APPENDIX

F. Learning Resources

What learning resources are available to the teacher?

1. Kinds of Learning Resources

The most important kind of resource for the teacher is the key experience. Key experiences are based on community resources. The teacher, school and Community Education Committee are primarily responsible for identifying and preparing these resources for use.

There are other kinds of resources which we commonly think of as learning resources. These are the print and non-print materials that students can use to develop their concepts, skills or knowledge. The following types of learning resources are available. They have been produced at the community, regional and headquarters levels over the years and would be useful to the teacher. The teacher would have to match these with appropriate key experiences so that they would be in keeping with the Dene curriculum.

Materials for Developing Literacy
Skills
  • print materials
  • hands on activities
  • workbooks

Dene Legends, Stories and History

  • print materials
    • English
    • Dene language
  • audio tapes and video tapes of elders
    • English
    • Dene language
  • film strips
    • English
    • Dene language
  • films
    • English
    • Dene language
  • guides for teaching activities
    • for English
    • for the Dene language
Aspects of Dene Culture
  • print materials
    • English
    • Dene language
  • audio tapes and video tapes of elders
    • English
    • Dene language
  • video tapes showing cultural activity
    • English
    • Dene language
  • photographs with text in
    • English
    • Dene language
  • display kits
  • hands-on kits/materials with activity
  • guides or learning activities

2. Learning Resources to Accompany the Dene Curriculum

As teachers work with the Dene curriculum, they will begin to develop learning resources which focus upon developing a firm Dene perspective with respect to various key experiences.

As these are collected, reproduced and distributed, the work of the Dene teacher will not be so overwhelming. It is understood however, that in the beginning stages, the Dene teacher will have to spend many hours in preparation and planning.

3. The Teaching and Learning Centres

The Teaching and Learning Centres have the mandate to produce learning resources to accompany or support the Dene curriculum for their own regions. In addition, the Teaching and Learning Centres can work to collect and reproduce materials made by teachers, and distribute these to other schools within and between regions. The Teaching and Learning Centres can serve to keep the teachers connected and informed about any new resources which they feel are useful.

4. Updated List of Learning Resources

The Department of Education is in the process now of developing a computer based data bank of all available learning resources for schools in the Dene regions. As teachers and Teaching and Leaning Centres send in information about learning resources, the information is put into the data bank. Periodically, updated learning resource lists will be made available to all schools to let them know what is available and where these materials can be obtained.

The data bank of learning resources can categorize the learning resources in many different ways to meet the needs of the teacher. If the teacher is interested only in those materials written in his or her Dene language, such a list can be obtained. if the teacher requires all of the resources to be listed for any one topic or theme, such a listing is possible. if the teacher is interested only in materials having to do with legends, such a list is possible.