Teacher-Researcher profile
Photo Credit : Shuana Niessen
Alumna Heather Findlay is a teacher at Martin Collegiate . On April 3 , 2014 , she successfully defended her master ' s thesis , “ Just a Pepper in a Bunch of Salt ”: Aboriginal Students ’ Stories of School .” The thesis was deemed meritorious of an award . She was also awarded a $ 2000 Saskatchewan School Boards Association Graduate Student Award .
Abstract : Mirroring national trends , the Saskatchewan education system is failing its Aboriginal students . The situation is urgent , evidenced by low rates of Aboriginal students transitioning through the grades , their lower results on provincial assessments , and the significant gap between Aboriginal students and their non-Aboriginal counterparts graduating from high school . In light of these issues , this research explores high-school aged Aboriginal students ’ stories of school and in particular their stories of place , curriculum , teachers , and administrators . The research recognizes schools as White spaces where dominant identities are affirmed through place , spaces , curriculum , and pedagogy . Data was collected through four semi-structured interviews with five adolescents who self-identified as Aboriginal . A Critical Race Theory framework , with its emphasis on counter stories , was used to analyze the data , paying particular attention to the reproduction of dominance . The stories of these five participants highlight the need for teachers and administrators , the majority of whom are White , to take actions to promote the success of Aboriginal students in the classroom . Important to the participants is the creation of a sense of belonging to a place through the inclusion of Aboriginal artifacts and the actions of teachers to support those objects in meaningful ways . Additionally , the students articulate that teachers should authentically infuse Aboriginal content throughout core curriculum . Finally , teachers and administrators need to overcome their disconnect with Aboriginal students by developing close personal relationships with them and engaging in processes of decolonization through critical self-reflective work .
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What was the intent of your research ?
My research focused on listening to five Aboriginal students tell stories about their experiences in school . Specifically , I had the students tell me their stories of place ( environment ), teachers and administrators , and curriculum . Data were collected using four semi-structured interviews using narrative as the collection method . I then used Critical Race Theory to analyze the data , ever mindful of the production of dominance . Infused throughout my research was an examination of colonialism and decolonization and of myself as a White educator and my lived experiences in order to critically interrogate my own “ Eurocentric ideas , prejudices , assumptions , actions , and privileges ” ( Costello , 2011 ). 1
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What circumstances / situation led you to research the topic of your thesis ?
Throughout my undergraduate degree and my first years of teaching , I was constantly aware of statistics surrounding Aboriginal education : The Aboriginal population was increasing while the non-Aboriginal population was decreasing , and that Aboriginal students are not performing as well in school as their non-Aboriginal peers , as evidenced by poor performance on provincial and division assessments as well as by lower graduation rates . I compared those with the experiences I was having working alongside Aboriginal students in my classroom and the stories — both positive and negative — I was hearing from them . I wanted to examine , in a more formal way , the lived experiences of Aboriginal students in order to provide context and interpretation to the statistics . Furthermore , through classes at the undergraduate and graduate level , I became aware of privileges that I held as a White educator in schools and society , and so I knew that any examination of Aboriginal students would require a simultaneous examination of me and my school experience as a White student and educator in order to contrast my lived experiences with theirs .
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How has your research enhanced your professional life as a teacher ?
The classes I took at the graduate level and the
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Costello , B . ( 2011 ). Coming full circle : non-Aboriginal teachers ' narratives of their engagement in urban Aboriginal education ( Unpublished master ' s thesis ). Lakehead University , Thunder Bay , ON . continued on page 7
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