Capacity Building
Building system capacity to support success for FNMI learners includes attending to staff recruitment, retention, orientation and development, and incorporating and respecting the practice of local cultural traditions in (including language and culture) in everyday events. FNMI student success is supported when school authorities engage in internal research regarding their FNMI population as well as keeping current in terms of research in FNMI education.
The following links to current research and prespectives in FNMI education are provided as background, orientation and context to support building capacity for implementation.
Resources
This literature review provides research and orientation in terms of Aboriginal perspectives and culturally responsive teaching that are helpful in orienting teachers to an FNMI worldview and developing cultural competency.
Dwayne Donald addresses the ideas of identity, citizenship and nation within the Canadian context from the First Nations perspective. Through illustrative examples he explores how First Nations in Canada belong but don’t belong in the constructed understanding of nationalism. This presentation sets the stage for further discussion on the concept of nationalism and its varied perceptions and meanings.
This research project explores Cree and Metis Elders teachings about traditional child rearing and investigates how storytelling is used to facilitate the transfer of this culturally based knowledge. This project examines the concept of Opikinawasowin which contains the Cree philosophical framework for growing children.
Aboriginal perspectives are an educational issue today because there is growing acknowledgement that Aboriginal wisdom traditions, as organic world views, can help deepen our connections with the land and places we call home. This policy shift requires a tour through the contested terrain of the past, rereading and reframing Aboriginal presence and participation in Canadian history and society.
Transition planning needs to involve all stakeholders, recognize cultural sensitivities, and respect the local context from which the students are transitioning. Successful transition planning requires a champion but cannot become the responsibility of any one person. Resources to support successful transitions for FNMI youth are available here.