Going global with indigenous education

Language and cultural survival topped the agenda for the triennial World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education, which was attended by Voyageur Memorial teacher Leon Déconti in Australia December 7-11.

Thousands of delegates from across the globe attended this very special cultural and learning conference held on the luscious traditional lands of the Kulin Nation near Melbourne. The goal was to bring together education professionals to share, learn and promote the best practices in Indigenous education policies, programs and teaching.

Though there were many attending from Canada, the US, Africa and even a delegation representing the Sami tribe of Norway, Déconti said, the vast majority of people were from the South Pacific.

“We are all facing the same challenges, whether it’s trying to increase the number of graduates or the level of literacy, it was pretty much the same thing,” Déconti observed. “I learned that there are 260 different Aboriginal languages in Australia and out of that number I believe that they said that 20 were on the verge of extinction and only six remained strong and the rest were wiped out.”

Déconti largely focused his time on workshops pertinent to his specialties – English and history. But he also spent a day in a workshop for Aboriginal professionals and unions at the pre-conference with other Quebecers from the Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ) and the Northern Quebec Teachers Association. “Basically we sat down and discussed how unions could play a larger role in improving Aboriginal education,” he explained.

Déconti also learned from educators who had devised unique ways to engage students in writing projects that involved cultural learning. In particular, Déconti found that the information and teaching techniques presented in a workshop entitled, “Collaboration of Cross Indigenous Communities through Responsive Writing,” might be worth taking back to the Cree communities.

The Australian presenter described how she increased participation by Indigenous second language students learning to read and write: by involving members of other Indigenous communities.

“She was able to get support from Indigenous adults in two locations beyond her student’s immediate home communities and these indigenous adults participated in regular writing exchanges over a school term. They responded to the messages and ideas in the student’s writings, though they did not focus on grammar, spelling or language structure. It was about encouraging the writing process. It was about communicating on a one-on-one level to get a rapport going,” said Déconti.

Not only were the students very interested by the writing exchange program, but over the semester their writing skills increased – as did parental involvement.

Though the weeklong event hosted far too many events and information for one person to absorb, Déconti did take in a wide variety of presentations from schools around the world that successfully blended cultural and academic learning. What stood out in particular for him was a tour of Australia’s La Trobe University, which hosts a wildlife preserve on the campus as a part of its Native Studies program.

Beyond campuses and programs however, a significant focus was on preserving indigenous languages. “More than ever it is important to maintain your language,” said Déconti. “I am no longer fluent in mine [Algonquin]. You have to work at maintaining what you have and prepare for the future. My students have got quite the challenge. It is not just a matter of mastering two languages; they are asked to be proficient in three.”

Déconti also felt deeply enriched by the opportunity to go to Australia for the event and is hoping for the chance to attend the next one in Peru in 2011.

“Going to this conference and meeting other Aboriginal people from around the world, I saw that socially we do face the same challenges but that we each have our own unique way of doing things and that is what makes us who we are. It is important to maintain that but to also respect one another in our uniqueness,” he said.