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Published by the Alaska Native Knowledge Network

These guidelines are sponsored by:

Alaska Federation of NativesAlaska Rural Systemic Initiative

Alaska Rural ChallengeAlaska Native Knowledge Network

Ciulistet Research AssociationAssociation of Interior Native EducatorsSoutheast Native Educators Association

North Slope Iñupiaq Educators AssociationAssociation of Native Educators of the

Lower Kuskokwim

Association of Northwest Native EducatorsAlaska Native Education Student Association

Alutiiq Native Educator AssociationUnangan Educator Association

Alaska Native Education CouncilAlaska Native Teachers for Excellence/AnchorageConsortium of Alaska Native Higher Education

Alaska First Nations Research NetworkCenter For Cross-Cultural Studies

Guidelines for

Preparing CulturallyResponsive Teachers for

Alaska’s Schoolsadopted by the

Assembly of Alaska Native EducatorsAnchorage, AlaskaFebruary 2, 1999

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The following guidelines address issues of concern in thepreparation of teachers who will be expected to teach studentsfrom diverse backgrounds in a culturally responsive andeducationally healthy way. Special attention is given to thepreparation of Native and non-Native teachers for small ruralschools in Alaska. The guidelines are presented as they relateto each of the Alaska Teacher Standards, taking into consider-ation the Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schoolsand the Alaska Student Content Standards. It is intended thatall teachers in Alaska be prepared in such a way that they areable to demonstrate a high level of proficiency in all of thesestandards, and that programs preparing educators in Alaskaincorporate these guidelines as outcome indicators in theirplanning and implementation.

The purpose of these guidelines is to offer assistance topersonnel associated with teacher education and staffdevelopment programs in addressing the specialconsiderations that come into play when seeking to prepareeducators who are able to incorporate the Alaska Standardsfor Culturally Responsive Schools in their work. Using theAlaska Teacher Standards as a framework, these guidelinesprovide specific indicators for determining the enhancedknowledge and skills that culturally responsive teachers needabove and beyond the performance indicators stipulated by

Preface

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GUIDELINES FOR PREPARING CULTURALLY-RESPONSIVE TEACHERS

the State. While each of these indicators should be givenexplicit attention during the pre-service and inservicepreparation of teachers, many of them will benefit as well fromcontinued individual attention throughout a teacher’sprofessional career.

Along with these “guidelines” are a set of “generalrecommendations” aimed at stipulating the kind of programsand policies that need to be in place if the Alaska Standardsfor Culturally Responsive Schools are to achieve the goals forwhich they are intended. The Alaska Department of Education,universities and school districts are all encouraged to reviewtheir policies, programs and practices and to adopt theserecommendations wherever possible. By doing so, all ofAlaska’s children will benefit.

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1Alaska Teacher Standard

Philosophy

Teachers can describe their philosophy ofeducation and demonstrate its relationship totheir practice.

Culturally responsive teachers who meet this standard will:

a. develop a philosophy of education that is able toaccommodate multiple world views, values and beliefsystems, including attention to the interconnectedness ofthe human, natural and spiritual worlds as reflected inAlaska Native societies.

b. incorporate locally appropriate cultural values in allaspects of their teaching, drawing upon the formalstatement of values adopted by people in thesurrounding region.

c. gain first-hand experience in alternative ways of knowingand learning under the guidance of personnel who arethemselves grounded in ways of knowing that aredifferent from those based on a literate tradition (i.e.,schooling), including the experientially-based oraltradition of Alaska Native societies.

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d. incorporate alternative ways of knowing in their teachingpractice and understand the similarities and differencesbetween them, particularly with regard to theintermingling of Alaska Native and Western traditions.

e. demonstrate their understanding of alternative worldviews in contexts where they can be judged bypractitioners of those world views.

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Learning Theory& Practice


a. incorporate and build upon the prior knowledge andexperiences of the students in their care and reinforce thepositive parenting and child-rearing practices from thecommunity in all aspects of their teaching.

b. exhibit a thorough understanding of the role ofnaturalistic intelligence in indigenous societies and willdemonstrate their ability to draw upon multiple forms ofintelligence in their teaching practice.

c. acquire and apply a full repertoire of skills for theappropriate use of experiential approaches to learning intheir teaching practice.

d. demonstrate the ability to work with mixed-age/gradegroupings in their classroom and utilize the range ofabilities and experiences in such a situation toinstructional advantage.

Teachers understand how students learn anddevelop and apply that knowledge in theirpractice.

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e. approach the developmental potential of their students ina way that recognizes that all children develop at theirown rate and in their own way.

f. engage in extended experiences that involve thedevelopment of observation and listening skillsassociated with the traditional learning ways of Nativepeople.

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Diversity

Teachers teach students with respect for theirindividual and cultural characteristics.


a. acquire and apply the skills needed to learn about thelocal language(s) and culture(s) of the community inwhich they are situated.

b. draw upon the traditional teaching roles and practices inthe community to enhance the educational experiences oftheir students.

c. participate in an Elders-in-Residence program andimplement such a program in their own school andclassroom.

d. understand the significance of the role of cultural identityin providing a strong foundation for all social, emotional,intellectual and spiritual development and demonstratethe ability to build on that understanding in theirteaching.

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e. acquire a comprehensive understanding of all aspects ofthe local, regional and statewide context in which theirstudents live and be able to pass on that understandingin their teaching, particularly as it relates to the well-being and survival of small societies.

f. help their students to understand and compare differentnotions of cultural diversity from within and beyond theirown community and cultural region, including factorsthat come into play within culturally mixed and blendedfamilies.

g. serve as adult role models by actively contributing to thelocal lifeways and traditions as practiced in thecommunity in which they teach.

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Content

Teachers know their content area and how toteach it.


a. pursue interdisciplinary studies across multiple subjectareas that are applicable to the curriculum content theywill be called upon to teach as it relates to the real-worldcontext in which their students are situated.

b. demonstrate an extensive repertoire of skills for theapplication of the content knowledge they teach inguiding students toward the development of localsolutions to everyday problems in the world aroundthem.

c. demonstrate the ability to acquire an in-depthunderstanding of the knowledge system indigenous to theplace in which they are teaching and apply thatunderstanding in their practice.

d. demonstrate a recognition that many and various culturaltraditions from throughout the world, including AlaskaNative, have contributed to the knowledge base reflectedin the Alaska Content Standards.

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e. demonstrate the ability to align all subject matter with theAlaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools andto develop curriculum models that are based on the localcultural and environmental experiences of their students.

f. recognize the importance of cultural and intellectualproperty rights in their teaching practice and honor suchrights in all aspects of their selection and utilization ofcurriculum resources.

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Instruction &Assessment

Teachers facilitate, monitor and assess studentlearning.


a. utilize multiple instructional strategies and apply thosestrategies appropriately and flexibly in response to thecultural and instructional environment in which they aresituated.

b. incorporate and build upon locally identified culturalvalues and beliefs in all aspects of their teaching andassessment practices.

c. construct and teach to alternative curriculumframeworks, including those grounded in Alaska Nativeworld views and knowledge systems.

d. utilize alternative instructional strategies grounded inways of teaching and learning traditional to the localcommunity and engage community members in helpingto assess their effectiveness in achieving student learning.

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e. demonstrate the ability to utilize a broad assortment ofassessment skills and tools in their teaching thatmaximize the opportunities for students to demonstratetheir competence in a variety of ways applicable to localcircumstances, including the involvement of local Eldersto pass judgement on knowledge and skills associatedwith traditional cultural practices.

f. demonstrate a thorough understanding of the culturalimplications of standardized and norm-referenced testsand be able to make appropriate decisions regarding theiruse for educational and accountability purposes.

g. consider all forms of intelligence and problem-solvingskills in the assessment of the learning potential ofstudents in their care and provide appropriateopportunities for the educational advancement of allstudents.

h. possess the skills to utilize technology as a tool toenhance educational opportunities and to facilitateappropriate documentation and communication of localcultural knowledge while honoring cultural andintellectual property rights.

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LearningEnvironment

Teachers create and maintain a learningenvironment in which all students are activelyengaged and contributing members.


a. construct learning environments in the classroom contextthat are modeled on natural learning environments in thecommunity.

b. effectively utilize the local community as an extension ofthe classroom learning environment.

c. successfully prepare for, organize and implementextended camps and other seasonal everyday-lifeexperiences to ground student learning naturally in thesurrounding environment.

d. utilize natural structures and models to constructlearning environments that are compatible with thecultural and ecological context in which students aresituated.

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Family &CommunityInvolvement


a. effectively identify and utilize the resources and expertisein the surrounding community to enhance the learningopportunities of the students.

b. develop partnerships with parents, Elders, school boardmembers and other community representatives as co-teachers in all aspects of their curricular and instructionalplanning and implementation, and arrange forappropriate recognition for such contributions.

c. understand the role and responsibility of the school as asignificant factor in the social, economic and politicalmake-up of the surrounding community and as a majorcontributor to the communities health and well-being.

d. assume culturally appropriate and constructive roles inthe community in which they teach and respect the rolesand contributions of other members of the community.

Teachers work as partners with parents,families and with the community.

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ProfessionalGrowth

Teachers participate in and contribute to theteaching profession.


a. draw upon the regional Native Educator Associationsalong with state and district resources for their owneducational improvement and professional growth.

b. engage in critical self-assessment and participatoryresearch to ascertain the extent to which their teachingpractices are effectively grounded in the traditional waysof transmitting the culture of the surrounding community.

c. prepare and maintain a comprehensive portfoliodocumenting the strengths and weaknesses they bring totheir role as a teacher.

d. demonstrate their willingness and ability to contribute toa supportive collegial environment that promotesprofessional growth of all participants on behalf of theeducational and cultural well-being of the students intheir care.

e. participate in, contribute to and learn from localcommunity events and activities in culturally appropriateways.

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GeneralRecommendations

1. The Alaska Standards for Culturally ResponsiveSchools should be integrated into all aspects of teacherand administrator preparation programs.

2. All teacher preparation candidates should be providedin-depth experiences in working with students whosecultural backgrounds are different from their own.

3. All new teachers should be provided with a cross-cultural orientation as part of the districts regularinservice program, including where possible, a week-long cultural camp experience and the assignment ofan experienced Native teacher/aide, an Elder and astudent as mentors throughout the first year ofteaching, all of which should be constructed to meetthe states “multi-cultural education” requirement forlicensure.

4. Teacher preparation programs should providecandidates who wish to consider teaching in ruralAlaska (or intend to address cross-cultural issues inurban schools) with extended opportunities tocomplete an internship in a rural school/communitysetting.

5. All school districts should provide career ladderincentives for their employees to pursue professional

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development opportunities, as well as a “futureteachers” club to attract more local people into careersin education.

6. A “cross-cultural specialist” endorsement based on theAlaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schoolsshould be made available through the Alaska DOE andUA for teachers and school districts to utilize wheresuch specialized expertise is needed.

7. To the extent that we teach the way we are taught,university faculty and others associated with thepreparation of teachers should participate in culturalimmersion experiences themselves to develop theinsights and sensitivities they intend to impart to theirteacher candidates.

8. Teacher education programs should continue toprovide support for graduates through the first year ofteaching to assist new teachers in applying theirpedagogical knowledge and skills to a real-life teachingsituation.

9. Mechanisms, incentives and resources should be madeavailable for school districts to provide paid internshipsfor preservice teacher candidates to assumeresponsibility for a regular classroom at 60% of aregular teachers salary, with the stipulation that alicensed mentor teacher in the same building beassigned to guide and supervise the intern, utilizingthe remaining 40% of the salary.

10. Native educator associations should initiate communityforums and cultural orientation programs for parents,school board members and administrators to promotethe development of a common agenda for addressingthe educational needs of the children in their carebased on the Alaska Standards for CulturallyResponsive Schools, including the standards forculturally supportive communities.

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11. All of the above guidelines and recommendations forstrengthening the cultural responsiveness of teachersare equally applicable to the preparation and practiceof school administrators and thus should serve as abasis for revitalizing all educational leadershipprograms, including the Native Administrators forRural Alaska program.

12. Representatives of the Native educator associationsthroughout the state should be formed into an AlaskaNative/Rural Teacher Education Consortium to overseethe implementation of these guidelines at all levels ofteacher preparation in Alaska.

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