ERIC Number: ED459990
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2002-Jan
Pages: 4
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Preparing Teachers To Support American Indian and Alaska Native Student Success and Cultural Heritage. ERIC Digest.
Jacobs, Don Trent; Reyhner, Jon
This digest briefly summarizes the literature on preparing educators to promote the success of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) students. Success in Native terms means not only academic achievement but also the development of the whole person. Spirituality and reciprocity (giving back to others) are vital to Indian learning. Teachers must be prepared to present European American paradigms such that they can coexist with Native world views about life's complex interconnections between people and nature. Place-based education can help students connect with their local community and geography. It is critical that teachers of AI/AN children work with students' extended families to enlist their support for literacy and academic achievement; reinforce their efforts to pass on their culture; and help their children develop a strong and resilient identity. Community partnerships can provide much-needed support as well as AI/AN role models who demonstrate the achievement of educational success without cultural loss. Teaching styles common in American schools often fail to meet the needs of AI/AN students. Generally, books on Indian education call for teacher preparation that leads to a constructivist and experiential approach centered on the community and environment. Recommendations for research-based content of specialized AI/AN teacher training programs are listed. (Contains 15 references.) (SV)
Descriptors: American Indian Education, American Indian Students, Cultural Maintenance, Educational Needs, Elementary Secondary Education, Family School Relationship, Higher Education, School Community Relationship, Student Needs, Teacher Education, Teacher Role, Values
ERIC/CRESS, P.O. Box 1348, Charleston, WV 25325-1348. Tel: 800-624-9120 (Toll Free). For full text: http://www.indianeduresearch.net/edorc01-13.htm
Publication Type: ERIC Publications; ERIC Digests in Full Text
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED), Washington, DC.
Authoring Institution: ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Schools, Charleston, WV.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A