using culturally-relevant resources in improving literacy for...
TRANSCRIPT
Using Culturally-Relevant Resources in
Improving Literacy for Struggling First Nations,
Métis & Inuit Students
April 27, 2017
CASS Conference
10:00-11:00
Presenter: Erin Reid BS(Ed), MAhttp://bit.ly/2q8cUy3
Session
OverviewOpening Padlet
What does the research say
about what matters for our
struggling ? (Canadian sources)
What works - Action Research
Padlet
What do we know about
language and literacy
development for struggling First
Nations, Métis & Inuit students?
CASS-April 27
https://padlet.com/erin_reid1
/aq0juydnvj7k
Edmonton Catholic Schools District Goal Six
First Nations, Métis and Inuit students are successful
6.1 Increase academic success by promoting successful practices to support First Nations, Métis and Inuit students.
a) Continue programs and enhanced academic supports for all students that lead to increased high school completion rates, successful
transitioning, career development, and encourage lifelong learning.
6.2 Provide and promote cultural diversity.
a) Recognize the Council of Elders as the authentic, active participants in spiritual ceremonies, traditional events and cultural protocols.
b) In recognition of the Call to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, continue to engage parental and community
involvement in furthering Aboriginal education in our District.
c) Provide opportunities for on-going professional development for all District staff in cultural awareness.
6.3 Ensure accountability of targeted funding for First Nations, Métis and Inuit students.
a) Require all school sites to engage in and report on the First Nations, Métis and Inuit model framework for student success.
Teaching Quality Standard (TQS)
Applying Foundational Knowledge about First Nations, Métis and Inuit
(1) A teacher develops and applies foundational knowledge about First Nations, Métis and Inuit for the benefit of all students, and
supports the process of reconciliation, by:
(a) understanding the historical, social, economic and political implications of:
· treaties and agreements with First Nations;
· agreements with Métis;
· the legacy of residential schools; and
· the impacts of intergenerational trauma on learner development;
(b) using the programs of study to provide opportunities for all students to develop a knowledge and understanding of, and respect for,
the First Nations, Métis and Inuit; and
(c) supporting the learning experiences of all students by using resources that accurately reflect and demonstrate the
strength and diversity of First Nations, Métis and Inuit.
tional Knowledge about First Nations, Métis and Inuit
(1) A teacher develops and appli
Literacy?
Literacy is the ability,
confidence and
willingness to engage
with language to acquire,
construct and
communicate meaning in
all aspects of daily living.
(Alberta Education, 2013)
Language?
Language is a socially and
culturally constructed
system of communication.
(Alberta Education, 2013)
Do all First Nations, Métis & Inuit students struggle?
What does this look like for Edmonton Catholic Schools and
identified First Nations, Métis & Inuit students?
2014-2015: 3262 students identified
2015-2016: 3305 students identified
Average: 32% identified First Nations, Métis & Inuit students struggling readers
according to Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System
Don’t all children develop
language in the same
manner?
Cultures vary in the types of
competence that adults
encourage in children, the
developmental timetable they
use to guide their actions, and
the level of proficiency in
various skills they want their
children to achieve (Heath,
1983).
Some child care practitioners, educators, speech-language pathologists, and First
Nations leaders suggest that First Nations children may be disproportionately
misdiagnosed with language impairments. There is speculation that this problem
may be in part to dialect difference rather than speech-language deficit or delay.
Language and learning problems may be exacerbated by a mismatch in the
communicative norms valued at home and at school (Ball, et. al., 2005).
Rather than assuming that
European heritage languages and
literacies are normative and ideal,
new approaches must be based on
Aboriginal languages and literacies
and pedagogies in order to produce
optimal developmental outcomes
for First Nations children (Ball,
2008).
In order to provide First Nations
children with effective and
respectful programs of child
care, education and support,
practitioners need to be aware
of First Nations English
grammars and community-
based norms of language (Ball
et al, 2005).
So what are these First Nations
English grammars and community-
based norms of language?
Dialect Accent
● a particular form of a
language that is peculiar to a
specific region or social
group
● All dialects have a complete
grammatical rule system
governing pronunciation,
word formation, and the
combining of words into
sentences
● dialect refers to the entire
linguistic system
● accent refers to the phonology
and phonetics of speech
First Nations Englishes are distinct dialects.
Features of First Nations English Dialects are distinguished in
terms of:
grammar
discourse structure
norms of communicative interaction and
attention and listening behaviours
(Ball et al, 2005)
Grammar
Speech-sound use
Verb and noun inflection (endings)
Pronoun deletion
Vocabulary differences
Discourse Structure
Discourse (strings of sentences) is subject to rules or organization that may vary
across First Nations, Métis & Inuit cultures.
Narrative is a discourse genre that includes storytelling and the reporting of
events. Some language tests used in our schools assess children’s abilities to
produce Standard English narrative structure. Some First Nations dialects
structure narratives differently.
For example...
Narrative structures
Standard English narrative structure
Alternative narrative structure
● Chronological sequencing
● Explicit connections
between ideas
● Elaboration is valued
● Thematic sequencing
● Implicit connections
between ideas
● Brevity is valued
Norms of Communicative Interaction
Participation and comfort level, as observed in some First Nations cultures
Uncomfortable situations Comfortable situations
● Being called on to
speak when a large
group is listening
● Speaking when adults
are present● Being called on to
demonstrate knowledge
● Speaking with a single
person or in a small
group
● Speaking with peers in
the absence of adults● Children deciding when
they are ready to demonstrate knowledge
Attention and Listening Behaviours
Higher cultural tolerance for silence
Unfamiliarity with display questions
Unfamiliarity with simultaneous learning and assessment
Other possible dialect features:
Prosody
Humour
Paralinguistic factors
What else can contribute to language and literacy development for First Nations,
Métis & Inuit students who struggle?
"...studies show that "at-risk" students who
make gains through early interventions often
experience difficulty with academic literacies
during the intermediate grades (4-7)..."
(Wiltse, 2014)
Relationship, relationship, relationship.
How much or how little people identify with any one cultural group will vary widely
as will attitudes that are held toward one’s “own people”. If society views one’s
group positively, a person is more likely to identify strongly with his or her cultural
group. The levels of ethnic identity will vary over a person’s lifetime and with
different situations and settings.
(Banks, 1997)
Culturally- Relevant Text
Action Research Project
Twice a week for 30-40 minutes
Six Schools 2015-2016
88 students served by four staff from Aboriginal Learning Services
Six Schools 2016-2017
The results are accurate and can be described as impressive.
K-3 Programs and Opportunities for Language and Literacy Development
Expanding Expression: A Multi-Sensory Approach for for Improved Oral Language
and Writing
Learning Language and Loving It
Lindemood-Bell
Jolly Phonics Overview
Canadian Distributor - Jolly Phonics
Moe the Mouse
4-6 Programs and Opportunities for Language and Literacy Development
English as a Second Dialect Programs (ESDL)
● British Columbia
● Saskatchewan
● Manitoba
● Ontario
● New Zealand
● Australia
Lindemood-Bell
SIOP
7-12 Programs and Opportunities for Language and Literacy Development
Language!Live
Lindemood-Bell
Assessment
Currently as a district:
Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System
● Nonfiction text - especially with your most struggling readers
In sum...what works?
Educator understanding of language development for First Nations, Métis &
Inuit students who are struggling
The use of culturally-relevant text
Alternative assessment strategies, methods and instruments/tools
Programs such as the Hanen Centre, Lindemood, Moe the Mouse, Jolly
Phonics, Language! Live, Arrowmight, etc…
Holistic approach to learning
Seeing culture present
In closing...
“Canada is alive right now.”
-Charlene Bearhead, 2016
References
Alberta Education. (2016, March 2). Government of Alberta Department of Education Draft Teaching Quality Standard. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
Ball, J. (2008). Aboriginal Early Language Promotion and Early Intervention. Encyclopedia of Language and Literacy Development (pp. 1-8). London, ON: Canadian Language &
Literacy Research Network. Retrieved February 10, 2017 from http://www.literacyencyclopedia.ca/pdfs/topic.php?topld=257.
Ball, J. (2007). Aboriginal young children's language and literacy development: Research evaluating progress, promising practices, and needs. Canadian Language and Literacy
Networked Centre of Excellence.
Ball, J. (2005a). “Nothing about us without us:” restorative research partnerships involving Indigenous children and communities in Canada. In A. Farrell (Ed.), Exploring ethical
research with children (pp. 81-96). Open University Press/McGraw-Hill Education.
Ball, J., & Bernhardt, B. (2005). Implications of First Nations English Dialects for Supporting Children's Language Development. World Indigenous Peoples' Conference on Education,
1-13.
Ball, J., & Lewis, M. (2014). First Nations Elders' and Parents' Views on Supporting their Children's Language Development. Canadian Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 38(2),
224-237.
Ball, J., & Lewis, M. (2011). "An altogether different approach": Roles of Speech-language Pathologists in supporting Indigenous Children's language development. Canadian Journal of
Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, 35(2), 144-158.
ReferencesBanks, J. (1997). Teaching strategies for ethnic studies. Toronto: ON. Allyn & Bacon.
Catts, H., Fey, M., Zhang, X., & Tomblin, B. (1999). Language basis of reading and reading disabilities: evidence from a longitudinal investigation. Scientific Studies of Reading, 3
(4),331-361.
Cazden, C., Cope, B., Fairclough, N., Gee, J., Cress, G., Luke, A., Luke, C., Michaels, S., & Nakata, M. (1996). A pedagogy of multiliteracies: designing social futures. Harvard
Educational Review, 66 (1), 60-92.
Curran, T.M. (2005). Investigating early relationships between language and emergent literacy in three and four year old children. Dissertation Abstracts International, B: Sciences and
Engineering, 65.
Edmonton Catholic Schools Plan for Continuous Growth (2016-2019). Retrieved January 11,2017,from
https://www.ecsd.net/AboutUs/annual_reports/Documents/ECS-District_Plan-2016-19.pdf
Gulati, S. (2013, June 20). Literacy Matters: Unlocking the literacy potential of Aboriginal peoples in Canada. Retrieved February 13, 2017.
Heath, S. (1983). Ways with words: Language, life and work in communities and classrooms. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Literacy and Numeracy Progressions (2013). Retrieved February 13, 2017, from
http://education.alberta.ca/literacy-and-numeracy/about-
literacy-and-numeracy/everyone/support-documents/
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Calls to Action (2015). Retrieved January 11, 2017 from
https://archive.education.alberta.ca/department/policy/standards/goals/
