BOOZHOO!
WELCOME to PART 2 of the
CAAS SPRING 2001 NEWSLETTER!

CONTENTS:

• Update on Student Awareness Study (SAS)
• We Need Your Help!
• What Is the SAS Survey Telling Us?
• Teachers Teach Teachers (TTT) "Best Practices"
  

UPDATE ON STUDENT AWARENESS STUDY (SAS)
15 academics across Canada, previously unconnected with the CAAS, have helped to generate the 470 surveys received from 13 different post-secondary institutions. Additional completed surveys are still expected from professors in at least two other universities. Altogether, about 60 academics and education activists have become directly involved with CAAS through the SAS action research project. Several of this latter group made further efforts to get SAS surveys for us - so, in turn, they did outreach for us to other educators. This result - of 'growing' CAAS while undertaking the survey - was a planned outcome of the SAS, and it appears to have been successful.

Recently the Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF), funder for the SAS, reviewed CAAS Interim Report on the project and released additional funds towards its completion. CRRF has the first right to publish the SAS report. Upon receipt from CAAS of the final report, CRRF will review the document and make whatever plans it wishes to publish the findings. Normally, when CRRF chooses to publish such research papers, it sponsors some sort of public event. Following this period, rights to the document revert to CAAS.

WE NEED YOUR HELP!
As of this date, we still have gaps in our sample. Alberta, Francophone Quebec, PEI, Newfoundland, Saskatchewan and the Yukon are either blank or incomplete. Please help us fill these gaps if you can. We will incorporate responses up to the 1st of October from these regions.

WHAT IS THE SAS SURVEY TELLING US?
CAAS's contract with CRRF says we cannot release any substantial findings from the survey (which we don't yet have anyway, as surveys are still coming in and being coded). However, we know that you are all very curious about what we learning...

Below are a few 'teasers' from our first batch of surveys. First, however, it must be noted that only 56 surveys are completely coded and this mini-summary is based on these surveys. Of these 56, 27% (or 15) are from the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC).

When the completed surveys arrived from UNBC, we were intrigued because they seemed to be of a much higher quality than the other responses we had received. This posed the question of whether this was a "B.C. phenomenon", as much effort has gone into Native Studies education in that province in recent times. Or, was this difference related to first year university instruction or another variable?

To answer these questions, we sought a substantial response from other British Columbia post-secondary students. We now have about fifty of these, the vast majority from an interior BC College. Although these have as yet not been coded, a quick screening indicates that these responses are NOT equal to the UNBC students'... More on this in the SAS report, as further research may change how we view this yet again...

Thus, while the preliminary figures presented below are skewed because 27% of them are from the higher-quality UNBC responses, they do begin to illustrate to what extent the leaders and professionals of tomorrow are prepared to face this crucial set of "civics issues".

They also show that two recent federal public education initiatives - the designation of National Aboriginal People's Day on June 21st annually and the federal government's "Statement of Reconciliation" are still relatively unknown and require further promotion among educators and students.

Here are some sample responses:

Q. How have Aboriginal cultures, histories and perspectives contributed to shaping and defining Canada?
A. Only one respondent could answer this question fully, and that student was from UNBC. 32% - or 18 out of 56 - were able to provide some kind of answer. Of this latter group, a disproportionate 39% were from UNBC.

Q. Name an Aboriginal leader who supported the British during the War of 1812:________
A. 7% answered this question correctly (Tecumseth is the best known although there are other correct answers). 75% - 3 out of 4 - of those able to answer it came from UNBC.

Q. Are Aboriginal Treaty Rights recognized in Canada's Constitution?
A. 30% answered this question correctly (yes). 35% of the correct answers came from UNBC students, indicating a fair spread across the sample.

Q. The population of Aboriginal persons living in Canada is increasing (True or False).
A. 36% answered this question correctly (true). Correct answers spread across the total sample, with 30% of the correct answers coming from UNBC students - a statistically average spread.

Q. a) The distinct people who are descendants of fur traders and Cree, Ojibway or Saulteaux women are called the ____, and b) the traditional territory of this people is an area of present-day Manitoba known as the _______________.
A. a) 32% answered this question correctly (M\'e9tis). 56% - 10 out of 18 - of the correct answers came from UNBC students; b) 16% answered this part of the question correctly (Red River Settlement or Valley). 89% - 8 out of 9 - of the correct answers came from UNBC students.

Q. a) Name the newest Territory of Canada _______; and b) the majority of people in this territory call themselves __________
A. a) 73% answered this question correctly (Nunavut). 34% - 15 out of 44 - of the correct answers came from UNBC students, indicating a good spread across the sample; b) 46% answered this part of the question correctly (Inuit), 5% gave a partially correct answer (Aboriginal or similar term). 54% - 14 of 26 - of the correct answers came from UNBC students.

Q. Name the First Nation that was completely eradicated from Newfoundland ___________.
A. 11% answered this question correctly (Beothuk). 67% - 4 out of 6 - of those able to answer it came from UNBC.

The survey results are just one component of the SAS. CAAS' Proposed Learning Expectations for high-school graduation is another major element (a draft, inviting your comments, can be found on our website). Other features will include: a discussion of the importance of this curriculum, an overview of existing learning expectations and curricula, and proposals for addressing gaps identified through our research.

We are very pleased that Renee Abram (Oneida), who was one of our founding members and worked as Co-Coordinator for CAAS until February 2001, will be pulling together the introductory section of this report with input from the other Aboriginal advisors and members of CAAS. (Renee left as a Coordinator because of time pressures from other projects but continues her strong support of our efforts.)

As noted above, our Assistant Coordinator Anika Altiman will be prodding authors of all sections to get the first draft together soon.

TEACHERS TEACH TEACHERS (TTT) "BEST PRACTICES"
While networking with teacher groups, Anika will continue our "Best Practices" research. She will also network through teacher organizations to identify relevant exemplary practices in federations, ministries, faculties, school boards, specialist organizations, etc. Professional development through mentoring is the cornerstone of the CAAS "Best Practices" project. Mentoring in this way is not just highly effective. It also models key Aboriginal cultural elements, such as oral transfer of knowledge, the importance of developing good listening skills, acknowledgement of 'real' experts - i.e. respect for traditional teaching methods.

Our more in-depth "Best Practices" research is going ahead, although more slowly than first anticipated. However, responses to our "One Thing You Do" questionnaire can already be found on our website under "Sharing Successes". If you know anyone whom you feel could share some exemplary teaching strategies and resources with CAAS, please contact us for more information on the TTT research project.