Dienstag, 2. Juni 2009

Values and behaviors

Traditional Native American Values and Behaviors
Personal differences: Native Americans traditionally have respected the unique individual differences among people. This includes staying out of others’ affairs and verbalizing personal thoughts or opinions only when asked. It’s a expression of respect.
Quietness. Quietness or silence is a value that serves many purposes in Indian life. Historically the cultivation of this value contributed to survival. In social situations, when they are angry or uncomfortable, many Indians remain silent.
Patience. In Native American life, the virtue of patience is based on the belief that all things solve in time.
Open work ethic. In traditional Indian life, work is always directed to a distinct purpose and is don when it needs to be done. The nonmaterialistic orientation of many Indians is one outcome
of this value. Only that which is actually needed is accumulated through work. In formal
education, a rigid schedule of work for work’s sake (busy work) needs to be avoided because it
tends to move against the grain of this traditional value. Schoolwork must be shown to have an
immediate and authentic purpose.
Mutualism(Gegenseitigkeit): As a value, attitude and behaviour, mutualism permeates everything in the traditional Indian social fabric. Mutualism promotes a sense of belonging and solidarity with group members cooperating to gain group security and consensus. In American education, the tendency has been to stress competition and work for personal gain over cooperation. The emphasis on grades and personal honours are examples. In dealing with Indian students, this tendency must be modified by incorporating cooperative activities on an equal footing with competitive activities in the learning environment.
Nonverbal orientation: Traditionally most Indians have tended to prefer listening rather than speaking. Talk must have a purpose. In Indian thought, words have a power so that when there is a reason for their expression, it is generally done carefully. When planning and presenting lessons, it is best to avoid pressing a class discussion or asking a long series of rapid-fire questions. This general characteristic explains why many Indian students feel more comfortable with lectures or demonstrations.
Seeing and listening: In earlier times, hearing, observing, and memorizing were important skills since practically all aspects of Native American culture were transferred orally. Storytelling, oratory, and experiential and observational learning were all highly developed in Native American cultures.
Time orientation: In the Indian world, things happen when they are ready to happen. Time is
relatively flexible and generally not structured into compartments as it is in modern society.
Orientation to present: Traditionally most Indians have oriented themselves to the present and the immediate tasks at hand. This orientation stems from the deep philosophical emphasis on being rather than becoming.. Given this characteristic, the learning material should have a sense of immediate relevancy for the time and place of each student.
Practicality: Indians tend to be practical minded. Many Indians have less difficulty comprehending educational materials and approaches that are concrete or experiential rather than abstract and theoretical.
Holistic orientation: Indian cultures, like most primal cultures, have a long-standing and well integrated orientation to the whole. This is readily apparent in various aspects of Indian cultures, ranging from healing to social organization. Presenting educational material from a holistic perspective is an essential and natural strategy for teaching Indian people,
Spirituality: Religious thought and action are integrated into every aspect of the sociocultural fabric of traditional Native American life. Spirituality is considered a natural component of everything.
Caution: The tendency toward caution in unfamiliar personal encounters and situations has given rise to the stereotypical portrayal of the stoic Indian. This characteristic is closely related to the placidity and quiet behaviour of many Indian people. In many cases, such caution results from a basic fear regarding how their thoughts and behaviour will be accepted by others with whom they are unfamiliar or in a new situation with which they have no experience. Educators should make every effort to alleviate these fears and show that students’ subjective orientations are accepted by the teacher.

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