This was another student led project by Stephanie West, based on her Masters work at BYU. She led a team of researchers and others to design a training course for Utah teachers on how to better teach the histories and culture of indigenous tribes. As with other student projects, I largely rode her coattails on this one, but I’m pleased to have been part of it even a little.
Abstract:
In 2018, the BYU ARTS Partnership Native American Curriculum Initiative (NACI) was developed in response to teacher questions regarding the teaching of Native topics. Despite increased movements towards reconciliation,
Native groups continue to be marginalized in Westernized educational settings. Additionally, teachers lack clear guidelines regarding the respectful teaching of Native topics. Describing the challenges we, the NACI team members, faced in our six-year journey partnering with Native groups in Utah, we outline key instructional design decisions we made and identify the culturally responsive principles that guided those decisions. We also advocate for the application of culturally responsive principles and practices in education including the amplification of Native voices in the classroom.
Reference:
West, S., Francis, H., Flox, C., Beyal, B., Soderborg, E., & McDonald, J. K. (2024). The NACI way: Connecting native groups and teachers through culturally responsive instructional design. International Journal of Designs for Learning. 15(2), 26-40. https://doi.org/10.14434/ijdl.v15i2.36081
