Okay, there are so many things that a teacher or school can do to engage learners, that it is pointless to try to list them all. So I won’t.
Of the very best, key are probably small classes/individual instruction, helping the students see how what they are learning applies to real life, and getting the whole community involved in the process in some way.
Our local school, thanks to the librarian, is engaging the students through the last method. He applied for a One Book One Community grant, and got it! The entire school (grades K-8) will be reading and receiving copies of the book Ah Mo, a collection of native stories collected by Judge Griffin in western Washington between 1884 and 1947. A series of additional events are being planned to bring the stories to life…
The most exciting thing I think is that the local tribe is going to be involved. The land the school is built on (deeded to the school by Judge Griffin), and the area I grew up in, was tribal land for centuries. There are many tribal members in the community, though most live in the neighboring county, and we are excited to have a partnership in which we can use the stories to introduce the history and culture of the people who were here before the Europeans. The stories were told mostly by members of tribes closely allied with (and speaking essentially the same language as) the local tribe.
There are many many possibilities for integrating the book into the school year, bringing in the community members, letting the kids do enrichment and extended learning… All classes will definitely visit the tribal museum! I am hoping they will also have opportunities to look at the environment and critters with new eyes. Most importantly, I hope that the tribal members who are students will see their own culture finally reflected in the curriculum and be able to take the lead.
We are still fleshing things out, but I am feeling optimistic that we can do some truly incredible things. More on this project as it develops…