redefining how success is measured in first nations, inuit and metis learning

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REDEFINING HOW SUCCESS IS MEASURED

in First Nations, Inuit and Mtis Learning

07REPORTn eanin

in Canada


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This publication is available electronically on the Canadian Council on Learningswebsite at www.ccl-cca.ca.

For additional inormation, please contact:

CommunicationsCanadian Council on Learning21550 OConnor Street, Ottawa ON K1P 6L2

Tel.: 613.782.2959Fax: 613.782.2956E-mail: [email protected]

2007 Canadian Council on Learning

All rights reserved. This publication can be reproduced in whole or in part with the writtenpermission o the Canadian Council on Learning. To gain this permission, please contact:

[email protected]. These materials are to be used solely or non-commercial purposes.

Cite this publication in the ollowing ormat:Redefning How Success is Measured in First Nations, Inuit and Mtis Learning, Report onLearning in Canada 2007(Ottawa: 2007). page(s).

Published in November 2007.Ottawa, Ontario

ISBN 978-0-9783880-5-8

Aussi disponible en ranais sous le titreRedfnir le mode dvaluation de la russite chez lesPremires nations, les Inuits et les Mtis.The Canadian Council on Learning is an independent, not-or-proft corporation undedthrough an agreement with Human Resources and Social Development Canada. Its mandate

Acknowledgements

The Canadian Council on Learning (CCL) would like to thank all First Nations, Inuit and Mtis learningproessionals and researchers who contributed to the development o the Holistic Lielong LearningModels (see Appendix B). Without your leadership, vision and knowledge, the success o this initiativewould not be possible.

Thanks to each o the National Aboriginal OrganizationsAssembly o First Nations, Inuit TapiriitKanatami (ITK), Mtis National Council, Native Womens Association o Canada, and the Congresso Aboriginal Peoplesor providing ongoing support or this initiative.

CCL grateully acknowledges the directors, coordinators and Animation Theme Bundle leads o

CCLs Aboriginal Learning Knowledge Centre or their demonstrated commitment to First Nations,Inuit and Mtis learning.


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1

Table of conTenTs

INTRODUCTION .........................................................................2

CHAPTER 1: Understanding First Nations,Inuit and Mtis learning ..............................................................4

1.1 Diverse peoples, diverse communities ....................... 4

1.2 A growing Aboriginal population ............................... 4

1.3 First Nations, Inuit and Mtis holistic lifelong learning ... 5

CHAPTER 2: The need to redeine how successis measured in Aboriginal learning ..............................................8

2.1 Current research and approaches in Canada ............. 8

2.2 International efforts to measure Indigenous learning ... 12

2.3 Current data challenges ........................................... 13

CHAPTER 3: Toward a holistic approach to measurement .....16

3.1 Guiding principles .....................................................16

3.2 First Nations, Inuit and Mtis workshops .................. 16

CHAPTER 4: Three Holistic Lielong Learning Models ............18

4.1 First Nations Holistic Lielong Learning Model ......... 18

4.2 Inuit Holistic Lielong Learning Model ...................... 20

4.3 Mtis Holistic Lielong Learning Model .................... 22

CHAPTER 5: Demonstrating the use o theHolistic Lielong Learning Models ...........................................24

5.1 Toward a national ramework .................................. 24

5.2 Online tools: improving access to inormation ......... 28

CHAPTER 6: Summary and Future Directions .........................29

6.1 Summary ................................................................... 29

6.2 Future Directions ...................................................... 30

6.3 What CCL will do? .................................................... 31

APPENDICES ........................................................................32

A: Existing applications o holistic measurementrameworks

A-1 FNSA School Measures and DataCollection Project .............................................. 32

A-2 First Nations Regional Longitudinal

Health Survey..................................................... 33B: Partners in redeining how success is measured ....... 35

C: Initial Holistic Lielong Learning Model,February 2007 ........................................................... 38

D: Revised Inuit Holistic Lielong Learning Model,May 2007 .................................................................. 39

ENDNOTES ..........................................................................40


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2

First Nations, Inuit and Mtis have long advocated learningthat airms their own ways o knowing, cultural traditionsand values. However, they also desire Western educationthat can equip them with the knowledge and skills theyneed to participate in Canadian society. First Nations, Inuitand Mtis recognize that two ways o knowing will oster

the necessary conditions or nurturing healthy, sustainablecommunities.

Over the last our decades, the importance o Aboriginallearning to community well-being has become a criticalissue as First Nations, Inuit and Mtis people continue toexperience poorer health and higher rates o unemploy-ment, incarceration, and youth suicide than non-Aboriginalpeople.

As the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Aairs andNorthern Development airmed in February 2007,

It is rare to ind unanimity on any topic in therealm o public policy. When it comes to Aboriginaleducation, however, the now overwhelmingconsensus [is] that improving educational outcomesis absolutely critical to the uture o individualAboriginal learners, their amilies and children, theircommunities, and the broader Canadian society asa whole.1

Increasingly, Aboriginal communities are administeringeducational programs and services ormerly deliveredby non-Aboriginal governments. They are developingculturally relevant curriculum and community-basedlanguage and culture programs, and creating their owneducational institutions.

Yet as Aboriginal people work to improve community well-being through lielong learning, they recognize the needto identiy appropriate measurement tools that will helpthem assess what is working and what is not.

Thereore, a key challenge or Aboriginal Peoplesandor educators and governments working with First Nations,Inuit and Mtis to improve learning conditionsis toarticulate a comprehensive deinition o what is meantby learning success, and develop and implement an

appropriate ramework or measuring it.In January 2007, the Canadian Council on Learning (CCL)reported on the progress o Aboriginal learning in theState o Learning in Canada: No Time or Complacency.The release o the report marked CCLs ormative eort tomonitor and report more accurately on the holistic natureo Aboriginal learning across the liespan

CCL broadened the scope o research by includingindicators such as Aboriginal languages and cultures,early development and learning, and community-basededucation. However, as the State o Learning 2007concluded, existing inormation does not lend itsel toconveying a comprehensive picture o the state o First

Nations, Inuit and Mtis learning in Canada.Although current data and indicators on Aboriginal learningprovide useul inormation, they are limited or a numbero reasons:

Most research on Aboriginal learning is orientedtoward the educational deicits o Aboriginalpeople, overlooks positive learning outcomes anddoes not account or the unique political, socialand economic realities o First Nations, Inuit andMtis.

Current data on Aboriginal learning ocusses onyouth and young adult learning (high school andpost-secondary education). It does not monitorprogress across the ull spectrum o lielonglearning, rom inancy through the liespan o ahuman being.

Indicators ocus on years o schooling andperormance on standardized assessments. Theydo not relect the purpose or nature o holisticlearningengaging the physical, spiritual, mentaland emotional dimensionsor First Nations, Inuitand Mtis.

Current data predominantly measure learningsuccess within the ramework o the ormaleducational system and do not relect Aboriginalexperiential learning and traditional educationalactivities outside the classroom.

The State o Learning 2007concluded that currentindicators need to be broadened to relect the holistic,lielong nature o Aboriginal learning. To this end, CCL andits Aboriginal Learning Knowledge Centre are now workingin partnership with First Nations, Inuit and Mtis learningproessionals, community practitioners, researchers andgovernments to deine what is meant by learning successand to identiy the indicators needed to capture a holisticview o lielong learning that relects Aboriginal needs andaspirations.

In spring 2007, CCL organized a series o workshopsand dialogues with First Nations, Inuit and Mtis, todevelop three drat Holistic Lielong Learning Models.These adaptable, holistic learning models help map therelationships between learning purposes processes and

InTroducTIon

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3

Redeining How Success is Measured in First Nations,

Inuit and Mtis Learning reports on the progress o thiscooperative initiative. The report:

outlines the key characteristics o holistic lielonglearning or First Nations, Inuit and Mtis asidentiied in the literature;

identiies data gaps and challenges that limit ourunderstanding o Aboriginal learning;

presents three drat Holistic Lielong LearningModels or First Nations, Inuit and Mtis; and

proposes how each model can be used to developa national, holistic ramework or measuringlielong learning.

The learning models, ramework and rationale outlinedin this report support an alternative vision o Aboriginallearning. The Holistic Lielong Learning Modelsthemselves provide First Nations, Inuit and Mtis peoplewith an opportunity to articulate and exploreand or

non-Aboriginal Canadians to appreciatethe value oAboriginal holistic lielong learning as an essential humanendeavour that can beneit us all.

CCL and its partners in this initiative recognize the many

challenges associated with implementing such an alternativevision on the ground, but are conident that the inherentdepth and scope o the Holistic Lielong Learning Modelsprovide a solid oundation or identiying speciic aspectso learning that need to be measured appropriately.

I decades o Aboriginal poverty and marginalization are tobe reversed, there is an urgent need to re-examine whatis understood as First Nations, Inuit and Mtis learningand how it is measured and monitored. Comprehensiveand accurate inormation can and must contribute to thedevelopment o policies and programs that meet theexpressed needs and aspirations o First Nations, Inuitand Mtis people. Most importantly, such inormationempowers the Aboriginal learner, the amily, communityand education system to eect meaningul change.

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cHaPTer 1: uti fit nti, Iit Mti i

1.1 diversepeoples, diversecommunitiesTo appreciate what is meant by Aboriginal holistic lielonglearning, it is important to understand that AboriginalPeoples in Canada encompass hundreds o communities

with prooundly diverse cultures, languages, and nation-based governance and treaty-related rights.2

Aboriginal Peoples in Canada comprise three main groups:First Nations, Inuit and Mtis.3 These groups are associatedwith a speciic geographic location, such as a First Nationreserve, but also with residentially dispersed groups opeople who share a common identity and who may or maynot be living on their traditional lands, such as most Mtispeople.

However, the key elements that unite First Nations, Inuit andMtis as a group are their status on, and relationship to, thisland;4 their historical relationship to Canada as enshrined inSection 35 of the Constitution;5 and international recognitionof their indigenous rights. The United Nations Declarationon the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, adopted on September13, 2007, addresses a wide range of individual and collectiverights, including rights pertaining to education, health,

employment and language.6

Who are aboriginal PeoPles?

First nations

In 2001, 62% of Aboriginal people self identified asFirst Nations.7First Nations Peoples have uniquerelationships with Canada deriving from treatiesor pre-existing Aboriginal rights. First Nations8

includes both status and non-status Indians living onreserves (45%) or off reserves. The majority of FirstNations individuals live in Ontario (188,315), BritishColumbia (179,025), Alberta (156,220), Manitoba(150,040) and Saskatchewan (130,190).9There are

more than 50 known First Nations languages.10Mtis

Mtis people comprise 30% of Aboriginal people.The Mtis are self-identified peoples of mixed

Aboriginal and European ancestry, who areassociated with recognized settlements located

primarily in the western provinces of Alberta(66,055), Manitoba (56,795), British Columbia

(44,265), and Saskatchewan (43,695), and in theprovinces of Ontario (48,345) and Qubec (15,850).Mtis also comprise a significant proportion of

the Aboriginal population of Newfoundland andLabrador. The traditional language of the Mtisis Michif.11 Mtis are distributed evenly among

large cities (39%), towns and small cities (29%), andrural areas (29%). Distinctive social and economicdifferences exist between Mtis sub-populations

living in, for example, remote northern Mtiscommunities and those Mtis residing in urbancentres such as Winnipeg and Regina.12

inuitInuit are from Arctic areas of North America, as well

as from other countries with polar regions. Theyhave diverse cultural traits and speak six dialects ofInuktitut. The Inuit population of 45,000 comprises

5% of Aboriginal people. Over 70% of Inuit live

in the four Northern land-claim areas of Nunavik(northern Qubec), Nunatsiavut (Newfoundland

and Labrador), Inuvialuit (Northwest Territories) andNunavut (where almost half the Inuit population

reside). The majority of Inuit living outside the fourInuit regions live in urban centres.13

1.2 A growing AboriginAlpopulAtionThe Aboriginal population is young and its numbers aregrowing. In the 2001 census, nearly 1 million (976,305)people identiied themselves as Aboriginal, representing3% o the Canadian population;14 60% were youth underthe age o 29.15 Inuit have the youngest populationnearlyhal (49%) were under the age o 20 in 2001.16

As the non-Aboriginal school-age population in Canada isexpected to decline by nearly 400,000 children by 2017, theprojected 374,200 Aboriginal school-age children in 2017will constitute a larger proportion o Canadas children,especially in the Northern territories, Saskatchewan andManitoba.17 In Saskatchewan, or example, Aboriginalchildren make up more than 20% o the school-agepopulation (ages ive to 19), a proportion that is expected

to grow to more than 33% by 2017.18

As Aboriginal children and youth enter the labour marketin coming years, they will account or an increasingly highproportion o the working-age population, particularly inprovinces and territories that have the highest proportiono Aboriginal people.19 It is estimated that there are

tl b t 300 000 Ab i i l hild d th h

undersTandIng fIrsT naTIons,InuIT and MTIs learnIng

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The expansion of a youthful Aboriginal populationoccurring simultaneously with the ageing ofthe mainstream boomer population presentschallenges for the childcare and education

system as well as housing, but could also profferpreviously unprecedented labour and employment

opportunity for Aboriginal youth.22

National Council of Welfare, 2007

Ke attributes of Aboriginal learning

To compartmentalize Aboriginal holistic lielong learningmay contradict the integrative nature o this perspective.However, such a compartmentalization is useul to helpexplain the perspectives essential qualities. A review othe literature on First Nations, Inuit and Mtis learningidentiies several key attributes o Aboriginal learning,which are described in detail below:

Learning is holistic.

Learning is a lielong process.Learning is experiential in nature.

Learning is rooted in Aboriginal languages andcultures.

Learning is spiritually oriented.

Learning is a communal activity, involving amily,community and Elders.

Learning is an integration o Aboriginal and

Western knowledge.

Learning is holistic

The learning process simultaneously engages and developsall aspects o the individualemotional, physical, spiritualand intellectual31and o the collective. Individual learningis viewed as but one part o a collective that extendsbeyond the amily, community and nation to Creation

itsel.

Knowledge is not classiied into hierarchical competenciesor disciplinary specializations; all knowledge, includingknowledge o language, culture and traditions, and allexistence (humans, animals, plants, cosmos, etc.) arerelated by virtue o their shared origins (the Creator).32

Inormation tends to be ramed around relationships suchas the interconnectedness o humans, animals, plants, the

environment and the Creator.33


1.3 First nAtions, inuitAnd mtisholisticliFelongleArning

As the 1996 Report o the Royal Commission on AboriginalPeoplesnoted, Aboriginal people advocate a holisticlielong learning approach that will develop citizens whocan linguistically and culturally assume the responsibilities

o their nation, while also preparing their children andyouth to participate in Canadian society.23

Despite their diverse cultures, histories and geographies,First Nations, Inuit and Mtis people share a vision olearning as a purposeul, holistic, lielong process. Thisvision entails certain shared principles and values thatshape and inluence how they see themselves in relation tothe world, and that orm the oundation o their learning.

Intrinsic to Aboriginal learning is the nurturing orelationships among the individual, the amily, thecommunity, the nation, and all o Creation.24 Learningencompasses shared values and identity, developedthrough the learners relationship to other persons and tothe environment.25

Individual development and personal responsibility areviewed within the larger context o contributing to thecollective. Aboriginal learning can be viewed as a process

that naturally builds on social capitala term that generallyreers to the development o social relationships andnetworks based on trust and shared values that ultimatelyoster community well-being.26, 27

Many researchers maintain that Aboriginal people investsigniicant time and energy into building social capital, butit is oten maniested in ways that are not registered interms o economic development.28 From an Aboriginalperspective, social capital entails building and sustaininga healthy community based on an approach that valueskinship networks and community relationships, and thatreintegrates Aboriginal peoples connection to nature andthe land.29 As Mignone suggests, an Aboriginal communitywith higher levels o social capital would be expected tohave a culture o trust, participation, collective action and

30

Aboriginalknowledgeis based on observation,direct experience, testing, teaching and recording

in the collective memory through oral tradition,storytelling, ceremonies, and songs. The factthat Native science is not fragmentedinto

specialized compartments does not mean that

it is not based on rational thinking, but that it isbased on the belief that all things are connected

and must be considered within the context of thatinterrelationship. In order to maintain harmony

and balance, this holistic approach gives thesame importance to rational thinking as it does to

spiritual beliefs and social values 34

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Learning is lifelong

Many Aboriginal Peoples such as the First Nations o the plains (Blackoot,Cree, Dakota and others) use the Medicine Wheela circle divided intoquadrantsto illustrate the progressive growth o sel through a cyclical

journey.35 The Wheel also conveys the passage o the our seasons, theintegration o emotional, physical, intellectual and spiritual aspects o humandevelopment, and the interconnectedness o all lie.

The Medicine Wheel presents learning as a lielong process connected to allstages o human development, beginning beore birth and continuing through

childhood to old age. Knowledge and wisdom, acquired through a lietimeo learning are transmitted to younger learners in a process that repeats itselwith successive generations.

Learning is experiential

The traditional Aboriginal classroom consisted o the community and thenatural environment. Each adult was responsible or ensuring that each childlearned the speciic skills, attitudes and knowledge they needed to unction

in everyday lie.36

Experiential learning is seen as connected to lived experience, as in learningby doing, and is structured ormally through regular community interactionssuch as sharing circles, ceremonies, meditation, or story telling, and dailyactivities. Isumaqsayuq is an Inuit concept o learning through observationand imitation that occurs as part o daily amily and community activities suchas ood preparation or hunting.37

Although experiential learning is most oten associated with activities that

occur outside the ormal classroom, it is a purposeul and essential mode olearning or First Nations, Mtis and Inuit.

learning FroM Place

Learning is tied to place in waysthat could be described as

spiritual. As Watkins suggests,Aboriginal peoples relationship

to the land is not one ofownership per se, for we are

owned more by the land, tied to

it more strongly, than the land isowned by us. We are tied to it byobligations and responsibilitiesestablished by our ancestorsin times far back, and we pass

those obligations on to ourchildren and grandchildren.38

Integral to the learning processis knowledge of sacred

placessuch as burial sites andtraditional hunting groundswhich tie the culture to the landand remind people of their pastand their future, their ancestorsand their offspring, their spirit

and their obligations.39

Cajete suggests that Indigenousscientific and cultural knowledge

of local environments andpedagogy of place offer manyopportunities for comparativeresearch into how traditionalIndigenous ways of learning

and knowing can expandour understanding of basic

educational processes for allstudents.40

_______________

Learning from Place is oneof CCLs Aboriginal Learning

Knowledge Centres six areas offocus and explores how learning

of traditional knowledge,processes and practices is

related to living in a particular

place.

cHaPTer01

Learning is rooted in Aboriginal languages and cultures

Landmark documents on Aboriginal learning, including Indian Control o IndianEducation (1972)41 and the Report o the Royal Commission on AboriginalPeoples (1996), airm the pivotal role that languages and cultures play insuccessul Aboriginal learning. Through language, Aboriginal Peoples transmit

cultural knowledge rom one generation to another and make sense o theirshared experience.42, 43

Aboriginal languages relect the unique worldviews o Indigenous Peoplestoward their land, contains the knowledge o technologies and lies rhythmso that speciic place, and is nothing short o a living, working, practicaltoolkit or survival in that speciic region.44

Language connects Aboriginal people to their cultures system o values abouthow they ought to live and relate to each other.45 As Aboriginal languagesencode unique ways o interpreting the world, they are seen as inseparablerom issues o Aboriginal identity46 and the maintenance o Aboriginalknowledge systems.47

Learning is spirituall oriented

Central to the Aboriginal worldview is the pre-eminence o spirituald l h d i li d i i h



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To understand the reality o physical existence, to make

knowing possible, the individual turns inward to connectwith the energy that maniests itsel in all existence.49Spiritual experience is, thereore, equated with knowledgein itsel and is maniested in the physical world throughceremony, vision quests and dreams.

Thereore, knowledge is a sacred object, and seekingknowledge is a spiritual quest.50 Many Aboriginal peoplehave conceptualized the learning spiritas an entity thatemerges rom the complex interrelationships between the

learner and his or her learning journey. Battiste concludesthat when the spirit is absent, learning becomes diicult,unulilling, and, perhaps, impossible.51

Learning is a communal activit

The Report o the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoplesnoted the central role o amily and community as lielongeducators:

Traditional education prepared youth to takeup adult responsibilities. Through apprenticeshipand teaching by parents, grandparents, aunts anduncles, skills and knowledge were shaped andhoned. In the past, the respective roles o menand women in community lie were valued andwell established, with continuity rom generationto generation, so that youth saw their uture roles

modelled by adults and elders who were respectedand esteemed within their world.52

Thus parental and amily involvement in communitylearning can entail diverse roles: parents and amily as theirst educators in the home, as central partners with theschool and as advocates and key decision-makers or allchildren and youth.53

Elders play a key role as acilitators o lielong learning.

They teach responsibilities and relationships among amily,community and creation, reinorcing intergenerationalconnections and identities.54

Elders transmit the communitys culture through parables,allegories, lessons and poetry, presented over a longperiod o time. They play an important role in osteringculturally airming school environments that link students,sta, amilies and community to Aboriginal cultures andtraditions.55

Learning integrates Aboriginal and Westernknowledge

Aboriginal learning is not a static activity, but rather anadaptive process that derives the best rom traditional and

t k l d

cHaPTer01

As Inuit Elders have suggested, there is great continuity

between the past and the present, tradition and modernity.Inuit have always known how to adapt to new contexts.They do not just want to go back to the traditions o thepast, but they also wish to apply Inuit traditions that haveproven their value to solving modern problems. They wishto integrate the good and useul traditions rom the pastinto modern institutions.56

From the earliest days of contact, Aboriginalparents have had the deeply held desire for

education that would equip their children to reapthe benefits of the knowledge and technologies

of the Euro-Canadian society. However, they havemaintained a parallel desire to preserve their ownways of knowing, cultural traditions and heritage.

For Aboriginal students, education is not an eitheror proposition, but a yes and situation.57

Learning that integrates Western and Indigenousknowledge, research shows, can counteract the eectso cultural mismatch that have contributed to lowparticipation o Aboriginal people in, or example, scienceand engineering and post-secondary programs.58

Over the last two decades, various learning projects inCanada and the United States have demonstrated thesuccessul merging o Aboriginal and Western knowledgethat oers students a balanced two ways oknowingapproach.59

alaska rural systeMic initiative (akrsi)

Established in 1995 as a joint project of theUniversity of Alaska Fairbanks, the Alaska

Federation of Natives and the National ScienceFoundation, the AKRSI involves 176 schoolsand approximately 20,000 students (mostlyAboriginal) in a program to integrate local

Aboriginal knowledge and pedagogical practicesinto all aspects of the education system. Over theyears, the AKRSI has strengthened the quality

of educational experiences and improved theacademic performances of students in participating

schools throughout rural Alaska.60



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2.1 currentreseArchAndApproAchesin cAnAdA

Inuit and Mtis have achieved. Research viewed througha deicit lens tends to encourage the development opolicy and programs that respond to a deicit instead osupporting the positive successes that lead to improvedlearning outcomes.61

For example, the most commonly reported indicator thatmeasures success o Aboriginal learning is the high-schooldropout rate. According to the 2001 national census, theproportion o Aboriginal people that did not attain a high-school diploma was more than 2.5 times higher than theproportion o non-Aboriginal Canadians. The gap in high-school attainment was highest or Inuit (3.6 times higher).

Figure 1: Ppti ppti 20 t 24ith impt hih-h i, 2001

15

43

32

54

58

41

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Non-A

boriginal

population

TotalAboriginal

Mtis

Inuit

FirstNations

(on-reserve)

FirstNations

(off-reserve)

Source: Statistics Canada, 2001 Census

The presentation and interpretation o this inormation inthe research, however, is rarely accompanied by contextualinormation to help demonstrate the multitude o barriersAboriginal learners ace as high-school students.62, 63

For example, many Inuit and First Nations students living onreserve have historically identiied that their primary reasonor dropping out o high school was the requirement to

leave their community and travel long distances to attendthe nearest high school. This meant they had to leavebehind parents and community supports.64, 65 Althoughaccess to community high schools in Nunavut has improvedin recent years, Inuit students are now leaving high schoolprimarily to enter the labour orce, to help at home or to

hild

cHaPTer 2: Th t i h i m i aii i

As provinces and territories move to implementCanada-wide testing of students, the goals ofeducation embodied in such testing are defined by

non-Aboriginal authorities. Some Aboriginal parentsand communities may share these goals, but it

should not be assumed that they will place themabove their own goals for the education of theirchildren. Self-determination in education shouldgive Aboriginal people clear authority to create

curriculum and set the standards to accomplishtheir education goals.

1996 Report of the Royal Commission

on Aboriginal Peoples

As the 2007 State o Learning in Canada reported, currentapproaches to measuring First Nations, Inuit and Mtis

learning in Canada do not relect Aboriginal peoplesarticulation o holistic, lielong learning.

Although government and researchers approaches tomonitoring and assessing holistic, lielong learning otenace signiicant inormation challenges (these are discussedlater in this section), existing data and indicators provide thebasis or broadening the scope o research to encompassthe holistic attributes o Aboriginal learning.

Despite this, current research and approaches to measuringAboriginal learning in Canada oten:

are orientated toward measuring learning deicits,

do not account or social, economic and politicalactors,

do not monitor progress across the ull spectrum olielong learning,

do not relect the holistic nature o First Nations,Inuit and Mtis learning, and

do not relect the importance o experientiallearning.

Current approaches are oriented towardlearning deficits

THe need To redefIne How successIs Measured In aborIgInal learnIng

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ProMising Practices in Post-secondary education

The 2007 report on Aboriginal Post-Secondary Education from the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs andNorthern Development cited the following examples of successful Aboriginal initiatives.66

Since 1985, the Nunavut Sivuniksavut (NS) Program has offered Nunavut high-school graduates culturallyappropriate transitional programming. The NS Program has an 80% completion rate and a high employmentrecord for its graduates.

The Prince Albert Grand Council in northern Saskatchewan carries out significant data-collection and tracking

in relation to secondary and post-secondary learners and uses the results to enhance its policy formulation anddecision-making.

The First Nations Technical Institute offers a variety of diploma, degree and certificate programs, uses variousdelivery methods to reduce barriers to PSE, and has a 90% employment rate for graduates.

Membertou First Nation in Nova Scotia works to obtain commitments from mainstream post-secondary institutionsto invest in the community and treats post-secondary education as a top priority, financing every applicant.

Current approaches do not account forsocial, economic and political realities

Current research tends not to recognize that the economic,health and social challenges that inhibit Aboriginalpeoples opportunities or lielong learning well exceedthose experienced by non-Aboriginal Canadians. In 2001,our out o 10 (41%) Aboriginal children aged 14 years or

younger were living in low-income amilies, while nearlyone-quarter (22%) o First Nations people living on reserveoccupied sub-standard housing, compared to 2.5% o thegeneral Canadian population.71

Figure 2: chi 15 y ivi i -immii, 2001

41

48

33

24

18

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Aboriginal First Nations Mtis Inuit Non-Aboriginal

Source: Statistics Canada, Census 2001

Poor economic and living conditions also contribute tocomparatively poor health. Diabetes among Aboriginalpeople occurs at rates three to five times higher than inthe general Canadian population.72 Although there is muchvariation among communities, suicide rates are five to seven

deFinitions and concePts

i:For the purposes of this report, an indicatoris defined as a statistic that helps quantify theachievement of a desired result or outcome.67, 68An example of an indicator is university completion

rates.

Fmw:Given the broad scope and complexity of lifelonglearning, a single indicator does not provideenough information to measure its outcomes. Thus,a series of indicators, or framework, is required.A framework helps define the scope of a conceptsuch as lifelong learning and organizes the various

structural components of that concept in a coherentway. A measurement framework provides thestarting point for a planned approach to measuringsuccess.69, 70

M:For the purposes of this report, a measure defineshow the indicators will be quantified and hasspecifically defined units. For example, a measure

used to quantify the university completion rateindicator may be the proportion of the populationaged 25 to 34 who completed a university degree.


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The Report o the Royal Commission on Aboriginal

Peoplesairms the disruptive impact o historical policiesand legislation on the social, economic and culturaloundations o Aboriginal communities.74 The impositiono the residential school system, the loss o lands, reducedaccess to resources and prohibitions regarding the practiceo traditional ceremonies and Aboriginal languages all tooktheir toll on the health and well-being o First Nations, Inuitand Mtis.75

Measurement approaches that ocus on discrete stages

in ormal learning o youth oten do not allow or themonitoring o learners progress during educationaltransitions, such as between high school and post-secondary school, when many Aboriginal learners enrollin university and college entrance programs to upgradetheir skills.81

For example, existing inormation on Aboriginal adultlearning is limited, revealing some o the challenges thatgovernments and researchers ace when measuring lielong

learning or First Nations, Inuit and Mtis. One o therequently reported indicators analyzes Aboriginal adultliteracy using the International Adult Literacy and Lie SkillsSurvey (IALSS).82 IALSS identiies that in 2003, Aboriginaladults living in cities in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, inthe Northwest Territories and Yukon, as well as the Inuitin Nunavut, scored, on average, lower in prose literacy 83

relative to the overall Canadian population.

Figure 3: Ppti aii -aiippti ith p ity v 3, 16 v, c, 2003

61

45

55

29

69

30

88

2939

63

Canada, 48%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Urban-

Aboriginal

Non-

Aboriginal

Urban-

Aboriginal

Non-

Aboriginal

Aboriginal

Non-

Aboriginal

Aboriginal

Non-

Aboriginal

Aboriginal

Non-

Aboriginal

Manitoba Saskatchewan Yukon NorthwestTerritories

Nunavut

Source: Statistics Canada. Building on our Competencies: Canadian Results othe International Adult Literacy and Skills Survey 2003. (Ottawa: 2005).Note:IALSS is limited to select cities and territories in Canada, was conductedonly in English and French and was not available in any Aboriginal language.Since 60% o Nunavummiut who took part in the survey identiied Inuktitut as thelanguage or which they use on a regular basis, the results are limited and can bemisleading in identiying the complete literacy skills or Inuit adults.84

There are no available data that measure work-relatedlearning or First Nations, Inuit and Mtis adults.Yetworkplace-training data on the general population indicate

that most adult learning and education in Canada consistso job-related training; in almost all other countriessurveyed by the OECD, job-related training accountedor more than 80% o all education and training coursestaken by adults.85

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the residential school systeM

In 1891, the Government of Canada amended theIndian Act to make school attendance mandatory

for every First Nations child between the agesof seven and 15, as part of a program to assimilate

Aboriginal people into the Canadian culturalmainstream. By 1930, this had led to the creation

of more than 80 residential schools.76

Many children were separated from their familiesand communities to attend residential schools,where they suffered from sexual, physical, andmental abuse.77The 1996 Royal Commission onAboriginal Peoples concluded that many of the

current challenges facing Aboriginal communities,including violence, alcoholism and loss of identity,

spirituality and language, can be tied to the

residential school experience.78

Aboriginal leaders have also pointed to systemicimpediments to lielong learning. Non-Aboriginaleducational systems, or example, oten lack the capacityto teach Aboriginal culture, languages, traditions, valuesand approaches to learning.79 Many reports on Aboriginal

learning have described racism and discrimination inthe learning experiences o Aboriginal people,80 whichhas prompted many Aboriginal people to distrust non-Aboriginal educational systems and has hampered theprogress o some Aboriginal students.

Current approaches do not monitor the fullspectrum of lifelong learning

Current approaches to measuring Aboriginal learningtend to ocus on a particular stage o ormal learningsuch as early-childhood or secondary-school education.These approaches relect the respective jurisdictionalresponsibilities o provincial and territorial educationsystems but may conlict with First Nations, Inuit and Mtisperspectives on learning as an ongoing process integral



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nunavut adult learning strategy:a neW FraMeWork

Research shows that 25% of Inuit children graduatefrom high school in Nunavut and that the working-age population in Nunavut has the lowest literacy

skills level of any jurisdiction in Canada.86

To engage adult learners in the cultural,social and economic development of Nunavut in2005, the Government of Nunavut and Nunavut

Tunngavik Inc. developed a NunavutAdult Learning Strategy.

The Nunavut Adult Learning Strategy addressesissues associated with literacy (English, Inuktitut andInuinnaqtun), lack of education and formal training,

lack of recognized certification, and lackof opportunity. The strategy is supported by

a conceptual framework for evaluating qualityin education delivery and identifying strategiesand recommended actions.

The new framework identifies definitions of howsuccess is measured and lists key performance

indicators and mechanisms to record and validateinformation. The framework allows, where possible,

for measurement indicators that meet nationalstandards in order to compare Nunavuts adult

education outcomes with other jurisdictions.87

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Furthermore, as provincial and territorial curricula, in

general, are built on a Western knowledge oundation,current approaches to measuring learning among FirstNations, Inuit and Mtis tend not to relect the acquisitiono Aboriginal knowledge (traditional, spiritual, ecological,etc.), which is integral to issues o cultural continuity,identity and, ultimately, successul learning.

Current approaches do not reflect the holisticnature of First Nations, Inuit and Mtislearning

We cannot talk about being an intelligent personwithout knowledge of and access to all the levels

of our intelligence capacityi.e., the intelligenceof the body, the mind, heart and spirit. The

intelligence of the mind, for instance, does notoperate to its fullest creative, discriminating,

and encompassing potential without its activepartnership with the intelligence of the heart.

Holistic learning engages and develops all aspects o the

individual: emotional, physical, spiritual and intellectual.Yet current measurement approaches ocus primarilyon cognitive and intellectual development,88 relying onstandardized assessments that test intellectual perormancerather than the development o the whole person.

Intelligence has been defined for us through the

eyes of the Euro-American psychological and scientificculture. Its definition is limited in its application and

understanding. What we have been pursuing asIndigenous people, since our involvement in education

in the contemporary experience, is attempting tomeasure up to their definition of intelligence. To beas productive as they are, as successful as they are,to be as intelligent as they are. In doing so, we have

lost the encompassing nature of our definition of

intelligenceIndigenous intelligence.First Nations Centre. Regional Health

Survey Cultural Framework, February 2005

One exception is the approaches used by most provincialand territorial governments to assess the holistic domainso early learning using data instruments, such as theEarly Development Index (EDI), to research and measure

childrens readiness or school. Although data speciic toFirst Nations, Inuit and Mtis are limited, the approachrecognizes the holistic domains o child development,including: physical, cognitive, language and communicationskills, and emotional and social maturity.89

In British Columbia, or example, the EDI identiies that39% o Aboriginal children are not ready or school inat least one o the ive domains o child development,

compared to 25% o non-Aboriginal children.Figure 4: Ppti aii hi iv

y , i bitih cmi, h t y h, 20002004

23

16 1620

13

39

25

0%5%

10%15%

20%25%30%35%40%45%

Physical&

well-being

Social

Competence

Emotional

Language&

cognitive

development

Communication

andgeneral

knowledge

1ormore

domains

Aboriginal Children All Children



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Early childhood learning data instruments, like the EDI, help

assess the many dimensions o early learning development.However, urther analysis is needed to determine how theseinstruments can better relect holistic, lielong learning asdeined by First Nations, Inuit and Mtis by incorporatingaspects such as the spiritual dimension o learning.

Current approaches do not measureexperiential learning

For First Nations, Inuit and Mtis, learning throughexperienceincluding learning rom the land, Elders,traditions and ceremonies, and parental and amilysupportsis a widespread, vital orm o learning.90

Data that measure experiential, non-ormal and inormallearning or Aboriginal people are not available; experientiallearning remains invisible and undervalued although itcontinues to be an important mode o learning. Existingresearch tends to reinorce an assumption that only ormaleducation is associated with successul learning and, byextension, with success in lie.

For example, governments and researchers oten report

on post-secondary participation and attainment rateso Aboriginal people (represented by the completion oormal certiicates and diplomas). According to the 2001census, only 8% o Aboriginal people aged 25 to 34, and4% o Inuit, had completed a university education in 2001,compared to 28% o the general population.

Although it is important to report structured learning thatleads to a recognized credential, this inormation is otenpresented without recognizing the progress in experiential

learning that occurs outside the classroom.

Figure 5: Ppti ppti 25 t 34h tti ipm, ttiit ivity , 2001

33

3028

34

2828

8 79

4

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

Non-Aboriginalpopulation

TotalAboriginalpopulation

FirstNations

Mtis Inuit

College or trade certificate University (includes universitycertificate or degree)

Source: Statistics Canada. Census 2001

2.2 internAtionAleFFortstomeAsureindigenousleArning

The international community is encountering similarchallenges in its eorts to measure progress in learningand well-being o Indigenous Peoples. Described beloware two recent and ongoing international eorts that aredeveloping measurement approaches designed to supportimproved learning outcomes and enhance community well-being or Indigenous Peoples.

United Nations Permanent Forum onIndigenous Issues

The United Nations Permanent Forum on IndigenousIssues (UNPFII) is examining data gaps and challengesin measuring health, human rights, economic and socialdevelopment, environment, education and culture.94

The UNPFII initiated this work in 2004 by convening aninternational expert workshop on data collection and

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oecd deFinitions: tyPes oF learning

The Organisation for Economic Co-operationand Development (OECD) distinguishes betweenthree internationally recognized types of learning:formal learning, non-formal learning and informal

learning.91,92Such distinctions may reflectboundaries that are more administrative than

pedagogical.93

Formal learning is any clearly identified learningactivity that takes place in an organized, structuredsetting, is associated with an institution of learning

(such as a school or an employer offering formal

training) and leads to a recognized credential. Thisincludes formal instructionprimary, secondary andhigher educationand vocational training.

Non-formallearning refers to learning that is oftenorganized alongside formal educational or labour

systems, but does not lead to formal qualifications.The learning is not usually evaluated, although it

can be structured by the learning institution and isintentional from the learners point of view.

Informal learning, which can also be referredto as experiential learning, can be unplanned or

unintentional learning that occurs during everydayactivities: work, family life, leisure, etc. It does not

usually lead to certification.



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a workshop held in Ottawa in 2006, to discuss data gaps

and challenges in measuring the well-being o IndigenousPeoples. The objectives o the Ottawa workshop wereto:

Identiy gaps in existing indicators at the global,regional and national levels that assess thesituation o Indigenous Peoples and impact policymaking, governance, and program development;

Examine work being done to improve indicators sothat they take into account Indigenous Peoples;

Examine linkages between quantitative andqualitative indicators, particularly indicators thatlook at processes aecting Indigenous Peoples;

Propose the ormulation o core global andregional indicators that address the speciicconcerns and situations o Indigenous Peoples.96

During this workshop, the Australian representativeidentiied that current indicators must go beyond

governments perceptions o success to ensure theeective ull participation o Indigenous people in allstages o data collection and analysis as an essentialcomponent o participatory development practice.97

The UNPFII has also identified other key issues, including:

the need to align Indigenous-speciic indicatorswith the United Nations eight MillenniumDevelopment Goals (MDGs), 18 targets and 48indicators;98

the need or Indigenous Peoples to participate indata collection; and

the need to develop culturally appropriateindicators that relect Indigenous perspectives.99

New Zealands Maori Statistics Framework

Since 2002, the state government o New Zealand

has engaged Maori in the development o a statisticalramework that measures the dimensions o Maori well-being.100 The proposed Maori Statistics Framework relectsthe starting point or the planned development o a robustsystem o statistics or and about Maori.101

The ramework is ocussed on the collective aspirations oMaori well-being and is organized to relect their variousdimensions o well-being, including: sustainability oTe AoMaori(the Maori world), social capability, human resource

potential, economic sel-suiciency, environmentalsustainability, empowerment and enablement.102

As statistical capacity building is seen as a key element orsuccess, this initiative is ongoing. The state governmento New Zealand oresees its role as one o acilitatingIndigenous Peoples eorts to develop their own statistical

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2.3 currentdAtAchAllengesOrganizations oten ace constraints as they work toimprove their approaches to measurement and reine thedata-collection instruments used to measure progress inFirst Nations, Inuit and Mtis learning. These constraintsinclude: a lack o timely and reliable data, the existence oa gap between Aboriginal perspectives and governmentreporting rameworks, inaccessible data, issues o dataownership and control, and diiculties associated withcomparing data.

A lack of timel and reliable data

The major source o data collection or Aboriginal Peoplesin Canada remains the national census, which occursevery ive years. The census oers many advantages ormeasuring the well-being o Aboriginal Peoples, such as anability to compare similar data collected rom year to year.However, the limited scope o the data and the duration

o time between collection cycles poses a challenge orpolicy analysis.

Furthermore, the national census is designed as the primaryvehicle or the collection o inormation on all Canadians;the data on Aboriginal people are but one o its many by-products. The census has limited capacity to accommodatethe cultural, social or economic dierences between andwithin First Nations, Inuit and Mtis, or to address the

speciic data needs o Aboriginal people.The development o a post-census Aboriginal PeoplesSurvey (APS) in 2001 has allowed or questions devoted tothe needs o Aboriginal Peoples, such as the importance olanguages and cultures. However, the APS has historicallyencountered some diiculties in attaining adequatesamples or First Nations living on reserve.104

Gap between Aboriginal perspectivesand government reporting frameworks

National governments and Aboriginal Peoples havedierent perspectives on how and why indicators aredeveloped,105 which may well stem rom their respectiveviews on what constitutes successul learning outcomes.For example, Western culture typically uses graduation andattendance rates as measures o success, whereas someo the culturally appropriate learning outcomes expressed

by First Nations, Inuit and Mtis include measures oancestral language eicacy and exposure to estivals andceremonies.

While most Aboriginal people acknowledge that both typeso perspectives are important, there is little consensus asto how they can be integrated. I the deinitions o success



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Some researchers propose an intersecting space (see

Figure 6) whereby policy-makers and Aboriginal peoplecan seek to build meaningul measurement. 107 Thisintersecting space, however, oten requires the reductionor modiication o Aboriginal peoples perceptions oholistic lielong learning and well-being to accommodategovernments measurement rameworks.

Figure 6: Th itti p iit aii i

Aboriginal perspectivesconcerning holistic lifelong

learning and communitywell-being

Government reportingframeworks and notions

of learning and well-being

Intersecting space: shared perspective of learningand well-being and appropriate indicators

Source: Adaptation o model proposed by the Centre or Aboriginal EconomicPolicy Research at the Australian National University108

Other researchers maintain that the measurement oAboriginal well-being cannot be limited solely to measuringintersections between non-Aboriginal and Aboriginalperspectives109 because the inormation capturedin this space would greatly compromise Aboriginalunderstandings o well-being.110

I Aboriginal people and governments are unable toestablish a shared perspective o learning and well-being,indicators run the risk o becoming either irrelevantor Aboriginal Peoples or unable to inorm eective

government policy.

Oten limited in their depth and scope, these public tables

tend not to provide the inormation needed to adequatelyrespond to the speciic requirements o Aboriginal learningresearch.111

Some government departments and academic institutionspurchase data that enable more detailed analysis, and havethe technical capacity to use available research centres.Unortunately, Aboriginal organizations, institutions andindividuals seem to be the least well-positioned to access(and then analyze) this inormation as they lack either the

resources or inter-organizational relationships.

In 2002, the Auditor General o Canada highlighted theongoing diiculties that First Nations communities acein reporting and accessing administrative data requestedby the ederal government. Although each First Nationcommunity is required to submit over 168 reports annuallyto the ederal government, they do not have access to theaggregation o this inormation which could assist them in

local planning.112

Ownership and control of data

Lifelong learning is a cornerstone for the federalgovernment, from early childhood support througheducation, adult literacy and skills development[This is] consistent with the traditional concept of

lifelong learning held by many Aboriginal peoples.

Strengthening the Relationship: Report of theCanada-Aboriginal Peoples Roundtable, April 19, 2004

One measure of success, then, in terms ofestablishing best practices in this area, is thatIndigenous governing bodies begin to assumeresponsibility for the compilation of their own

measurement indicators and progress in stagesto their interpretation, presentation, replication,and dissemination with the ultimate goal of their

application for local planning.113

First Nations, Inuit and Mtis control o the data collectionand measurement process is an urgent matter.114 Typically,

non-Aboriginal people control the collection, analysis andinterpretation o data or Aboriginal people. However,First Nations, Inuit and Mtis control o the process couldhelp ensure that measurement approaches respondto their communities needs, relect their undamentalvalues, knowledge and understanding o the world, andproduce relevant inormation that could lead to positivechange.115

The First Nations Research Centre has led the way in

identiying the principles o ownership, control, access andpossession (OCAP) required in data collection, analysis anddissemination. The Assembly o First Nations concludes thatthe ailure o government and researchers to recognize theimportance o OCAP as a best practice in data ownershipand collection has led to recurrent problems in obtainingquality inormation about First Nations communities 116

Inaccessible information

The inaccessibility o Aboriginal learning inormation poses



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OCAP,117 First Nations control over the First Nations

Regional Longitudinal Health Survey (RHS),118

or example,has demonstrated that applying the principles o OCAP todata collection and measurement is easible.

The RHS is ully controlled by First Nations. Governanceover data and inormation rests with First Nationscommunities who then take a strong interest in the datathey collect. Access and use o this inormation at thecommunity, regional or national level is dependent onan agreement signed by the appropriate First Nations

organization (i.e., First Nations community, regionalorganization, or national assembly).119

Comparabilit of data

Comparing national, regional and community measuresthat pertain to Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoplepresents many challenges.

While it is important to collect data that acilitates com-parable measures, ocussing on this need can producemeasures that conlict with Aboriginal interests indeveloping data around complex issues such as culturalvalues and identity.

The RHS identiies that the primary concern o First Nationsdata collection is to ensure comparability between FirstNations communities, instead o between First Nations and

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non-Aboriginal Canadians.120 As standard non-Aboriginal

data instruments tend to relect government policyobjectives and rameworks, RHS concludes that a priorityor developing First Nations surveys is the incorporation oculturally relevant measures that recognize First Nationsperceptions o well-being.121

The comparison o measures o elementary and secondary-school education across provinces and territories presentsadditional challenges. This is because there are signiicantdierences in jurisdictional approaches to developing

indicators and implementing sel-identiication proceduresor Aboriginal learners. Also, the eorts o First Nationsschools to monitor and report on their students progressas described by the First Nations Schools Associationin British Columbia (see Appendix A)are not directlycomparable to other o-reserve Aboriginal learningmeasures used by various provinces and territories.

Other countries ace similar challenges in developing

appropriate methods and instruments to measure learningprogress o Indigenous Peoples,122 making internationalcomparisons diicult. Yet cross-national comparability oIndigenous data is important; it can enable the developmento international benchmarks on national progress, pointto instances o successul policy, and allow IndigenousPeoples to clearly compare their own circumstances withthose o other nations.123



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In the chapter devoted to Aboriginal learning, the 2007State o Learning in Canada highlighted the need or a newapproach to monitor progress across the ull spectrum oFirst Nations, Inuit and Mtis lielong learning.124

CCL, its Aboriginal Learning Knowledge Centre, and FirstNations, Inuit and Mtis, began working collaborativelyto identiy the tools and indicators needed to measuresuccess in Aboriginal learning.

CCL recognized that the success o this initiative woulddepend on the leadership and vision o First Nations, Inuitand Mtis. CCL has sought and gained the ormal supporto each o the ive National Aboriginal Organizations inCanada: Assembly o First Nations, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami,Mtis National Council, Native Womens Association oCanada, and Congress o Aboriginal Peoples. Letters o

support rom the organizations leaders can be ound onCCLs website at www.ccl-cca.ca.

With Aboriginal support in place, CCL launched theRedeining How Success is Measured in First Nations,Inuit and Mtis Learning initiative, with the primary goalo developing holistic lielong learning models that canhelp map the relationships between learning purposes,processes and outcomes across the liespan or FirstNations, Inuit and Mtis.

3.1 guidingprinciplesIn undertaking this initiative, CCL respected the ollowingguiding principles:

All aspects o this initiativeworkshops, drats andrevisions o the holistic lielong learning models,etc.are part o a larger, iterative process tomeasure success in Aboriginal learning;

The process must ensure inclusiveness o FirstNations, Inuit and Mtis Peoples by working withcommunities to deine and measure success,instead o imposing pre-determined solutions;

Support or this initiative rom First Nations, Inuitand Mtis Peoples, through ongoing collaborationwith the National Aboriginal Organizations, isessential;

The process and its outcomes must relect thecultural and regional distinctiveness among andbetween First Nations, Inuit and Mtis people;

Indicators that measure lielong learning must beculturally relevant, responsive to community needsand grounded in research.

3.2 First nAtions, inuitAnd mtisworkshopsTo acilitate the development o the holistic lielonglearning models, CCL organized a series o workshopsthat brought together Aboriginal learning proessionals,community practitioners, researchers and governments tobegin identiying the many aspects o lielong learning thatcontribute to success or First Nations, Inuit and Mtis.

Two sets o workshops, held in the spring o 2007, involvedthe collaboration o more than 50 organizations and 100individuals (see Appendix B or a complete list o partnersinvolved in this initiative to date).

The objectives o the workshop were:

to identiy the areas o learning, suggested in threedrat Holistic Lielong Learning Models, that

oster success or First Nations, Inuit and Mtiscommunities;

to identiy the indicators that are needed tomeasure learning progress or First Nations, Inuitand Mtis communities, based on three dratHolistic Lielong Learning Models.

The irst set o workshops took place on the Stony PlainsIndian reserve o the Enoch Cree Nation near Edmonton,Alberta, on February 8 and 9, 2007. The workshops

consisted o three separate sessions or First Nations, Inuitand Mtis.

Imagination Group, 2007

To provide a starting point or workshop discussion, threedistinct yet similar holistic learning models were presented,

with the intention that participants would critique, modiyor even discard the proposed models i necessary. (Theinitial holistic learning models presented at the irstworkshop in February 2007 are attached in Appendix C.)

cHaPTer 3: Towd holisti ppoh to msumnt

Toward a HolIsTIc aPProacHTo MeasureMenT

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suMMarY of februarY 2007 worKsHoPs,edMonTon

First nations sessionOverall, the holistic, cyclical and adaptable elements presentedin the proposed draft learning model were recognized asimportant and the use of a living tree to present the flow oflifelong learning was accepted as a metaphor for a holisticlifelong learning model.

Participants decided that the learning model (tree) shouldbe flipped so that what was proposed as the leaves andbranches of the tree would become the roots, or foundation,of the learning model.

Participants recognized the many challenges in attemptingto map how learning happens for First Nations and inidentifying the relationships between the processes oflearning and the various sources of knowledge.

Mtis sessionParticipants identified that the Mtis understanding of theSacred Act of Living a Good Life should be the focus of aMtis holistic lifelong learning model.

Participants agreed that the holistic, non-Western, andself-generating aspects of the proposed draft model wereeffective in presenting learning from a Mtis perspective.

inuit sessionParticipants agreed that a tree was not appropriate asa symbol or metaphor of Inuit learning, and that furtherdiscussions on measuring success in Inuit learning would bewelcomed.

Participants recommended that a follow-up, Inuit-specificmeeting take place in an Inuit community and that it would bringtogether Inuit from all regions.

suMMarY of InuIT-sPecIfIc worKsHoP,MaY 2007, IQaluIT

Participants were encouraged by the process and identifiedthe importance for Inuit to lead and design a model of Inuitlearning.

Participants, in general, agreed that most elementspresented in the proposed draft learning model (drum) wereimportant, but were concerned that the use of a drum as asymbol of Inuit learning would not be culturally relevant forall Inuit regions.

Participants suggested that Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ)125

should form the foundation of any Inuit learning model.

f ll k h l bl h

Toward a HolIsTIc aPProacHTo MeasureMenT

Pauktuutit Inuit Women o Canada, 2007

Adverse weather conditions prevented manyInuit rom attending the February workshop,which resulted in limited representation acrossall Inuit regions. CCL subsequently organized aone-day meeting with several o the Februaryworkshop participants to develop a revised

drat holistic learning model as a new startingpoint or discussion at a second Inuit workshopin Iqaluit, May 2 and 3, 2007. (The revised Inuitholistic lielong learning model presented at theMay workshop is attached in Appendix D.)

The three initial holistic learning models orFirst Nations, Inuit and Mtis were discussed,debated, revised and reined over the course othe workshops. The most current versions o the

Holistic Lielong Learning Models are presentedin detail in chapter our.

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CCL used the ollowing criteria to develop the

initial drat holistic lielong learning models:The models must relect a holisticapproach to lielong learning.

The models must map the relationshipsbetween learning processes andknowledge.

The models must be culturally relevant.

The models must communicate clearly

and be easily interpreted.The models must have the capacity tomeasure First Nations, Inuit and Mtislearning progress over time, and, ipossible, to monitor their progressrelative to one another and to non-Aboriginal communities.


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The three drat Holistic Lielong Learning Models are livingdocuments to be developed, revised and adapted as FirstNations, Inuit and Mtis communities, organizations,institutions, researchers and governments continue toexplore the models eicacy as tools or positive change.

Each model uses a stylized graphic to convey the dynamicprocesses and relationships that characterize learningor First Nations, Inuit and Mtis communities. The threeimages attest to the cyclical, regenerative power o holisticlielong learning and its relationship to community well-being. Each learning model, and its description below,represents the outcome o ongoing dialogues with FirstNations, Inuit and Mtis.

4.1 First nAtions holistic liFelong

leArning modelFor First Nations people, the purpose of learning is todevelop the skills, knowledge, values and wisdom neededto honour and protect the natural world and ensure the long-term sustainability of life. Learning is portrayed as a holistic,lifelong developmental process that contributes to individualand community well-being. This process is both organic andself-regenerative in nature, and integrates various types ofrelationships and knowledge within the community.

The First Nations Holistic Lifelong Learning Model usesa stylized graphic o a living tree to depict learning as acyclical process that occurs throughout the individualsliespan. This learning tree identiies the conditions thatoster cultural continuity and provide the oundation orindividual learning and collective well-being.

The model contains our main components. They depict thedynamics that enable First Nations people to experience

holistic lielong learning as a purposeul developmentalprocess. The components include: the sources and domainso knowledge (the roots), the individuals learning cycle(the rings), the individuals personal development (thebranches) and the communitys well-being (the leaves).

The roots: the learning foundation

Lielong learning or First Nations people is rooted in the

individuals relationships within the natural world and theworld o people (sel, amily, ancestors, clan, community,nation and other nations), and in their experiences olanguages, traditions and ceremonies. These Sources andDomains o Knowledge are represented by the 10 rootsthat support the tree (learner), and the Indigenous andW k l d di i h l h

and domains o knowledge, drawing upon a rich heritageo values, belies, traditions, and practices associatedwith balanced relations within and between all members(living and deceased) o the community. Any uneven rootgrowthexpressed, or example, as amily breakdown,loss o Aboriginal language or other symptoms o culturaldiscontinuitycan destabilize the learning tree.

The model airms the importance o integrating Westernand Indigenous knowledge and approaches to learning.Thus the learning tree depicts the co-existence oIndigenous and Western learning within the root system,and their ultimate convergence within the trunk, the sitewhere individual development and the process o lielonglearning is maniested.

The learning rings: the stages of lifelonglearning

A cross-sectional view o the trunk reveals the sevenLearning Rings o the Individual. At the trunks core,Indigenous and Western knowledge are depicted astwo complementary, rather that competitive, learningapproaches.

Surrounding the core are the our dimensions o personal

developmentspiritual, emotional, physical, and mentalthrough which learning is experienced. Thus learning isdepicted as an integrative process that engages the wholeperson during any given learning activity.

The trees rings portray how learning is a lielong processthat begins at birth and progresses through childhood,youth and adulthood. The rings depict the stages oormal learning, beginning with early childhood learning

and progressing through elementary, secondary andpost-secondary education, to adult skills training andemployment. However, the rings also airm the equallyimportant role o experiential or inormal learningthroughout each lie stage, as depicted by the lighter-coloured shading within each ring.

Learning opportunities are available in all stages o FirstNations lie, in a variety o contexts that include bothinormal and ormal settings such as in the home, on the

land, or in the school. Such a range o learning opportunitiesacilitates the transmission o intergenerational knowledgeto the individual rom the sources within the rootsrom amily members, community members and Elders.Implicit in the intergenerational transer process is theunderstanding that each new generation is responsibleto ensure the survival o the seventh generation This

cHaPTer 4: Th Hiti li li M

cHaPTer04THree HolIsTIc lIfelong learnIng Models


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cHaPTer04

inuit QaujiMajatuQangit (iQ):38 values and belieFs133

1. Resilience/Aokhaitok/3fMoJw8i6

2. Practice/Oktokatahutik/ ]s4gCJi6

3. Cooperation/Havakatigiiktot/wvJ6t]Q1i6

4. Sharing/Pikutigiktot/xu6vs8i6

5. Love/Pikpagiktot/N[o1i6

6. Survival/Naovaktonikut/x8N4gJi67. Conservation/Totkomablutik Piyuktot/k1A5y5bwoi6

8. Teamwork/Havakatigihutik Havaktigiyait/WoEct]Q1i6

9. Resourcefulness/Toktohanik Atokpaktot/w6v6n5txJi6

10. Patience/Nutakiokataktot/3rkw8i6

11. Moving Forward/Hivumongaoyut/yK7jx1i6

12. Mastery/Ayoihutik Ataaningoktot/Wh6yi6

13. Family/Elait/ wM]Q1i6

14. Listening/Tuhakataktot/g]nh3i6

15. Significance/Hivutuyunik Ihumagivaktait/gr3v3i6

16. Adaptability/Ayuiktaktot/xbsyY3vbsJ1N3i6

17. Observation/Kungiahutik/cspnJi6

18. Strength/Hakugiktot/W[Ai6

19. Volunteer/Ekayuyoktut/wvJuxJi620. Taking the long view/Kungiaktot Takiomik/

s1Zy4gj5 whm4n6ysJi6

21. Consensus/Angikatigiktot/whmct]QJi6

22. Endurance/Ayokhaktot/h3fyJw8i6

23. Strength/Piyunaniq/W[Ai6 n81Qi6

24. Generosity/Tunikatahutik/g4f3i6

25. Respect/Pitiahutik/W4fAh1i626. Unity/Adjikikatigiblutik Havakatigiiktut/

xbsysct]Q1i6

27. Unpretentious/Ekohimaitomik/WshQ1Q8i6

28. Apologize/Aya Ayalikpaktot/ mux5g8N3i6

29. Acceptance/Pivaktait Nagogiblugit/xvs4n3i6

30. Oneness/Ataohikut Elagiyut/xbsyscbsi6

31. Interconnectedness/Elagikatigiyut/x4gxgCs8ic3i6

32. Trust/Okpinaktok/s4W3N3i6

33. Helping/Ekayukatifiktut/wvJ3i6

34. Responsibility/Pihimayakhait/W/4ncsmi6

35. Perseverance/Aghokhimaktokhak/ nWo6bwoi6

36. Honesty/Ekoyuitot/hoi6

4.2 inuitholisticliFelongleArning

modelThe Inuit Holistic Lielong Learning Model presentsa stylistic graphic o an Inuit blanket toss (a gameoten played at Inuit celebrations) and a circularpath (the Journey o Lielong Learning) to portraythe Inuks learning journey and its connection tocommunity well-being.

The model contains our main visual components

that convey the Inuit approach to holisticlielong learning. The components include: thedeterminants o community well-being, Inuitvalues and belies (the 38 community members),sources and domains o knowledge (the learningblanket), and the journey o lielong learning (thepathway).

Thirt-eight communit members: Inuitvalues and beliefs

Inuit lielong learning is grounded in traditionalInuit Values and Belies, which are articulated in themodel as a set o philosophical principles knownas Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit(IQ). IQ has sustainedInuit or generations126 and embraces all aspects otraditional Inuit culture, including values, worldview,language, social organization, knowledge, lie

skills, perceptions and expectations.127IQ is based on three types o laws: natural laws(maligarjuat), cultural laws (piqujat) and communallaws (tirigusuusiit). It is structured on the traditionalInuit amily-kinship model that has provided themeans o transmitting ideas, values, knowledgeand skills rom one generation to the next.128 Yetit is a living technologya workable managementmodelwhich Inuit governments, such as Nunavut,and community institutions are now using todevelop healthy, sustainable communities.129, 130

To illustrate the inherent importance o IQ, themodel depicts 38 amily and community membersand ancestorsdepicted as aint, recedingiguressupporting a learning blanket. Each othe 38 igures represents an IQ value and belie,and the inclusion o ancestors alludes to the

intergenerational passing o names, souls andselves across generations.131 The soul-name or atiqembodies the social identity o the individual whois immortalized. As names are never exclusivelyheld by individuals, kinship relations are complex;name sharers share a community o spirit.132

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cHaPTer04

The learning blanket: sources and domains of

knowledgeThe learning blanket portrays the Sources and Domainso Knowledgeculture, people, and sila (lie orce oressential energy) as well as their sub-domainslanguages,traditions, amily, community, Elders, land, and theenvironment. These areas o knowledge are illustrated bya variety o images drawn rom Inuit lie. Inuit learn romand aboutthese sources o knowledge.

The blankets circular shape relects the Inuit belie in theinterconnectedness o all liethe continuous cycle o lie,death and regeneration that links the past, present anduture.

The path: journe of lifelong learning

The Inuks lielong learning journey is cyclical, as repre-sented by the path that revolves within the centre o the

learning blanket. As the Inuk progresses through each lie

stageinant and child, youth, young adult, adult, andelderhe or she is presented with a range o learningopportunities.

During each learning journey, the Inuk experiences learningin inormal settings such as in the home or on the land, andin ormal settings such as in the classroom. The Inuk is alsoexposed to both Indigenous and Western knowledge andpractice, as depicted by the two colours o stitching alongthe rim o the learning blanket.

The Inuk emerges rom each learning opportunity witha deeper awareness o Inuit culture, people and sila andwith skills and knowledge that can contribute to thedeterminants o Community Well-being, identiied aseconomic well-being, social well-being, environmentalwell-being and physical well-being. The Inuk returns to thepath to continue his or her journey o lielong learning.

Figure 8: Iit Hiti li li M

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4.3 mtis holistic liFelong leArning modelFor the Mtis people, learning is understood as a processo discovering the skills, knowledge and wisdom neededto live in harmony with the Creator and creation, a wayo being that is expressed as the Sacred Act o Living aGood Lie. Although learning occurs through concreteexperiences that occur in the physical world, this learningby doing is grounded in a distinct orm o knowledge thatcomes rom the Creator.

This sacred knowledge reveals the laws that governrelationships within the community and the world at largeand provides the oundation or all learning. To illustratethe relationships between knowledge and the dynamicprocesses that comprise the sacred act o living a goodlie, the Mtis Holistic Lielong Learning Model uses astylized graphic o a living tree.

The tree depicts Mtis learning as a holistic, lielongprocess, an integral part o a regenerative, living system,

as represented by the lie cycle o the tree. Like the tree,Mtis learning is governed by the Natural Order, an all-encompassing entity that regulates the passage o seasonsand the cycles o birth, death and re-birth.

All lieand all learningis interconnected throughrelationships that involve contributing to and beneittingrom the well-being o each living entity. The individuallearner is part o a wider community o learners within

the Natural Order. This is conveyed by the single treethat occupies the oreground and by the orest o treesdepicted in the background.

The individual and the collective are part o this inter-connected web o Creation. By respecting the physicaland spiritual laws that govern the Natural Order, individualand collective balance and harmony are maintained.

The model contains our main components that representvarious aspects o Mtis learning. The components are:determinants o community well-being (the roots), thestages o lielong learning (the learning rings), the sourceso knowledge and knowing (the branches), and the domainso knowledge (the leaves).

The presence o these components suggests that the Mtislearner, like the tree, needs certain learning conditions toattain optimum growth. Just as the regenerative capacityo the tree is aected by changing conditions throughout

the natural cycle, the well-being o the individual (or tree)will be aected by the health o the orest o learners.The individual and the collective are co-dependents inthis cycle o learning as harmony depends on reciprocalrelations based on trust and shared values.

ll b

or environments that inluence individual and community

well-being. The interconnectedness o these environmentsis depicted by the roots convergence at the base o thetreewhere Indigenous Knowledge and Valuesprovide astable oundation or the Mtis learner. Family relations,Mtis governance over education, access to employmentopportunities, and the provision o health-care services areexamples o conditions or environments that enable theindividual to learn and practise the sacred act o living agood lie.

Learning rings: stages of lifelong learning

A cross-section o the trunks Learning Rings depicts howlearning occurs holistically across the individuals lie cycle.At the trunks core are the spiritual, emotional, physical andmental dimensions o the Mtis sel and identity that aresimultaneously engaged in any learning activity. Individualidentity relects the collective sense o Mtis nationhood

that has been shaped by shared history, language andtraditions, but is also inluenced by proximity and exposureto neighbouring cultures.

Intergenerational knowledge and values are transmittedthrough the experiences that irst inluence individualdevelopmentlearning rom amily and learning romcommunity and social relations. These initial learningopportunities are represented by the two rings surroundingthe trunks core.

The integration o Western and Mtis learning approachesis understood, and relects the Mtis history o unionbetween two cultures, European and Aboriginal. Theiconic image o the red Mtis sash134 located above thegraphic, conveys this understanding o worlds co-joined.As an integral part o Mtis cultural celebrations, the sashrepresents connectedness.135 It symbolizes how Mtisidentity, language, culture, history and tradition are one

and that the Mtis vision or education is woven in.

136

The five outer rings illustrate the stages of lifelong learningfrom early childhood through to adult. They depict thedynamic interplay between informal and formal learning,represented by the contrasting colours within each ring. Thuslearning can occur in informal environments (at home, on theland) and in formal settings such as elementary, secondaryand post-secondary institutions. Learning can also occur atdifferent rates throughout the learners life cycle, as depicted

by the varied width of each learning ring.

Branches: sources of knowledge and knowing

Extending rom the trunk are our branches, representingthe Sources o Knowledge and Knowing. These sources olearning include the sel people land and language and

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cHaPTer 5: dmtti th th Hitili li M

The implementation o new measurement approaches thatrelect the elements o holistic, lielong learning could havear-reaching impacts on assessing the progress o FirstNations, Inuit and Mtis learners.

New approaches to measurement could shift the focusof policy and program development from respondingto deficits to building on strengths. Such approachescould connect learning opportunities across the lifecycle,recognize learning in non-formal and informal settings, andprovide a common framework for First Nations, Inuit andMtis communities, governments, and researchers as theymonitor and report upon the learning success of Aboriginalpeople. A holistic approach to measurement could highlightthe many positive dimensions of First Nations, Inuit andMtis learning that are often overlooked and from whichboth Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people can learn.

5.1 towArdAnAtionAlFrAmeworkAt the national level, there is no holistic ramework ormeasuring progress in lielong learning or First Nations,Inuit and Mtis. The three Holistic Lielong Learning Modelspresented earlier could ill this need and provide the

required national ramework or measuring First Nations,Inuit and Mtis learning.

To appreciate the complexity o holistic lielong learning,it is necessary to identiy and understand the componentso this type o learning and their relationships to eachother.137 Understanding can be achieved through thedevelopment o conceptual modelssuch as the HolisticLielong Learning Models, which acilitate the development

o a ramework needed to measure progress in Aboriginallearning.

CCL anticipates that many organizations will use the HolisticLielong Learning Models as rameworks or measuringAboriginal learning. These adapted rameworks will likelyvary in scope and objectives, relective o the dierentunderlying domains and indicators that populate them.Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal organizations will needto work with First Nations, Inuit and Mtis to implement

these holistic measurement rameworks within theirjurisdictions.

It is importantto establish a variety of indicatorsof success and tools

redefining how success is measured in first nations, inuit and metis learning

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