Positioning Indigenous Early Childhood Preservice Teachers as Nation Builders

• In Event: Knowledge Keepers as Public Intellects: Indigenous Perspectives Toward Nation Building and Democracy

Abstract

Historically, schooling, including higher education has been a systematic device for assimilating and Americanizing Native peoples, leading to the eventual cultural and linguistic demise of Native communities’ processes for passing on Indigenous knowledge to the next generation (Lomawaima & McCarty, 2006). The historical trajectory of Indian education largely implemented by non-Native systems has been marked by strategic periods of suppression of Native language, culture and traditional knowledge (Lomawaima, 1995; Lomawaima & McCarty, 2006; & McCarty, 2002). Colonialism continues to shape educational programs aimed at serving Native communities, especially teacher training initiatives (Castagno, 2012). Research shows that the ways in which Native teachers are trained does not position or prepare them to be culturally responsive teachers for their Native students, the beneficiaries of their instructional approaches and content (Castagno, 2012). Many educational advocates have argued that what Native children need is a unique approach to schooling that is consistent with the needs and values of their communities. Native children, their families and their communities demand a different kind of schooling where their teachers are prepared to address the complexities of creating an educational experience that is consistent with the needs of the community.

This proposed paper presentation reports on findings from a qualitative inquiry that documents what happens when a tribal college early childhood education program shifts the paradigm in teacher education by employing the notion of “Teachers as Nation Builders” as a means for Native student teachers in negotiating opportunities for being responsive to the Native communities they serve. Essentially, the teachers are envisioned as “nation builders” (Kawai’ae’a, 2008) of their tribal communities through reinvigorating their commitment to deliver high quality early childhood education informed by Indigenous/Native knowledge source. This study examines data collected from an early childhood teacher education program situated in an urban tribal college serving inter-tribal college students. Tribal colleges and universities have been essential in meeting the needs of tribal communities; and when tribal communities are in need of building their nations based on their own epistemological and ontological foundations, TCUs play a pivotal role in preparing its Native student population in nation building purposes and processes. This presentation will share the process of re-imagining early childhood education: strengthening its practices across the disciplines, and activating the central role of Native language, culture, and partnerships to enhance training and practice. The data sources in this study are drawn from student questionnaires, student reflections and observational notes, guided by the Teachers as Nation Builders framework (Kawai’ae’a, 2008). The findings suggest early learning centers serving Native children and families are vibrant communities that benefit from strong partnerships that include Native preservice teachers. The findings show how the notion of “Teachers as Nation Builders” helps students develop a critical consciousness around Native education, including the social and political realities that impact tribal communities—a central process that contributes to nation building manifested in Indigenous knowledge systems.

Author

• Danielle R. Lansing, Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute