Sisseton Wahpeton College
Report date
June 2021
What has been most instrumental to your progress?
While implementing this program, we learned to prioritize the relationship between teacher and students (or mentor and mentees). Teaching is ultimately a relational process that occurs during social interaction. The health and vitality of the relationship is therefore of first importance. By sharing narratives that illustrate her own struggles and (often humorous) errors, the teacher was able to foster an atmosphere of transparency, trust, and support. These narratives thus promoted affective postures that facilitate, rather than inhibit, the learning process.
We often think of curriculum as something that exists independently of specific students and specific teaching environments. In this model, teaching is the process of implementing a pre-existing curriculum. In contrast, the project team decided to develop curriculum that is responsive to the needs, interests, and strengths of specific families. While this individualized approach to curriculum demands a considerable investment of time and energy, it ultimately yields higher levels of student engagement and success. In fact, limited interest and engagement with pre-existing curriculum is precisely what catalyzed the project team's decision to develop curricular modules that are tailored to the needs and interests of specific families. Because students became consultants and partners in the development of curriculum, they displayed a much higher degree of ownership and investment in the learning experience.
We often think of 'instruction' as something that occurs during formal, pre-established settings. We schedule meetings and classroom experiences for specific times and specific locations, and thus unwittingly place physical and temporal boundaries on instructional experiences. In contrast to this orientation, the project team found that some of the richest and most meaningful learning experiences actually occurred during impromptu (or at least unscheduled) interactions. Because the instructor prioritized strong relationships with students, the students felt comfortable reaching out via phone call, text, or Facebook messenger throughout the week. These impromptu interactions, in which the instructor exhibits a welcoming response to exchanges initiated by the students themselves, constituted highly effective teaching and learning experiences.
Key lessons learned
The attempt to implement (or perhaps 'impose') a pre-established curriculum was not successful. The project team had developed curricular materials well before recruiting particular families to participate. The curriculum, while well-intentioned and carefully produced, ultimately did not reflect the interests and needs of the families. In fact, the lead instructor devoted a considerable amount of energy to an ongoing attempt to generate interest and enthusiasm in the curriculum. This only led to frustration and the feeling that the curriculum was being imposed on families. The project team therefore decided that the instructor should instead invest this energy in learning more about the needs and interests of participants, and collaboratively developing curricular experiences in response.
The project team ultimately developed a highly individualized approach to instruction. Curriculum was developed in response to the needs, interests, and strengths of specific families. Furthermore, the instructor encouraged participants to initiate interactions and to seek guidance beyond the pre-established meeting times. While both of these strategies clearly resulted in increased student engagement and success, they also placed an increased burden on the lead instructor. Teaching, especially in the form outlined above, is emotionally exhausting. Recognizing this, the project team would ideally have provided increased support and encouragement for the lead instructor.
Reflections on inclusive, collaborative or resourceful problem-solving
The primary deficit of this project (as it was initially envisioned) is that curriculum was developed without a thorough knowledge of the specific families who would participate in the program. While the project team collaborated amongst themselves on the development of learning experiences (the 'Family Outreach Kit'), the families who joined the program were unwittingly excluded from this process. The project team therefore revised its strategy so that families actually contributed to the development of curricular materials, i.e. curriculum was developed in response to their stated interests and ambitions. This more inclusive and collaborative approach promoted an obvious increase in student engagement and success. Specifically, families exhibited increased ownership of their learning and increased investment in the program as a whole. This more individualized approach will be refined and implemented over the remainder of the project period.
Understanding the problem
This project was catalyzed by the observation the local families need increased support. In focusing on formal K-12 instruction, language revitalization initiatives often overlook families. This is a critical error because the home is the primary locus for language transmission. With that said, one key insight from this grant period is that families do not simply need more support. They also need more involvement. To construe local families as the mere recipients of pre-established curriculum devalues the kind of contributions they have to offer. The project team has gained additional clarity about the role of local families in language revitalization efforts. Rather than viewing them as the recipients of previously developed curriculum, the project team is now making every effort to involve families in the process of designing learning experiences. This effort has ultimately led to more meaningful and healthy relationships between staff at the Sisseton Wahpeton College and the local community which it is devoted to serving.
If you could do it all over again...
Local families do not simply need opportunities to learn Dakota language and culture. Instead, they benefit tremendously from opportunities to develop meaningful relationships and to be received as valued partners in language revitalization efforts. The project as it was initially envisioned mistakenly construed families as students instead of partners. By welcoming and embracing local families as partners, Sisseton Wahpeton College (SWC) can foster increased ownership and investment in language revitalization programming. There is therefore an opportunity to not only impart knowledge but to also cultivate the kinds of engagement and investment that are crucial for community action at this scale.