Bridging the Gap:Between Teachers, Aboriginal Education, & Project Based Learning

ETEC 550 Kenneth Wandeler

Setting the Table:Purpose for the Initiative

A new BC Ed. Draft Curriculum is emerging to replace our current model of learning intentions and it has a key component that identified and recognizes First Peoples ways of life and governance. There is little known resources to support a three grade classroom for a variety of learners and grade levels. Many of these aboriginal curricular competencies and BIG IDEAS have great intentions, unfortunately, for educators there is little known resources on this specific topic to support a diverse learning environment. Furthermore, there is a general lack to teacher instructional support to help use move forward to effectively implement this section of the draft curriculum.

New BC Draft Curriculum

~ Grade 3 Learning Outcomes

Big Ideas

Different environmental features present people with different challenges and opportunities

Concepts/Content

Cultural characteristics and ways of life of indigenous people, including local Aboriginal groups

The impact of the environment on cultural characteristics and ways of life in indigenous societies

How indigenous societies, including Aboriginal groups, meet their needs and wants

Let’s look at what the new curriculum says...

Click the link below to see the

BC Draft Curriculum

Identified ProblemsGrade level

curriculum content changes in the new BC Ed. Draft Curriculum

Multiple grade classroom (2-4)

Lack of First Peoples resources for local Okanagan People (current resources & student literary materials)

What is my problem statement(s)?

1. How can I use the new BC Ed. Draft Curriculum content (grade 3)to teach First Peoples ways of using the natural environment to meet their needs and effectively engage a three grade classroom?

2. Can I design an effective Social Studies unit that incorporates a PBL (Project Based Learning) Schema for a multi grade classroom that can be replicated by other teachers in their classroom?

Resolution:What I plan to do about it!

Collaborate with SD #22 Aboriginal Lead Teacher to design and develop a unit plan surrounding First Peoples ways of life (how they used natural resources to build their dwellings and identify the common types of First Peoples dwellings found across Canada

Incorporate PBL Schema for student learning and Assessment (Teacher led)

Utilize multimedia support for student learning (Smartboard & Youtube Videos) to help meet the multiple learning styles in a three grade classroom

Lesson Prototype:Design Theory

The approach to this lesson was planned with the intention of following a Project Based Learning (PBL) instructional schema. The sequence of lessons will be aimed towards allowing the students to be able to demonstrate their understanding of Aboriginal Dwellings when given a “driving question” that will be used to assess their learning. In this instance, following a PBL instructional model the driving question will be teacher driven and teacher guided. Specifically, the teacher will guide and lead all of the instructional lessons, which is the supplantive part of the lesson sequence. Once the all the pre-teaching is complete the students will then use the obtained knowledge to demonstrate their ability to apply what they have learned through a hands-on approach to learning. From this point onward the lessons are generative and will be student-centered as they work through the driving question and critique portions of the lesson.

Learning Goal

Key Understandings:

Differentiate between the types of aboriginal dwellings

Where you find these regional specific dwellings

Structural design of each dwelling and how it allowed for the structure to be safe and secure

Natural resources that were used to build a dwelling

Identify the types of trees used in their natural setting

Parts of the tree that were used and how they were used

Students will be able identify and apply the key concepts associated with aboriginal ways of using natural resources in the environment to build dwellings and lodges.

Lesson Prototype Layout

Lesson 11. Introduce “The Talking Circle” at Carpet and why First Nations people used talking Circles. (Learned from previous lessons on Aboriginal Culture, this would be a review)

2. Accessing Background Knowledge: During the talking circle discuss these two topics in order:

What are types of homes that we live in?

What do they look like? Have inside them?

What do you think our First Peoples would have used for homes?

3. Once the mini discussion is done, start the Smartboard file that introduces each type of Dwelling. After reviewing each dwelling there is a blank page for creating three (3) key features for each dwelling. This comes from the students. Once you have identified 3 and have written them done, the students can copy them onto the first page of their student support material.

Lesson 21.Review previous lesson, have the students orally identify these key concepts:

• 5 Types of Dwellings

• 3 Characteristics for each Dwelling/Lodge 

2. Continue Smartboard Lesson with student support materials. “What was the main resource that First Peoples used to build their dwellings?” (Trees & Natural Resources) 

3. What parts of the tree did they USE and WHY? 

4. What types of tress did they use? Identify the four main types of trees (Birch, Cedar, Douglas Fir, & Pine)

5. Once this is complete take the students outside and try to identify the tress in their natural setting. See if you can find all four in your school community. When a tree is pointed out, gather the group and review is distinct characteristics.

6. Student Reflective Writing:

a) What else do you think traditional native homes were made out of?

b) If you had to build and live in a traditional native house, which house would you build? Why would you build this dwelling?

Lesson 3This is the part of the lesson that would need to be in a naturalistic setting. For my class I will be taking them into a park/forest setting. You can also use a gym with gym equipment mats, etc. Essentially, its like building a fort at home in your living room (like when we were kids ).

Once you arrive to the forest, give the students the driving question. Have them think about it, make some predictions. Then, split them into smaller groups 5-6 students (Communication) and have them discuss what they could build based on what they see around them. (5mins max). Come back and report as a large group. Then let the kids go! This is when the Creative Thinking comes into play.

I will give my students 60 minutes to complete the task.

When complete, I will have each group stay by their created dwelling and I will go to each group to orally assess their creations. This is when I will ask them to describe their dwellings and how they resemble a real aboriginal dwelling. They will also have to identify the characteristics that they have incorporated into their dwellings.

Student Assessment

Driving Question:

Can we build an Aboriginal dwelling with

the resources that we find in the forest that Mr. W

can fit into?

Evidence of Student Learning

Team #1

Evidence of Student Learning

Team #2

What have I learned?

Student Learning

Increased student motivation to learn following a PBL design schema

Increased student opportunity for communication and problem solving during the lesson

Students were eager and actively engaged in the learning process

Students experienced real life context with learning and the struggles associated with building tradition Aboriginal dwellings

Professional Learning

Increased professional excitement about trying something new! (Project Based Learning Schema – Driving Question)

Taking students outside of the classroom setting to learn increases student participation and motivation to learn

Lesson can be replicated in a multi grade classroom, although, lesson 3 would need a modification for inner city schools who don’t have forest access

BC Ed. Draft Curriculum gives educators the freedom to address the content areas through a variety of teaching designs and methods

This is step forward in teacher instruction progression that includes the BC. Ed. Draft Curriculum and it gives me the building blocks and background knowledge to try something similar with other parts of the new learning outcomes

Replicating the Lesson in the City

Setting

To solve this issue I went ahead and designed a fourth lesson address this problem. This lesson was not included in my original lesson design sequence. Within this lesson,

students use materials (naturalistic or not) that could be used to build a mini-model of an Aboriginal Dwelling in the classroom. Sticking with hands on approach students needed to incorporate the

same skills required addressing the original driving question. In this

instance, students built mini-models of Aboriginal

Dwellings of their choice based on what they learned from the previous lesson.

Student example of a Tipi that was created using natural materials.

Student example of an Underground Dwelling