In short, adapting to a round-table style holds numerous benefits:ġ) the less formal setting puts the student at ease, encourages greater participation and fosters trust between students and faculty Ģ) the students learn from each other they become the “experts” in their own field and are able to link their own experiences to the curriculum. You cannot, and need not, be an expert on the aspects of different cultures represented in your class, but you should be sensitive to the fact there are differences and that such differences must be treated respectfully. This shift, in turn, mitigates the need for the teacher to be the “expert” of the cultural content in the course - something that is unrealistic in a multi-cultural setting, as described in the quote below: By bringing the course content to the table and soliciting feedback through guided conversation, the incorporation of Native issues comes in to the classroom discussion effortlessly and through the voice of the students. In addition, this shift naturally fosters the incorporation of Native material into the content - a goal central to the mission of NWIC. In many ways, this style represents a talking circle style discussion, in which every student has an opportunity to participate through speaking and listening to their peers. This approach also has the added benefit of engaging students in critical thinking, which is important as our students explore concepts of “multiple ways of knowing” in multi-cultural education (Deloria 1990). Experience at NWIC indicates that it is possible to cover the same materials through meaningful round-table discussions rather than lecture-style teaching, even in entry-level courses. This is in contrast to the lecture-style approach which remains a dominant teaching style in main-stream educational instutitions (Rhodes 1988). The characteristics of the round-table approach fits well with many Native students whose traditional life ways are based on collectivist, rather than individualistic values (Suttles 1960 1974). Research suggests that “round-table” or seminar approach pedagogy is a successful learning technique for Native students (Rhodes 1988) and first generation college students, in general (NISOD 2009).
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