Collaborative Research on the internet-based Keewaytinook Internet High School
Primary researcher
Dr. Tony Bartley, Faculty of Education, Lakehead University
Description of proposed research
In the fall of 2004, the Faculty of Education at Lakehead University was approached by Keewaytinook Okimakanak Research Institute (KORI) with a view to the development of a collaborative research program in education, specifically around the internet-based Keewaytinook Internet High School (KiHS) http://kihs.knet.ca/. The students in this school stay in their own community and attend a computer-based classroom with lessons delivered over the internet using the Moodle interface. An area of need identified by KORI/KiHS was the development of culturally appropriate science curriculum. As a “private” school in Ontario using the Ontario curriculum and leading to the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD), KiHS is inspected by Ministry of Education officers. The content of the science curriculum is “written” (Ministry of Education, 1999), however the context for such learning is very much open for negotiation and development: the theme of this project. This is collaborative project in developing a culturally-relevant science curriculum for grades 9 and 10.
Methodology
The approach will be based upon participatory action research (Newman, 2000; Karadimos, 2004) where the first phase of the project would be to spend some time with the teachers (and students) to build trust and communication. This will be followed by investigation of the risk and supportive factors for teachers in the examination of alternative models of curriculum, for example the Culturally Responsive Science Curriculum of the Alaska Native Knowledge Network (2000). The third phase will be the development and implementation of culturally relevant curriculum (teaching strategies, inquiry-based activities and assessment) for grades 9 and 10 science, together with ongoing program evaluation. The curriculum development and implementation phase will be based upon a "Backward" Curricular Design (Wiggins and Jay McTighe, 2005), where the three identified stages are:
Stage 1. Identify Desired Results
Stage 2. Determine Acceptable Evidence
Stage 3. Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction
This approach offers significant opportunities for negotiation at each stage, a necessary condition for cultural relevance.
