Introduction to First Nations Technical Institute Our Journey with Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (Plar)

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST NATIONS TECHNICAL INSTITUTE OUR JOURNEY WITH PRIOR LEARNING ASSESSMENT AND RECOGNITION (PLAR) a presentation for the CAPLA Best Practices Workshop Crowbush Resort - Charlottetown, PEI – October 24, 2002 Prepared by: Diane Hill – Aboriginal Education Consultant First Nations Technical Institute GOALS OF THE PRESENTATION 1. To introduce you to “Who We Are” - First Nations Technical Institute 2. To explain “Our Journey with PLAR” - How we have used and applied PLAR as an educational strategy 3. To share the “Results of Our Journey with PLAR” - Lessons learned from using PLAR within our particular environment MISSION STATEMENT To provide respectful, holistic learning opportunities and experiences that enhance the capacity of First Nations people to regain control over their social, political, cultural and economic future. MOTTO Sharing & Learning ABOUT THE INSTITUTE First Nations Technical Institute (FNTI) is an Aboriginal owned and operated educational training facility located on the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. The territory is located on Lake Ontario’s Bay of Quinte between Toronto, Ontario and Montreal, Quebec. The Institute was formally established through a federal mandate in August of 1985. FNTI offers post-secondary certificates, diplomas and degrees in partnership with provincially accredited colleges and universities: Canadore College - Aviation Diploma Program St. Lawrence College - Social Service Worker Diploma Program Humber College - Aboriginal Media Studies Program St. Lawrence College - Small Business Entrepreneur Program University of Regina/Saskatchewan Indian Federated College – Bachelor of Indian Social Work Program Ryerson Polytechnical University – Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration Ministry of Training for Colleges and Universities - Adult Basic Education FNTI accredited - Windows-Based Computer Software Training FNTI offers a smaller more intimate learning environment that affords individual learners with more attention. The learning experiences provided through the Institute include a mix of both conventional and innovative educational practices that are based increasingly on an Aboriginal approach to learning rooted in the values of respect and wholeness; qualities and characteristics that are in close alignment with Andragogy - the Adult Learning Model developed by Malcolm Knowles. By designing curriculum that addresses a range of learning styles and by utilizing educational strategies such as PLAR, we ensure that our programs are learner-centred and are focused on the learning needs of participants rather than on the needs of the institution. In using PLAR creatively, we honour the experiential learning within the lives of our learners in such a way that they can be encouraged and assisted to develop individualized learning objectives and plans that will carry them into the future. CHRONICLES OF OUR 17 YEAR JOURNEY WITH PLAR 1985 – FNTI seconds two faculty from Loyalist College in Belleville, Ontario to assist in the development of an educational training program related to Social Service Administration as it pertains to Aboriginal people. The faculty enter the Institute with a strong background in experience- based learning developed within the base program at Loyalist and through their experiences with the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning guided by Dr. Morris Keeton. 1986 – The Native Social Service Worker program takes form with ideas rooted in the principles of Adult Learning (Andragogy). PLAR is a fundamental part of the curriculum design, development and delivery strategy. The fact that all participants are employed in the field by First Nation organizations is another unique feature. 1987 – PLAR strategies in Quebec are implemented and lessons gleaned from the francophone experience are incorporated into the PLA strategy for Aboriginal Adult Learners enrolled in the FNTI Native Social Service Worker Program. Our view of PLAR expands to incorporate an understanding of culture- specific barriers to learning and to accessing the educational system, the importance of language and the need to respect cultural diversity. 1988 – Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal faculty in the Native Social Service Worker program begin fervently to discuss and debate educational issues related to: A. The need for more Aboriginal teachers, facilitators and counsellors to be trained and employed in all elementary, secondary and post- secondary educational institutions serving Aboriginal peoples. B. The right of Aboriginal peoples to participate fully in making and implementing decisions that affect their education and that of their children. C. The adaptation of educational curriculum to meet the needs of Aboriginal learners so that the education they receive reflects community needs, their cultural heritage and identity. Faculty begins to view PLAR and portfolio development with an Aboriginal perspective. The beginnings of an Aboriginal approach to learning based on the tenets of Aboriginal thought and practice are explored. 1989 – FNTI organizes and promotes its first educational conference and introduces the concept of Prior Learning Assessment and Portfolio Development to a primarily Canadian audience. The Ontario Report on Access to Professions and Trades is released moving the concept of PLAR further into the province’s formal education system. FNTI/Loyalist College faculty members are seconded to the Ontario Council of Regents for Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology to supervise the research and begin work on implementing PLAR into Ontario’s community college system. 199l – Aboriginal faculty within FNTI continue to refine an Aboriginal Approach to Learning that utilizes portfolio-assisted Prior Learning Assessment as an educational strategy and multi-purpose tool. 1993 – A member of FNTI’s Aboriginal teaching faculty makes the first presentation on an Aboriginal Learning Model and the use of Prior Learning Assessment as a multi-purpose tool at FNTI’s annual PLA conference. 1994 – The Canadian Association for Prior Learning Assessment (CAPLA) is a strategic outgrowth of FNTI’s efforts to move the PLAR agenda forward in Ontario. CAPLA becomes an association for the advancement of PLAR in Canada. It is a national organization with a local and international perspective. It is structured as a non-profit organization with both Aboriginal and non- Aboriginal members who represent a cross-section of interests in education, business, industry, and includes labour unions and government agencies in both Canada and the United States. 1995 - Portfolio-assisted PLAR is now a multi-purpose educational tool aimed at assisting Aboriginal learners in way that furthers the fullest understanding, maintenance and development of the whole person in the total environment. Funding from the Ontario Council of Regents is secured and a manual entitled, “Aboriginal Access to Post-secondary Education: Prior Learning Assessment and its use within Aboriginal Programs of Learning” is published and released as a joint project between Loyalist College and FNTI. 1997 – FNTI’s Aboriginal model of education of which portfolio-assisted PLAR is an integral part gains the recognition of the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL). An invitation to present the model at CAEL’s conference in Washington, D.C. is received and accepted. International delegates are present and the model draws the attention of South African participants. 1998 – Research project entitled, “PLAR Values Project – New Approaches to Lifelong Learning” is launched. A request to prepare a written submission describing the use of portfolio-assisted PLAR as a multi-purpose tool is made and accepted. FNTI’s creative and innovative use of PLAR receives additional recognition. 1999 – Aboriginal faculty member completes a master’s thesis in adult education and bases the work on her FNTI experience and the use of PLAR within an Aboriginal context and holistic approach to learning. The implications of PLAR for both healing and empowerment, as discussed in the thesis, attracts the attention of people in South Africa, New Zealand and the United States. An invitation to contribute a chapter to the second edition of an American publication entitled, “Portfolio Development & Adult Learning: Purposes & Strategies” is accepted. 2000 – Portfolio development that utilizes various methods for identifying prior learning; incorporates holistic approaches to learning/teaching; and results in the healing and empowerment of people is presented at the Eskom Centre in Midrand, South Africa on behalf of the Joint Education Trust. The same presentation is made again at the University of Auckland during the International Consortium for Experiential Learning (ICEL), seventh annual conference held in New Zealand. A similar presentation is made in Chile, South America. 2001 – FNTI secures a contract in South Africa to provide training leading to the development of both Advisers and Assessors who will implement strategies related to the recognition of prior learning (RPL) acquired in industries associated with the Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services Education and Training Authority (MERSETA). 2002 and Beyond – Portfolio-assisted PLAR is now viewed as a multi- purpose tool and when used within a holistic approach to learning, has the capacity to address issues and problems related to the education, training and development of human resources within various diverse populations of people in local, national and international contexts. Today, CAPLA

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