Advantages And Disadvantages Of FNMI Students
Thirdly, we must explore why.
While some fear that the aboriginal disadvantage is caused by discrimination, I fear it is more an issue of ignorance.The lack of use might very well be related to ignorance of the benefits of learning aborignal, or culturally diverse, literacies, more than anything. If the teachers thought that aboriginal literacies and ways of knowing were only beneficial towards FNMI students, that could explain their lack of usage, especially when they are aware there are so few FNMI students in their school. An ignorance of which students are FMNI might be due to the fact that they are not a visibly noticeable minority. Perhaps if there were more than one or two student from each different culture, aside from anglo-centric, …show more content…
A group of African-Canadian students I observed was treated with code-switching(change of vernacular and speech to get better reception and open fluid communication) moments throughout the day, as were these students when addressed individually rather than in a group, however no code-switching was present when anyone addressed FNMI students. It appeared there cultural differences were not acknowledged, or possibly not valued. People must “come to see indigenous knowledge as a legitimate source of knowledge” and value aboriginal ways of knowing to create “a more balanced and holistic approach to supporting indigenous children and families, both in continuing to pass on their own traditional knowledge while learning the knowledge and skills necessary for success in school and to participate fully in society” (Hare, 2012, pp 408). It should be mentioned that aboriginal students score “significantly lower than for European Americans,”(pp 390) which may be where some of the confusion is coming from. It could be assumed, and likely was the case in the past to a much greater degree, that this is because of prejudice and discrimination. However, I would like to argue that, based on what I saw, it is more of an ignorance on behalf of the teacher than any
While some fear that the aboriginal disadvantage is caused by discrimination, I fear it is more an issue of ignorance.The lack of use might very well be related to ignorance of the benefits of learning aborignal, or culturally diverse, literacies, more than anything. If the teachers thought that aboriginal literacies and ways of knowing were only beneficial towards FNMI students, that could explain their lack of usage, especially when they are aware there are so few FNMI students in their school. An ignorance of which students are FMNI might be due to the fact that they are not a visibly noticeable minority. Perhaps if there were more than one or two student from each different culture, aside from anglo-centric, …show more content…
A group of African-Canadian students I observed was treated with code-switching(change of vernacular and speech to get better reception and open fluid communication) moments throughout the day, as were these students when addressed individually rather than in a group, however no code-switching was present when anyone addressed FNMI students. It appeared there cultural differences were not acknowledged, or possibly not valued. People must “come to see indigenous knowledge as a legitimate source of knowledge” and value aboriginal ways of knowing to create “a more balanced and holistic approach to supporting indigenous children and families, both in continuing to pass on their own traditional knowledge while learning the knowledge and skills necessary for success in school and to participate fully in society” (Hare, 2012, pp 408). It should be mentioned that aboriginal students score “significantly lower than for European Americans,”(pp 390) which may be where some of the confusion is coming from. It could be assumed, and likely was the case in the past to a much greater degree, that this is because of prejudice and discrimination. However, I would like to argue that, based on what I saw, it is more of an ignorance on behalf of the teacher than any