Throughout our 401/402 experiences, the emphasis on the importance of the PDP goals has been explicit. While many of these terms, and some practices, are new and foreign to us in the program, many Aboriginal cultures have been incorporating these methods for generations. However, the way in which they practice the PDP goals look signifcantly different than the way we as teaching professionals implement them, nonetheless, the objective of education remains the same.
At this point, we should all be somewhat familiar with at least a few of the goals. The PDP goals give us the language to help formulate our credo's, they are the tools given to us to model the way in which we teach our students, and model the way we should interact with students and other professionals in the educational community. Ideally we should try to embody them during our professional practices. Most often however, these practices are restricted within the school setting.
The Aboriginal perspective of the PDP goals differs from the Western educational perspective in that Aboriginal cultures would embody these goals, and their teachings in their daily secular life. Whereas Western cultures generally separate their daily lives, and restric education to an institutionalized setting.
Various Aboriginal tribes practiced different traditions, however, most societies integrated living and learning, which helped to secure the survival of the sociteies identities as they passed on cultural customs from generation to generation. Elders were essentially the teachers, and they were revered as the keepers and transmitter's of knowledge. They taught children through numerous methods such as through story telling, participation in festivals or rituals, through example, and coming of age ceremonies. Ceremonial feasts were a huge educational tool as it brought together a mass of people and they could fulfill spiritual commitments, impart traditional teachings, and exchange goods and information. Their method of educating their children was very holistic. Personal autonomy was highly regarded, and the elders, as well as parents and the rest of the community worked collaboratively to help shape a person as a whole, rather than simply transmitting knowledge.
The deeper you delve into the Aboriginal way of life, the more apparent it becomes that they were masters of the PDP goals, as we know them today. However, to them the goals were the way in which they modeled and lived their everyday lives. Upon reading Chapter 1 in They Came for the Children, all ten goals can be identified within the text when the authors are describing the Aboriginal people and education. The introduction of residential schools, was but the beginning of a drastic change in not only the way in which Aboriginal children experienced education, but also a devastating change to their way of life, as living and learning were so intimately connected. The PDP goals were not a priority in the residential schools, as in many of the schools, basic education was often not implemented either.
We are only now beginning to come fulll-circle, as is the beliefs of Aboriginal life-cycles, and realising the true value of their educational methodologies. It is now becoming apparent that what we know as our PDP goals, are perhaps most effectivley modeled by the Aborignal people. So are we really implementing PDP goals in the classroom, or modelling the Aboriginal way of life when performing best-practice?
At this point, we should all be somewhat familiar with at least a few of the goals. The PDP goals give us the language to help formulate our credo's, they are the tools given to us to model the way in which we teach our students, and model the way we should interact with students and other professionals in the educational community. Ideally we should try to embody them during our professional practices. Most often however, these practices are restricted within the school setting.
The Aboriginal perspective of the PDP goals differs from the Western educational perspective in that Aboriginal cultures would embody these goals, and their teachings in their daily secular life. Whereas Western cultures generally separate their daily lives, and restric education to an institutionalized setting.
Various Aboriginal tribes practiced different traditions, however, most societies integrated living and learning, which helped to secure the survival of the sociteies identities as they passed on cultural customs from generation to generation. Elders were essentially the teachers, and they were revered as the keepers and transmitter's of knowledge. They taught children through numerous methods such as through story telling, participation in festivals or rituals, through example, and coming of age ceremonies. Ceremonial feasts were a huge educational tool as it brought together a mass of people and they could fulfill spiritual commitments, impart traditional teachings, and exchange goods and information. Their method of educating their children was very holistic. Personal autonomy was highly regarded, and the elders, as well as parents and the rest of the community worked collaboratively to help shape a person as a whole, rather than simply transmitting knowledge.
The deeper you delve into the Aboriginal way of life, the more apparent it becomes that they were masters of the PDP goals, as we know them today. However, to them the goals were the way in which they modeled and lived their everyday lives. Upon reading Chapter 1 in They Came for the Children, all ten goals can be identified within the text when the authors are describing the Aboriginal people and education. The introduction of residential schools, was but the beginning of a drastic change in not only the way in which Aboriginal children experienced education, but also a devastating change to their way of life, as living and learning were so intimately connected. The PDP goals were not a priority in the residential schools, as in many of the schools, basic education was often not implemented either.
We are only now beginning to come fulll-circle, as is the beliefs of Aboriginal life-cycles, and realising the true value of their educational methodologies. It is now becoming apparent that what we know as our PDP goals, are perhaps most effectivley modeled by the Aborignal people. So are we really implementing PDP goals in the classroom, or modelling the Aboriginal way of life when performing best-practice?