February 22, 2005
Concordia University, Montreal
Recent Research
and Background
Reading
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Providing Critical Supports for Successful Learning
E. Language and Culture
Recommendations of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (1996)
Chapter 5: The Commission recommends that
3.5.5
Federal, provincial and territorial governments collaborate with Aboriginal governments, organizations and educators to develop or continue developing innovative curricula that reflect Aboriginal cultures and community realities, for delivery
(a) at all grade levels of elementary and secondary schools;
(b) in schools operating under Aboriginal control; and
(c) in schools under provincial or territorial jurisdiction.
3.5.6
Aboriginal language education be assigned priority in Aboriginal, provincial and territorial education systems to complement and support language preservation efforts in local communities through
(a) first- or second-language instruction or immersion programs where parents desire it and numbers warrant;
(b) recognition of Aboriginal language competence for second-language academic credit whether competence is acquired through classroom or out-of-school instruction;
(c) involving elders and fluent Aboriginal speakers in programs to enhance Aboriginal language acquisition and fluency;
(d) developing instructional materials; and
(e) encouraging and rewarding language teaching as a career path and language research in lexical elaboration, structural analysis and cultural contexts as professional and academic specializations.
3.5.9
Provincial and territorial ministries require school boards serving Aboriginal students to implement a comprehensive Aboriginal education strategy, developed with Aboriginal parents, elders and educators, including
(a) goals and objectives to be accomplished during the International Decade of Indigenous Peoples;
(b) hiring of Aboriginal teachers at the elementary and secondary school level, with negotiated target levels, to teach in all areas of school programs, not just Aboriginal programs;
(c) hiring of Aboriginal people in administrative and leadership positions;
(d) hiring of Aboriginal support workers, such as counsellors, community liaison workers,
psychologists and speech therapists;
(e) curriculum, in all subject areas, that includes the perspectives, traditions, beliefs and world view of Aboriginal peoples;
(f) involvement of elders in teaching Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students;
(g) classes in Aboriginal languages, as determined by the Aboriginal
community;
(h) family and community involvement mechanisms;
(i) education programs that combat stereotypes, racism, prejudice and biases;
(j) accountability indicators tied to board or district funding; and
(k) public reports of results by the end of the International Decade of
Indigenous Peoples in the year 2004.
3.5.10
Aboriginally controlled, provincial, and territorial schools serving Aboriginal youth develop and implement comprehensive Aboriginal youth empowerment strategies with elements elaborated in collaboration with youth, including
(a) cultural education in classroom and informal settings;
(b) acknowledgement of spiritual, ethical and intuitive dimensions of learning;
(c) education to support critical analysis of Aboriginal experience;
(d) learning as a means of healing from the effects of trauma, abuse and racism;
(e) academic skills development and support;
(f) sports and outdoor education;
(g) leadership development; and
(h) youth exchanges between Aboriginal nations, across Canada and
internationally.
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