Final Issue of ETC News
ETC News • Volume 2, No. 1
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In This Issue
“Let us put our minds together and see what life we can make for our children.”
Tatanka Iyotaka (Sitting Bull)1831-1890, Hunkpapa Lakota Leader
On behalf of all of us at Expanding the Circle, we would like to publicly extend our sincere sympathy to our friends, their families, and the community in Red Lake, Minnesota.
ETC Mini Classroom, The Human Knot
Each issue of ETC News will highlight an activity from the Expanding the Circle: Respecting the Past, Preparing for the Future curriculum. The following is a lesson from Theme One: The Discovery.
Student Outcome
Student will participate in team-building activity.
Portfolio Placement
N/A
Time Frame
15-20 minutes
Size of Group
Large or small group (If group is more than 10 students, two groups could run concurrently.)
Materials Needed
Large open space for students to move around unobstructed
Before You Begin
This is a silent activity. The purpose is for the students to solve a problem cooperatively and silently. It is very important that once the activity begins the students do not talk to each other.
Directions
1. Instruct all the students to stand in a circle and hold hands.
2. Choose a place in the circle where two people should drop hands so they are no longer holding hands.
3. Tell these two people to walk under the other students' arms until the group is in one big clump, but all hands are still joined except the two who created the clump. When the clump is made, the original two students rejoin hands.
4. Inform students that the group is to try to untangle themselves and re-form the circle without letting go of any hands. Remind students that the activity is to be completed in silence.
Discussion
• What did you notice about how you worked together when you could not talk?
• What was the goal of this activity? How did you express that without talking?
• What are your observations about how you were able to solve the Human Knot problem?
• What did you observe about others: their reactions to the problem, etc.?
• Were there any natural leaders that came forth in this activity? Who? Did that surprise you? Why or why not?
• How could the activity have gone more smoothly?
• How might the activity have been different if talking had been allowed?
• What did you learn about each other in this activity?
Closure
Journals/Community Circle — Ask students to reflect on a problem they feel they have solved. What helped you solve the problem? Did you solve the problem alone or with the help of others?
Adventure in the Outdoor Classroom:Experiential Education for American Indian Students
Imagine a classroom where strapping on a safety harness and helmet to prepare yourself for a rock climb is your lesson of the day. Homework is double-checking to see if your life preserver is properly buckled before you enter your canoe for either a flat water paddle around a chain of lakes or a class two river rapids. There are many other experiences in the outdoor classroom that will not only intrigue young American Indian people, but also challenge and hold their attention in a way that no lesson plan from a book can.
What is experiential education?
Experiential education, much like the field of service learning, utilizes the concept of learning by doing. The experience itself is the teaching, or the lesson. It differs from the standard classroom setting in that the classroom for experiential education is most often the living, breathing environment of the outdoors. A term that is often associated with experiential education is adventure-based learning. Programs such as Outward Bound (not to be confused with Upward Bound) have become experts in experiential learning. The tools utilized in their teaching styles are rooted in adventure-based programming that can occur in “the wilderness, urban settings, workrooms, and classrooms to help students achieve possibilities, and to inspire them to serve others and care for the world around them (Retrieved 5/1/05 from http://www.outwardbound.com).
Outward Bound and countless other experiential education programs and organizations have expanded not only in who they serve, but where they operate programs. Experiential education has impacted mainstream educators and continues to effectively connect with diverse student populations — American Indian students being one of those populations.
How can experiential education improve learning for American Indian students?
As adults and educators, we must learn how to transfer the responsibilities of education to the young people themselves and learn how to place ourselves in the role of student. This often means that the young person is allowed to choose what topic or life experience is relevant to them. However, before we even allow ourselves to grow into that area, we as adult educators still must determine the best means of making that happen for our students. This is where we look to the field of experiential education to provide for us an experience that would create a common ground between student and teacher.
Examples of activities used by experiential educators in their programming are rock climbing, ropes courses, white-water rafting/canoeing, backpacking, all-season camping, orienteering with map and compass, wilderness medical training, dog sledding, and many other experiences not limited by the typical classroom and its four surrounding walls.
A positive attribute of these types of educational experiences is that the participants have a unique and personalized exposure to a learning environment that is challenging physically, mentally and spiritually. At one time in our tribal existence the learning environment for all people, regardless of age, encompassed these three qualities of education. A realization that occurs for American Indian people who utilize experiential education is not only the awareness of the physical return to the geographical space in which their people once inhabited, but also the spiritual reintroduction to how this same space educated their ancestors in both a worldly and sacred manner. A return to this true tribal educational environment has long been needed to improve the quality of education for our American Indian youth and adults.
Lynn F. LaPointe, Wicahpi Sapa, Sicangu Lakota Oyate, guest author. Lynn is a program manager of the National Youth Leadership Council and former instructor with Outward Bound. You can contact him at 651-999-7374 or lapointe@nylc.org. Visit the NYLC Web site at http://www.nylc.org.
Your Future Starts Now!: A Transition Conference Using the Expanding the Circle Curriculum
“This conference was great. More kids need to have the opportunities I had. There are really just wonderful people in this world.”
~ Conference participant
In February, American Indian students who participate in the Pathways to Possibilities and Outreach to Empower projects traveled to the University of Minnesota campus to take part in a day-long conference — “Your Future Starts Now!” Break out sessions were taken from the Expanding the Circle curriculum and organized into three tracks — college exploration, career exploration, and transition skill development. Students and adult sponsors (including some parents) experienced brief but intense sessions that explored key aspects and strategies for planning for life after high school. Evaluations revealed that the conference was enjoyed and valued by both adults and students.
Organizing a transition conference is just one of the many effective ways you can implement the Expanding the Circle curriculum in your school or organization. In one day, both youth and adult sponsors can gain valuable transition skills and insight about planning for life after high school.
Student Voice
Laura Potter (Lakota/Ojibwe) is a senior at Harding High School in St. Paul, Minnesota and will be graduating in May. Laura participates in Harding’s Indian Options Program which offers courses about American Indian culture, history, language and literature. Laura also participates in Expanding the Circle activities through the Pathways to Possibilities program. Recently, we had the chance to sit down with her to ask her about her experiences with ETC and her plans for the future.
What would you like to do after high school?
I want to go to college, but first I have to get a job and save some money. I’m thinking of going to Fond du Lac [Tribal and Community College]. I want to major in journalism. I like journalism because you can say how you feel through writing.
What is most important for you right now as a high school student?
Graduating from high school. I want to make my family proud that I’m graduating.
What is one thing about the Pathways to Possibilities project during the school year that you enjoyed the most?
I liked taking the surveys. We learned stuff about ourselves, like different learning styles and how we learn best. I thought that was pretty cool.
What was the best part of the fall leadership retreat?Rock climbing. It challenged me. I mean I like rock climbing, but we had to go down the mountain, and I’m scared of heights so that helped me get over my fear.
What was the best part of “Your Future Starts Now,” the transition conference held this past February?
I liked the different workshops that we went to, especially the career workshop. I got to learn about careers I would like to have, and what specific jobs are really like in the career area that I like. It gave me a better viewpoint on what I want to do.
Describe the service-learning projects that you have participated in.
We did a powwow in our school. We asked some dancers in our community if they could come, and we gave them tobacco ties. It was a powwow, but it was more like a performance for the people and for the students — to show them what a powwow looks like. We made frybread so the people could get a taste.
What was the most meaningful part or the best part of your service-learning experience?
Showing people that Natives aren’t scary, that they’re normal. It felt good to show them some of our culture, and to see how they responded to us. Some of the teachers wrote “thank you” letters. It made me feel good that they enjoyed it.
How can service-learning help you in your life now and in the future?
Probably what I said before, about leadership. Say if you’re going to a job interview, you can feel good about yourself. Helping out my community if they need it.
What have you learned from all of the experiences that will help you after high school?
I guess I learned how to appreciate things, like not taking things or people for granted. I learned about leadership and being a role model. I learned to be more assertive — you can’t be shy. You have say out loud what you want.
What would you say about the students that have been involved?
We’re close, very close. I e-mail most of them that I met from the summer camp. I still talk to them, even the ones in Oklahoma. It’s really good to see them again, by going to all the retreats — the ones I made friends with.
It's important to me not to lose touch.
Fun and Games in the Classroom
Make games a part of your classroom curriculum and teach your students skills that are important in everyday life. Although adding games to your curriculum may not seem to fit the traditional role of the classroom, they can be a useful tool. If students are provided with a clear understanding of expectations and rules, they can learn a lot about their personal style, attitude, confidence level, verbal ability, spatial reasoning, and intelligence. The whole classroom becomes an interactive learning experience where students are stimulated and actively involved in the learning process.
Games utilize critical thinking, team building, and negotiation skills. Students not only learn about themselves, but also about their teachers and their peers. Students can create games as a way to study course content to prepare for tests or to develop class projects. It isn’t necessary to go out and buy the most expensive board games. You and your students can become creative and explore ideas to develop your own games to fit into a particular curriculum.
After playing a game, it is important that teachers lead students in reflection questions. Reflection questions are essential for students to understand how they can apply the skills learned in the game to their own life situations.
Examples of reflection questions
- What does this game have to do with your transition from high school to college?
- How will you deal with new and uncomfortable situations in your transition?
- How do you think you will have to adapt to different situations that arise in your life?
- How does the game fit with what you are learning about preparing for the transition to life after high school?
- What were your greatest frustrations and/or successes while playing the game?
- What does the game experience suggest about what to do when you are in the situation in the real world?
Games you can try
Cranium® Hoopla™
In this collaborative game, players work together to add sound effects to impromptu performances, perform hilarious sketches, come up with clever brainteasers, and solve quick-witted word challenges. Cranium Hoopla uses pop culture images and engaging activities to keep players interested and create connections between them. (Retrieved 5/18/05 from http://www.boardgames.com/craniumhoopla.html)
Barnga: A Simulation Game on Cultural Clashes (Thiagarajan, S. & Steinwachs, B., 1990). In Barnga, players experience the realization that in spite of many similarities, people from different cultures perceive things differently, or “play by different rules.” They learn that, if they want to function effectively in a cross-cultural group, they need to understand and reconcile differences. In this simple card game played in small groups, conflicts begin to occur as participants move from group to group. This simulates real cross-cultural encounters, where people initially believe they have the same basic rules. In discovering that the rules are different, players undergo a miniature culture shock similar to actual experience when entering a different culture. Players are not allowed to speak with each other; they can only communicate by using gestures or pictures. To further complicate matters, participants are not aware that everyone is playing by different rules. In their attempts to understand why other participants are playing the game correctly, they learn about the dynamics of cross-cultural interactions. (Retrieved 5/18/05 from http://www.mastersandscribes.com/item131.htm)
The Onaakonan System: An Adaptable Tool for Planning Your Future
Portfolios have become widely accepted as part of the transition process for students to organize important information and documents that will help them plan for their future. Student portfolios can contain examples of exemplary academic work; experiential learning, internship, or service learning experiences; students’ reflections on school and life experiences; and information they have gathered on postsecondary education areas of study and/or careers in which they are interested. A portfolio can be a valuable tool that students can refer to throughout their life.
The Expanding the Circle curriculum includes a personal portfolio system — the Onaakonan System (OS). The Onaakonan System (“Oh NAH kah NON,” derived from the Ojibwe word meaning “he/she makes a decision”) is designed to help transition-age American Indian students plan for their future in an organized and structured way. Students gather key information to be included in their personal OS as they complete certain transition activities from the curriculum.
There are twelve categories in the OS that help students —
• Learn to organize important documents.
• Manage their documents.
• Develop a structured product in which to store information.
• Keep records of school and community learning opportunities.
• Create a personal file of their accomplishments.
• Maintain key personal information that is accessible and up-to-date.
• Develop self-advocacy skills.
There is no age limit for when a student can start using the OS. It has been developed as part of the curriculum because during the high school transition period, it is essential for students to become familiar with key information about themselves that they will use on an ongoing basis to achieve their goals and dreams. Because this system is easy to adapt to different life stages, the hope is that students will begin this process in high school and maintain it, adding to and subtracting from their OS, throughout their life.
The OS contains the following categories —
• Accomplishments
• Vocational/Work
• Education
• Medical
• Support Circle
• References
• Recreation & Leisure
• Residence
• Transportation
• Legal
• Monthly Expenses
• Financial Records
The OS can be used as part of a summer transition program or integrated into a school year program. Before beginning this system with students, determine where you will keep the portfolios while they are working on them. Develop a system for storing information students gather for their OS. It can be an accordion style folder, a three-ring binger, or a box — whatever fits your style and budget.
When you have completed transition programming with your students, they should take their personalized system home and keep it updated for future use. Remind students they have learned to use a system they can continue to use the rest of their lives. Encourage students to put their OS in a safe place and refer to it when needed.
Ask Dennis
Welcome again to Ask Dennis!
Dear Dennis,
I am a senior in high school and will be graduating in June. I am going to college in the fall, but I’m not sure what I want to major in. I am wondering how I can gain some work experience before I start college.
Sincerely,
ShaneDuluth, Minnesota
Dear Shane,
First let me say, you’re not alone. Many young people about to enter college are uncertain about what they want to do — what they want to study and what type of career they want their college degree to lead to.
One of the best ways to learn about a particular job or career is through job shadowing. Job shadowing allows you to really explore those jobs and/or careers that may be of interest to you. By following or “shadowing” someone in their job for a day you get a first-hand look at what that person’s job involves. The person you are shadowing can show you the benefits and challenges of their position. By watching how that person participates in day-to-day activities and interacts with clients and coworkers, you gain valuable insight into whether that particular job or career is something you would like to pursue. Experiencing this first hand will be completely different from reading this information out of a career manual. And, because job shadowing is a one-day experience, you can participate in several different job-shadowing experiences.
Here are some tips for finding a job shadowing experience —
- Think about the adults you know whose job/career you are interested in. Give them a call and ask if you can shadow them during a typical workday.
- Visit your school guidance counselor or career services office. Many schools have a job shadowing program with local businesses and organizations already in place.
- Crack open the phone book and call companies or organizations that interest you. Ask if they have a job shadowing program. If they don’t, ask if you could set one up. If they do, ask to set up a day where you could shadow someone at that company.
- Attend internship and career fairs. Talk with businesses and companies that interest you and ask them about job shadowing opportunities.
Once you land a job shadowing experience, remember to make a good first impression! Arrive early, dress the part, and keep a positive attitude. Through this experience, you are building relationships that will stay with you for a long time. This experience may someday turn into a part-time or even full-time job. Don’t be shy. Ask a lot of questions. You are there to find out everything you can about this particular job, and they are there to make sure you have a positive experience. Follow up your experience with a thank you letter or note. This shows that you genuinely valued their time and it will leave a lasting impression on the employer.
Good luck with everything. I hope I was able to help.
Dennis
Educating for Change
“The increased international participation and the greater involvement of indigenous peoples made this a very special conference for all of us.” ~NYLC President and CEO Jim Kielsmeier
The 16th Annual National Service Learning Conference™ took place March 16-19 in Long Beach, California, and drew an estimated 2,900 service-learning enthusiasts from all 50 states and 49 other countries. Attendees were able to choose from 400 workshops and 19 on- and off-site service projects.
The conference demonstrated the power young people have to change the world and the responsibility of adults to support and guide them as they do so. It was a setting where diverse groups exchanged ideas and learned from each other.
Fourteen students and six adult community sponsors represented the Pathways to Possibilities and Outreach to Empower projects at the conference. Students were invited to share their program experiences and service-learning projects in a variety of ways. Students co-presented with University of Minnesota staff at workshops and two students were youth emcees for conference wide sessions and events. All students and community sponsors staffed our exhibit booth — “American Indian Student Service and Leadership.”
One highlight of the conference was the Third Annual Indigenous Service Featured Forum, hosted by Leonard Little Finger and moderated by Lynn F. LaPointe. The forum provided opportunities to highlight, honor, and learn from indigenous service-learning practitioners. Four students served as the American Indian Youth Panel during the day-long event.
Expanding the Circle Goes Live!
http://ici.umn.edu/etc
To get the latest on transition resources for American Indian students, visit Expanding the Circle’s new Web site. In addition to current resources, which includes a brief history of American Indian Education, you will also find information on ETC projects; upcoming trainings and events, which you may register for online; and ETC products with information on how to order them. The Web site will be updated regularly. So, pay us a visit!
Join us for ETC Training!
June 23–24, 2005November 3-4, 2005 March 30-31, 2006 June 22-23, 2006
The tranings will be held at the McNamara Alumni Center,University GatewayUniversity of Minnesota, Twin Cities
For registration information, visit http://ici.umn.edu/etc or call 612-624-7315.
Editor • Jennifer Huisken; Managing Editor • Jean Ness; Copy Editor • Christen Opsal; Contributing Writers • Jean Ness; Jennifer Huisken; Michele Knife Sterner; Dennis Olson, Jr.; Graphic Design • Connie Burkhart
The development of Expanding the Circle News is supported by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Indian Education Programs (#S299A020008). The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Indian Education Programs, Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, Institute on Community Integration, College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota, or their funding sources, and no official endorsement should be inferred.
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