First Nations Collaborative Inquiry Assignment

Innovative First Nations Schools Find the Key to Success

Pre-reading Questions
1. How are First Nations schools creating a new way of learning for
students to achieve success?
2. What are the benefits for students attending a First Nations school in
development of their future?
3. How can you classify the key to success?

Summary of Article
The article first introduced the audience on the issue that seems to have
occurred in Cain Michells life after attending junior high school, where most
of the students were non-aboriginal. Cain dropped out of school after failing
most classes, but later is saved by Tom and Lorna Butz, Moricetown teachers
who offered Cain a chance to attend at the new high school for local First
Nations youth, called iCount, which they founded. This program teaches
students their language and traditional skills, along with core subjects, which
are tailored to the students interests and abilities to their career goals. The
success rate for students has increased greatly, including Cain, and has
changed the town forever with a decrease in crime rates and an increase in
voluntarism and participation in community life.

Pre-reading Question analysis

Question: How are First Nations schools creating a new way of learning for
students to achieve success?
Answer:
1. Language &Traditional Skills
2. Core Subjects tailored
Together, for students this program offers them with an ability at a future job
and a hold on their aboriginal history, language, and traditions.
Just look at Cain: Now 16, earning As and Bs with a goal of becoming a
firefighter.

Connections and Analysis to UNDRIP Article

1. Article 14: Education (middle left)

Indigenous people have the right to establish and control their educational
systems and institutions providing education in their own languages, in a
manner appropriate to their cultural methods of teaching and learning.
Within the article, we see that students from Moricetown are deprived of this
right to their education, as they are throw into a school, 45-minutes away
with no classes that target their aboriginal history, language, and traditions.
Eventually, later in the article we do see that youth in this town are given a
second chance after 2 teachers take a stand to make that difference.
2. Article 8: Integrity of Identity (upper centre)
Indigenous peoples and individuals have the right not to be subjected to
forced assimilation or destruction of their culture

By assimilating aboriginal students into a larger school where they have little
to say about aboriginal history and traditions and not offering a chance for
students to practice their language deprives them of their culture.

3. Article 11: Culture (upper right)

Indigenous peoples have the right to practice and revitalize their cultural
traditions and customs. This includes the right to maintain, protect and
develop the past, present and future manifestations of their cultures.

These students have the right to develop their knowledge and understanding
of their culture and customs. Junior high school steals the change for these
students to practice and learn their culture, as most of the school was made
up of non-aboriginal student. If these students did practice and learn their

culture, they would be out cased due to the privileges they receive from the
school.

Article 15: Knowledge (middle left)

Indigenous peoples have the right to the dignity and diversity of their
cultures, traditions, histories and aspirations which shall be appropriately
reflected in education and public information.

By the school touching little on the aboriginal history and traditional, the
dignity and diversity of their culture is stuffed in the not important pile, and
moving on to what the school deems more important. By doing this, the
school again is depriving the right the aboriginal population have and is also
deriving the non-aboriginal students as these students should have the
knowledge of indigenous people.

Post-reading Questions

1. Has this type of program inspired other towns to develop and run a
program to educate and support Indigenous students?
2. I wonder if starting a program like iCount earlier would benefit a child
and their education more greatly?
3. Since 2014, has this program expanded in the community of
Moricetown? How is the development and success of the program
today?

Conclusion

Do I think this article has answered the central question of this assignment?

No, I think this news issue does not answer the central question of this
assignment.
The central question asked if Canada should be seen as a successful
example of the fulfillment of the United Nations Declaration on Right of
Indigenous Peoples. After reading and analysing my chosen article, I say
Canada does not successfully follow the fulfillment of UNDRIP. Canada
deprives indigenous students the right for education, knowledge, culture,
and integrity of identity but situating students into a non-aboriginal school
with little to no education of their culture and traditional practices and
stealing away the chance for these students to practice their education.

My Solution: I think if people recognize that indigenous children all over

Canada are effected by the lack of rights, which they deserve, Canada can
consider the school curriculum. By doing so, they can chance the curriculum
by incorporate more in-depth indigenous culture and traditions, this would
help to appeal indigenous students but also educate no-indigenous students.