The Role of Parents/Significant Adults

Studies show that students perform better in school when their parents/significant adults are involved in their education. Even if they do not speak or understand Dene, parents still have an important role to play in supporting their child’s learning.

By participating in the learning community, parents can find out what their children are learning in Dene and why they are learning it. This awareness will enable parents to discuss their children’s work with them, to communicate with teachers and to ask relevant questions about their child’s progress. Knowledge of the expectations will also help parents/significant adults to interpret their child’s progress report and to work with the teacher to improve the student’s learning.

The Role of the Teachers

Students benefit when teachers demonstrate their own excitement and create supportive learning environments.

Teachers must make every reasonable attempt to motivate students to want to learn Dene by providing a supportive environment where language skills are gradually introduced and continually practiced.

Teachers will use their professional judgement in deciding which methods will best foster the learning described in the expectations. They will base their decisions on the needs of students, the resources available, and the recognition that good teaching should build strong person attitudes both towards Dene and learning in general. Learning activities that are based on students’ interest, needs and desire to communicate will achieve the best results.

Teachers also need to use a range of tools for assessing student achievement, particularly in the area of oral communication. Performance assessment is one of the tools which is commonly used to assess student learning and measure the effectiveness of classroom teaching practices.

The Role of the Student

Students have responsibilities as well with respect to their learning, which increase as they advance through secondary school. Students who are willing to make the effort required and who are able to apply themselves will soon learn that there is a direct relationship between achievement and hard work, and will be motivated to learn as a result.

Students are encouraged to pursue opportunities outside the classroom to extend and enrich their language skills. The ability to communicate in Dene is viewed as a valuable skill that enhances and reinforces overall communicative ability.

The Role of Administrators

Supportive administrators are crucial to the success of the Dene language program. To create a supportive environment in which a Dene language program can thrive, administrators will:

• provide a classroom in which formal and informal learning can take place;
• facilitate and support contact between the teacher and the community;
• facilitate a welcoming environment by learning greetings in Dene;
• attend professional development opportunities to enhance the communication and supervision process of Dene teachers;
• provide feedback to the teacher and students from observation of the Dene language classroom;
• seek contact with the students and show interest in what they are learning;
• participate in classroom activities where time permits;
• encourage Dene language teachers to seek professional development opportunities;
• establish links to community resources that will enhance and promote the Dene language program;
• learn the local Dene protocol for traditional and cultural enrichment activities;
• include Dene language achievements in award programs and scholarship opportunities;
• ensure the Dene program has the visibility and profile of other programs offered in the school and community; and,
• promote, establish and support the functioning of a cultural authority.

Role of a Cultural/Linguistic Authority

As a primary source of traditional and cultural knowledge, Dene Elders have the capacity to share and pass on their knowledge in ways that are compatible with traditional ways of knowing. As part of a local cultural authority, Elders can help in defining cultural values, practices and protocols.

Establishing a cultural authority entails building relationships with community resource people who are recognized as knowledgeable in the Dene language and culture. This means that the teacher is responsible for making both formal and informal contact with individuals who would then form a group which would serve as cultural and linguistic advisors and supports. As each community is considered to be culturally and linguistically unique, it is critical that the teachers establish a cultural authority. A cultural authority may:

• review and recommend curriculum outcomes and indicators;
• validate dialectical variations and regional nuances in language and culture;
• provide sources of, or suggestions for traditional teachings;
• provide cultural and/or linguistic guidance to the teacher;
• provide protocol for cultural events and activities; and,
• actualize the community education philosophy.

The Role of the School

A culturally informed and responsive school:

• fosters the ongoing participation of Elders in all aspects of the education process;
• provides opportunities for students to learn their language;
• provides facilities conducive to learning;
• fosters extensive, on-going participation, communication and interaction between school and community;
• strives to produce model Dene language programs; and,
• provides opportunities for student/community interaction.

The Role of the Community

A culturally informed and responsive community:

• engages in both the academic and extra-curricular life of the school;
• rewards students and community members for progress and encourages best attempts; and,
• provides opportunities to review the Dene curricula and recommend cultural and regional adaptations.

Involving Elders and parents in the Dene program is seen as critical to its success. To do so involves identifying specific strategies for student/ Elders/parent interaction and involvement.

Voices of Elders

The wisdom of the Elders is central to cultural learning according to the Dene perspective. Elders are the “keepers of knowledge,” and it is their guidance that Dene people seek as they strive for balance in their relationships with the Creator, the natural world, other people and themselves. Elders are acknowledged when seeking guidance on issues that deal with the Dene language retention and revitalization, and cultural learning.

A thorough understanding of the Dene world view is critical to a strong understanding of Dene both in terms of origin and significance, as well as form and function. Elders advise that our connections to the Creator are interwoven throughout Dene. The Elders honour and value the importance of spirituality in the Dene culture however, the Elders agree that the teachers are not expected to teach or promote Dene spirituality.

The Dene people share a belief as do many other cultures, that people must live in respectful, harmonious relationships with nature, with one another and with themselves. The relationships of Dene are governed by what are understood as laws which are gifts from the Creator. The laws are fundamentally spiritual imbuing all aspects of life. As fundamental as this perspective is, Dene express it in unique ways depending on the demographic location, with each location having its own practices, products and knowledge. This curriculum is reflective of three laws of relationships; relationship with the natural world, our relationships with one another and, our relationship with ourselves.