Section 6 (optional section)

Aboriginal Education and Learning

Use this section if you have Aboriginal learners in your program and you would like your tutors to explore Aboriginal learning and the impact left by residential schools.

Aboriginal people used a method to teach their children that the government did not recognize or respect. As a result, children were sent to residential schools. The repercussions from this program are still being felt today. This can be a very sensitive topic for Aboriginal people and you may want to explore the work done by Mary Norton with the VALTA (Violence and Learning: Taking Action) project on how violence affects learning. You will find more information about VALTA in this unit’s table of useful resources and bibliography.

In this section, tutors will increase their knowledge of Aboriginal education and learning.

Activity A

Learning

There are significant differences in the process Aboriginal people use to foster learning. Tutors will have the opportunity to explore these differences and gain respect for Aboriginal learning.

Discussion

Materials and equipment

Flip chart and markers

Preparation

Read through the background information at the beginning of Section 5, if you haven’t already done so.

STEP-BY-STEP PROCESS

  1. Ask tutors what they know about Aboriginal learning from the previous activities. Note their ideas and comments on the flip chart. Discuss the following concepts:
    • Learning is passed from one generation to the next.
    • Learning is done by watching others.
    • Information is passed along through oral language.
    • Residential schools did not support Aboriginal education.
  2. Ask tutors how understanding these concepts can help them in tutoring.