnic Diversity InstructionNative AmericansOlivia Farrington & Sarah Robinson

Cultural Values & Characteristics

Respect elders, look to them for guidanceThey are the heart of their culture and it is their jov to pass down the knowledge of their culture to the next generations

Group mentality- identity tied closely to family or clan

Sharing and giving is important

Controlling and manipulating others is offensive

Directness and assertiveness are offensive behaviors

Try to live in harmony with each other

Matriarchal Society

Continued…Emphasis on learning by doing and watching

Children given freedom so they can learn from consequences of their actions

Typically deeply spiritual Native American Church- meetings and ceremonies

Time valued less than relationship

In competition, the emphasis is on the team, not the individual

Language and traditional ways are important to know

Keep traditions alive

Respect Mother Earth

Stereotypical Biases and Perceptions

All Indians are alcoholics

Indians ride buffalo and live in teepees… still.

They can actually turn into werewolves

Learning StylesNative American/American System

Value and develop acute visual discrimination skills in the use of imagery

Value and develop refined verbal skills

Value cooperative behavior and excel in cooperative environments

Value competition among individuals and excel as independent learners

Continued…

Global learners – initially require an overall picture when learning a task

Analytic learners – fact-oriented and proceed with learning a task in a more sequential and step-by-step manner

Reflective LearnersImpulsive Learners

Instructional Strategies

Repeatedly observing the activity being done by another

Practicing in Private

Do not perform in public, until confident that it can be done well

Circular CommunicationThe speaker speaks around the subject and allows listeners to come to their own conclusions (each person can have a different perspective on the same incident or conversation)

Linear Communication (European): people say exactly what they mean and what they want you to believe

Parables/Allegory/Tales/Examples

Continued…

Whole-Class DiscussionNative Americans are encouraged to show attention by avoiding eye contact and being silent

MotivationPrefer to learn information that is personally relevant and interesting to them

Use of personal and community-based experiences is key

Encourage interaction among peers, teachers, and their environment (participants in their education)

Suggested

Provide a multicultural curriculum

Provide instruction that is sensitive to both sociolinguistic differences and diverse learning styles

Increase the curriculum’s personal relevance to the students by contextualizing instruction in the learner’s experience or previous knowledge

Give students a choice in what they learn

Continued…

Connect academic endeavors to real purposes valued by the students

Generate products for real audiences

Replace passive teaching methods with active learning in which students are encouraged to interact with peers, teachers, and their environment and in which students are encouraged to be active participants in their educations

BibliographyBureau of Indian Affairs. (2009). Who We Are. Retrieved January 15, 2010 from <http://www.bia.gov/WhoWeAre/index.htm>.

Jacobs, D. T. & Reyhner, J. (2002). Preparing teachers to support American Indian and Alaska Native student success and cultural heritage. Charleston, WV: ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Schools. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED459990).

More, A. J. (1990). “Learning styles of Native Americans and Asians.” Paper presented at the 98th Annual Meeting of the American Psychology Association, Boston, MA, August 13, 1990. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED330535).

Swisher, K. (1990). “Cooperative learning and the education of American Indian/Alaska Native students: A review of the literature and suggestions for implementation.” Journal of American Indian Education, 29 (2), 36-43.