For all students, especially Native students, it is important to provide cultural and historical background information on the topic being taught. This background information enriches the curriculum and relates topics to the students’ personal lives.
- Traditional learning in many Native cultures begins with a historical or moral lesson before the actual lesson is taught – what did they do, what motivated them, what was successful, what was challenging, what was the outcome?
- Native students learn more by doing than by listening. It is important to provide opportunities for students to take an active role in the lesson. Each lesson will include activities that challenge students to research, investigate, create, and demonstrate.
- Having students conduct research on their own culture’s history will enrich their learning experience. Students may develop new insights into their history by learning about their Native traditions. For example:
- In many of the Plains groups, their economy was based on hunting and gathering, in addition to making most of the personal items needed for everyday life.
- In the Southwest region, where Native communities were more stationary, their economy was based on farming and trade. While the Southwest people made most of their personal items, they would also trade for the materials to make them.
- Eastern Coastal groups, after contact with European settlers, learned the use of money for trade, so the Iroquois began making Wampum Belts out of leather and beads. These “belts” were used as “money” to buy what the people needed.
This section provides an overview of instructional strategies, techniques, tools, and activities that educators will find helpful in supporting Native student learning styles. These strategies are important in creating a positive learning environment in which students will thrive.
Personalized instruction is the key to making curriculum relevant. Recognize that within each learning goal and objective lies multiple opportunities for students to discover personal applications to their lives.
Students are more connected to the learning activities when the teacher is fully engaged. Facilitation skills include paying attention to the dynamics, the mood of the group, and the degree to which each student is focused on learning. This requires intentional observation of the group dynamics and individual engagement.
Through careful observation educators can determine when it is time to re-teach, review, or move forward to the next step. Questioning and listening are also valuable tools in making these determinations. The ultimate purpose of a question is not to identify a student who has the right answer, but to identify those who are confused, lost, or detached from the learning experience.
Consider enhancing the traditional lecture format for delivering information with a more interactive discussion forum. Here students can relate to the concepts presented by listening to the views of others and participate in creating knowledge. In a discussion format, the instructor’s role shifts from delivering information to asking strategic questions that will encourage students to uncover information. In a discussion the questions are critical to reaching the objectives. The questions should be designed to encourage interaction, reflection, and making connections between what is known and what is discovered. “Wait time” becomes important. After posing a question, wait until everyone in the class has time for reflection. The purpose of the responses is not to get the “right answer,” but rather to generate further dialogue.
Visual learners appreciate seeing concepts in a variety of formats that enrich the learning concepts. Incorporating multi-media into instruction enhances the delivery of the curriculum. PowerPoint presentations, computer-assisted instruction, boards, and charts are examples of ways to create visual aids. Asking students to participate in the creation of these visual representations not only gives students a way to incorporate their learning but will also serve as an assessment of the extent to which they have comprehended the information.
Assessing the students’ learning should incorporate multiple criteria. Assessment strategies can include traditional objective measures. Assessment is not only a culminating activity but should be woven throughout the entire curriculum. It is important to pre-assess the students’ knowledge prior to beginning instruction. Pre-assessment provides information identifying how much the students already know about the subject. This information informs where to begin teaching, the range of abilities within the class and how much growth is accomplished at the end of the instruction. Subjective strategies should also be included that consider the students ‘ability to self- assess their awareness of the concepts, their ability to advocate for what they need to further their understanding and to reflect upon the next steps in their cognitive and emotional development.
The instructional techniques, tools and activities below will support the Native Financial Cents curriculum. Throughout this curriculum are suggestions for the application of these techniques.
- Group Investigation - Native students often are most comfortable interacting in small groups. Their life experiences in their family and community revolve around cooperation and working together for a common goal.
- Journaling - Students require time for data gathering and reflection. A journal is an excellent way to keep track of ideas, thoughts, and plans. It provides an opportunity for students to return to previous notes, reflect on their growth, and identify the areas that will become the next steps in their learning.
- Hands on Learning Projects - Students learn by doing. In order to demonstrate their understanding, students will be asked to create products that encompass aspects of imagination, design, and construction to demonstrate their grasp of the concepts and ideas.
- Research - Because cultural and historical context is critical to the understanding and assimilation of learning, students will be asked to research their tribal background as it relates to the lesson objectives. This research may take a variety of forms including identifying resources, gathering information, surveys, interviews, and online learning.
- Presentation - By explaining their ideas to others, students demonstrate their ability to organize their thoughts, prioritize what is most relevant, plan the best way to deliver their information, and communicate their findings.
When applying any of the above strategies and techniques, we encourage you to refer back to this section for rationales and lesson plans.