Grow our students—hands-on experiences, summer and other informal learning experiences
Increased participation of Native students in science fairs; Native science fairs
AISES chapters in high schools and middle schools can help students learn to like and understand science
Invest in better schools, programs, and teachers
Promote students with potential
Encourage traditional ecological knowledge
Incorporate Elders
More school programs and after-school programs
Encourage volunteerism
Buy in to the importance of environmental science
Summer programs
One-on-one outreach to students
Explain to students why they are well suited to this field
Explain to Native students why their background makes them natural geoscientists
Better communication about the geosciences
Explain how geosciences can help their community
Challenge students: Here is the problem; here is how you can work on it
Math: visual learning, but important not to separate out some students; make math relevant to Native students (use real-life examples, i.e.—basket weaving, beading
Teach math in context, applied math
Professional development for teachers
Break stereotypes of learners
Relevance:
Show relevance of the careers (how can I use this?)
What benefits can the student find in this study to their lives?
Show how the education is connected to protection and sustainable management of resources (Intro to Sustainable Development class) Make math relevant to something besides “just math”
Create more volunteer opportunities in the sciences in the community
Educate everyone in the community
Incorporate tradition
Be open and honest
Need to inspire students
Incorporate an experiential component
Presentation of issues regarding natural resources as impacting future generations
Need to recognize that Native students are diverse by geography and level of preparation
Climate change issues are urgent and students want to do something about these issues
Science needs to be presented as interesting, not a dead-end job, good career mobility
Travel—chance to learn and experience other cultures
Lab work/field trips excite students
Allow students to work in two paths (Native and mainstream science) — is this getting better? You see some who are blending both
Role Models:
Get graduate-school-level Native American teachers to teach at tribal colleges or tribal schools (role models)
Draw on local expertise
Find mentors for kids
Peer-mentoring
Conversation before leaving safe place
Support at the College level
Distance Learning
Do a better job of advertising opportunities and exploring careers
Need to have a place online to house all the opportunities, resources, and scholarships related to geosciences
agiweb.org
Serc.carleton.edu
Indigenousmapping.net
Geoscience Alliance website – what are the possibilities?
Get students connected on campus
Better advising so students aren’t told the wrong thing, which can make their academic programs longer and more expensive
Student service learning: students play a role in going back to their tribes to publicize their experiences, opportunities for other students, peer mentoring
Good mentors; family atmosphere
Need more job opportunities
Place-based Education (at all levels, K-12 and beyond)
When teaching Native students, place is foremost/fundamental
Don’t limit “place” (i.e., to the reservation) Think where Native peoples are now and where they have been in the past, connect to history
Look at other successful models
Find ways to help students make a connection to their place
Encourage them to look
Connect students to science and scientists on their reservation
DNR/resource management on reservation
Close textbook and go out into the community to find your problems and issues, and your answers
Greater relevance for students
Hands-on – students find this important and valuable
Field studies don’t show the “ideal” situation that is often in textbooks, but teach the full complexity
A return to the old way is important to many—so we need to have teaching support for Native concerns (example: GEMscholars learned the Native community approach and knowledge about plants, a two-way exchange of knowledge
Good programs:
Wells Technology—example of a successful business in Bemidji, MN. Give tours to students, apprenticeships.
