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Arctic sojourn : a teacher's reflections

Date

2004

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

ORCID

Type

Degree Level

Masters

Abstract

The research describes the experience of a southern white teacher who lived and worked in a remote community in Canada's Far North. The impact of physical relocation and culture shock are discussed, as well as problems encountered when conflicting views of education and life goals meet in a cross-cultural setting. The thesis explores some of the difficulties facing mainstream teachers of Indigenous students when issues of past colonialism and present injustices come into play. Inuit community literacies (visual, kinesic and oral traditions) are explored and contrasted with traditional definitions of literacy, which center on the paramount importance of the printed word. Power issues are discussed, including the role played by literacy education in maintaining control in the hands of the dominant culture. The research is qualitative and phenomenological in nature. The teaching experience is viewed through a critical lens, and attempts to better understand the writer's southern white middle-class background as it relates to differing worldviews. The author recounts the process of re-examining assumptions of her own culture, and describes her personal and professional journey of coming to grips with its impact on her teaching.

Description

Keywords

Educational priorities -- Cultural differences, Educational sociology -- Arctic regions, Non-Native teachers in Native schools, Cross-cultural teaching, Cultural sensitivity in teaching, Cross-cultural understanding

Citation

Degree

Master of Education (M.Ed.)

Department

Curriculum Studies

Program

Curriculum Studies

Advisor

Part Of

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DOI

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