CCS/ED 631 – CULTURE, COMMUNITY AND THE  CURRICULUM

INSTRUCTOR: Ray Barnhardt
Center for Cross-Cultural Studies
Office: Eielson 201 (Hours by appointment)
907-474-6431
rjbarnhardt@alaska.edu
UAF eLearning and Distance Education
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Fairbanks, Alaska  99775

Course Description

The course will focus on the salient issues involved with the development of educationally sound and culturally appropriate programs of instruction in schools, including foundational design, conceptual models, organizational strategies, technical skills, current issues and trends, and their implications and application to the environment of rural Alaska.

Course Purposes

1. To identify some of the salient features of schools serving indigenous students and critical issues facing education in Alaska.

2. To examine various curricular options for expanding educational opportunities in rural schools.

3. To explore ways in which Native cultures can provide the foundation for curriculum development in Alaska’s schools.

4. To review the role of Elders as knowledge bearers and repositories of expertise that can be utilized as an educational and cultural resource in schools in Alaska.

5. To examine the role of technology as a tool for enhancing the educational opportunities available to students.

6. To critique various educational reform initiatives as to their suitability for improving the quality of schooling in Alaska.

Course Credit

Completion of the course will lead to three semester hours of graduate credit at UAF. The course will fulfill the State of Alaska certification requirement for “multicultural education,” and may be applied toward graduate programs at UAF.

Course Design

The course is designed to acquaint students who are located at sites distant from the UAF campus with the same course content they would be exposed to if they were enrolled in the course on campus.  In addition, the course attempts to capitalize on the field-based learning opportunities available to off-campus students by incorporating exercises that engage students in on-site data gathering and issue analysis.  Since the primary focus of the course is centered in Alaska, many of the readings utilize examples drawn from Alaska Native and rural school situations, though the issues addressed are relevant and readily generalizable to other cultural contexts and school settings as well.  If students find an assignment inappropriate to their particular situation, they are invited to contact the instructor to explore a more suitable option.

Course Administration

The course will be administered through readings, practical exercises, on-line resources, written assignments, e-mail and phone calls as needed.  Students will work independently, with academic assistance available directly from the instructor (474-6431) and administrative support offered through a Blackboard and/or Moodle web site.  Course assignments should be sent directly to the instructor by e-mail <rjbarnhardt@alaska.edu>. If that is not possible, the assignments can be sent by fax or regular mail to the instructor, addressed as follows:

When submitting an assignment by e-mail, a Word or PDF formatted document is preferred with the file sent as a single attachment. The course and unit number (e.g. ED 616, Unit 1) should be included in the subject line. Be sure to also include the return e-mail address with the assignment. Assignments for semester-based students should be submitted to the instructor in two-week intervals throughout the semester (with three-weeks allocated for the culminating Unit #6) at the end of the semester).

Evaluation

Students will be evaluated on the basis of the written material turned in to the instructor (please stay within the page length of each assignment). The material will be read, evaluated, and returned to the student with comments as soon as possible after receipt. The papers submitted will be assigned points based on the depth of thought and integration of ideas reflected in the readings. The assignments are worth a total of 100 points, with an additional point available for the bonus assignment. The theme and number of points for each assignment are as follows:

Unit 1 – Critiques of Education in Rural Alaska                      (15 points)
Unit 2 – Curricula Adapted to Small Rural Schools               (15 points)
Unit 3 – Curricula Adapted to Native Cultures                       (15 points)
Unit 4 – The Role of Elders in Education                                (15points)
Unit 5 – Technology and Rural Schools                                   (15 points)
Unit 6 – Models for Educational Reform and Renewal        (25 points)
Bonus – Optional                                                                          (1 point)

Grades for the course will be assigned on the basis of the following point/grade scale:

90 – 100  = A
80 –   89  = B
70 –   79  = C
60 –   69  = D
0 –   59  = additional work

Course Materials

The books and articles required for this course may be purchased through the UAF Bookstore as follows:  www.uaf.edu/uaf/contact/bookstore/  or e–mail distance@uaf.edu. To gain access to the following on-line materials as well as other course resources, you will need to access the Moodle web site as indicated above.

Alaska Natives Commission – “Alaska Native Education: Final Report”
Leona Okakok – “Serving the Purpose of Education”
Paul Ongtooguk – “Their Silence About Us: The Absence of Alaska Natives in Curriculum”
First Alaskans Institute – “2006 Alaska Native Student Vitality: Community Perspectives on Supporting Student Success”
Diamondstone and Barnhardt – Curriculum Resources for the Alaskan Environment (CD)
Barnhardt, et al – “Small High School Programs for Rural Alaska”
Atwater – “Chul’chen Chul: An Alternative Curriculum for the Single Teacher High School”
Kleinfeld, Hagstrom and Parrett – Inventive Teaching
Alaska Native Knowledge Network – “To Show What We Know” (DVD)
Barnhardt – “Teaching/Learning Across Cultures: Strategies for Success”
Murphy/Rutherford – Alaska Curriculum Framework (“Native Ways of Knowing” section)
Nelson – “The Athabaskans: People of the Boreal Forest”
Kawagley  – “Yupiaq Education Revisited”
Quinhagak/Charlie – “Kuingnerrarmiut Yugtaat Elitnaurarkait”
Baffin Divisional Board of Education – “Piniaqtavut Integrated Program”
NWT – “Dene Kede Curriculum: Teacher’s Resource Manual”
NWT – “Inuuqatigiit: The Curriculum from the Inuit Perspective”
Effie Kokrine Charter School – “SPIRAL Curriculum”
Wilson – Gwitchin Elders: Not Just Knowledge, But a Way of Looking at the World
Janvier and Mohan, UBC – “Aboriginal Elders: A Grade 12 Unit Lesson Plan”
Barnhardt, R. – “Two Cultures, One School: St. Mary’s, Alaska”
ANKN – Examples of Alaska Native Cultural Values
ANKN – “Passing On” (DVD)
ANKN – “Guidelines for Respecting Cultural Knowledge”
Littlefield – “Elders in the Classroom”
ANKN – “Observing Snow” (CD)
ANKN Cultural Atlases Web Site <http://ankn.uaf.edu/NPE/oral.html>
Alaska Department of Education – “Alaska Content Standards: Technology”
http://www.eed.state.ak.us/ContentStandards/Technology.html
Scollon – “Axe Handle Academy”
Barnhardt, R. – “Creating a Place for Indigenous Knowledge in Education”
Barnhardt/Tonsmeire – Lessons Taught / Lessons Learned, Vol. I & II (CD)
NEA – “C.A.R.E.: Strategies for Closing the Achievement Gaps”
Kushman and Barnhardt – “Study of Alaska Rural Systemic Reform”
Alaska Department of Education – “Alaska Student Content Standards”
ANKN – “Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools”
ANKN – “Guide to Implementing Cultural Standards for Educators”

Multi-media material:

Alaska Native Knowledge Network – “To Show What We Know” (DVD)
Alaska Native Knowledge Network – “Passing On” (DVD)
Barnhardt/Tonsmeire – Lessons Taught / Lessons Learned, Vol. I & II  (CD)
Diamondstone and Barnhardt – Curriculum Resources for the Alaskan Environment (CD)
ANKN – Alaska Standards/Guidelines for Cult. Resp. Schools (CD)
Kleinfeld, Hagstrom and Parrett – Inventive Teaching (Book)
Nelson – The Athabaskans: People of the Boreal Forest

Course Requirements

Unit 1 – Critiques of Education in Rural Alaska – 15 points

Required reading:

Alaska Natives Commission – “Alaska Native Education: Final Report”
Leona Okakok – “Serving the Purpose of Education”
Paul Ongtooguk – “Their Silence About Us: The Absence of Alaska Natives in Curriculum”
First Alaskans Institute – “2006 Alaska Native Student Vitality: Community Perspectives on Supporting Student Success”

Schools in rural Alaska are a species unto themselves.  Their degree of remoteness and isolation, the cross-cultural imperatives they must address, the range of societal expectations they must accommodate, the limited staffing and resources available, the high rate of turnover of personnel they experience, and the relative newness of their presence in most villages, combine to make schools in rural Alaska one of the most challenging (and rewarding) places in the country in which to provide a meaningful educational experience for the students and communities they serve.  It is to those challenges that this course is addressed.  Since “schooling” is still evolving as an institution in rural Alaska, teachers face exceptional demands, as well as exceptional opportunities.  The readings and assignments will address both the demands and the opportunities, with ample ideas and resources for making schooling a rich and rewarding experience for the students they serve (and the teachers doing the serving).

In the first assignment, you will be reading some historical documents as well as recent reports on efforts to improve education in Alaska, as well as articles by Native educators commenting on issues related to Native education. Your task for this unit is to do a critique and analysis of the issues raised in the readings by the Alaska Natives Commission, Paul Ongtooguk, Leona Okakok, and the Native Student Vitality Report. To what extent and in what ways are schools in Alaska addressing the issues and/or recommendations that are reflected in the readings.  If you are located outside Alaska, you can focus on a site of your choice within Alaska, or you can utilize comparable information from the schools in your cultural and geographic region. You should write and submit 2 pages of analysis per reading, for a total of 8 pages.

Unit 2 – Curricula Adapted to Small Rural Schools – 15 points

Required reading:

Diamondstone and Barnhardt – Curriculum Resources for the Alaskan Environment (CD)
Barnhardt, et al – “Small High School Programs for Rural Alaska”
Atwater – “Chul’chen Chul: An Alternative Curriculum for the Single Teacher High School”
Kleinfeld, Hagstrom and Parrett – Inventive Teaching
Alaska Native Knowledge Network – “To Show What We Know” (DVD)

In this unit we will look at ways in which small rural schools can address the many curricular challenges that are placed on them by turning their size, remoteness and limited staffing into strengths rather than impediments.  The readings and DVD offer a variety of strategies and resources that small schools can utilize to provide the breadth and depth of curricular experiences comparable to that offered in larger urban schools.  Using the framework and rationale outlined in the article, “Culture, Community and the Curriculum” (pg. 109 of Diamondstone and Barnhardt), your task is to write a one-page critique of each of the three remaining readings and DVD in terms of their applicability to the situation in which you are working, and to prepare three (3) project descriptions of your own design comparable in format to those presented in Curriculum Resources for the Alaskan Environment.  While some of the readings have been around awhile, they are still relevant to today’s rural schools. What ideas are you able to glean from these readings/DVD that will be of use to you.  Your projects can be ideas you have already implemented or ideas that you are contemplating for future implementation.  You should be submitting seven (7) pages altogether when you are finished.

Unit 3 – Curricula Adapted to Native Cultures – 15 points

Required reading:

Barnhardt – “Teaching/Learning Across Cultures: Strategies for Success”
Murphy/Rutherford – Alaska Curriculum Framework (“Native Ways of Knowing” section)
Nelson – “The Athabaskans: People of the Boreal Forest”
Kawagley  – “Yupiaq Education Revisited”
Quinhagak/Charlie – “Kuingnerrarmiut Yugtaat Elitnaurarkait”
Baffin Divisional Board of Education – “Piniaqtavut Integrated Program”
NWT – “Dene Kede Curriculum: Teacher’s Resource Manual”
NWT – “Inuuqatigiit: The Curriculum from the Inuit Perspective”
Effie Kokrine Charter School – “SPIRAL Curriculum”

In this unit, we will be taking a look at how culture comes into play in schools, with an emphasis on how you can build on the cultural base available in the community to strengthen the educational experiences of the students being served.  As you look through the materials for this unit you will see some common themes that cut across all the different Native cultural groups represented.  For example, they all break away from the conventional categories of subject matter (social studies, language arts, math, science, etc.) and create categories that are more in tune with how we experience the world around us.  The Dene Kede curriulum is organized around land, people, spirit and self.  The Piniaqtavut curriculum is structured around land, sea, sky and community.  The Athabaskan teacher’s guide is based on people, environment, technology and continuity and change.  Kawagley proposes a framework built around the five elements of life: earth, air, fire, water and spirit.  The curriculum around which the Effie Kokrine Charter School in Fairbanks is organized reflects 12 themes. Within each of these is the potential to address all the knowledge and skills that we would typically expect to cover in a Western oriented, academic discipline based curriculum.  The question is, on what basis do we determine which is the most appropriate approach for the development of curricula that is suitable to the educational needs of any particular cultural group?  Should we be striving for one common curriculum for all students, or should curricula be grounded in the worldview, beliefs, values and life style of the people and communities to whom it is directed?  These are open questions for which there are no single or simple answers.  So, your assignment is twofold:

1. Using the Barnhardt article as a guide, choose any five of the curriculum models provided and write a one-page critique of each indicating how they are or are not consistent with the ideas outlined in the “Teaching/Learning Across Cultures” article.

2. Chose any one of the curriculum models and describe (in 2-3 pages) how you would go about implementing any parts or all of the curriculum in your classroom/school/community. What steps would you take and why, and what problems do you anticipate you would encounter?  Refer to the Alaska Curriculum Frameworks section on “Native Ways of Knowing” to help guide you through this task (http://www.educ.state.ak.us/tls/frameworks/content.htm – go to “Starting Point” and then click on “Context” and scroll toward the last section). You should have a total of 7-8 pages when you complete the two parts of this assignment.

Unit 4 – The Role of Elders in Education – 15 points

Required reading:

Wilson – Gwitchin Elders: Not Just Knowledge, But a Way of Looking at the World

Janvier and Mohan, UBC – “Aboriginal Elders: A Grade 12 Unit Lesson Plan”
Barnhardt, R. – “Two Cultures, One School: St. Mary’s, Alaska”
ANKN – Examples of Alaska Native Cultural Values
ANKN – “Passing On” (DVD)
ANKN – “Guidelines for Respecting Cultural Knowledge”
Littlefield – “Elders in the Classroom”
ANKN – “Observing Snow” (CD)

Among of the most valuable community resources available to schools in Alaska are the local Elders.  However, the knowledge and expertise that Elders can provide does not always blend well with the conventional school curriculum, ways of teaching, or classroom setting.  In this unit we will take a closer look at what the role of “Elder” means in Native communities, and some ways in which Elders expertise can be integrated into the educational system in culturally appropriate and non-patronizing ways.  To do so requires whole-school considerations comparable to those described in the St. Mary’s case study, and a commitment to the kind of cultural values outlined in the examples provided from various regions.

Your task for this unit is to develop (and if possible, implement) a curriculum unit along the lines of the “Aboriginal Elders: A Grade 12 Unit Lesson Plan,” in which you either describe how you would utilize the expertise of one or more elders by implementing the suggestions in the unit lesson plan, and/or in which you incorporate the Guidelines for Respecting Cultural Knowledge and the Native cultural values from one or more of the lists provided on the ANKN web site.  In the end, you should submit a 6-8 page report in which you describe your unit, and if you were able to implement it, provide a critique of how well it went.  Who learned what, and why?  If you are not currently in a situation where you can carry out such an exercise, adapt the assignment to make effective use of some form of cultural resources and/or expertise in your community.  You are expected to read/view all of the material listed for the assignment and to reference it in your unit.

Unit 5 – Technology and Culture in Rural Schools – 15 points

Required reading:

ANKN Cultural Atlases Web Site <http://ankn.uaf.edu/NPE/oral.html>
Alaska Department of Education – “Alaska Content Standards: Technology”
http://www.eed.state.ak.us/ContentStandards/Technology.html
Scollon – “Axe Handle Academy”
Barnhardt, R. – “Creating a Place for Indigenous Knowledge in Education”

The role of technology in enhancing educational opportunities in rural schools continues to evolve and change at a rapid rate. Not all technology lives up to advanced billing, however, and not all schools or teachers are prepared to make the most effective use of what is available, so it is important to have some basis on which to determine cost-effectiveness and educational efficacy of the technology we use in schools. After reading the Scollon and Barnhardt articles and reviewing the Alaska Technology Standards, your task for this unit is to explore the various uses of technology as illustrated in the “Cultural Atlas” section of the ANKN web site (http://ankn.uaf.edu/NPE/oral.html), and then use the five (5) Technology Standards to prepare a one-page assessment per standard of how well the idea of Cultural Atlases puts technology to use in meaningful, substantive and productive ways. Then choose one example of a Cultural Atlas from the web site and prepare a two (2) page critique to illustrate how you would be able to use technology in a similar fashion to enhance learning in a culturally responsive way. This assignment should come to no more than eight (8) pages when completed.

Unit 6 – Models for Educational Reform and Renewal – 25 points

Required reading:

Barnhardt/Tonsmeire – Lessons Taught / Lessons Learned, Vol. I & II (CD)
NEA – “C.A.R.E.: Strategies for Closing the Achievement Gaps”
Kushman and Barnhardt – “Study of Alaska Rural Systemic Reform”
Alaska Department of Education – “Alaska Student Content Standards”
ANKN – “Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools”
ANKN – “Guide to Implementing Cultural Standards for Educators”

Educational reform comes in many colors, shapes and sizes.  Some of the initiatives are limited to specific subject areas while others are “systemic” in design, seeking to reform schools inside and out, top to bottom.  The sampling provided in the readings feature several reform initiatives that are currently prominent in Alaska – Onward to Excellence, Alaska Quality Schools standards-based initiatives, and an initiative aimed at the “systemic integration of indigenous and Western knowledge” as a route to educational reform in rural schools. All of these initiatives offer different routes for school improvement.

Your task for this unit is to develop your own plan for educational reform and renewal, utilizing the “Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools” and the “Guide to Implementing Cultural Standards for Educators” as the template.  Drawing on the readings from this and the previous units, as well as on your own experience and insights regarding what can make a positive difference in Alaska’s schools, design your own ideal school, using the Alaska Cultural Standards as a guide.  For additional ideas on content and format for this assignment, refer to the readings, in particular the articles in the two volumes of Lessons Taught / Lessons Learned, where other teachers have put forward their vision of the ideal rural school and curriculum.  The paper for this assignment should be in the 8–10 page range.  Let your creative juices flow!

Optional Bonus Assignment – 1 point

Please write a one page critique of this course, including critical comments on both the format and the content, as well as your assessment of the readings.  This assignment is worth one point no matter what you say, so say what you think.  I won’t read it until after the other assignments have been graded.

Good luck, and good work!