DOCUMENT RESUME ED 460 792 RC 021 622 AUTHOR Roy, Loriene, Comp. TITLE Pathfinders for Four Directions: An Indigenous Educational Model. PUB DATE 1997-00-00 NOTE 464p.; For topical bibliographic sections, see RC 021 623-627. PUB TYPE Collected Works - General (020) Guides Non-Classroom (055) Reference Materials Bibliographies (131) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC19 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS American Indian Culturei *American Indian Education; American Indian History; Annotated Bibliographies; Career Counseling; College Preparation; Culturally Relevant Education; *Curriculum Development; Educational Technology; Elementary Secondary Education; Higher Education; *Information Sources; *Internet; *Search Strategies ABSTRACT The Four Directions Project, administered by the Pueblo of Laguna Department of Education, is ar5-year federally-funded technology innovation grant that aims to help Native people and their educators develop culturally relevant curricula through technology. This report includes the full text of 45 "pathfinders" designed by students in the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Texas at Austin. Developed in response to specific client requests, the pathfinders provide Four Directions partners (educators, students, and community members at 19 reservation schools) with a process for locating information sources, particularly on the Internet, that would be useful in accomplishing local curricular goals. The 45 pathfinders are categorized in 5 topical sections: career counseling resources, Internet technology resources, curricular and instructional technology resources, cultural themes, and Native American cultural groups. Each pathfinder includes an introduction that describes the nature of the topic, the scope of the pathfinder, and the steps taken in identifying and evaluating relevant resources; an annotated bibliography of 15-25 resources, including print references, indexes, journal titles, electronic resources, and organizations; and the pathfinder proper, a guide to locating resources on the topic. The introduction to this report provides background on the Four Directions Project and on the construction of the pathfinders. (SV) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that canbe made from the ori inal document. RQ, PATHFINDERS FOR FOUR DIRECTIONS: AN INDIGENOUS EDUCATIONAL MODEL by Loriene Roy, Ph.D. Compiler Associate Professor Graduate School of Library and Information Science The University of Texas at Austin U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS CENTER (ERIC) BEEN GRANTED BY IF/This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. 0 Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. 6 TO THE EDUCAtiONAL RESOURCES Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) official OERI position or policy. 1 BESTCOPYAVAILABLE 2 PATHFINDERS FOR FOUR DIRECTIONS: AN INDIGENOUS EDUCATIONAL MODEL An Introduction The Four Directions Project, administered by The Pueblo of Laguna Department of Education, is a five-year federally funded technology innovation grant that aims to help Native people and their educators develop culturally relevant curricula through technology. This report includes the full text of forty-five pathfinders designed by students in the Graduate School of Library and Information Science who were enrolled in two graduate courses scheduled during the Fall 1997 semester: "Information Resources in the Social Sciences" and "Bibliographic Instruction." The pathfinders provide Four Directions partners with a process for locating information that would be of assistance in accomplishing local curricular goals. Some of the pathfinder topics represent an interest in preparing Native American students for higher education and a career. Thus, information is provided on how to choose a college and how to prepare for college through developing writing and reading skills. Otherpathfinders might help Four Directions partners in continuing education, especially in the acquisition of information technology skills such as learning how to evaluate Internet resources, how to select a search engine, and an introduction to HTML. There are pathfinders on cultural and social themes including those focusing on the history of American Indian boarding schools as well as a number of pathfinders providing guidance in locating information on specific cultural groups. This introduction provides additional background on the Four Directions Project and on the construction of these pathfinders. Goals of Four Directions The goals of Four Directions are: 3 (1) to develop relevant educational experiences modeled on and incorporating Native children's real life experiences; (2) to integrate use of technology throughout the curriculum; (3) to integrate ongoing professional development; (4) to use technology in a curriculum approach employing thematic cycles; (5) to develop a database of locally developed, culturally based educational resources; (6) to disseminate information about the Four Directions Educational model within and without Native education circles. PARTICIPANTS AND PARTNERS Four Directions is a network of partners that include participating teachers, administrators, staff, children, and community members on nineteen reservation schools and a number of supporting institutions and agencies. Educational partners include the Haskell Indian Nations University, Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute, The University of Kansas, The University of New Mexico, The University of Texas at Austin, and the B.I.A. Office of Indian Education (OIEP). Extended partners (Intel Corporation; Microsoft Corporation; Museum of Northern Arizona; Sandia National Laboratories; The Heard Museum; The Mathematical Association of America; Research & Training Associates) provide other types of support, such as supplying technology. FOUR DIRECTIONS: A PALETTE OF POSSIBILITY Each site has formed a team of up to ten members including students, parents, community members, school administrators, teachers, librarians, and school staff members. One initial goal for the Four Directions schools is the development of separate web pages. Beyond this goal, 4 iv individual participating schools interpret the goals according to local needs. For example, Ahfachkee Day School team members want to create an intranet, use technology to create an interactive middle-grade unit on the history of the Seminole Wars, and compile resources on the history of animals in the Seminole culture. The Fond du Lac Education Division is adding a video to their home page that illustrates how wild rice is harvested and processed. Summer Institute One key continuing education and socialization feature is the week long Summer Institute held in July. Four Directions faculty, including Four Directions team members at the educational institutions as well as invited guests, are available during the Summer Institutes and offer intensive training, providing workshops and tutoring in web page design, HTML, database management, electronic publishing, Internet searching, digital audio and video recording and editing, presentation software, virtual reality, processing of digital images, online editing, curriculum development, and oral history methodology. The schools participate in a 'street fair' where each school exhibits their local interpretation of Four Directions. The final day of the Institute includes a show case where each school team demonstrates the projects they worked on during the conference. At the close of the Summer Institute, participants have acquired new skills, drafted a year-long plan, and prepared one or more curriculum themes. On Line Electronic Class The University of Texas at Austin coordinates a separate online class available free to Four Directions faculty throughout the academic year, focusing on curriculum development. The Four Directions Web Page: http.://4directions.org The home page provides the option to move to five major content areas: (1) What's New; 5 (2) About 4D; (3) Community; (4) Resources; and, (5) Communication. "What's New" highlights recent Four Directions activities. "About 4D" provides copies of relevant documents, including a copy of the original Four Directions grant proposal. "Community" provides links to the web pages of the schools and partners. "Resources" provides access to the searchable database and links to papers, tutorials, reviews, and to the electronic mentoring web page. "Communication" provides a means to send electronic mail to the Four Directions staff and partners. CURRICULAR DEVELOPMENT: THEMATIC CYCLES The heart of Four Directions is curricular reform. Schools have selected themes on such topics as the environment; tribal history, culture, and language; clans; housing; games/leisure; and contemporary issues. Each theme is broad enough to be subdivided into smaller areas and all lend themselves to cross-disciplinary study and contact with community resources. This model of learning is cyclical: a. students and teachers generate questions they might have about a theme; b. the class reviews prior knowledge about the theme; c. the class refines the initial questions; d. students and teachers develop strategies to acquire new knowledge; e. information is gathered and shared; f. questions are revisited, leading to assessment of attitude changes or changes in what is known and the