Alaska Reflections

Module 1

Why is a sense of Place important?

Alaska Federation of Natives Convention

Sense of place begins as a baby enters the family and care giving rituals surround him within the context of shelter, foods, sensory experiences. A caregiver’s response to the first cries of an infant may be a culturally driven gesture that is thousands of years old, passed down through the generations. Language is also introduced in these first days with the baby surrounded by comments, sounds, vocal play, and motherese, again each unique to family and culture. These early relationships form the foundation for a secure sense of self. Culture, language and place are what forms this sense of self from which a child continues to develop and learn. Feeling safe and secure in your home and place creates a secure sense of self. With this security, it is then that an individual has the possibility to explore, question, investigate, and integrate. All qualities we as educators hope children develop and bring to the classroom as learners. I believe that as educators, creating a learning environment that creates security and comfort allows the child to access relationships needed in order to communicate and learn. The provision of a bridge between home, culture and classroom is essential for integrated learning. A typical American early childhood classroom consists of manipulatives, sensory materials, books, music that are not familiar to many of the children coming from diverse cultural backgrounds. Efforts to allow the child to connect and related to cultural and place-based activities, music and materials is important in fostering developmental growth.

In adult learning classes where I teach about language development, I ask the participants to recall one of their earliest memories of play. As the group reflects on these memories, they all have elements of emotion, relationships and place. Rare is a memory of play alone or without description of the environment, the emotional tone or others. The article Alaska's Cultures Education and Cultural Self –Determination By Paul Ongtooguk, http://www.akhistorycourse.org/articles/article.php?artID=281, describes the devastating impact of removing culture through the imposition of American style school models. The self determination by Natives that continues today is clearly communicated in a powerful and hopeful way by this author. 

Garibaldi, Oregon Coast

 I have lived in Alaska longer than any other place. Although my early experiences with the land, environment, and people were in a different place, it is those early experiences that I believe fostered sense of self in the context of place. It was my interactions with the environment in Oregon and the people in my circle of family and friends that propelled my curiosity and drive to learn. I am reminded that my early memories of my sense of self within place are all sensory and emotion-based; pulling up a crab pot and celebrating the large catch with my dad, making sand crab villages with friends for hours, making clothing out of leaves for dolls with my sister. My play schemes and activities were likely imitated or passed down from others in my circle. Again, these early play experiences within my environment allowed access to explore this “place” in the context of relationships.

I am in continual wonder at the availability of opportunities as an adult learner in Alaska.  How fortunate we are to live in smaller communities  surrounded by raw beauty with instant access to Place.

How can an awareness of Place create better learning for Alaska Students?

While viewing the video of the Cup'ik people of Chevak, Alaska, "The Spirit of Subsistence Living." Teachers' Domain. 27 Feb. 2009. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. <http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ean08.sci.life.evo.spirit/>., it brought my thoughts to learning about place.  Learning through the senses, through experience, and over time about the place that you live in.  Watching their hands immersed in the sand, smoke wafting into their faces over the fire, wind that came from far out on the sea brushing their skin. 

Communication and sharing the knowledge of their ancestors and their relationship to the land is learned in a multisensory and experiential way.  It is an integrated experience that demands immersion and experience beyond a textbook.   As we bring students to exploring history and culture, I wonder about how students can access Place through the senses and attach it to their cognitive system.  Place-based education is a model that emphasizes learning in their own community and surroundings as a basis for understanding other world views and issues.  

I often begin with young children “What do you know?” as a springboard for “How is this new idea, story, object different or similar from what you know?”  Due to the child's developmental delay, answering these questions are yet possible.  However, in my lesson planning for each student, I try to be mindful of a sense of comfort, familiarity, competency at the most basic level.  I consider the emotional response and engagement as a indicator of connection with place. In early childhood, we have the luxury of designing lessons that allow children multi-sensory access over time to weave in their cognitive and language connections.  Is it possible to learn about Place without understanding and knowing your own Place?   That is a question I will certainly continue to ponder. 

Reflection:

I was impressed by the variety and depth of resources available to Alaska educators that are available through digital media and introduced in this course.  I am looking forward to exploring more deeply, especially content related to my specialty. 

The structure is very accessible and clear.  I spent a great deal of energy getting my blog set up and wonder if a live meeting initially may assist those students who are new to blogging.  I would like learn how to cite resources digital resources correctly on a blog.