Friday, October 23, 2009
Fifth Freedom Eagle with Attitude :: Thinking Indian
Over the years the environment and human interaction significantly affected the inherited traits of individuals. I believe thinking Indian is not just a philosophical approach, it is a cognitive process. If American Indian people ever stop “thinking Indian,” we will become cognitively extinct.
There has been significant research related to Indian students and learning modalities, styles and specialized pedagogy, but it is often juxtaposed with Western theories of learning and cognitive processing. The tribal colleges have intrinsically become centers of “Indian thinking” and need to continue their practices and research to improve American Indian
student outcomes.
Richard B. Williams is the president and CEO of the American Indian College Fund, the nation’s largest provider of private scholarships for American Indian students seeking to better their lives and communities through a college education at the nation’s 33 accredited tribal colleges and universities.
Labels: distributed learning, eco-history, national heritage trail, outdoor recreation, Planet U, social responsibility, watershed
