Ecocultural Literacy: Indigenous Language Reclamation and Early Learners' Ecological Sustainability Education

• In Event: Research In Progress Roundtable Session 5
  In Invited Roundtable: Examining Indigenous Education: Culturally Responsive Curriculum, Language Reclaimation, and Storywork (Table 8)

Abstract

Title: Ecocultural Literacy: Indigenous Language Reclamation and Early Learners' Ecological Sustainability Education

Key words: Indigenous education; ecocultural literacy; Indigenous language reclamation; Early Childhood Education for Sustainability (ECEfS)

In this culturally sustaining/revitalizing Indigenous Early Childhood Education for Sustainability (ECEfS) study, a traditional mentor/apprenticeship education model was used with four-year-old preschoolers and middle years students (grades six to eight) from a First Nation band school.
An Indigenous Participatory Action Research (IPAR) design centered the voices of the children, the Indigenous language, and ecological knowledge from the Land. Emergent themes include: collaboration between classroom teachers and language instructors, fostering positive peer engagement, and respectful interactions with plant and animal kin.

Author

• Bonny Lynn Donovan, University of British Columbia - Okanagan