Survey Analysis
Due to my lack of knowledge and understanding of Native American culture and education, I began to question whether or not my future educator peers shared this trait with me. After surveying thirty-eight individuals, it has become apparent that Native American culture is largely underrepresented in the educational system, especially in Illinois.
When asked about their familiarity with the Native American culture and history on a scale of 1 (Not at all familiar) to 5 (Very familiar), a majority of participants (21) fell in the middle of the two choices, selecting 3. The next highest selected number was 2, with fourteen participants feeling a little familiar with the topic. None of the participants felt that they were very familiar with the topic. The next question acquired similar results; the participants rated their familiarity with the educational history of Native Americans in the United States on a scale of 1 (Not at all familiar) to 5 (Very familiar). Again, most chose 2 (16) and 3 (14), and no one selected 5. Following these two questions, the participants provided the educational platform from which they gained their knowledge about Native Americans with an overwhelming majority of thirty-three participants citing public schooling. Nine participants did state that they did learn more about the culture in college, and four cited the media as playing a part in their knowledge.
While only one participant stated that they were not familiar at all with the culture and the Native American people, seven individuals stated that they could not remember what they learned about these topics through school. One participant stated, "I remember that we learned about them in school, but very little - we only really addressed Native American culture as a side about the first American settlers." Many of the future educators answered the questions with lists of basic facts they learned, most of which could be considered stereotypical. In fact, thirteen participants included "Thanksgiving" in their answer. These answers point to an education that barely even scratched the surface of the culture and Native American history and eluded to one that taught through a single viewpoint, that of white individuals.
Next, the participants answered a question about how relevant they believe Native American culture is in today's society, and twenty-four stated that the culture is still relevant, with eleven of those citing its importance to our country's history as the reason. Eleven future educators state that the culture is irrelevant in today's society, one explaining, "I rarely hear the culture mentioned in today's society so I would say it isn't very relevant, sadly. I think the fact that their population is so small plays a role in this." Educators are in an unique position to help increase the relevance of this culture, starting in the classroom. In society, Native American individuals see themselves represented negatively, if at all. Paulo Freire (1970) explains that peoples that face oppression by the larger culture, that of white individuals in America, may struggle with self-depreciation. He states, "so often do they hear that they are good for nothing, know nothing and are incapable of learning anything-that they are sick, lazy, and unproductive - that in the end they become convinced of their own unfitness" (Freire, 1970, p. 63). Educators can help to turn this perspective around by introducing strong Native American individuals and actions into curriculum making their Native American students' education more relevant. By increasing the relevance in school and by giving Native American students the tools they need to be a part of society, the importance and relevance of the culture can begin to grow and be represented in the overall society. It is of the utmost importance to assist Native American students, as well as all minority individuals, find their voices so that they may represent themselves and their people in the United States. The Native American culture needs to be brought into the present and society needs to recognize its importance beyond the historical context.
Due to my lack of knowledge and understanding of Native American culture and education, I began to question whether or not my future educator peers shared this trait with me. After surveying thirty-eight individuals, it has become apparent that Native American culture is largely underrepresented in the educational system, especially in Illinois.
When asked about their familiarity with the Native American culture and history on a scale of 1 (Not at all familiar) to 5 (Very familiar), a majority of participants (21) fell in the middle of the two choices, selecting 3. The next highest selected number was 2, with fourteen participants feeling a little familiar with the topic. None of the participants felt that they were very familiar with the topic. The next question acquired similar results; the participants rated their familiarity with the educational history of Native Americans in the United States on a scale of 1 (Not at all familiar) to 5 (Very familiar). Again, most chose 2 (16) and 3 (14), and no one selected 5. Following these two questions, the participants provided the educational platform from which they gained their knowledge about Native Americans with an overwhelming majority of thirty-three participants citing public schooling. Nine participants did state that they did learn more about the culture in college, and four cited the media as playing a part in their knowledge.
While only one participant stated that they were not familiar at all with the culture and the Native American people, seven individuals stated that they could not remember what they learned about these topics through school. One participant stated, "I remember that we learned about them in school, but very little - we only really addressed Native American culture as a side about the first American settlers." Many of the future educators answered the questions with lists of basic facts they learned, most of which could be considered stereotypical. In fact, thirteen participants included "Thanksgiving" in their answer. These answers point to an education that barely even scratched the surface of the culture and Native American history and eluded to one that taught through a single viewpoint, that of white individuals.
Next, the participants answered a question about how relevant they believe Native American culture is in today's society, and twenty-four stated that the culture is still relevant, with eleven of those citing its importance to our country's history as the reason. Eleven future educators state that the culture is irrelevant in today's society, one explaining, "I rarely hear the culture mentioned in today's society so I would say it isn't very relevant, sadly. I think the fact that their population is so small plays a role in this." Educators are in an unique position to help increase the relevance of this culture, starting in the classroom. In society, Native American individuals see themselves represented negatively, if at all. Paulo Freire (1970) explains that peoples that face oppression by the larger culture, that of white individuals in America, may struggle with self-depreciation. He states, "so often do they hear that they are good for nothing, know nothing and are incapable of learning anything-that they are sick, lazy, and unproductive - that in the end they become convinced of their own unfitness" (Freire, 1970, p. 63). Educators can help to turn this perspective around by introducing strong Native American individuals and actions into curriculum making their Native American students' education more relevant. By increasing the relevance in school and by giving Native American students the tools they need to be a part of society, the importance and relevance of the culture can begin to grow and be represented in the overall society. It is of the utmost importance to assist Native American students, as well as all minority individuals, find their voices so that they may represent themselves and their people in the United States. The Native American culture needs to be brought into the present and society needs to recognize its importance beyond the historical context.
Description: "circa 1850: A collection of Native American weapons and other items." Many of the responses about the future teachers' knowledge of Native American history involved lists of cultural artifacts, such as the ones in this photo. While these are very important pieces of the culture, only discussing material artifacts does not allow for in-depth exploration or understanding of the people who used them.
"Those who authentically commit themselves to the people must re-examine themselves constantly." -Paulo Freire (1970, p. 60) |
The question that acquired the least replies was regarding stereotypes attached to this particular cultural group. Only thirteen of the participants provided a reply to this question; the rest chose to leave it blank or wrote answers such as "None that I can think of." These findings were surprising. While they could point to the lessening of stereotypes around this culture, it is also likely that participants felt uncomfortable discussing stereotypes they might have learned as they fear it will represent themselves negatively. As future educators, this could be detrimental to students. Paulo Freire (1970) writes, "those who authentically commit themselves to the people must re-examine themselves constantly" (p. 60). The teacher should be individuals that are committed authentically to the people that they educate and, therefore, be in constant reflection of their pre-conceived notions and the effects they may have on students. The way a teacher views and understands his or her students influences daily interactions and instruction. When asked if they believe that being Native American plays a role in the way that they learn best in the classroom and if different teaching strategies and methods would need to be utilized in light of having a Native American student, the participants were split.
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From those that provided answers, six answered that they were unsure, and thirteen responded that yes, they believed the student's culture would play a role in how they best learned and the type of strategies used. Twelve participants stated no, they did not believe that a student who was Native American would benefit from a different teaching style. One wrote, “In general, all students from different backgrounds should be taught the same unless there is a language barrier." According to Ladson-Billings (2006), a student's culture does play a large role in the way they experience school. Ladson-Billings (2006) calls for prospective teachers to become more aware of their own cultures so, "they may become more open to the power of culture to shape the learning and experiences of the students they will teach" (p. 109). Educators have a large amount of power in the classroom in how students learn and what they learn. They must use this power responsibly and effectively, aiding and supporting their students in ways that will help them succeed. Understanding a student's culture plays a large role in supporting students in the most meaningful ways and without that understanding, students begin to fall through the cracks: first in the classroom, then in the school, and ultimately in society.
After completing this research, it became apparent that not much is known about the Native American culture, nor the educational experiences of this group of people. This website aims to shed some light on these experiences so that future and current teachers alike can have a better understanding of Native American students today.
This website was created by Claire Goodrich for EAF 228