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June 21, 2007 Ottawa—As Aboriginal Peoples in Canada celebrate National Aboriginal Day, the Canadian Council on Learning (CCL) is unveiling two innovative and imaginative lifelong learning models for First Nations and Métis people in Canada.
CCL and its Aboriginal Learning Knowledge Centre partnered with First Nations and Métis people to develop the Holistic Lifelong Learning Models following a series of nationwide workshops and consultations. The models are meant to foster discussions among all those interested in Aboriginal learning and lead to a new framework of measuring success in lifelong learning for First Nations and Métis communities. An Inuit learning model will be released later this summer as an outcome of an Inuit-specific workshop held last May.
“Western ways of thinking about learning do not adequately address how First Nations, Métis and Inuit people in Canada learn and think about learning,” said Dr. Paul Cappon, CEO of the Canadian Council on Learning.
“We are working with First Nations, Métis and Inuit organizations to spark a discussion and passion to create a holistic approach to measurement that recognizes all aspects of lifelong learning. Such new ways of thinking about learning are needed and critical to measuring the individual and collective well-being of Aboriginal communities.”
The two learning models have been developed as rich visual representations of how First Nations and Métis learn, based on historical research and intense discussions during the winter of 2007.
“Our people have long advocated that First Nations education is a holistic, lifelong learning process that begins in the cradle and continues to old age,” states Phil Fontaine, National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations.
“Current indicators have failed to recognize the holistic nature of First Nations learning—based on intellectual, spiritual, emotional and physical being—across the lifespan, and we will continue to work with the Canadian Council on Learning to define a new approach. Lifelong learning is an important solution to eradicating poverty in our communities, and the development of a culturally appropriate framework for measuring learning will enable Canada to recognize the positive results that are occurring in First Nations schools.”
The three models will be launched later this year as three interactive websites and will serve as a tool to measure learning progress for First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities.
“The key to making these models successful will be the ongoing engagement of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people as partners in their development,” said Cappon.
About the Aboriginal Learning Knowledge Centre CCL’s Aboriginal Learning Knowledge Centre (ALKC) is one of the organization’s five knowledge centres. The ALKC is a consortium of more than 80 organizations led by the Aboriginal Education Research Centre at the University of Saskatchewan and the First Nations Adult and Higher Education Consortium.
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The Canadian Council on Learning is an independent, not-for-profit corporation funded through an agreement with Human Resources and Social Development Canada. Its mandate is to promote and support evidence-based decisions about learning throughout all stages of life, from early childhood through to the senior years.
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