Education: A Dene Perspective

Teacher Resource Manual

 

B. Why Teach Dene Kede?

There are many players in the successful implementation of the Dene Curriculum. The various responsibilities and roles of the major players are listed below. Though each has responsibilities which are unique, communication and cooperation among the players is vital.

 There are many players in the successful implementation of the Dene Curriculum. The various responsibilities and roles of the major players are listed below. Though each has responsibilities which are unique, communication and cooperation among the players is vital.

1. Department of Education, Culture and Employment:

  • The Department is given directives from the Minister regarding native language and culture in the schools.
  • The Department develops standard curricula which are to be taught in all territorial schools - in this case the Dene Kede Curriculum.
  • The Department works in liaison with other GNWT departments in a concerted effort to bring all possible resources to bear in the implementation of Dene Kede, and monitors the overall implementation of the curriculum.
  • The Department provides guidelines and orientations for the Regional Boards to help them to implement Dene Kede.
  • The Department Program Specialists work with Board consultants and Supervisors of Schools to plan in-services for integration of subject areas into Dene Kede.
  • The Department orients Board personnel about the Dene Kede Curriculum.
  • The Department monitors the quality of Dene Kede programs with Boards and provides assistance to Boards for ongoing orientations for new teachers.
  • The Department works in liaison with the NWTTA, Principal Certification Program and TEP in order to enhance the training or professional development of teachers and principals with respect to the use of Dene Kede.

2. Regional Board

  • The Regional Boards develop region wide direct and indirect policies to support the Dene Kede Program.
  • The Regional Boards seek political support from their respective MLAS.
  • The Regional Boards inform and involve the communities in the region as to their policies regarding the Dene Kede Programs.
  • The Regional Boards allocate funding for each of the schools in their regions for Dene Kede programs.

3. The Teaching and Learning Centres

  • The Teaching and Learning Centres were the primary developers of the Dene Kede curriculum.
  • The Teaching and Learning Centres are the primary consultants to the regional team consisting of the Director, the Supervisor of Schools, the principals and the Board members in planning and preparing for a Dene Kede implementation strategy within the region.
  • The Teaching and Learning Centres provide Dene Kede orientation sessions for their regional staff and schools.
  • The Teaching and Learning Centres consult with the schools and can provide individual help to staff members in planning or preparing for the Dene Kede program.
  • The Teaching and Learning Centres provide in-service training to school staff for teaching Dene Kede.
  • The Teaching and Learning Centres help schools and boards in the monitoring and evaluation of the Dene Kede teachers and programs.
  • The Teaching and Learning Centres develop teaching materials that support the Dene Kede program.
  • The Teaching and Learning Centres publish materials that support the Dene Kede program.
  • The Teaching and Learning Centres access the technological aids that help in gathering, producing and distributing teaching materials.
  • The Teaching and Learning Centres list all resource materials as well as human resources from their own region or available from other regions.
  • The Teaching and Learning Centres provide translation services for school related programs.
  • The Teaching and Learning Centres network with other Teaching and Learning Centres to share information and provide support to one another.

4. The School Team

The Dene Kede program cannot be delivered in isolation from other school programs. In schools with a majority of Dene students, Dene Kede can provide the overall perspective for the other school programs. All staff members can become a part of the team delivering the Dene Kede program.

Minimally, the Dene Kede team should consist of:

  • the teacher responsible for teaching the Dene concepts, skills and attitudes from the Dene Kede curriculum,
  • the teacher who integrates core subjects into the Dene experiences,
  • the principal and
  • the Community Education Committee,

Below are listed the major players in a Dene Kede team and the roles that can be played by each in order to facilitate the delivery of a good community based program:

Subject Teachers

  • Subject teachers work with the ^Dene ^Kede team consisting of the ^Dene ^Koide teacher, the principal, and the Community Education Committee to do long range planning.
  • Subject teachers may or may not be ^Dene.
  • Subject teachers are those responsible for the learning objectives pertaining to the core subjects, e.g. ^math, social studies, science, language arts.
  • Subject teachers articulate these learning expectations with the key experiences and learning expectations from the ^Dene curriculum.
  • Subject teachers work as a team with the ^Dene ^Kede teachers to plan thematic units.

Dene Classroom Assistants and Dene Language Specialists

When classroom assistants were first brought into the schools, they were Dene people who were hired to help the non-Dene teacher with the extra tasks that often arose in the intercultural teaching situation. Over the years, many worked in partnership with the teacher, actually helping to deliver programs when language barriers arose. Today, the assistants are recognized for their professional roles and contributions, not the least of which is the teaching of Dene language and culture. Aboriginal Language Specialist positions have been created to recognize these teachers.

  • The Dene Classroom Assistant/Dene Language Specialists should be members of the community.
  • Dene Classroom Assistants are a valuable resource for a Dene Kede program. Being from the community, they know of potential resource people, they often have Dene skills that they can teach, and they often live from a Dene perspective. If they are not involved in the teaching of the Dene Kede program, they should be invited into the planning stages.

Dene Teachers

Dene teachers today have a great responsibility which is twofold: First they must help in the gathering of information from the elders who have a connection with the past. Second, they must act as leaders in getting the community involved again in the teaching of Dene perspectives and knowledge.

The Dene Kede teachers will be Dene and, preferably, from the community of the school. Where qualified Dene teachers are not available, a language/culture instructor or classroom assistant will be the Dene Kede program teacher.

  • The Dene teacher works with the team to prepare long range plans.
  • The Dene teacher develops thematic units and lesson plans with the help of community resource people and/or with the help of other Dene teachers in the school.
  • The Dene teacher integrates subject area skills and knowledge with the cultural experiences and themes of the Dene Kede program.
  • The Dene teacher provides feedback about the Dene Kede program to the parents and the community during meetings with parents and through the principal at the monthly Community Education Committee meetings.
  • Dene teachers should become involved in community functions and activities.
  • The Dene teachers should develop a communication network with other Dene Kede teachers.

The Principal

  • The school principal works closely with the other members of the school team in planning and delivering the Dene Kede Program.
  • The principal acquires all the administrative information required to deliver the program.
  • The principal logs all resource people and resource materials in the community with the help of the team.
  • With the Community Education Committee the principal acts as a liaison between the school and the community and parents.
  • The principal is in charge of media relations.
  • The principal evaluates the program for formative purposes. if there are problems, they look for the source of the problems and find solutions with the help of the team.

Community Education Committee

  • A member of the Community Education Committee represents the school and community on the Divisional Board which controls the educational policies at a regional level.
  • The Community Education Committee supports and provides leadership to the Dene Kede Program. In cases where the Community Education Committee is Non-Dene in makeup, a sub-committee of the Community Education Committee can be formed to support the Dene Kede program.
  • The Community Education Committee develops guidelines and policies for the school with respect to the Dene Kede Program in tandem with the Board guidelines.
  • The Community Education Committee accesses and secures funding for the Dene Kede Program in the school.
  • The Community Education Committee is involved in the process of producing school budgets and can give direction to the administration in budgeting for the Dene Kede Program.
  • The Community Education Committee recruits teachers for the Dene Kede Program as well as for the whole school.
  • The Community Education Committee provides feedback to the parents about the Dene Kede Program at monthly meetings. At this time the Community Education Committee also provides feedback to the school from the community about the Dene Kede Program.
  • The school accesses all the human resources in the community that support the Dene Kede program through the Community Education Committee.
  • The Community Education Committee supports educational activities outside the school. By supporting adult education classes which teach language and culture, the Community Education Committee can indirectly support Dene Kede in the school.

5. The Community

Traditional Dene Education

Traditionally, the care and education of the Dene children was the responsibility of all community members:

  • Parents were the providers.
  • Grandparents were caretakers, storytellers and historians.
  • Extended family taught survival skills.
  • Community healers, hunters, and trappers were mentors and youngsters apprenticed with them.
  • Leaders provided direction.

The parents, elders and skilled and knowledgeable people from the community formed a partnership to educate the youngsters. As the youngsters took their place in later life they would give back to the community what the community had instilled in them. The community involved itself because it would eventually benefit from it.

Community Based Education

Modern schooling has isolated the children from the community in many ways. The Dene Kede curriculum attempts to tie the community and the education of children back together again. Responsibility for the education of children is given back to the community. In the Dene Kede curriculum:

  • Though the curriculum, developers were given direction by elders, and the culture, perspective and language taught is that of the community.
  • The primary resources and role models come from the community.
  • The self-esteem of the child is based on recognition by community members.

As in traditional Dene education, the people of the community are asked to help in the education of our children. The students learn what the community feels is valuable and become connected with the community again. This opens possibilities for students to give back to their communities, to receive recognition from them and to develop their self-esteem and identity based on their values and perspectives.

Fig. 2 Relationship between the child and his or her community

The community has direct input into the education of the child. The community receives back from the child what was given.

The community has no direct input into the education of the child. The child cannot give back what was not received.

Community Elders

What is the role of our elders in the delivery of the Dene Kede Curriculum?

The knowledge and wisdom of the Dene were passed down to succeeding generations through the words of elders. Today, the elders are often the only source for Dene knowledge. Many of our elders who were connected to the spirituality, knowledge and skills of the past have passed on. It is important to involve elders in the classrooms so that the children can learn directly from them (see Appendix A, page 56).

Elders are the primary source for:

  • Survival skills
  • Historical knowledge
  • Dene medicine and spirituality
  • Stories and legends
  • Customs and rituals
  • Language and terminology
  • Values and traditions

Elders provide valuable guidance and advice to all members of the community. They are in a position to do this because they understand Dene values and spirituality gained from years of living and surviving. In times of conflict or on routine matters, their counsel is very important.

Community Resources

Community involvement can take many forms. Resource people from the community can come into the school or the students can go out into the community. Students can be offered many different kinds of cultural experiences such as camping, attending a local government meeting, working with a health care nurse attending to elders, or talking in the Dene language while working at a store for a short period.

It is important that the experiences chosen, reflect Dene perspectives from the four components (spiritual, land, self and people) as much as possible.

The following are the most commonly available community resources:

Dene Resource People - There are many community resource people that should be accessed, not only for their knowledge and skills but also to provide guidance and advice. The Dene resource people who are approached are often thought of as experts in their fields. They may be the hunters or crafts people or tool makers. Knowledgeable in their own fields, they will inform the researcher if they feel that another resource person is better equipped to answer certain questions.

Community Groups - The following groups can be accessed to help in delivering the local Dene Program:

  • Band office, tribal councils
  • friendship centers
  • parish councils
  • elders' councils
  • youth clubs

Government Departments - The following local government offices are often willing to help schools in any way that they can:

  • Health and Social Services
  • Renewable Resources
  • R.C.M.P.
  • Hamlet Council

Local Businesses - It is good business to be community minded. For this reason alone, businesses are often willing to be of help to the schools. Some examples are the:

  • Handicraft Store
  • Other commercial stores
  • Tourist companies

Communication

Communication between the school and the community is important for two reasons:

  • It keeps the community and parents involved and informed about the goals, purposes and activities of the Dene Kede program. If they are kept informed and involved, their support will be more likely.
  • It keeps the school informed about the concerns, needs and opportunities in the community. These can be incorporated into the curriculum in order to address the unique characteristics of each community.
  • Inter-agency meetings are an excellent avenue for maintaining community awareness and getting community support. School information and concerns can be added to the agenda at scheduled meetings. Many problems are best solved at a broad community level rather than by approaching one agency at a time.

In addition to keeping the community aware and involved, special efforts must be made to communicate with and involve the parents in order to obtain their support. This can be done with frequent letters home, meetings with parents, and attempts to involve them as volunteers in various school projects.

6. Policy Suggestions

A Dene Kede Program must be based on cultural experiences and the use of community elders and resource people. Such activities require administrative support in the form of adequate financing and flexible scheduling. Below are some school policy suggestions which would greatly facilitate the Dene Kede Programs:

  • Each Divisional Board allocates adequate funding for Dene Kede programs in schools.
  • At present, the GNWT channels funds from the Aboriginal Languages Agreement into the Teaching and Learning Centres. It is suggested that these funds be used directly to support Dene Kede programs.
  • Local Study or Cultural Inclusion funds should be used to support the Dene Kede program.
  • The Divisional Boards set a standard payment, across the N.W.T., for the services of community resource people.
  • The Dene Kede program within a school be made central to all other learning. Subject knowledge and skills should be articulated with the Dene Kede cultural experiences as much as possible.
  • Each school administration, working with the community through the Community Education Committee, and in consultation with the Teaching and Learning Centres, should decide upon the scheduling of the Dene Kede program. (The Regional Board gives each school administration and its Community Education Committee, experiences as much as possible.
  • Each school administration, working with the community through the Community Education Committee, and in consultation with the Teaching and Learning Centres, should decide upon the scheduling of the Dene Kede program. (The Regional Board gives each school administration and its Community Education Committee, the authority to add to the minimum recommended teaching time if the community so wishes.)
  • School administrators maintain an attitude of flexibility with their timetables to allow for excursions, cultural activities, and participation in spontaneous opportunities within the community.
  • Dene Kede teachers will be delivering a program which is planning-intensive and which is not accompanied by a set of learning resources. Given this, the team should be allocated time to ensure adequate planning and preparation.