Cultural ProgrammesIn the Canadian Living article "A Class of Their Own" by John Schofield, Penny Milton, CEO of the Canadian Education Association, suggests that when students discover knowledge for themselves, they are much more likely to remember and build on that knowledge. "There's been a shift from telling students things to engaging them in genuine research and questions that matter to them... To make knowledge really come alive, great teachers today must be aware of how different children learn, and they need to know a variety of strategies to engage them." The article goes on to describe the steps that some teachers are taking: Pascale BaillargeonPascale Baillargeon is a high school teacher in Kimmirut, Nunavut. She is a graduate of the Outdoor and Experiential Education program at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, and winner of a Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence in 2002-2003. During her 11 years in the North, Baillargeon has listened to the community and adapted Nunavut’s Alberta curriculum to the needs of the area and its people. She teaches a wide range of subjects, mostly science but also social studies, math, northern studies and shop. Because most students want to stay in the area she tries to match the needs of the community to the interests of each student. In order to achieve this she incorporates into the subjects she teaches many projects designed to develop traditional skills, such as hunting, land survival and igloo building. (Canadian Living, March 2004) To see many of the school projects at Qaqqalik such
as Kimmirut Kulturals visit: John JamiesonJohn Jamieson is a former teacher and is now the principal of a school in Sanikiluaq, Nunavut. In 2002 he received the Governor General’s Award for Excellence in Teaching Canadian History in recognition of his dynamic and innovative approach to teaching Canadian history. In one of Jamieson’s earliest teaching projects, students constructed a full-sized sod house and spent several nights in the dwelling. They sewed clothing in the dim light of seal oil lamps and then curled up under caribou blankets. A more recent programme combines historical and cultural themes with entrepreneurial skills. This involves the students purchasing locally crafted relief soapstone carvings, mounting them on mat board, framing them into professional-quality object boxes and then selling them to art shops across the country (Recipient News Releases, Nov. 16, 2002) As part of the award program and to further the sharing of great teaching ideas, Canada's National History Society has developed Canadian History Lesson Plans. To see a sampling of plans from the Award-winning educators, look under Education and Lesson Plans at: http://www.historysociety.ca The Avataq Cultural InstituteOne of Avataq Cultural Institute's many projects is to deliver a cultural field school for Inuit students. The summer camp, Natturaliit, has been in existence since 1987, welcoming groups of young Inuit aged 18 to 35 for two-week sessions to familiarize them with various traditional techniques of hunting, fi shing, survival, etc. Each year several groups of young people are initiated into the traditional Inuit way of life under the supervision of elders and their families who are the sole guardians of the wealth of this traditional Inuit knowledge. In addition, throughout the year, teaching programmes in traditional techniques are offered under the auspices of Avataq to the communities. Courses have been given in traditional clothing sewing techniques and soapstone carving. Avataq Cultural Institute |
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