CSC | Unlocking the Potential of Aboriginal Students (Webcast)

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Unlocking the Potential of Aboriginal Students

Webcast: May 24, 2006

photo of Helen Raham Scroll down to access archived streaming video.

Featuring Helen Raham
Society for the Advancement of Excellence in Education (SAEE)

Also contributing:
Avis Glaze: Chief Student Achievement Officer and CEO at the Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat, Ontario Ministry of Education; Dominic Giroux: Assistant Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Education; Keith Lickers: Acting Manager, Aboriginal Education Office; Janet Wilkinson: Director of Education at Keewatin-Patricia District School Board; Dr. Alan Craig: Director of Education at Kenora Catholic District School Board; Dr. Pamela Toulouse: School of Education, Laurentian University; Bonnie DePencier: Native Curriculum Coordinator, Rainbow District School Board; Maury Swenson: Oral Language Curriculum Coordinator, Keewatin-Patricia District School Board; Larry Beardy: Native Language Teacher, Keewatin Patricia District School Board; Trudy Cederwall: Principal, Kenora Catholic District School Board; Carmen Maggisano: Student Achievement Officer at the Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat; Cauleen Stanley: Student Achievement Officer at the Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat

A viewer's guide is provided to support and extend your learning experience.

The government of Ontario has made improved student achievement in literacy and numeracy the centerpiece of its mandate. The first step in realizing this goal requires that every student in Ontario will reach their full potential in reading, writing and mathematics. By 2008, 75 percent of students will reach or exceed the provincial standard.

The Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat has identified nine strategies for facilitating student success. Our focus in this webcast is on strategy number six, namely:

Mobilize the system to provide equity in student outcome.

In addressing this strategy, the goal is to ensure that educators are aware of the challenges faced by specific groups of students, particularly Aboriginal students, who, it is generally acknowledged and widely held, are lagging behind in achievement. The Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat is committed to providing educators with strategies to facilitate greater success for these students and to foster a commitment to both "raising the bar and closing the gap" in achievement.

Educators at all levels need to be aware of the issues and challenges that face Aboriginal students and also knowledgeable about what actions are essential to support their success. This webcast will explore the current research about effective practices that lead to improved Aboriginal student achievement.

This webcast invites dialogue, reflection and action, as participants at all levels of our education system explore:

Research promoting effective practices and strategies for Aboriginal student success.
Why these practices and strategies work and how they may look in a classroom.
The place of culture, language and curriculum in the successful schooling of Aboriginal students.
Strategic actions that are taking place in Ontario that are helping to shape and create experiences that foster success.

The research, some of which is embodied in the work of the Society for the Advancement of Excellence in Education (SAEE), identifies the following conditions as necessary in fostering the success of Aboriginal children:

Holding high expectations for Aboriginal students
A focused attention to academic achievement
Intentional pursuit of a safe, secure, and welcoming school environment for children and families
Active engagement of parents and the greater community in the learning circle
Respect for and honouring of Aboriginal culture, language, and traditions, to make learning relevant
An inclusive, integrated, and holistic curriculum with both human and material resource supports leading to affirmation for these learners in seeing self daily reflected in the curriculum and in the learning
Data and assessment that look to build on "raising the bar and closing the gap" in the learning of this cohort

"...Canadians need to understand that Aboriginal peoples are nations. That is, they are political and cultural groups with values and lifeways distinct from those of other Canadians. ... To this day, Aboriginal peoples' sense of confidence and well-being remains tied to the strength of their nations. Only as members of restored nations can they reach their potential in the twenty-first century."
(Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, 1996)

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You can order a copy of this webcast on DVD by emailing your request to the Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat.