Fostering Teacher Understanding of Dakota and Lakota Education Experiences: Past, Present, and Future

Location

CSU 253/4/5

Start Date

5-4-2010 1:00 PM

End Date

5-4-2010 3:00 PM

Student's Major

Elementary and Early Childhood Education

Student's College

Education

Mentor's Name

Elizabeth Sandell

Mentor's Department

Elementary and Early Childhood Education

Mentor's College

Education

Second Mentor's Name

Gwen Westerman-Wasicuna

Second Mentor's Department

English

Second Mentor's College

Arts and Humanities

Description

Various researchers and reporters have documented the array of experiences that native students had in educational settings between 1879, when the Carlisle Indian Industrial School (in Pennsylvania) and others were established and youngsters were forced off the reservations, and the 1930s, when most boarding schools were closed. This project was designed to collect and to share information in order to better prepare teachers of Native students. The project gave Native elders an opportunity to record their education experiences in their own words. This study involved four in-depth, in-person interviews with Dakota and Lakota elders between 40 and 70 years old. Elders provided reflections on experiences of past generations, on their own educational experiences, on the preferred learning methods of Native students, and on their visions for teachers’ practices and influences on Native children. Data analysis was conducted to identify themes. Stories and comments from elders were organized around those themes and produced in a video.

Due to respect for the elders, no editorializing or conclusions were created. Future studies might include use of the video in MSU courses for future teachers and evaluating attitude shifts among the viewers.

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Apr 5th, 1:00 PM Apr 5th, 3:00 PM

Fostering Teacher Understanding of Dakota and Lakota Education Experiences: Past, Present, and Future

CSU 253/4/5

Various researchers and reporters have documented the array of experiences that native students had in educational settings between 1879, when the Carlisle Indian Industrial School (in Pennsylvania) and others were established and youngsters were forced off the reservations, and the 1930s, when most boarding schools were closed. This project was designed to collect and to share information in order to better prepare teachers of Native students. The project gave Native elders an opportunity to record their education experiences in their own words. This study involved four in-depth, in-person interviews with Dakota and Lakota elders between 40 and 70 years old. Elders provided reflections on experiences of past generations, on their own educational experiences, on the preferred learning methods of Native students, and on their visions for teachers’ practices and influences on Native children. Data analysis was conducted to identify themes. Stories and comments from elders were organized around those themes and produced in a video.

Due to respect for the elders, no editorializing or conclusions were created. Future studies might include use of the video in MSU courses for future teachers and evaluating attitude shifts among the viewers.

Recommended Citation

Looft, Maggie and Kiley Theede. "Fostering Teacher Understanding of Dakota and Lakota Education Experiences: Past, Present, and Future." Undergraduate Research Symposium, Mankato, MN, April 5, 2010.
https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/urs/2010/poster-session-B/5