FNEII is responding to call for a curriculum development project that will support Language and Culture teachers in Grades K4 – Grade 6. It is clear that the Wolastoqey and Mi’kmaw communities throughout New Brunswick are echoing calls from First Nations across Canada to revitalize indigenous languages.
This is consistent with many of the Calls to Action contained in the report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
With a view to supporting the revitalization of the Wolastoqey and Mi’kmaw languages in New Brunswick, and in line with its mission to improve achievement in attaining educational outcomes for all First Nation students, First Nation Education Initiative Incorporated (FNEII) proposes a two-year project to develop an indigenous Language Curriculum (ILC) guide for both the Wolastoqey and Mi’kmaw languages. Within New Brunswick, this effort will be unique, because the curriculum guides will be the first to be developed for students at the primary and elementary levels.
The documents will be a “starting point”, that is, documents that it will be continuously updated and improved, as a result of comments and experiences from teachers who are using them. There are many excellent teachers who will be able to make contributions to these documents. Teachers who are working in Band-operated schools, as well as teachers who are delivering language and culture education in K4 to Grade 3 classes throughout New Brunswick will all have an opportunity to contribute to the document either initially or over the years, as changes will be made.
The K4 – Grade 3 document will focus largely on the teaching of culture with a limited emphasis on the teaching of language. Some language will be introduced orally and by the end of Grade 3, students may be expected to be able to initiate and maintain a simple introductory conversation.
The Grade 4 to Grade 6 Curriculum will focus on providing students with the language necessary to carry out brief conversations on day-to-day topics, linked to students’ lives and interests. Reading and writing will be introduced in Grade 4 once the students are more at ease with their indigenous language and have also attained a level of proficiency in reading and writing in English (or French) through their regular school program.
We trust that these efforts will complement the First Nation language curriculum development work that is taking place within the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development in support of higher Grades.
The Wolastoqey and Mi’kmaw learning experiences proposed in the curriculum guides will be influenced by recent research. This has shown that acquiring a second language in an environment where that language is not widely spoken presents some challenges and a number of factors need to be taken into account when designing a program. In particular, 1) the amount of time devoted to language teaching, 2) the extrinsic motivation (that is, motivation factors that are external to the students), 3) intrinsic motivation (that is, the student’s internal motivation to learn the language) and 4) the maturity (age) of the students.
The success of the indigenous language curriculum will depend on the strength of the support provided by the community. As students progress through the program, their language skills will develop and their appreciation of the language, the culture that it represents and the worldview it helps explain will be enhanced. Pride in their peoples and of belonging to a unique civilization will help to ensure that students take their rightful place and will allow them to contribute to modern Canadian society.
First Nations throughout North America, including the Mi’kmaq and Wolastoqiyik, are living in an era of resurgence of interest in their language, culture, history, traditions, values and worldview. During recent years, indigenous peoples across Canada have worked on measures to ensure that their languages do not vanish — and Mi’kmaw and Wolastoqey communities in New Brunswick are no exception.
The importance of First Nation languages and cultures was emphasized in the report issued by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in December 2015:
… knowing or learning the native language is basic to any deep understanding of a First Nation way of life, to being a First Nation person. […] a First Nation world is quite simply not possible without its own language. (Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future, Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, 2015 Executive Summary, page 152.)
Further in the same document, in one of its Calls to Action, the Commission states that “Aboriginal languages are a fundamental and valued element of Canadian culture and society, and there is an urgency to preserve them” (page 157).
With a view to supporting the revitalization of the Wolastoqey and Mi’kmaw languages in New Brunswick, and in line with its mission to improve achievement in attaining educational outcomes for all First Nation students, First Nation Education Initiative Incorporated (FNEII) proposes to develop an indigenous Language Curriculum (ILC) guide for both the Wolastoqey and Mi’kmaw languages. Within New Brunswick, this effort will be unique, in that the curriculum guides will be the first to be developed for students at the primary and elementary levels.
FNEII proposes to develop a document to support teachers of language and culture from K4 through Grade 6. The documents will be a “starting point” that is one that will be continuously updated and improved, as a result of comments and experiences from teachers who are using them.
Our endeavour will capitalize on the excellent initiatives currently underway in communities and classrooms throughout New Brunswick and elsewhere. Community Elders, teachers, speakers of Mi’kmaw or Wolastoqey as well as persons from other jurisdictions (where language revitalization programs are in effect) will be consulted throughout the project. Effective language teaching practices will be studied and consultations will take place with researchers at the Mi’kmaq and Wolastoqey Centre at the University of New Brunswick, St. Thomas University and other centres of excellence across Canada. We trust that these efforts will complement the First Nation Language curriculum development work that is taking place within the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.
The two-year project will allow the development, in the first instance, of the K4 – Grade 3 curriculum guide during the 2016 – 2017 school year and, in the second instance, the development of the Grade 4 – Grade 6 curriculum guide during the 2017 – 2018 school year.
Once the curriculum guides have been developed, piloted and approved, in-service sessions for teachers will be held to support the implementation of the guides.
For the purpose of this proposal, it is assumed that students will have no substantial prior knowledge of their indigenous language. Students will be active participants in their learning, and the experiences that they will live will provide them with an understanding of their background, their history and their worldview.
Taking into account that K4 to Grade 3 students are in the initial stages of attaining language-based outcomes in English (or French) through their formal education, the possibility will be explored that the Mi’kmaw and Wolastoqey Curriculum Guide at that level should focus on raising students’ awareness of the richness of their culture and language. Some language will be introduced orally and by the end of Grade 3, students may be expected to be able to initiate and maintain a simple introductory conversation.
The Grade 4 to Grade 6 Curriculum will focus on providing students with the language necessary to carry out brief conversations on day-to-day topics, linked to students’ lives and interests. Reading and writing will be introduced in Grade 4, once the students are more at ease with their indigenous language and have also attained a level of proficiency in reading and writing in English (or French) through their regular school program.
Themes relating to culture and language will be chosen in consultation with groups of stakeholders mentioned above, and learning activities will be designed to facilitate students’ understanding and appreciation of their unique background. Activities will take into account the cultural sensitivities inherent in the First Nations’ background.
The Wolastoqey and Mi’kmaw learning experiences proposed in the curriculum guides will be influenced by recent research. This has shown that acquiring a second language in an environment where that language is not widely spoken presents some challenges and a number of factors need to be taken into account when designing a program. In particular,
The amount of time devoted to language learning is an important factor (the more the better!).
Second language acquisition is slow at the beginning, as the brain tries to make sense of the new way of communicating. Acquiring the language requires much practice in an authentic communicative setting (there needs to be a reason to communicate in the language).
Extrinsic motivation — encouragement by the community
Students need to feel that there are good reasons to learn their indigenous language, and should be encouraged by members of the community to do so. The value of knowing the language and pride of belonging to a unique culture that has evolved and continues to evolve in the Canadian environment must be evident within the school and throughout the community. Parents, friends, relatives and members of the wider community must be supportive of the efforts to revitalize the language, whether it be through participating in classes designed for adults, showing interest in students’ efforts and learning from students.
Intrinsic motivation — the desire to acquire the language.
This is related to the need/desire to communicate in that language. Students acquire the language because they wish to speak it and are offered opportunities to speak about things that are of interest to them.
The maturity of the students, who, as they become older, become more efficient learners and are generally more willing to take risks to reach their goal.
It has now been recognized that a certain level of physical brain growth and cognitive development enhances second language acquisition. Usually, at about age ten or eleven, students are better able to take risks, acknowledge and learn from their mistakes. Although it is true that natural acquisition of a second language is easier at young age, the acquisition takes place because young people live in an environment where the language is used on a daily basis; they are immersed in the language. It has been shown, moreover, that learning a second language, that is, applying specific strategies in order to become proficient in the language, is carried out more efficiently once one has reached the age of ten or eleven.
Since the K4 – Grade 3 students are in the initial stages of learning to read and write in English, the indigenous Language Curriculum at that level will focus on raising students’ awareness of their, culture, history, traditions, values and worldview and on building the desire to acquire their indigenous language. Activities, carried out in English, will be interactive and culturally relevant. Some of the activities will introduce elements of the indigenous language so that learners will be able to participate meaningfully.
From Grade 4 to Grade 6, it is proposed that the indigenous language be used in class. Language acquired will allow students to participate in simple conversations on day-to-day topics that are linked to their lives. Emphasis will be placed on developing the students’ oral communication skills, although initial skills in reading and writing will be developed at this stage. The lack of resources will constrain the latter, although efforts will be made to identify, or to create, if necessary, resources in the indigenous language that support learning.
A number of scheduling patterns are, of course, possible. It has been demonstrated that students learn better and are more engaged in their language learning if longer periods are scheduled. Within the scope of these curriculum guides, it will be suggested that longer class periods be set aside for learning language.
The success of the indigenous language curriculum will depend on the strength of the support provided by the community. As students progress through the program, their language skills will develop and their appreciation of the language, the culture that it represents and the worldview it helps explain will be enhanced. Pride in their peoples and of belonging to a unique civilization will help to ensure that students take their rightful place and will allow them to contribute to modern Canadian society.